[sevenbooks]

Hi,
I just bought an x3 in blue water, with black interior. I have seen others call this a girly color, which is fine, because I am a girl. However, the color wouldn't have been my first choice. The car was a good deal and has very low miles and has black leatherette interior. I was just wondering if you had any ideas on how to make it look a little less girly. I am going to get the windows tinted, just because I do that on every car.

I was looking on the bmw site for accessories and such and the only two things that I saw were mud flaps and the window deflector things that might make it look more sporty.

Also, when we were at the dealership the business manager mentioned this coating thing that you can get to permanently protect your paint from stones, etc. She said it would make it more glossy and would cost $500, but they do a treatment to the inside too, and the underside of the car. Just wondering if they could add a little tint into that ...maybe make it a little grayer. Probably can't do that though.

Thanks so much for any tips. I love my new car, now I just want it to reflect my personality a little better.

Thanks

[ORIGIN M.]

That is a great color regardless of gender.

I'd pass on that dealer up-sell attempt.

Maybe after you tint it, add the side steps available from your dealer.

Also wheels are a huge factor in looks, so maybe upgrade the wheels to something more your style while you are at it.

[jo-e90]

You got a great deal on your X3, keep it that way by not wasting your savings on things that will not matter in a few years.
Save your $$ for when the A/T acts up and after warranty runs out.
Your driving it will give it enough personality without adding a thing.

[sevenbooks]

What is A/T? Thanks!

[jo-e90]

Grab a cup of coffee:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=262130

Here are the top 10 things that anyone considering a new or used BMW should know. I'm going to make this a sticky - feel free to add on to it!
1. Most newer BMWs require synthetic oil and premium fuel. Do not give your car less than it requires.
2. Contrary to popular belief, parts and labor on BMWs is not more than the competition; however, BMWs are not as reliable as Japanese cars and they do require more maintenance.
3. If your car is out of warranty, find yourself a competent independent mechanic. Their labor rates tend to be about half that of dealers. http://www.bimrs.org/ lists such shops.
4. Buy a Bentley repair manual for you car. Even if you don't work on your car yourself, it's good to be an informed consumer (example: if your check engine light illuminates, Autozone will plug into your car for free and give you the car's trouble code. You can cross-reference it in the Bentley manual to see what's wrong).
5. Historically, manual transmissions are more reliable that automatic or steptronic transmissions.
6. BMWs have great brakes - this is due in part to the rather soft pads and rotors they use. Don't expect them to last more than 30-50k miles. The rotors generally wear at the same rate as the pads so 'machining' the rotors OR replacing pads without rotors is not recommended. There is a 'brake pad low' warning light that is triggered by a wear sensor that will illuminate on your dash when you are due for new brakes. It looks like this: . When you replace your brakes, you also need to replace the wear sensors ($10-20 each). There's one on the front left wheel and one on the rear right wheel. Parts for all 4 rotors, pads, and sensors are generally $200-500 and labor is about the same.
7. The 'sport package' available on most BMWs is usually considered a necessary option by enthusiasts. It usually includes better (bolstered) seats, stiffer suspension (better handling), as well as larger wheels and tires. One caveat: It also comes with summer only tires that are NOT suitable for ANY slushy/snowy/icy conditions. If you live in an area that gets snow, it's highly recommended that you buy a second set of wheels with dedicated snow tires.
8. It's fairly common for OEM tires to only last 10-20k miles. Price out replacements on www.TireRack.com to prevent being shocked: It can cost $600-1500 for replacement rubber. Also remember that tires are the #1 performance mod available to you! There's a significant difference between cheap all-season tires and good summer-only tires. Ask any questions in the Tires, Wheels, and Brakes forum.
9. BMW engines are tuned very well from the factory. It's very difficult to get more than a few horsepower out of intakes, exhausts, chips, headers, etc. (the newer the car, the more true this is)....unless, of course, you're talking about the N54 twin-turbo (335i, 535i, etc), in which case, completely disregard what I just said!
The BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA) is a great organization- membership ($40/yr) entitles you to a free subscription to the monthly magazine Roundel, discounts on parts at most BMW dealers, high performance driving schools/car control clinics/autocrosses, local gatherings/rallys/dinners, as well as a $500-1500 discount on your next new or CPO BMW (you must be a member for at least a year prior to purchase - and this transaction is completely independent of the dealer - you receive a rebate check after purchasing the car for at your dealer-negotiated price). Join here and if you found this post useful, use me as your referrer (Kris Linquist #170334) While the deisgn of the new 3 Series in beautiful, the new design is very vulnerable to parking lot dings. This is espcially true due to the raised cornice metal cornice that runs the length of the vehicle. Unlike the 2005 and older models, there is no guard strip to prevent door dings and the cornice takes full impact of a parking lot door ding. I recently has $800 worth of damage done to the drivers door in a parking lot. What I recommend is a product called Door Defenders. I found these on the net. They are long, tubular cushions that attach magnetically to the car and protect the doors. I bought a pair and intend to use them to prevent another such mishap. You can find them on the Internet.

[M3PGH]

Originally Posted by sevenbooks

What is A/T? Thanks!

automatic