Topic: BMW 325i or 98 accord I4?

[AVToller]

John, John, John  From anyone else I could let it slide, but you are considering teaching the children of BC. Please do NOT pass on such atrocities. 

Now, I'm not saying David E Davis is the pinnacle of automotive jouranists, but I guess him and I have something in common... 

[airbalancer]

In what model, a 94/95 325    That is the model been discussed.  Not your model. 

In a 94/95 325/525/540/740  the dealer charges $400 to change the cabin air filter.  The Sword is located behind that.

From the checking I have been doing there is no sword in a e36 325. They have a Final Stage Resistor

[johngenx]

John, John, John  From anyone else I could let it slide, but you are considering teaching the children of BC. Please do NOT pass on such atrocities. 

I'm a math teacher.

[zarbat007]

In what model, a 94/95 325    That is the model been discussed.  Not your model. 

In a 94/95 325/525/540/740  the dealer charges $400 to change the cabin air filter.  The Sword is located behind that.

From the checking I have been doing there is no sword in a e36 325. They have a Final Stage Resistor

i agree.... there is a resisitor  for the HVAC system.

[Julie]

how about changing an oil filter on the BMW, pretty easy

nice cabriolet u got there!!! how u like the bmw in general?  pros? cons?

the wife loves the car
no major problems so far after 40,000 km
rear shocks were change,
I find the dealer rates are not bad on their value pricing
They also usually have a 50 point inspection twice a year that I take the car in
My son has 98 328 and his gf has a new Fit
He finds the BMW to be a much better ride

Man, this forum makes people itch for:
- BMWs
- Subarus
- VWs
!!

Don't forget Mazda's! 

You're right, how could I... Mazda3, MazdaSpeed6, CX-7, MX-5, RX-7....

[articsteve]

From the checking I have been doing there is no sword in a e36 325. They have a Final Stage Resistor

and your reference for that statement is where 

BMW CLIMATE Limit Switch / Final Stage (Sword) - Used

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 BMW 328I 4DR ( E36 ) BMW 328I CONV ( E36 ) BMW 328IS 2DR ( E36 ) BMW 318I 4DR ( E36 ) BMW 318I CONV ( E36 ) BMW 318IS 2DR ( E36 ) BMW 323I 4DR ( E36 ) BMW 323I CONV ( E36 ) BMW 323IS 2DR ( E36 ) BMW 325I 4DR ( E36 ) BMW 325I CONV ( E36 ) BMW 325IS 2DR ( E36 ) BMW M3 2DR ( E36 ) BMW M3 4DR ( E36 )

http://data.bmrparts.com/bmwparts/4014.html

[airbalancer]

http://parts.autopartsonlinecanada.com/parts/apocanada/wizard.jsp?year=1995&make=BM&model=325-I-002&category=R&part=Blower+Motor+Resistor

Autoparts Canada only list resistor for a 95 325i no sword

from Realoem.com no sword
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BF73&mospid=47482&btnr=64_0556&hg=64&fg=40
E36 323i     ELECTRIC PARTS FOR AC UNIT
 RealOEM.com Home => Select another car => HEATER AND AIR CONDITIONING => ELECTRIC PARTS
 
No. Description Supplement  Qty  From    Up To  Part Number  Price Notes 
01 BLOWER UNIT  1   64118390208 $395.06 See SI 640292464
 FOR VEHICLES WITH
AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM
S530A=YES 
02 BLOWER RESISTOR  1   64118391749 $41.57 
03 TEMPERATURE SENSOR, HEATER  2   64111374242 $16.68 
04 EVAPORATOR TEMPERATURE SENSOR  1   64518364458 $25.11 
05 RUBBER GROMMET  1   64511377494 $2.23 
07 REPAIR KIT TEMPERATURE SENSOR  1   64111378849   
 FOR VEHICLES WITH
AUTOMATIC AIR CONDITIONING
S534A=YES 
08 FINAL STAGE UNIT  1 03/1995 10/2002 64118380580  ENDED
08 FINAL STAGE UNIT  1 03/1995  64116929540 $126.11 
09 BRACKET  1   64118390874 $4.80 
 FOR VEHICLES WITH
AUTOMATIC AIR CONDITIONING
S534A=YES 
10 WIRING FOR AIR CONDITIONER  1   61128362295 $209.81 

Notes:

SI, TÜV, SDB = Service Information (refer to TIS).
ENDED = The part has been discontinued.

Copyright © RealOEM.com   Shopping cart.

No items in cart.
 

[articsteve]

Autoparts Canada only list resistor for a 95 325i no sword

So what does that prove   They don't carry it.  Very few general purpose auto part places carry specialty HVAC parts for Bimmers in Canada.  As your Bimmer gets older you'll find that out.   If you go to a dealer for these type of repairs your bill will be in the thousands.

The Sword in the 325 (the Bimmer under discussion/not a 323)  monitors temperature of air flowing out of the climate case.  If it fails the blower will not operate.  The picture I posted shows the Sword and the blower resistor.  They are two different parts.  The Sword is the nasty one and hard to diagnose.

I was SIMPLY trying to point out to the  Zarbat that he really doesn't have any idea how complex and faulty the HVAC is on a E36 325 v. an Accord.  Few ppl do.

Below is a pic of a typical Bimmer climate case.  Note how many steeper motors that are on it.  Your unit might be even more complex.    When one steeper motor fails all you hear is tick, tick, tick, continuously.    I  could not even guess how much labour would be involved in replacing some of those motors.

So I will repeat that if one is thinking about buying a 11 or 12 year old bimmer look past the AC.  Settle for a sun roof as your AC because the cost of the AC and related HVAC problems can cost more than the car.  They are not Honda simple. 

[Mitlov]

If the complexity of an AC system is the deciding factor for you between the most highly-praised RWD sport sedan on the planet, and a FWD family sedan, you shouldn't be considering sport sedans to begin with.  That's not an insult or a flame, that's just a simple reality.

Did it take THAT much text to discover this?

[articsteve]

Did it take THAT much text to discover this?

Meth is a dead end.  Try rephrasing. 

[zarbat007]

If the complexity of an AC system is the deciding factor for you between the most highly-praised RWD sport sedan on the planet, and a FWD family sedan, you shouldn't be considering sport sedans to begin with.  That's not an insult or a flame, that's just a simple reality.

Did it take THAT much text to discover this?

good point, the bmw has some goodies, thats why its more complex. the honda doesnt have a unit to keep the interior at a constat degree, but i'll keep the AC in mind, thanks articsteve 

oh and i have to mention that some honda parts are ridiculously expensive too, like i said the clock spring for a 1992 EX-V is $550   just so u can use the airbag, and horns

[articsteve]

good point, the bmw has some goodies, thats why its more complex. the honda doesn't have a unit to keep the interior at a constat degree, but i'll keep the AC in mind, thanks articsteve 

oh and i have to mention that some honda parts are ridiculously expensive too, like i said the clock spring for a 1992 EX-V is $550   just so u can use the airbag, and horns

the honda doesn't have a unit to keep the interior at a constat degree,

On top of a thermostat control to screw up that 325 was dual zone AC/heat.    Double trouble.

 like i said the clock spring for a 1992 EX-V is $550

There are a lot of crazy priced parts in all cars.  Go buy a Saab.    Here is a link that I use frequently. That Honda clockspring is available in Montreal for $100. No PST paid out of province so shipping isn't that bad.

http://car-part.com/

[kenobe23]

I'd buy the Honda, but my priority is getting good value for my money and avoiding car-related worry as much as I can. If I had all the money in the world, I'd be more concerned about ultra-handling, but since I am a man of ordinary means dependability is of greater importance.