Catch up time.

The new year hasn't brought any surprises, thank goodness, and most of my time has been spent looking into replacement rims and tires for the car since Northern California has been unusually wet.

In the meantime, here's some info I've been sharing with site visitors:

Q: Question regarding the steering retrofit on a daily driver production date 8/2001 E46 BMW 325Ci. Is this considered to be 2002? Also is this vehicle affected by the loose steering issue? Thanks.

A: Thanks for the note. Unfortunately, any answer to your question is moot, since BMW stopped offering the steering retrofit a few years ago. What you have is what you have.

The year of your car is whatever is listed on your invoice. You can always call BMW USA and ask as well. To my knowledge, all of the 2002 cars have the "new new" steering (what they retrofitted the 2001 models to).

In the end, if you're happy with the steering, it doesn't really matter of course.

Q: I have a 2002 330ci with 154K of mileage on it that's drinking about a litre of Syntec every 2500-3000 Kilometres....is that in the normal range of consumption or is it indicative of a potential problem??

A: The problem was due to a leak. Oil consumption has returned to normal.
Details on the repair are here http://www.killerrobot.com/bmw/1207.html

Q: Love my 02 330cic orient blue bimmer. whats the story with bent rims from potholes? i live in the boston area. we have winters. also, i want to get the hardtop accy. where can i get it cheaper than dealership?

A: Yes, San Francisco streets destroyed my rims. I'm surprised Boston hasn't done the same your car given the condition of the streets (although I haven't visited Boston since 1988).

Too bad you weren't looking for the hardtop last year when I helped a guy sell his. They're rare, so I think the dealership may be your only choice. Since they just came out with the new model which renders them useless, I'm sure you can swing a deal with any dealership that actually has them in stock.

Q: Just bought a 2002 with 50K miles...blue with Tan..loaded with every thing except nav. Took me a year to find it. I live on Hilton Head Island and the inventory doesn't last long..Traded my 04 325 sedan because my wife had to have a rag top. I have enjoyed reading your site and it have been very helpful. One question, what do you think of the extended warrenties? I didn't do it at the deal because they wanted $2,500 for a 24/24k policy. Did you have any major problems in the 50k to 75k miles? Do you recomend the inspection 2? Thanks again for the info and the site.

A: Thanks for visiting my site. I bought an extended warranty after the second year because I have a 70-mile daily commute. It's definitely worth it if you have the time to make 5-6 phone calls and like to negotiate (there's a huge amount of markup). The price difference was $400 vs. $700.
Here's a link to that info: http://www.killerrobot.com/bmw/1002.html

The Inspection II is a pricey one, so I understand your concern: $2900 for me, since I'd run out of warranty. They go over a lot of things, so it depends on how long you plan on keeping the car. If the answer is 4+ years, then yes it's probably a good idea.

I didn't have any major problems until this year, which translated into a $3000+ repair bill. Most of my repair history is here: http://www.killerrobot.com/bmw/maintenance.html

I was wondering about the name...but I think the actor spells it Stephen, doesn't he? With a name like Kashiwagi, I'd be happy if people could just pronounce it.

Have fun with the car.