New to the boards

[BMWpikachu]

Greetings from Bonsall in the San Diego area. Nice to find such an informative board. I have a '97 318i, and as a fresh newbie, I'd like to get some questions out of the way.

1. I just got an estimate on a brake job (all rotors, pads, sensors, the werx) and I want to know if its decent.... $700 for all. My car has 106K miles on it, so I know it needs the job. Plus they showed me how worn down everything looked. So should I keep looking around?

2. My 318i is a very beautiful blue with a subtle purplish tint. Does anyone know the color's actual name? I hate telling people my car is blue. To me, it's more than blue.

3. I bought my car in 2000 and for some peculiar reason, I have no floormats. I've been using (wince now) generic floormats that match as close as possible in regards to color. Where on earth can I find floormats that ACTUALLY belong in my car? I'm sick of pulling the driver's side mat DOWN because it rubs against the gas pedal.

4. The big question: What the hell is a 318i anyway? I ask this more as a question about the difference between a 318i and a 325i. I'm guessing I have the not-so-powerful BMW. Any insight would be very helpful.

Regardless, I love my car and want to take great care of her, especially now that she's over 100K.

Thanks!
Karina

[bmwkick]

 

[Big Daddy]

Welcome Karina we are gald you landed here! Check with some of our sponsors here in the "Marketplace" for pads and rotors. If you are mechanical replacing them is not too hard. Most of that $700 is labor as the pads and rotors are not expensive, nor is the sensors. You can get a complete kit from Pelican Parts for less than $300.00:

"Pelican is now pleased to offer our basic brake kit for your BMW E36 3 Series. This kit is for the BMW owner who needs only to replace the essential components at a bargain price over the individual components! These kits are the perfect solution for the BMW owner on a budget. Here's what the kit includes:
New front and rear rotors
New front and rear brake pads
New front and rear brake wear sensors
New e-brake shoes
New brake disc retaining bolts"

Regarding your car, it is a 3 series and has a 1.8 liter motor, hence a 318. I had a 91 318is and loved that car. Try Bavarian Autosport for floor mats. Good luck and post some photos of your car when you can.

 

[Average Jae]

hi Karina, welcome to the board.

guys here are pretty helpful when it comes to getting things fixed or other advice. Big Dan was right on the money w/ the 318 designation. it is less true now a days, like the new 3 series: both the 325 and the 330 have a 3.0 liter engine, the only difference is tuning and about 40 horsepower difference. anyway, enjoy your stay

 

[Kirby]

Wilkommen!!!

We had another discussion recently about brake costs done by a dealer, and that person was quoted about $770 for all four wheels. So your quote would seem to be about right for a typical service center IF they are using BMW brand parts.

As Big Daddy said, you can save alot if you or a friend are mechanically inclined. It's not that tough of a job and it is well documented in manuals an on the net.

 

[Tom]

Welcome aboard, don't forget to post some pictures.

 

[echothreezero]

Hi Karina - Welcome and congrats on the car!

I know nothing of the cost for the brakes in your part of the world, and the 318/325 question has already been answered but I will add that the 318 also only has 4 cylinders whilst the bigger 325 has 6. This means that as well as a bigger more powerful engine, the 325 also enjoys both the better sound and larger low-down torque of a 6. this means it sounds great and will accelerate much better and pull harder due to the increased torque.

The colour of your car will be on a sticker in the rngine bay. Look for a word in german ending in blau (German for blue) that will be the specific blue your car is.