Hey all:

Just been advised that my car is on the boat, so should be here in a few weeks.

328xi
Barrique/Tan/Walnut
MT
Prem pkg
Sport Pkg
Xenon
Nav
Cold Weather

I haven't actually seen a Barrique 328 yet so I'm looking forward to posting some photos!


I've been increasingly unhappy at the low level of knowledge exhibited by my sales guy. He's been very friendly and a pleasure to deal with, but questions frequently don't get the right answer or the answers are not useful. I don't want to ID the dealer, cuz for all I know he's reading this, but like he said he deals with a lot of lawyers and doctors and maybe they're not enthusiasts (altho I barely qualify myself).

I'm moving from an A6 2.7T to the 330 cuz with the kid out of the house I no longer need the big backseat, and I wanted to get something sportier and w better gas mileage (just on principal).

When I first started looking into the 3 series I wasn't sure whether I should go with a coupe or sedan. The coupe definitely looks better imo but I wasn't sure if the rear seat folded down. That would have been a deal breaker for me. My rep told me the rear seat in the coupe would not fold down even with cold weather, so I dropped the coupe. Then here I heard o/w. I asked the rep to re-confirm and we went looking for a coupe in the showroom. Sure enuf, the rear seats folded down.

Ultimately I went with the sedan, mainly cuz my wife doesn't want any hassle when her damn dog gets into the back, and, with the extra 2k cost for the coupe, I went along w the sedan.

So I'm starting to think about what accessories to install when the car arrives. I'll probably do the alarm cuz of where the car will be driven and stored. Next decision is the ipod adaptor and the phone cradle.

Dealer advises I don't need the cradle, all it does is charge and secure the phone. I ask doesn't it give access to the external antennae? and he says no, with Bluetooth just having the phone allows it to go out with the antennae. But according to bmwusa.com, the cradle in fact is required to access the antennae. I assume the dealer is wrong, but any thoughts on this?

Next I ask about the ipod adaptor. I know this is a controversial topic given the cost of $500, but being able to see playlists and whatnot on the nav screen and control from there seems pretty cool, and at least worth looking into further.

Dealer tells me I don't need, cuz there's already a jack in the console. I state that I've been online here and the idea of controlling the ipod from the nav screen has been discussed.

He then tells me there are problems with the adaptor. When I press him he states that the online forums are frequented by geeks who can deal with this stuff, mostly cuz they are young. The insinuation I guess was that me, being 52, won't be able to figure this all out.

It so happens that I just finished building the PC that I write this from, mobo on up, with three hard dives, 4gb, and so on, so no matter what my age I am hardly technologically challenged.

Can anyone confirm that the ipod adapter actually works well? These dealers are something else...


Waiting for that lucky day!
Denton

I haven't actually seen a Barrique 328 yet so I'm looking forward to posting some photos!

Dealer advises I don't need the cradle, all it does is charge and secure the phone. I ask doesn't it give access to the external antennae? and he says no, with Bluetooth just having the phone allows it to go out with the antennae. But according to bmwusa.com, the cradle in fact is required to access the antennae. I assume the dealer is wrong, but any thoughts on this?


You are correct. Without the cradle, the phone uses ONLY it's internal antenna. With the cradle, the external antenna of the car is used.

Regarding the iPod kit, others here should be able to lend assistance, as I've not seen it in person yet. I understand that it provides track info, playlist access, etc through the NAV screen (very cool) but I can't confirm that. If that is confirmed, I will be adding it to my 335i sedan when it arrives as well.

Please please please post pics of your Barrique when it arrives, I really liked the color in the brochure but wasn't bold enough to choose it myself.

Congrats on the purchase!

is the IPOD kit a dealer installed accessory or can I install it myself?

Next I ask about the ipod adaptor. I know this is a controversial topic given the cost of $500, but being able to see playlists and whatnot on the nav screen and control from there seems pretty cool, and at least worth looking into further.

Dealer tells me I don't need, cuz there's already a jack in the console. I state that I've been online here and the idea of controlling the ipod from the nav screen has been discussed.

He then tells me there are problems with the adaptor. When I press him he states that the online forums are frequented by geeks who can deal with this stuff, mostly cuz they are young. The insinuation I guess was that me, being 52, won't be able to figure this all out.

Can anyone confirm that the ipod adapter actually works well? These dealers are something else...


I just picked up my new '07 328xi 2 days ago and it has the Ipod kit installed.

I don't have the NAV option installed (I have a laptop with a USB GPS antenna and I can move from car to car, plus do other things on the laptop with a bigger screen)

I ordered the Ipod interface option and I'm glad I did.
I don't know what others are talking about the Ipod playlist taking a while to upload or comes up slow on the screen but I had no problems with mine, it took 30 seconds and the list was right there.

Open glovebox, connect the Ipod adapter to the Ipod, leave it in the glovebox and close it.

You press these buttons on the radio to access the Ipod songs:

Audio then CDC

then press the button under LIST

and use the right knob to scroll through the song list, press the knob to select the song and it will play instantly!


I think the slowness comes from the Idrive thing, not sure tho.



You need to know that if you use the AUX jack, you need to buy a cable from radioshack or an electronic store...and it won't even charge it!

That's the good part about the interface, it charges the Ipod whenever the engine is running, and it shows the playlist on the screen and plays from the Ipod.

To top it off, the BMW logo shows up on the Ipod screen when you connect it :)


One more thing, dealers don't know everything about the car...they just sell them. Best thing to do is ask questions on here and we'll help out, because the resources are good here.

is the IPOD kit a dealer installed accessory or can I install it myself?

It's an dealer installed item and cannot be done by you because the radio needs to be re-programmed to regonize the Ipod by a special computer at the BMW service center.

It's a $400-500 option by most dealers.

[quote=denton;8351524]
I've been increasingly unhappy at the low level of knowledge exhibited by my sales guy. He's been very friendly and a pleasure to deal with, but questions frequently don't get the right answer or the answers are not useful. I don't want to ID the dealer, cuz for all I know he's reading this, but like he said he deals with a lot of lawyers and doctors and maybe they're not enthusiasts (altho I barely qualify myself).

Denton, you may want to ID the dealership later on to share you experiences. If you live in an area with multiple dealerships you may save a new buyer time and money by helping them make an informed decision about which dealer is the best. I haven't searched the forum to see if there is a dealer review section here yet. I like to research dealers / service centers before I do business with them.

I use the aux input in the arm rest right now and it is annoying to have to control my player from the unit. I make a lot a playlists so I don't have to continually mess with the play. I will add the IPOD integration in a few months, the only reason that I am waiting is because I have a Toshiba Gigabeat and not only would I have to buy an adapter, I would have to buy an IPOD.

I was told by my CA (who IS knowledgeable) that the iPod interface was withdrawn for a while because of software problems but that it's back now.

I think the dealer you're referring to is either Life Quality or Rallye BMW--Those guys don't know anything about the cars they are selling except hp and tor--I recommend going to a dealer outside nyc, execpt of Manhattan BMW, but some of sale rep are suspect as well. I think demographics has alot to do with it. Some BMW owners are more concern with the color and model year than anything else. So in turns, sale rep are more focused on fullfilling the buyers request than having profound interest in the models..If you ever have time and want to experience good BMW Dealer try Otto's BMW in West Chester, Pa. It a large dealership-and the rep are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. They have a large selection of cars--hell they even had a 2007 Standard M5. Most of their sale rep were quality techs so they had to go over repair done by tech, so they know the cars. Good luck with your purchase.

I think the dealer you're referring to is either Life Quality or Rallye BMW--Those guys don't know anything about the cars they are selling except hp and tor--I recommend going to a dealer outside nyc, execpt of Manhattan BMW, but some of sale rep are suspect as well. I think demographics has alot to do with it. Some BMW owners are more concern with the color and model year than anything else. So in turns, sale rep are more focused on fullfilling the buyers request than having profound interest in the models..If you ever have time and want to experience good BMW Dealer try Otto's BMW in West Chester, Pa. It a large dealership-and the rep are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. They have a large selection of cars--hell they even had a 2007 Standard M5. Most of their sale rep were quality techs so they had to go over repair done by tech, so they know the cars. Good luck with your purchase.

+1 on the positive review for Otto's BMW. I have worked with both their BMW and MINI sales folks before and they are very knowledgeable of the product line. They also have an extensive selection of cars on site both new and CPO.

+1 on the positive review for Otto's BMW. I have worked with both their BMW and MINI sales folks before and they are very knowledgeable of the product line. They also have an extensive selection of cars on site both new and CPO.


Otto is way better than Union Park and Main line-Any day:mad

Otto is way better than Union Park and Main line-Any day:mad

Yeah, I originally started my 335i deal at Union Park until I got frustrated and went to West German. Much better buying experience IMO.