BMWNA Statement on voluntary recall involving front passenger seat sensor mat on U.S.A. model BMWs
08/13/2008
Today, BMW announced a voluntary recall regarding the front passenger air bag seat sensor mat involving approximately 200,000 Model Year 2004-06 vehicles. Affected are certain Model Year 2006 3-Series, Model Year 2004-06 5-Series, and Model Year 2004-06 X3 vehicles, depending upon seat type. BMW has found that the sensor mat may become damaged during vehicle usage depending upon the manner and frequency of the front passenger’s entry and exit.
BMW will begin sending customer letters in late September 2008. Affected owners may continue to drive their vehicles; however, customers should contact their BMW Center if the air bag warning lamp, and the passenger air bag “on-off” lamp are illuminated simultaneously. In this situation, BMW recommends customers not to use the front passenger seat and have the vehicle serviced immediately. At the present time, we are unaware of any accidents or injuries as a result of this issue.
The BMW Vintage and Classic Car Club of America
will be on the roads of California from 8/14 - 8/30 for their second US rally. The first occurred back in 2004 and was staged on the East Coast.
This years rally will begin in Aptos, Ca., head north to Eureka, then south onto Lake Tahoe and finally looping back to Aptos. When all is said and done the expected 65 or so vintage cars will drive around 2000 miles. Included in this rally will be cars from not only the US but from Europe as well. This event also coincides with, the top tier classic car events in the US, the Monterey Historic Automobile Races and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
So if you are cruising around in your BMW and see these rally participants give them some praise as these cars are not only historic but their passion!
To many BMW enthusiasts the words “convertible M3″ are a dichotomy. The popular belief among most enthusiasts is that a car like an M3 should be a focused device meant for precision on and off the track. It’s a tool that shouldn’t be inherently compromised by, say, cutting off a huge structural component like the roof. All this has made the convertible M3 traditionally a little bit of a poseur car in the minds of some automotive enthusiasts. And it doesn’t help that you’re more likely to see one parked out in front of a Starbucks rather than a track.
The problem with convertibles is really quite straightforward and it has less to do with perception and more to do with physics. While the normal M3 coupe is the last word in structural rigidity, the convertible version has a few major issues to overcome in that area. For starters the roof (typically a major structural component) has been eliminated. Never mind that BMW has fitted a smart (and relatively attractive) retractible aluminum hardtop to the new M3, the structural rigidity that was once there has been almost literally cut in half.
Today we bring you the official launch video for the refreshed 3 series sedan which we were (finally) able to obtain. The marketing department did an amazing job on choosing these locations, and with the overall composition of this piece. For some it may be a sigh of relief to see how the car looks in motion and how the light bounces off of all of the creases.
Video:BMW/ Auto365.fr (from our original which was asked to be removed/but this has been modified)
J.D Power’s latest study on ownership after 3 years places BMW in the Top 10 at 7th while Lexus continues to lead the pack. All in all not a bad showing from BMW.
This study really shows how a car performs after the the initial build of the car has been put through its tests, this type of study means more for those looking to keep a car for a period greater than the first 100 days (since that is what the initial quality studies measure). We are fairly sure most of car purchasers out there plan on driving the car for more than 100 days and is the main reason this study should be weighted more than the others out there.
In the end it shows that buying a 3 year old BMW is not a bad call, or even buying a new one and keeping it that long. BMW did well considering where the other German brands are on the list!
Here is how the Top 10 shaped up (you may be very surprised):
This new iDrive system is creating a buzz that is for once positive about BMW technology. This positive buzz may also open the eyes of car mags and critics to the idea (finally) of iDrive not being as bad as they try to make it out to be. The current system is a vast improvement to the original in the 7 series, but because it retained the same name, to many it was the same system.
When we originally brought you the pictures of the controller we were happy with that improvement. When we heard about what the operating system would be like we were ecstatic. When we finally were able to see the system we were captivated, now we are just simply blown away. If the system can do half of what it is supposed to effectively and efficiently it will be a great success, especially since it looks beautiful!
We hope that the new system, we would like to dub iDrive 2.0, is just the beginning of new successes in BMW creature comfort technology!
You can read about each photo by scrolling over “notes”
The BMW Group increased its sales volume in July of this year. In total, 125,812 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand cars were delivered to customers. This represents an increase of 2.2% compared to the same month last year (123,089 units). For the period to the end of July, sales rose by 4.4% to reach 890,699 units (January - July 2007: 853,142 units).
Sales of the BMW brand grow 2.2% in July
Sales of BMW brand cars rose to 106,483 units (July 2007: 104,168 units / +2.2%) for the month under review. For the period to the end of July, 744,061 BMW vehicles were sold (January - July 2007: 726,355 units / +2.4%).
We have been searching and prodding our sources to find an accurate view of the new Chestnut leather… So far all we can bring you is the view compliments of the German Configurator that just went live tonight.
How accurate this picture is of the actual color remains up for debate but it is “Rotbraun”; in other words “red brown”.
Looks like it will be almost Terra with the addition of red…
Chestnut and Blue Water (the color featured on the sedan in the launch photos) would be a great combo, and we’re fairly certain that was BMW’s plan!
Here is a nice little photos set from new BimmerFile contributer Mike. He was kind enough to snap some shots of a US spec 335d for us. So it would seem that there are US spec cars on the ground already; which plainly shows that BMW is way ahead of schedule getting these babies rolling in the States (joking here folks; if you have been following along you will get it!).
This particular car is equipped with the Sport Package and the beautiful wheels that come along with it. In the photos you can clearly see the filler for the AdBlue (read: UREA), a key component to the new emissions control system which should go about 10k before a refill. You can also see many of the new changes and of course the new iDrive system.
If you are unfamiliar with the new Advanced Diesels we recommend that you explore some here.
We heard from a few readers about a rumor that BMW’s US bound diesel line-up was rumored to be delayed until next year. While we could certainly see that as plausible given that these are new models with entirely new components (urea injection anyone?) we still thought it odd that BMW USA had just released information about both models for a fall release.
It turns out our concerns were justified. Cars.com blogger (and longtime friend of BimmerFile) Dave Thomas has confirmed with BMW USA that the 335d and the X5 35d will be starting production in September with sales to start in November.
BimmerFile is dedicated to bringing you the most interesting news, links and reviews related to the BMW brand and it's vehicles.
We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: Official News, Recalls/Bulletins Aug 14th, 2008 2 Comments 
