BMW 3 Series Climate control

Tony255

hi,

Does anyone know the difference between the two of these, i'm looking at some 318 CI (01/02) online and some of them have a digital display for the air conditioning but others have manual knobs for air con. what is the difference here is one air con and the other just standard fans?

Tony

Anan1

Digital display is climate (with a/c). Manual knobs is either manual a/c or even no a/c at all.

Lex Luthor

the manual one is like you have in most basic cars...

the digital one is the climate control and has a digital readout on the dash and you can set the temp in steps of 0.5 deg and it will control it for you in that area. Its normally dual control which means one setting for the driver and one for passenger.

Go for the climate control every time with a BMW...its a huge selling point. I recently had a E39 with the dual climate control and its great to set your temp different to you cold wife. It also has an auto setting which will hold back on blowing in the cold air first thing in the morning until it gets to your setpoint

Tony255

I would love the digital climate control but unfortunately all those ones seems to be out of my range and i really want a 01.

Time for the stupid question is the 2001 318ci an e36 or e46, or..... i see it mentioned here all the time but can never work it out

colm_mcm

My understanding of it is that Climate control (be it with knobs or buttons) have preset temperatures and work with a thermostat where as normal air conditioning just has hot and cold and bits in between but will not maintain a certain temperature.
Personally I find digital climate control too fiddly and prefer the old fashioned ones where you don't have to look at the display to see what buttons to press!

Anan1

The difference between climate and manual a/c is much less than the difference between manual a/c and no a/c.

colm_mcm

some of the 3 series have manual climate as in the 5 series (definately in 530i anyway)

Anan1

colm_mcm wrote:

some of the 3 series have manual climate as in the 5 series (definately in 530i anyway)

When you say manual climate do you mean manual a/c (ie not climate control, just knobs)?

colm_mcm

no. knobs with set temperatures on the temperature knob.

Anan1

I see what you mean. Analogue climate, for want of a better word.:)

colm_mcm

indeed my favourite system. although the BMW lacks an AUTO position on the fan which is a bit annoying.

xabi

This seems to be in the Irish versions of the E46 Coupe only. When I was looking for mine in the UK they all had digital Climate, some garages even laughed at me when i asked did it have digital or manual saying they all have digital and they have never seen a manual.

X.

colm_mcm

just as well you didn't ask about manual windows or wheel trims, which seem to be a BMW Ireland specialty!

xabi

Good old VRT, forcing the manufacturers to cut all the toys from their cars so that the Irish think they are getting a half decent deal...

colm_mcm

just as well they're spending the VRT money wisely

JoeA3

Try getting digital climate control if at all possible, I find it easily the most worthwhile feature I've ever had in a car.

With it being fully auto, you can literally leave it on "auto" 365 days a year, and never need to adjust it! Meaning you don't need to worry about constantly fiddling with the controls. The system will regulate the temp, fan speed and air direction itself.

Lex Luthor

Tony255 wrote:

I would love the digital climate control but unfortunately all those ones seems to be out of my range and i really want a 01.

Time for the stupid question is the 2001 318ci an e36 or e46, or..... i see it mentioned here all the time but can never work it out

e36 is the 3 series from 91-98, E46 is from 98-06

the climate control is definitely worth going after if you can afford it...you know you want it

this is what it looked like on my one

netwhizkid

I have digital climate control in my 316 (E36) and it is fiddly but eventually I got the hang of it.

It depends on the sort of person you are, and seeing that you are posting on boards, I take it you are technically competent, can use a pc etc. For those who can't work Sky Digital or set a digital microwave then my advice would be go for the analogue knobs version. However digital is much better and a good selling point too.

As was said before VRT sees to it that toys like this will never ever see the light of day in most Irish car's as is the case with many essential modern safety features too. see my signature

milltown

Dual climate control never found it's way into an E46 afaik.

I had climate in my last one and plain old air con in my current one and I must say I prefer just twisting the knobs to adjust now. I found I was constantly adjusting the set temperature on the climate and couldn't leave it on auto because the fan would have to run at full pelt for the first five or ten minutes to get the temperature close to the set point.

Be happy that they all have A/C and if you nab one with climate then it may be a bit of a bonus.

maidhc

netwhizkid wrote:

It depends on the sort of person you are, and seeing that you are posting on boards, I take it you are technically competent, can use a pc etc. For those who can't work Sky Digital or set a digital microwave then my advice would be go for the analogue knobs version. However digital is much better and a good selling point too.

My 80yr old grandfather didn't have any trouble mastering the climate control on his A4. The system with knobs as used on the VWs is more intuitive though.

Tony255

i think it is just the manual fans, not sure if it is even air con, but i love the car so i think i wont leave the lack of climate control bother me as we only get 2 weeks of sunshine in this country anyway.

does anyone know where i can get a replacement knob for the radio, i'm like a child at christmas now and i havent even bought it yet.

Elessar

I'll be buying an E46 3 series in the next few months and from my research on carzone, the amount of BMWs without climate control is shocking. It is extremly narrowing my choices and one of the reasons I want a beemer is their climate control.

Some of them dont even have air-conditioning

It baffles me why some people would pay the premium for a BMW without the most "basic" premium features.

netwhizkid

Elessar wrote:

I'll be buying an E46 3 series in the next few months and from my research on carzone, the amount of BMWs without climate control is shocking. It is extremly narrowing my choices and one of the reasons I want a beemer is their climate control.

Some of them dont even have air-conditioning

It baffles me why some people would pay the premium for a BMW without the most "basic" premium features.

This is a uniquely Irish phenomenon, and is not exclusive to BMW; You'd have a better chance of finding a used BMW in Ireland with these creature comforts than a different make as BMW buyers could afford to spend the extra money required to get these in the vehicle.

The whole thing is caused by the Fianna Fail led Government and VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax) this protective tariff (totally contrary to the free-market) is helping keep the Irish Motoring Industry in a nice cosy cartel. Car Dealerships then strip out things like A/C, important safety features and other extras like Leather Seats so as to make the price more attractive to the Irish buyer.

This harks back to the early days of the state when having a car of any description was a sign you were successful and wealthy. a car in today's world is one of the most basic necessities especially in country like our own with such poor public transport.

I own a 316 E36 which I purchased in the UK and the selection over there was excellent due to the bigger population and the fact that VRT is not applied to the cars over there with the blood sucking greed that it is here. Many people mistakenly think VRT is an Import duty, well it is but it is also slapped onto every new car bought here regardless where it is made.

VRT accounts for nearly 3% of total government revenue and is a perfect example of how this government is screwing the people constantly cutting taxes for the rich and big business, corporation tax at 12.5% :eek: and then letting the people to pick up the tab with illegal stealth taxes like VRT, waste charges, selling off state assets like Aer Lingus, GSH etc to plug the holes where their "liberal economics" have failed miserably. If we all paid an extra few bob in general taxation or tax property developers more the country would be much better off besides every little tiny thing costing extra then. Joe Higgins said it about the waste and they jailed him, but yet he was a man of foresight with charges rising contant, by 100% in my own area.

look below nuff said.

Lex Luthor

ah here netwhizkid, we all know you want the FF/PD coalition out, but its Friday...;)

maidhc

netwhizkid wrote:

This is a uniquely Irish phenomenon, and is not exclusive to BMW; You'd have a better chance of finding a used BMW in Ireland with these creature comforts than a different make as BMW buyers could afford to spend the extra money required to get these in the vehicle.

Meh. I'd say most 3 series buyers couldn't afford aircon because they used up their life savings on the small badge on the bonnet.

milltown

Fuppin' hell! I didn't think it was possible to get an E46 without A/C. In fact I was actually under the impression that climate control was standard to begin with and was then pared back to plain aircon when BMW started to "de-content" the cars prior to the late '01 facelift.

Care to tell us a bit more about the car in question Tony? What year, model etc. And if we may ask, what price? Reason being, when it's time to sell, if the car is still in the premium market by then, lack of any kind of aircon may make it hard to shift. Unless the deal is already done I'd be using this as a stick to beat the seller with.

colm_mcm

netwhizkid wrote:

The whole thing is caused by the Fianna Fail led Government and VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax) this protective tariff (totally contrary to the free-market) is helping keep the Irish Motoring Industry in a nice cosy cartel. Car Dealerships then strip out things like A/C, important safety features and other extras like Leather Seats so as to make the price more attractive to the Irish buyer.

Why would having a registration tax put on cars be welcomed by the motor industry?
The reason base specs are lower in Ireland is because the VRT pushes the price of an internationally accepted standard spec model out of lots of peoples budgets.
The VRT goes to the government, not the dealer.

Tony255

milltown wrote:

Fuppin' hell! I didn't think it was possible to get an E46 without A/C. In fact I was actually under the impression that climate control was standard to begin with and was then pared back to plain aircon when BMW started to "de-content" the cars prior to the late '01 facelift.

Care to tell us a bit more about the car in question Tony? What year, model etc. And if we may ask, what price? Reason being, when it's time to sell, if the car is still in the premium market by then, lack of any kind of aircon may make it hard to shift. Unless the deal is already done I'd be using this as a stick to beat the seller with.

The car is a E46 01 62k miles 1 owner from new regularly serviced, beige leather interior, sunroof, chrome pack, brand new alloys. all for the sum of €16000 (was €17150 but got down to €16000 and expect to get another 3-500 off it). Its a really nice car and one of the cheapest 318 ci's i could find around.

To get anything close to what i want i think i would have to pay at least 1200+ (including the discount) on carzone and i dont think aircon is worth that.

What would you do, will it really affect my resale?

milltown

Hmmm...
That is a very good price for a coupé of that age and mileage. It just strikes me as very odd that somebody would pony up for leather, sunroof and chrome and skimp on the aircon. Be sure and do a thorough job checking the car's history. Ring BMW with the VIN (chassis) number and they should be able to verify it's history. If it's an import you may need to call BMW UK. Try and get the seller to take you and it to a BMW dealer and get them to verify the mileage.

Maybe I'm being over-cautious, I've never bought one outside the dealer network, too much comfort to be had from BMW warranty. I'd be wondering too why somebody would put brand new wheels on a car they were about to sell.

Resale wise, as it's a coupé potential buyers may be more interested in buying into the image than the perceived luxury and comforts, so A/C may not be an issue.

It really is a case of caveat emptor IMO. A few hundred quid spent verifying service history, mileage etc. could save you a lot in the longer term and give you peace of mind. If you are blinded by the badge and the price and end up with a lemon, come selling time you may have to wait for somebody who doesn't know what to look for, rather than just somebody who wants a 318Ci and has the money to buy yours.

Best of luck, whatever you do. If you get a good one you'll be hard pressed to buy anything but BMWs in future.

Tony255

Thanks for all your help guys....

my girlfriends dad knows the guy and he said they buy all the trade-ins from a main BMW dealer in the city. i checked out the dealers story of one lady owner with BMW and its true. TBH i am not that experienced with cars i know what i like and what looks good but not really sure what is going on under the bonnet so i will be getting that checked out but i too think this is money well spent. i checked it on cartell too and it isnt an import and only 1 owner.

As regards the new wheels i saw the old wheels and they were in a pretty bad shape so the dealer replaced them probably really cheap for him but they look great on the car. might ask for the old alloys too and see if i can get them replaced and sell them on.

bazz26

I thought all E46 coupes had manual air conditioning as standard?

I know the E46 saloon didn't have air conditioning as standard in Ireland until the facelift in 2002.