[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

<E36> Speedo Problems?

I
>From: john@domain.elided (John Kreskovsky)
>Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 09:13:17 -0400
>Subject: Re:  <E36>Speedo Problems?

> I also tried this. On a long section of highway without trafic I set the
>cruse control to matain a constant speed. Then reset the average speed
>function on the computer. Stating the obvious, since the speed is
>constant  the average speed and instantaneous speed should be the same.
>Guess what, at a speedo indicated 80 mph the computer reads 76.

The same here.

> Well thats two 328's, anybody else have a data point?

Something I noticed not long after taking my possesion of my new 328. 
What really threw me was after bringing it back to the dealer, they said I
had a bad OBC which they replaced.  Drove a couple of miles and observed
the same problem.  A return trip to the dealer resulted in no problem
found.

In conversations with my local dealer service dept. and the BMW NA tech
support rep I have been given the following explanation/excuse.  A 10%
error between the speedo and OBC is within limits.  So a 5 mph error at 50
mph or greater is OK, as this is within the 10% tolerance.  I have
observed though that speedo reads 5 mph higher than the OBC at all speeds,
including those down around 20 mph (tested as previously posted).  This I
mentioned to the rep as being over a 20% error.  He stood firm and asked
me what the OBC indicated while I was going 5 mph, to which I countered
that my speedo does not display 5mph.  :-)

All in all, I would say it's a trivial matter and will just assume the
speedo always reads 5 mph greater than the actual speed.....But one of
these days I'm going to get my hands on a small handheld GPS receiver for
a definitive confirmation on this speed thing.  At the moment I'm more
concerned over my passenger window which always goes SCREEEEEEEEECH
everytime I raise or lower it.  Thats been fixed twice, but lasted no more
than my drive home from the dealership.  Life is like that. Oh well....

Still a great car.


Steve Weber
1996 328is with speedo that reads 5mph high  ;-)