I have an 02 325 CIC. I have been hearing a chirping noise under the hood near the front of the car around the 2 belts. Any thoughts on what the problem is and how much it may cost. Thanks.
Are you sure it's not more of a squealing? If it's squealing, your belts probably need to be adjusted or replaced.
You did not say how many miles on the car. The tensioner bearings for the serpentine belt are known to go out at higher mileages. I have seen 3 actually come apart totally and throw the belt. Have someone check the bearings with a stethescope carefully. I cannot tell you how much it will cost becuase it varies with labor rate, parts markup, what part is bad, etc. I recommend a local independent shop familiar with BMWs vs. going to the dealer or going to a know-nothing "tire and auto" shop like Sears, Midas, Merchants, etc.
definitely a chirping noise. I have 90K on the car. I did go to an independent station only dealing in BMW's and they are going to do the stethoscope deal on Wednesday. Also having the air/fuel mix rest bc I moved from Philly to denver and have noticed decreased power, torque performance in the mountains. They said that it may be bc it is used to low altitude performance in Philly. What are your thoughts on this ----
This is because in Denver, there is less oxygen in the air due to the higher altitude. The engine is probably trying to mix the same amount of fuel with a lesser amount of Oxygen, making the car run rich. They can dial back the amount of fuel put into the engine to accomodate, but I think you're going to be stuck with slightly lower performance than you would at a lower level.
It does not have carbs, so it automatically corrects for thinner air. It will not "mix in the same amount of fuel" because the oxygen sensors will tell the ECU that the engine is running too rich. Your car will not make as much power at higher elevations because there is less oxygen in the air. If there are no actual faults with the car (like vacuum leaks or bad sensors, etc.) then you are at the level of performance you are likely to get.
