[karan561]

Originally Posted by ajs85

Feels awesome to see that you are keen to keep the car in prime condition and not go through the discard after some time route.

Thanks for your appreciation

You can keep the existing suspension setup and just change the lower arms to M3 one (it will be a direct fit and negative camber will make it an awesome handler).

True, will keep in mind for the future.

I did the same thing but for a different reason with my E84, I had installed a lift kit from EIBACH but ordered x-drive version instead of s-drive version. This led to a change in the camber to Positive and the outer edge for the front tyres was getting gone in less than 2k km. To compensate for the change in camber I got the M3 arm kit and the car was awesome after that. Lifted with 200 mm Ground clearance, awesome handling of progressive springs and corrected camber readings. The rear had no issue hence was kept with stock arms.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

As we are talking about camber, here's a pic of the current (negative) camber of my car;

Also, you can swap suspension springs from later generation cars, this setup was a bit stiff and better handler (if you prefer a firm BMW-like ride)

As the coil springs were in good shape did not require a change, but yes this can be attempted in the long term.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by karan561

As we are talking about camber, here's a pic of the current (negative) camber of my car;

That's a pretty strong amount of -ve camber, any reason for it?

[karan561]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

That's a pretty strong amount of -ve camber, any reason for it?

Yes, but within spec. as per the wheel alignment machine readings.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by karan561

Yes, but within spec. as per the wheel alignment machine readings.

I'm sure it is buddy - been following your thread and I know you're extremely fastidious when it comes to maintenance.

My question was WHY there was a negative camber. You and I have the identical car, and my camber is completely neutral, so I was just wondering it the negative camber on yours was due to the 245/45s that you've just switched to.
Sometimes tires that are wider or taller than original spec can stretch the suspension slightly and cause changes in camber and caster angles, as well as toe angles, but 245/45 isn't that much of an oversize (it's +2.7%).
Have you deliberately configured the car for negative camber?

[karan561]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

I'm sure it is buddy - been following your thread and I know you're extremely fastidious when it comes to maintenance.

My question was WHY there was a negative camber. You and I have the identical car, and my camber is completely neutral, so I was just wondering it the negative camber on yours was due to the 245/45s that you've just switched to.
Sometimes tires that are wider or taller than original spec can stretch the suspension slightly and cause changes in camber and caster angles, as well as toe angles, but 245/45 isn't that much of an oversize (it's +2.7%).
Have you deliberately configured the car for negative camber?

When the alignment was done the custom tyre (245/45) specs were also entered, with that whatever was leaning towards negative camber (but within the spec.) was set

In real life on roads it aint that wild, here's a rolling pic for your reference;

[karan561]

Weekend Roadtrip;

A few weeks back had a plan to go to Mahabaleshwar on a quick weekend getaway, as my F30 328i had new parts, suspension and tyres installed I chose to take her over my M340i & here are some pictures from the 500+ km road trip;

Early start;



^ Mum - Pune Expressway.

1st halt at the food mall on expressway;



Some great time behind the wheel on Mt. roads;







While having fun on the twisties stopped by to click a couple of pictures for memory;





Back on the road again;



^ Crossed Panchgani & entering Mahabaleshwar.

At the hotel reception;





View from the Hotel lobby;



Clicked while on a trek;





Morning Dew on the day of departure back to Mumbai;



TripLog;

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by karan561

Weekend Roadtrip;

A few weeks back had a plan to go to Mahabaleshwar on a quick weekend getaway, as my F30 328i had new parts, suspension and tyres installed I chose to take her over my M340i & here are some pictures from the 500+ km road trip;

Great pics, car looks fantastic. You and I have clones of this car, with the same exterior and interior combo, and I think we're the only ones here with the white-on-red configuration - all the others (what few 328s there are) are red-on-black.

How are the 245 /45s treating you? Do you feel an improvement in ride from the 245 /40s? Any perceived loss in acceleration from the increased diameter? Any rubbing at all when the suspension compresses?

[karan561]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Great pics, car looks fantastic.

Thanks.

You and I have clones of this car, with the same exterior and interior combo, and I think we're the only ones here with the white-on-red configuration - all the others (what few 328s there are) are red-on-black.

Good to know

How are the 245 /45s treating you? Do you feel an improvement in ride from the 245 /40s? Any perceived loss in acceleration from the increased diameter? Any rubbing at all when the suspension compresses?

245/45's have increased comfort for sure, however the touring / comfort spec. Primacy 4's struggle to put down the 300+ hp power which my car generates hence that's a negative. No rubbing anywhere, a good fit

[Couper72]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Great pics, car looks fantastic. You and I have clones of this car, with the same exterior and interior combo, and I think we're the only ones here with the white-on-red configuration - all the others (what few 328s there are) are red-on-black.

How are the 245 /45s treating you? Do you feel an improvement in ride from the 245 /40s? Any perceived loss in acceleration from the increased diameter? Any rubbing at all when the suspension compresses?

That makes three of us. I have still retained my 2013 F30 328i. A white-on-red combo. A beauty to drive, even today (though it is more of a weekend car now)

[karan561]

Wanted to share some updates on my F30 in the form of this video which is captioned " I'll Rebuild It " in the thumbnail. It's extremely important to have this attitude if you want to keep your German Car for a Long Term. More details in the video;

https://youtu.be/1z9n8lkeLIc?si=Flfhd9zOJj58i4VO

For those who prefer text may read on;

Incident No. 1: Accident;

Earlier this year my car got into an accident, a pile up on the Eastern Express Highway where 5 other cars were involved too. Thankfully no one was behind me hence only the frontal portion of the car got damaged;



^ As you can see the grille was completely destroyed, bumper too needed work. Thankfully I had the original OE sportline grille which I reinstalled. Bumper too was repaired and refit. This accident really gave me good understanding of how strong the F30 chassis is and its build because the impact was substantial but the damage wasn't. Finally the car was back in top shape;



Incident No. 2: Headlight

After effects of the above accident during monsoon noticed the headlights too had some cracks (not in front but behind) which were allowing the moisture within. Very soon the headlights were in a bad shape;



Claiming insurance for the headlight this late and for a 10+ year old car was not sensible. However very soon I found a headlight which was similarly aged like my car;




This was a good option financially too hence went ahead with the installation;



Incident No. 3: Breakdown No. 1

Just few 100m's after leaving my home the car died, thankfully it was in N hence pushed the car to side at a safe parking;



Had to call a flatbed from Infinity BMW, Turbhe workshop.




The next day I got a call from the workshop that the issue was a failing fuel pump;



Thankfully they had a new fuel pump in stock not at the workshop but at BMW's central warehouse in Pune which arrived in 2-3 days & the installation was done;



Incident No. 3: Breakdown No. 2

Within a week of this job the car again suffered a breakdown at my office where the car was shutting down immediately after starting, hence had to again flatbed the car to the BMW Workshop @ Infinity;



The problem was diagnosed and the Steinbauer powermodule was to blame this time as it had malfunctioned due to water seepage in the box;



The car is back to stock tune now, in a way its good will help the longevity of the engine if the car is stock & not running a remap or a box IMO. Do note that I am still running the Injen Air Intake and a M Performance exhaust. Time for a Drive

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by karan561

Claiming insurance for the headlight this late and for a 10+ year old car was not sensible. However very soon I found a headlight which was similarly aged like my car;

This was a good option financially too hence went ahead with the installation;

From where did you source the headlight and how much did it cost? How much was a new one?

Originally Posted by karan561

Incident No. 3: Breakdown No. 1

Just few 100m's after leaving my home the car died, thankfully it was in N hence pushed the car to side at a safe parking;

The next day I got a call from the workshop that the issue was a failing fuel pump;

Thankfully they had a new fuel pump in stock not at the workshop but at BMW's central warehouse in Pune which arrived in 2-3 days & the installation was done;

Could the fuel pump failure be due to E20 fuel? What was workshop view?

Also the replacement BOSCH Fuel Pump has a Mfg Date of 10 Oct 2019. Pretty old stock. Do check the warranty on replacement parts.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

From where did you source the headlight and how much did it cost? How much was a new one?

I sourced it through a friend from GJ. A new headlight costs around INR 1L. I sourced a preowned unit for INR 15k.

Could the fuel pump failure be due to E20 fuel? What was workshop view?

No, It was just age related failure.

Also the replacement BOSCH Fuel Pump has a Mfg Date of 10 Oct 2019. Pretty old stock. Do check the warranty on replacement parts.

That's ok for such parts, immediate availability was a good thing. Also the warranty is for 2 years from the date of install.

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by karan561

Wanted to share some updates on my F30 in the form of this video which is captioned " I'll Rebuild It " in the thumbnail. It's extremely important to have this attitude if you want to keep your German Car for a Long Term. More details in the video;

For those who prefer text may read on;

Claiming insurance for the headlight this late and for a 10+ year old car was not sensible.

I did both; saw the video and read the review.

The interiors of your car just don't justify that it is more than 10 years old. Love the red interiors and how you are taking this out while having so many beasts in your garage. Also, how many KM does it have on the odo?

Hope you and your car are doing well now.

[AAD]

Thanks Karan for the detailed update on the issues faced and its resolution. As a fellow BMW owner that intends to keep the Car for over a decade, it's nice to know the issues likely to be faced.

I had a question - You mentioned in the first breakdown that happened close to your residence that since the Car was in N, you were able to move the car to the side while waiting for the flatbed to arrive.

What happens if the Car breakdown while one is in Drive mode? Does it mean that it's impossible to move the Car to the side for safety?

Appreciate your thoughts on this to clarify.

Cheers,

Anuj

[karan561]

Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy

I did both; saw the video and read the review.

Great, Thanks

The interiors of your car just don't justify that it is more than 10 years old. Love the red interiors and how you are taking this out while having so many beasts in your garage.

Thanks, Yes it's been kept well.

Also, how many KM does it have on the odo?

Approximately 41k kms.

Hope you and your car are doing well now.

Yes, all good now.

Originally Posted by AAD

Thanks Karan for the detailed update on the issues faced and its resolution. As a fellow BMW owner that intends to keep the Car for over a decade, it's nice to know the issues likely to be faced.

Thanks Anuj.

I had a question - You mentioned in the first breakdown that happened close to your residence that since the Car was in N, you were able to move the car to the side while waiting for the flatbed to arrive.

What happens if the Car breakdown while one is in Drive mode? Does it mean that it's impossible to move the Car to the side for safety?

If the car is in P and the car refuses to go into D or N or the car doesn't start but has to be towed then the mechanic has to do a small procedure underbody to mechanically switch to Neutral.