[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

What scares me is the possiblity of getting scammed once the BSI pack runs out next year. I enquired from them about the extension of BSI pack and the price for 10 year/1L kms is around 4.5L out of which I have effectively paid 2.5L for the first 5 years. So I will need to give around 2L more which will cover me for the service requirements for another 5 years.

It will be extended warranty plus BSI, right? If yes, then it is definitely worth it. With that you are completely covered against any major repair (like, suspension replacement for example) and can keep the car as long as you wish.

Also, much of that 2L would mostly be recovered during resale if you decide to let it go in a couple of years or so.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

It will be extended warranty plus BSI, right? If yes, then it is definitely worth it. With that you are completely covered against any major repair (like, suspension replacement for example) and can keep the car as long as you wish.

Also, much of that 2L would mostly be recovered during resale if you decide to let it go in a couple of years or so.

No it is only for service. The warranty would lapse at end of 5 years as per my original BSI. Even if I want to extend that then I can do so only for another year i.e. BMW offers warranty pack only till the 6th year. Also the cost of that additional 1 year of coverage is pretty steep, approx. around Rs. 1.2L or somewhere around that figure. I am willing to pay more if they had given an option to extend warranty.

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

No it is only for service. The warranty would lapse at end of 5 years as per my original BSI. Even if I want to extend that then I can do so only for another year i.e. BMW offers warranty pack only till the 6th year. Also the cost of that additional 1 year of coverage is pretty steep, approx. around Rs. 1.2L or somewhere around that figure. I am willing to pay more if they had given an option to extend warranty.

Then I don't think it's worth it. You will be spending 2L upfront for next five years only for service whereas the major expense would be most probably resulting from parts replacement.

Also, by opting out of BSI, you would have the flexibility of getting the car serviced at any FNG and order the parts online from abroad which will be cheaper, in general.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

What scares me is the possiblity of getting scammed once the BSI pack runs out next year.

I have seen quite a few FNGs working on premium cars in Delhi and I would suggest you move out to one of them once you are out of warranty. Continuing with the ASC seems pointless if the car will anyway be out of warranty after the 6th year. Owners here on the forum can help you sourcing parts at good prices too.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

I have seen quite a few FNGs working on premium cars in Delhi and I would suggest you move out to one of them once you are out of warranty. Continuing with the ASC seems pointless if the car will anyway be out of warranty after the 6th year. Owners here on the forum can help you sourcing parts at good prices too.

Sir any pointers to these FNGs in Delhi? I would definitely visit them provided they have some good recommendations.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Sir any pointers to these FNGs in Delhi? I would definitely visit them provided they have some good recommendations.

There is only one I recommend since he is a close friend, a total car noob AND does not believe in daylight robbery. His bills for premium cars (mostly Bimmers and Mercs) are in the Maruti ASC range.

Devender Singh from Bosch Car Care, Sheetla Mata Mandir Road, Gurgaon. Near Atul Kataria Chowk.

Just tell him that Dev from Bangalore sent you there. His number is: +91- 9899245678.

Let me know in case you have any questions.

[drmohitg]

Change of shoes: My car's stock Bridgestone RFTs had run 42k kms and were now up for change. They would have lasted me another 10k kms but the rear left tyre got a side wall cut and hence I decided to change them. After a lot of dilly dallying, I finally opted for the regular tubeless route as it is so highly recommended on the forum. Going by my previous experience with Michelin XM2 on my Altis, I opted for the Michelin Primacy 3ST for the 3 series since that is the only one which comes in the stock size for my car which is 225/55 R16. The tyres costed me 11,400 per piece including the fitment and alignment and balancing.

Initial experience has been a mixed one till now. The ride comfort has really transformed and I feel I am driving the Altis and not the Bimmer since the ride has magically become carpet like. However at the same time I feel it is a compromise on the sporty feel of the car as I prefer the relatively hard RFTs where you feel connected to the ride. The ride has become too soft for my liking. I am maintaining 33 PSI in all 4 tyres currently and would like to see if increasing the pressure by a little would probably add some feel to the drive. What is the ideal tyre pressure that I can play with staying within the safety margin?

Also I have a doubt which I need to get clarity on. My car is covered under warranty for another year. Will the switch to tubeless void the warranty atleast with regard to suspension or anything else that can be blamed on the tyres? Or does it make no difference since I have no changed the size of the tyre but only switched to a non RFT set up. If it does play with warranty, I would rather switch to my old RFTs (which I have kept) before I give my car for servicing and then switch back to the Michelins post service.

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Change of shoes: My car's stock Bridgestone RFTs had run 42k kms and were now up for change. They would have lasted me another 10k kms but the rear left tyre got a side wall cut and hence I decided to change them.

52k would have been too much of a stretch. IMO, it is risky to keep them running beyond 40k or so even if there is some thread depth left.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Also I have a doubt which I need to get clarity on. My car is covered under warranty for another year. Will the switch to tubeless void the warranty atleast with regard to suspension or anything else that can be blamed on the tyres? Or does it make no difference since I have no changed the size of the tyre but only switched to a non RFT set up. If it does play with warranty, I would rather switch to my old RFTs (which I have kept) before I give my car for servicing and then switch back to the Michelins post service.

I don't think it will affect warranty in any form. Though I do not have formal information on this but once a SA told me that they do not check if the tyres are changed or not while rewarding the warranty claims.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

I don't think it will affect warranty in any form. Though I do not have formal information on this but once a SA told me that they do not check if the tyres are changed or not while rewarding the warranty claims.

BMW seems to differ on this and says that warranty will be voided. I mailed them asking about the same and following is their response.

Dear Dr. Gupta,

Thank you for your email addressed to BMW India.

With reference to your query, we wish to inform you that, "Your BMW is equipped with a unique state of art tyre technology known as Run Flat Tyre (RFT). All the vehicle specifications and characteristics concerning various component groups (chassis, suspension, steering etc.) are designed, set and tested according to the tyres (RFT) fitted. Further we wish to inform you that the specification of tubeless tyres (non-RFT) may not match with the original specification of these component, as they are designed/tuned to function with RFT tyres on the car.

In case of deviation from original specifications of tyres (non-RFT) these component group may not function as these are supposed to and may affect the warranty of your vehicle.

Thank you for bringing the matter to our notice and giving us an opportunity to offer our comments. For any other assistance, in future, please feel free to contact us again.

With kind regards,
BMW India Customer Service

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

BMW seems to differ on this and says that warranty will be voided. I mailed them asking about the same and following is their response.

That's too bad. The car can run on spare wheel of insane profile, which is tubeless by the way, but not on tubeless tyres.

Anyway, thanks for posting the response here.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

That's too bad. The car can run on spare wheel of insane profile, which is tubeless by the way, but not on tubeless tyres.

Anyway, thanks for posting the response here.

Usually going by my past experience with BMW service, I am not really sure if they ever check the tyre and its make. They do check the tread depth at one service centre in NCR while at the other even this is not done. But it is still a risk as one never knows when this might come back to bite you.

[drmohitg]

5 completed, 5 to go!
Sincere apologies once again for not being able to update the thread more actively. The car has completed 5 years earlier this December with the odometer reading at 53k kms. As per the BSI pack (5 years/60k kms) that I had opted for at the time of buying, I regret not being able to complete those remaining 7k kms too. The car is running absolutely fine and till date this is the only car that we have ever owned which puts a smile on my face each time I have to take it out. And yes that includes even going and coming back from work. They say if you do not look back at your car before walking away from parking, then you probably bought the wrong car. Well I must say that till date I give it not 1 but 2 or 3 glances before walking away.

There were some talks of selling it at home earlier this year since the BSI was coming to an end. But someone on this forum rightly pointed out the flaw in that thought. In the era where the future is electric and hybrid vehicles, one should enjoy one of the last fun to drive, RWD 320d, especially since the car has been very well cared for and has not failed us in these last 5 years ( barring 1 incident).
The windshield had developed a crack thanks to a pebble hit. This is the second time it has happened in last 5 years and I am unsure if it is due to poor quality or the fact that the car is doing 20-30% higher speeds than my other cars at any moment and hence the force with which the stone hits is more. Anyways got it changed at BMW. Since the NCB was going to lapse, I decided to also get rid of all the scratches on the car which had got accumulated as a result of the vandalism prevalent in Delhi. Nearly got the complete car painted barring the roof and a couple of panels and finally the car is shining just like day 1 again. The paint job done at Bird auto has been good so far and I hope stays that way. Now I just need to go and get the interiors too cleaned once at 3M since the light beige interiors accumulate a lot of dirt.

The extended warranty expired this December. BMW offers an additional 6th year of warranty but that is priced at an exorbitant 1.9L. Unsure if that much amount is justified for just an additional year, I decided not to opt for it. But opted to extend the BSI pack to 10 years/1L kms. This car was our first car in the luxury segments. And to be frank, the presence of a BSI pack really took away all the pressure of owning the car. It really enables you to just enjoy your car to the fullest and let the costs of servicing etc not bother you. BMW offers a maximum coverage of 10 years/2L kms, of-course the cost would also increase accordingly. As before the BSI plus would cover the regular service components like engine oil, filters, wiper blades and brakes. Suspension related components would not be covered. But still the money that they charge, is easily justifiable if you are able to cover the listed number of kms.

Things that I wish I could change in the car:
1. Boot space: Yes this is the biggest downer as it limits the ability to take the car for outstation trips with family since the boot is too small to hold all the luggage. And without the space saver in the boot, it is just a matter of chance before one find himself stranded in the middle of nowhere with a puncture. It is good to see that they have no incorporated the space saver under the boot and opened up a bit more boot space.
2. Bluetooth music streaming: Yes a 30L + car does not support music streaming over Bluetooth and I guess this was a big miss by BMW since they already offered Bluetooth phone connectivity. Moreover since cars costing much less than this have this, it gets frustrating to connect an AUX cable every time. I understand that they now offer this in the newer models.
3. Placement of the aux cable: Now this is a design flaw that they still haven’t addressed. The AUX input is located inside the storage space under the front arm rest. The problem is that there is no space for the AUX cable to come out of the storage space and one needs to just shut the arm rest over the cable. As a result, the cable gives way in a few months. The problem is compounded by the fact that you cannot change tracks using the controls on the ICE or the steering to change music tracks while playing music through your phone using the AUX cable. And since the world has now moved to music streaming apps, it becomes cumbersome to keep holding the phone again and again to change tracks.

Miscellaneous Points:
1. Tyres: So as you know I had changed to Michelin primacy 3ST and now have completed 10k kms with the new tyres. I will still maintain that as per me the true sportiness of the car takes a hit once you move to regular tubeless tyres after driving on the RFTs. The RFTs, being harder tyres, gave a feeling of connect to the road and inspired more confidence in me. I may be a bit skeptical but I feel even the braking was a tad bit more sharper with the RFTs. But on the other hand, the ride quality has completely transformed and my parents pointed out the same ( without any idea about the tyre difference). Also the car can handle pot holes better as the amount of impact transferred to the alloys has reduced.

2. A minor noise was coming from the left front end of the car, more audible on low speeds with music off. It turned out to be a leaking shocker. BMW replaced it without any fuss under the extended warranty. The change of tyres to non RFT set up did not have any bearing, although it was duly noted. So I guess it is safe to assume that suspension related warranty claims will not be denied on changing the tyre set up. Of-course the tyre size remained the same in my case.

And finally a few pictures after getting the car back, post painting:

[torquing_points]

Hi Doc - been a while since you posted here. Whats up with the F30? Still not happy with the shoes? Been considering to get the Michelins myself - but thats because I have graduated from the front seat to the back seat...

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by torquing_points

Hi Doc - been a while since you posted here. Whats up with the F30? Still not happy with the shoes? Been considering to get the Michelins myself - but thats because I have graduated from the front seat to the back seat...

The car is doing great. The odometer has reached 63k kms and the next oil service is due in another 1000 kms as per the iDrive.

My opinion regarding the tyres stays the same. I have now driven 20k kms on the new tyres. The ride quality has changed dramatically and everyone else apart from the driver (that is me) appreciates that. From a driver's point of view, it has made the car a lot less fun to drive. The confidence in high speed runs has dramatically come down. On the other hand the softer side walls of these regular tubeless tyres have ensured that you are a bit more relaxed in encountering potholes and road undulations. Earlier the shockers used to bear the brunt each time the car encountered anything other than smooth tarmac.

If you plan to be in the rear seat then definitely get the tyres changed to non RFT set up.

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

2. Bluetooth music streaming: Yes a 30L + car does not support music streaming over Bluetooth and I guess this was a big miss by BMW since they already offered Bluetooth phone connectivity. Moreover since cars costing much less than this have this, it gets frustrating to connect an AUX cable every time. I understand that they now offer this in the newer models.

Please get Tantra Fluke ASAP. Works flawlessly and recreates an almost OEM like feel with music streaming and audio/track controls via a wired remote, while retaining phone connection for calls with the default bmw connectivity (Both BMW and this product get auto connected via Bluetooth to the phone). Since I installed this in my car, I have never missed OEM integration of Bluetooth streaming!

https://www.amazon.in/Tantra-Fluke-P.../dp/B00U76LX76