[Varun_HexaGuy]

Originally Posted by GTO

Someone's clearly having a lot of fun with the car already .

Hehe, yeah! It's really hard to not drive this car. It's a cardinal sin to keep it parked in the porch for long

Originally Posted by GTO

Highway FE is good because of the super tall 8th gear. In the city, my car gives 6 - 7 kmpl.

I was expecting 8-9 kmpl in my usage. But ended up with 11.9-kmpl from tank to tank which is pretty impressive.

Originally Posted by GTO

What's better is that, at 5000+ rpm when you hear the engine, it sounds awesome! A rare nice-sounding diesel. The sound has clearly been tuned for pleasure by BMW, it's got a muscular note.

Haven't really redlined the car as yet. I just let the gearbox shift up at 4000-odd rpm and enjoy the quick progress it makes. Heck I haven't even used the Sport or tiptronic mode yet. I find the drive mode itself to be so usable and fun, haven't tried the rest at all. But yes, at higher revs, it does sound quite good for a diesel.

Originally Posted by GTO

The 525d I tested on launch had a USB socket under the driver armrest. Use that for MP3s (I had hooked up an iPod to it).

Even better, just swap out the head-unit with one that has Android Auto & Apple CarPlay. Many owners have done it. Your steering controls etc. are retained.

I inserted my USB stick which has a fairly exhaustive collection of FLAC files (~128-gb). i-Drive said "External device not supported". Will figure what's wrong over the weekend.

Originally Posted by GTO

You'll easily get used to it. In fact, I'll go a step further and say it's the "biggest" sedan that India can handle. It's one of the factors stopping me from upgrading to a W222 S-Class. I take my 530d everywhere, through narrow village roads and what not. Some of these places, a W222 won't be able to reach.

I've already gotten used to the size. My colony streets are about 15-feet wide with encroachments and parked vehicles on the road notwithstanding. So you get an idea. Just that it is annoying to drive it through my colony on a daily basis with the 5. Especially after a tiring day at college and work. Extra small streets and fairly huge car. Bad combination.

Originally Posted by GTO

Get that spare tyre, pronto.

Yes Sir. On it. I have the stock rims with me anyway. Will just slap on a tyre and leave it in the boot while heading out for a highway drive.

[Stolidus500]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

I inserted my USB stick which has a fairly exhaustive collection of FLAC files (~128-gb). i-Drive said "External device not supported". Will figure what's wrong over the weekend.

Try 320 kbps VBR mp3 files. If that doesn't work try changing the file system of the usb drive. Most systems don't support FLAC or lossless files over usb drives.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Originally Posted by Stolidus500

Try 320 kbps VBR mp3 files. If that doesn't work try changing the file system of the usb drive. Most systems don't support FLAC or lossless files over usb drives.

Will try this. But would be absurd though. My Jetta Mk5 with the RCD340G could play lossless/FLAC over USB. Expected the 5 to do the same considering the segment it hails from.

Tried iPod connectivity as well later today. Same result. "External device not supported". I don't even know what else to say. If I hold onto this and not switch to a 30d LCI, will figure out something with respect to the headunit.

Until I do that, CDs are the way to go.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

I have the stock rims with me anyway. Will just slap on a tyre and leave it in the boot while heading out for a highway drive.

Would suggest getting a space saver. The regular wheel with regular tyre size will make your boot unusable.

[WhiteSierra]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

I'm loving every bit of owning the 5. Every time I floor the car, it manages to leave a wide grin on my face.

Hey Varun, that is one good looking bimmer! Silver BMW with black grill, alloys and carbon-fiber finished ORVMs looks HOT! The car looks 10 on 5.

Get that black / carbon-fiber lip spoiler for boot as well, it would look really good. Link


My uncle has a 2013 BMW 520d F10 in Black colour and we did couple of Hyderabad - Karimnagar & Hyderabad - Warangal trips in it, I loved the robust diesel engine refinement, power, build quality, pretty much everything about the car.



The only time his BMW got stranded was due to break in alloy wheel and cut in tyre after it went over a huge pothole near karimnagar enroute to Hyderabad. My uncle was stranded for almost 8 hours till the RSA arrived, causing lot of inconvenience for him and his patients that he had to attend to. As GTO said, get a space saver spare wheel for those long drives and a tyre inflator during emergencies. Wish you many KMs of happy driving the beast, also get those BMW hub caps for the alloys.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

CBS is more of a bane than a boon in my opinion. Have a fairly long drive planned for tomorrow and now the car greets me with a warning to replace the front brake pads in 130 kms! Ridiculous because just yesterday evening it showed the brake pads had a life of 11,000 kms left. Rear was some 3100 kms away. Was thinking of doing it once I was back.

From 11,000 kms to 130 kms, the number is just too hard to digest. Worst part, the Jetta is still at the workshop and GT TSI is out of town currently. Didn't expect such a thing from the CBS though.

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

Hey Varun, that is one good looking bimmer! Silver BMW with black grill, alloys and carbon-fiber finished ORVMs looks HOT! The car looks 10 on 5.

The only time his BMW got stranded was due to break in alloy wheel and cut in tyre after it went over a huge pothole near karimnagar enroute to Hyderabad. My uncle was stranded for almost 8 hours till the RSA arrived, causing lot of inconvenience for him and his patients that he had to attend to. As GTO said, get a space saver spare wheel for those long drives and a tyre inflator during emergencies. Wish you many KMs of happy driving the beast, also get those BMW hub caps for the alloys.

Thank you! The car sported a spoiler in CF too. It's currently off the car. I've been thinking of undoing a few bits on the car currently. Let's see how all of the tweaks pan out.

Regarding the spare wheel, will have to go the space saver way because I use my car quite extensively and need boot space to haul stuff from place to place quite regularly.

[BeMyWings]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

I inserted my USB stick which has a fairly exhaustive collection of FLAC files (~128-gb). i-Drive said "External device not supported". Will figure what's wrong over the weekend.

Congratulations on the 5 Varun! All the best! Some audio units are finicky with NTFS vs FAT32. Try formatting your drive to FAT32 (unless it's already there), it may just resolve your error.

[Turrrb0]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

From 11,000 kms to 130 kms, the number is just too hard to digest.

Visually inspect the pad thickness if you can. For me, one time the rear brake pads warning came on, despite having changed the pads just a few months prior. Upon inspecting i could see that there was enough pad life left, turned out to be a busted sensor, ignored the warning and continued on my drive, no worries though they're cheap and easy to replace.

On the second occasion (recently, blr->maa drive) the front pad's alarm went off. Didn't want to risk it, so took off the wheel and inspected the pads, and it was indeed at its EOL. The alarm usually goes off when there's around 4mm of pad thickness left, its safe to do 1000-2000km with that much left is what my mechanic told me, so just avoid going too fast and braking too hard. not wanting to take a chance, I changed the pads the day after i got back home.


The old vs new pad

[skhattar]

Hi!

Didnt want to start a new thread for this. This is probably the right place to ask this query.
I have been contemplating for an exhaust for my 2019 530D G30 M Sport. I am unable to find good information on the internet. As most of us agree, the B57 is a sweet sounding motor.

I am not sure how the exhaust will sound with a diesel motor. Will it make any sense at all? Would appreciate if someone can shed some light on this.

A few pics of my car.

[Turrrb0]

Originally Posted by skhattar

I am not sure how the exhaust will sound with a diesel motor. Will it make any sense at all? Would appreciate if someone can shed some light on this.

I personally like the sound of a straight piped diesel, more so when it'd be a 6 cylinder BMW. Though not everyone does.
Also, not everything needs to make sense

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by skhattar

I have been contemplating for an exhaust for my 2019 530D G30 M Sport…I am not sure how the exhaust will sound with a diesel motor. Will it make any sense at all? Would appreciate if someone can shed some light on this.

I’ve had the opportunity to drive an F10 530d with a catless downpipe for extensive periods, and IMO that’s all you need to do as it’s a pretty sweet sounding setup (going catted or catless is your call).

I think adding an exhaust to the car would not prove to be bang for your buck and would not do it if I were you, although sometimes I get that rational arguments would not be able to beat out what the heart wants.

[Arnav612]

The paradox of a heavy heart but oozing with fulfilment echoed through the day that our trusty Mercedes W205 C200 was sold. A mere 17,800 kms in a span of 5 years, and innumerable memories of identifying a garage queen and weekend joyride in the C-Class only warranted a worthy replacement. The C-Class was our first step into the thriving luxury car market in India and it did the fundamentals just right. Unmistakable German engineering, an adequate 4 cylinder, 2.0L Turbo Petrol Engine mated to a 7 Speed Torque Converter, and a decent equipment list made it our ideal initial leap into the luxury car market.



This time around, it was time for a plunge. A proper upgrade into the fully loaded luxury saloons, and to negate all the shortcomings of the C-Class. Not only in terms of equipment and cosmetics, but also performance, driving pleasure, comfort and all-rounder abilities. In my mind, it was ,“6-cylinders, or nothing.” That, along with personal preferences trickled us down to two options. An F10 BMW 530d M-Sport, or a W212 Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI.



First things first, the F10 easily turned way more heads than the W212, and by quite a margin with its meaty stance, angel eyes, sophisticated lines, and low slung form. Plus, the unavailability of a single Facelift E350 left us (happily) with no choice other than a BMW 530d, in its top spec guise. A 6 pot, 3-Litre Twin Turbo Diesel, mated to a ZF8 Gearbox, churning out a whopping 258 bhp and 560 Nm of torque made for a drool worthy proposal in the pre-owned market. We then stumbled upon a clean, low run (~39,000 km) example and had our hearts throb. The brief test drive really shone the power a wide open throttle could have over my heart. A few days, negotiations, and pleasantries later, she came home. We prioritised refurbishment and went ahead with a ceramic coating, leather treatment, full polish and detail, and so on. Feast your eyes, while I feast my ears to the sweetest diesel grumble I’ve come across.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Arnav612

We then stumbled upon a clean, low run (~39,000 km) example and had our hearts throb. The brief test drive really shone the power a wide open throttle could have over my heart.

Congrats on the beast! Excellent choice, keep her well and she will reward you with a deadly combination of driving pleasure + practicality + reliability. Use only top notch parts & labour and be on top of all the maintenance items. You should get the ZF-8 transmission oil changed. BMW says "sealed for life" which is rubbish with any oil. ZF contradicts BMW by recommending a change at the 7 (or was it 8) year mark.

Glad you got the final facelift. It's got a lot of goodies.

[vredesbyrd]

Hi all!

Was curious if maybe an F10 520d/530d can be made more road-proof (read Innovafication) using 2 inch lift kit, 17 inch rims and stiffer suspension?

I may as well be ruining it but can help the car tackle rough situations.

One could for an X3 F25 too but 20d too poorly equipped and 30d is more of an urban legend at this point.

What do you say?

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

Hi all!

Was curious if maybe an F10 520d/530d can be made more road-proof (read Innovafication) using 2 inch lift kit, 17 inch rims and stiffer suspension?

What do you say?

That's a great idea, if you're trying to ruin the car and cause yourself a ton of headaches in the future.

If poor roads are such a concern then I'd forgo the germans altogether and just get a pre-owned Fortuner.

Originally Posted by skhattar

Hi!

Didnt want to start a new thread for this. This is probably the right place to ask this query.
I have been contemplating for an exhaust for my 2019 530D G30 M Sport. I am unable to find good information on the internet. As most of us agree, the B57 is a sweet sounding motor.

I am not sure how the exhaust will sound with a diesel motor. Will it make any sense at all? Would appreciate if someone can shed some light on this.
.

I'd strongly recommend to not do this, for the following reasons.

1. Diesel engines don't inherently sound good, and BMW's cat-con, resonator, and baffles in the exhaust system are attuned perfectly to this engine. Altering or removing them in any way is NEVER going to sound good.
   
2. Literally everyone I know who's modified their exhausts has had to deal with droning issues. I've been in a friend's car with an 'upgraded' (and I use the term loosely) exhaust on a long drive and the droning on the highway while cruising in a low gear at low revs was intolerable.
   

When you 'upgrade' your exhaust you're never going to know how it's going to sound until it's fitted, by which time it's too late. I know people who's spent a chunk of change on exhausts from some reputed manufacturers and come away with nothing but regret and a lesson well-learned.