[Santoshbhat]

8 years – 92,000 kms update.

Just completed the 8th year of ownership in December with the ODO reading around 92,000 kms. The car continues to perform flawlessly with no issues faced since the last update. The well-designed CBS (condition based service) prompts on the car’s iDrive along with excellent and professional service support from Navnit Motors Airport Road centre (Now KUN Exclusive) has made the ownership experience very pleasant indeed. I did not opt for BSI. Credit to BMW for keeping the service costs reasonable for non BSI customers and for not penalizing them for not taking their packages. I find their service costs quite reasonable for this class of car. After 5th year discounts start kicking in , which increase as the car gets older. An 8 year old car gets a discount of about 15 to 18% on service bills ( parts and labour).

BMW does not have an official oil change interval for certain components like gearbox and AWD parts like transfer case and differentials. I thought of getting these done given the age and mileage of the car. During last service, the EGR cooling system replacement was done under warranty proactively by the service centre. The coolant was also replaced when this was done as per their SOP. So that was one fluid that was taken of, which is also a sealed for life policy of BMW. Transmission and AWD comps oil change requests are very rare apparently and the only time the service centre does it is for accident vehicles or vehicles that come in with complaints like hydrostatic lock. The transmission oil is quite expensive. The complex ZF8 takes in almost 9 litres of new oil after the old oil is drained out. The oils are quite expensive given that they are designed to last for very long periods. The entire job costed me about Rs. 80k (parts + labour). Expensive, I know, but given how expensive these parts are to replace should any of them fail, I feel it was worth the expense. I was also quite apprehensive in going for this job as it is quite a complex affair. It was quite reassuring to have BHPian Chethan B G by my side when we were having discussions with their technical team about the process etc.. as he was also getting these done for his X1 and had done a fair bit of research as well. They had saved some of the oil extracted from the transmission and diffs to show me and as expected these were almost fully black in colour. Job well done I presume. I have driven almost 2000 kms post the oil change and everything is working as smooth as silk. The transmission does feel a wee bit smoother in its shifts. Or maybe its just a placebo! I don’t think I will be selling this car anytime soon. Cars like this are rare and very very difficult to replace. I saved a good sum by not opting for BSI and 6th year warranty. So this is money well spent I feel. I think I am set for the next 8 years provided the Government allows me run my 'highly polluting car' on the road!

The transmission oil


The oil for AWD parts




Other updates

1. The typical F series BMW issue of sticky door handles showed up on the drive side door handle. The original part has a soft rubber top layer that usually starts crumbling over time. I found a fully plastic replacement part for some 2000 bucks on Amazon. So decided to give it a try before going to the A.S.S. for a solution (who seemed clueless btw as to which child part to order) . It was a perfect colour match and a perfect fit! Took all of five minutes to install. The quality of the plastic is good too, which is important since it is an important touch point.
   
   
   
   
   The worn out door handle
   
   
   After installation of new plastic handle
   
   
   
   
   
2. The Yoko Advans on the front axle needed replacement. Reached out to Madhus and was happy to be told that fresh stocks of Michelin PS3s were available. I had used up 2 sets of PS3s on the Laura and absolutely loved these tyres. While they were installing these, they told me that the rear PS4s were also on their last days, probably another 1000 to 1500 kms left. Decided to change the rears also as it did not make sense to go all the way for tyres again within a month or so. Another reason why I did not want to defer the rear tyre purchase was because of the way the X drive AWD works. Ever since I got the staggered 19” set up, I have realised the that the rear tyres wear out twice as quickly as the front tyres. The front Yokos lasted almost 40k kms, whereas the rear Yokos lasted 20K kms after which they were replaced with Michelin PS4s. The PS4s also lasted only 21K odd kms. At this point if I did not change the rear tyres, then I would be running on brand new PS3s in the front and nearly worn PS4s on the rear. The X drive system is very sensitive to tyre diameters. It needs all 4 tyres to be around the same wear level or same outer diameter. Difference in the wear level results in a small difference in the overall outer diameter of the tyres which makes the system go wonky and can potentially result in damage to the transfer case. I did not want to risk it, so decided to change the rear tyres also and decided to forego the last 5 to 8% of tyre life. The decision to switch to staggered 19s has proven to be quite expensive in this regard. The 18s, which allow for 4 tyre rotation, would easily last 35k kms going by how the last set of 18s were going. I still have them and use them whenever I am going on trips with very bad roads. The rear 19s last only 20k kms and are very expensive as well. But I feel there is a huge difference in the way the car behaves with the 19” BBS rims compared to how it does with the 18” TL tyres and stock rims. The BBS rims are very light and have a slightly different offset. This has a very positive effect on steering feel, overall grip and handling delivering a sporty feel at the wheel.

MO = Mercedes Original




I had always felt that the engine responded the best with Reliance diesel. After the price hikes by private retailers I had moved back to PSU diesel. Few months back after the prices cooled off, I decided to try Reliance once again (now Jio BP) . Makes a huge difference I must say in terms of engine noise, smoothness, mileage and power. I am now exclusively running on diesel from Jio BP. In the interest of good health and longevity of engine internals I am using BMWs diesel additive extensively. Almost 1 bottle per alternate fill of 60 litres of diesel.

If there is one feature that I have made maximum use of, it has to be the switchable drive modes and in that the adaptive suspension, that firms up in sports mode and stays compliant in comfort mode. In comfort mode on fast highways there is a bit of bobbing and wafting that is completely eliminated by switching to sports mode. Also the car feels very agile while switching lanes etc… Whereas in sports mode the ride feels jiggly the moment the road surface deteriorates or when you are trundling slowly within city limits. Having that switch at your disposal to alter the suspension characteristics based on the road and mood situation is just brilliant. Also the ability to configure the sports mode for the drive train and suspension independently is God sent. I hardly use drive train sports mode these days on the highway. The power and torque in the default comfort mode is more than adequate for usual cruising at whatever speeds I like. It is only during stretches like the Hubli Dharwad two lane stretch, where I feel the need to complete quick overtaking maneuvers is when I usually switch into the sports plus mode where the drive train also goes into sporty settings along with the suspension.

On the occasion of completion of 8 years decided to make use of the clay kit and Collinite 845 wax bottle that I had ordered long back and left unopened. Impressed with BMW’s exterior paint quality. Apart from the inevitable stone chips, the paint surface has not weathered one bit. The all black interiors + cloth and leather combination seats also work very well and hardly show any sign of ageing. My usage pattern of monthly highway drives + occasional weekend drives has made sure that I haven’t got bored of this car at all. We have never owned any car beyond 8 years or 80,000 kms. But it looks like this car is going to set some unbreakable records as far car ownership is concerned.

After waxing







Some images from a recent trip

[athray9]

Congratulations on owning this amazing machine for 8 years and 92K kms. Such an amazing thread on an amazing machine.

I've been a great fan of your ownership reviews. I have been following your stories of your Skoda Laura 1.8 TSI, VW Polo GTI and the X3 30d. Your X3 looks drop dead gorgeous and I can understand that you would want to keep it running as long as possible. But I am curious to know if you were in a spot to replace your X3 30d, would you consider the X3 M40i? I would like to know what an F25 owner thinks about a G01.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by athray9

Congratulations on owning this amazing machine for 8 years and 92K kms. Such an amazing thread on an amazing machine.

I've been a great fan of your ownership reviews. I have been following your stories of your Skoda Laura 1.8 TSI, VW Polo GTI and the X3 30d. Your X3 looks drop dead gorgeous and I can understand that you would want to keep it running as long as possible. But I am curious to know if you were in a spot to replace your X3 30d, would you consider the X3 M40i? I would like to know what an F25 owner thinks about a G01.

Thank you for the compliments!

Replacing this X3 30d is going to be a very difficult task. The G01 X3 M40i looks like a fantastic package. Even in the current pricey market, it looks like one of the few good value propositions for someone like me who likes their cars to play a dual role of fun fast car + comfortable and accommodating family car

The X3 M40i is a faster and sportier car than my X3 30d. My F25 M Sport only has the M sport body kit while most of the mechanicals like the suspension etc.. are shared with the regular X3s of its era. Might be good thing, since I find the ride and handling balance to be optimum. The 30d engine mated with the ZF8 makes it a very special car. The diesel engine is quite refined and the abundance of torque really makes highway driving extremely pleasurable. I am a die hard petrol car lover. I always believe that petrol cars are more fun than diesel cars. I am sure, if there was an M40i version available at the time I bought the X3, I would have bought it over the 30d. The X3 is our first diesel car! But now after 8 years, I feel I was so so lucky to experience the 30d in a car like the X3. It is smooth and refined and comfortable at city speeds while being simply outstanding at expressway speeds. Not to mention the excellent mileage and long range. It took me a while to alter my driving style. This car is more about the 100 to 150 kph drag or the 120 kph to 180 kph drag, than traffic light drags or 0 to 100 timings.

I have the Polo GTI for the my fun car needs. It is really good fun to red line the GTI on short smooth open stretches in the city. 190 bhp in a small hatch with tight suspension and tight brakes allows for some good fun. I sometimes wish at some traffic lights that the light turns red just before I cross, so that I am first when it turns green . I am mostly alone in the GTI. My family hates travelling in the GTI. Too stiff, too loud and too many G forces to deal with.

If I had to replace the X3 now, my priority would be comfort over sportiness. Something a bit more comfortable, luxurious and spacious. Should be fast, of course! Replacing the GTI would be a different story

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

And in the X3 30d, you have an absolute weapon on your hands with its go anywhere ability thanks to ample ground clearance and X-drive.

I now realise after just watching the below video how much fun you would have had with the Stage 2 530d.

A Stage 3 X3 30d:

https://youtu.be/tcd315DAI24?si=nsxpTiA2WIMapzFu

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

With great difficulty I've put that inner boy racer to sleep.

Power corrupts but the question now, is the boy ready to get corrupted again? ;-)

[balzthebimmer]

Very nice review , I too have a X3 -2022 LCI version X20D luxury line . Have driven lots of petrol cars when I lived abroad , but the pull and push this 2 litre gives out of a diesel is addictive - clocked already 48 K Kms from bringing home the beast since July 2022 .

Loved every bit of it , thanks also for the advice on the service package , I was a bit too worried and took their BS1 package for 1.00 lac kms , as you mentioned it’s only the car who( yes my car has life ) decides when it needs a change and in general the service guys don’t change a pin unless it comes up for maintenance . I should’ve kept the capital on a nice MF instead of spending on BS1 . Would definitely follow this when I change the X3 after 5 odd years .

As for Tyres - I stick with the RFT although , the BHP threads are full of advices on tubeless and it’s better ride quality , I was very vary of the warranty issues if there is a true burst - but indeed RFT gives peace of mind , my rear was running at approx 21K Kms with 4 nails and the last time I changed the RFT , I got the Bridgestone RFT from one of my friend who has a tire shop nearby at almost 1/2 of what the dealers sell . Trust me , the feel I have after the new tyres , takes the addiction to press the pedal even more , it’s like walking with new shoes on velvet + rubberized track . Did twice Mumbai - Chennai , Goa etc etc all over south , the car drives so smooth that every km is a song on ears .

Only sad part are the stone hurls that happen on highway , it did put some visible spots on the windshield , I heard there is some sort of film ( like clear coat to mobiles ) but it costs a Rs.20K and lasts only for 1 year as with every rain , the wiper damages that film a bit . Don’t want to try and don’t have any other option to prevent stones - particularly from the back of trucks ( empty ones ) as they snarl in the fast lane and we end up behind those finding a spot to overtake .

Other than that - BMW is like a boon for people who loves cars , one of my professor in college told us that “ the most fascinating thing that god has ever invented for man are - Women and Beer “ - I would add BMW to that.

Safe drives .

[bj96]

Originally Posted by balzthebimmer

.... stone hurls that happen on highway ...

Already suffered once when bypassing Jabalpur on the way to Nagpur last summer. That windshield thingy with labour costs 1L+. Luckily, the zero-dep insurance covered it 90%.

I think the "efficient dynamics" and the wind tunnel design by BMW engineers creates some laminar flow around the windshield giving lift to those stone missiles. Never had this in my other cars so far.

-BJ