[ampere]

Originally Posted by graaja

Did a photoshoot of the 3GT. Recently learnt from Dr.AD about how shooting a car with a telephoto (70mm or above) compresses the background and brings out the subject. Also, with a longer focal length, the distortion found with wide angle is not present thus giving the car nice proportions. All the below pictures were shot with a Canon RF 100-500 lens with focal lengths between 100 to 150mm, from a distance of 50 to 75 meters from the car.

Many think a telephoto can only be used for good portraits. But they make a beautiful landscape lens. And in the same style you can use them to isolate the subject and shoot them in a tight crop. Mostly it restricts to use the 200mm range. A 70-200 is best for this. I am sure in your 100-500 you would have used the smaller end of the focal length.

But seriously it comes out beautiful with that super awesome L-series glass! I have never tried the RF mount. But I regularly use the regular mount L-series.

My 70-200 F4 IS is 12 years old but its as smooth as ever and still gives out stellar results! Another lens to try would be the 100mm IS L 2.8 macro.

[sudhirjaipur]

Originally Posted by graaja

Did a photoshoot of the 3GT. Recently learnt from Dr.AD about how shooting a car with a telephoto (70mm or above) compresses the background and brings out the subject. Also, with a longer focal length, the distortion found with wide angle is not present thus giving the car nice proportions. All the below pictures were shot with a Canon RF 100-500 lens with focal lengths between 100 to 150mm, from a distance of 50 to 75 meters from the car.

Thank you Dr.AD for teaching this technique.

Great photos of a even greater car. Thanks for sharing

[ashishsGT]

Originally Posted by graaja

Did a photoshoot of the 3GT.

Hello graaja,

Some real drool worthy pics you got there! The second click is my favourite, just loved the way you've used the leaves for framing to draw in the attention to the car itself. Tele lenses are very versatile in the way of eliminating background clutter and for its ability to reproduce tight proportions faithfully. Oh and by the way, your ride looks ravishing!

Originally Posted by graaja

One more picture shot under full moon. A couple of variations, one in colour and another in monochrome.

This is indeed a creative composition! If you're using a tripod (fixed frame) you could try taking multiple images at different focus points between the car and the moon, using manual focus and then stack them together, so you can have both the moon and car in perfect focus (and exposure too). I'm sure you're already aware of this, since you are a master astro photographer!

Keep those clicks coming!

Cheers,
Ashish

[graaja]

Originally Posted by ampere

A 70-200 is best for this. I am sure in your 100-500 you would have used the smaller end of the focal length.

True. A 70-200 F4 would have been a better choice than the 100-500 due to the bigger aperture that is uniform throughout the range. In my 100-500, once I hit 151mm, the aperture becomes F5. But I was within the 100-150 range for this photoshoot, so could manage at F4.5

Originally Posted by ampere

My 70-200 F4 IS is 12 years old but its as smooth as ever and still gives out stellar results!

Initially I wanted to get the RF 70-200 F4, but was limited to 3 lenses with the budget. So went with the 15-35 F2.8, 24-105 F4 and 100-500 F4.5-7.1 to get a full range of focal lengths without gaps or big overlaps.

Originally Posted by sudhirjaipur

Great photos of a even greater car. Thanks for sharing

Thank you for the kind words!

Originally Posted by ashishsGT

Hello graaja,
Some real drool worthy pics you got there! The second click is my favourite, just loved the way you've used the leaves for framing to draw in the attention to the car itself...

Thank you so much for the kind words!

Originally Posted by ashishsGT

This is indeed a creative composition! If you're using a tripod (fixed frame) you could try taking multiple images at different focus points between the car and the moon, using manual focus and then stack them together, so you can have both the moon and car in perfect focus (and exposure too).

Thank you for this tip. I have never tried a composite yet. Will definitely try this sometime soon. This particular shot was taken with the camera held in hand with a higher ISO and faster shutter speed as I decided to take this just as I was leaving for home. Placed my cell phone torch about 10 meters from the car to create a soft foreground light to expose the side of the car. Will try next time with a tripod and better lighting.

[graaja]

Front brake pads changed:

In the last week of April, got a notification on the iDrive that the front brake pads are due for replacement in 1600 kilometers. Just the previous day, the iDrive was showing 10000 kilometers life.



Booked an appointment and took the car to BMW workshop. They changed the brake pads and had the car ready in about 3 hours. I did not have to pay anything as this was covered under BSI+.

Oil leakage in front left strut:

During inspection, they found that there was oil leakage from the front left strut.



This is the strut I had upgraded as part of MSport suspension setup. At the time of installation, I was told that all the MSport suspension components will have 2 years spare part warranty and will not come under BRI. This means I will have to pay for the strut replacement.

But the service manager told me that he will try to get the MSport strut replaced under BRI. He has raised a warranty claim and I am waiting for update from BMW. Best case, this will be covered under BRI and worst case, I will have to pay for the strut replacement. Fingers crossed.

Front tires changed to 225/50/R18 Vredsteins

During the brake pad replacement, they inspected the tires and told me that the rear tires have very less tread left and will have to be repalced soon. The original setup was staggered with 225/50/18 in the front and 255/45/18 in the rear. As I could not get 255/45/18 in tubeless tires, I had changed the setup to squared setup with 245/45/18 on all the four wheels.

I read many reviews that said having a staggered setup with narrower tires in the front provide better steering response than having wider tires. So I thought of going back to staggered with 225/50/18 in the front and 245/45/18 in the rear. Spoke to Nikhilb2008 and found that 225/50/18 is available in Vredsteins Ultrac Vorti. Read some positive reviews about these tires and decided to get them. As I had to attend a function in Bangalore, paid a visit to Madhus tires to install the tires. I switched the 245/45/18 (with Yokohama Advan V105) wheels in the front that have more than half life to rear and installed the 225's in the front.







This could be placebo effect, but I found the steering response to be a little sharp after changing to 225's in the front. The tires have very good grip in the corners and no road noise as well. Will have to see if the noise and comfort levels remain the same after the tires have run 10K or 20K kilometers. When time comes to replace the rear tires, I plan to replace the existing Yokos with Vredesteins.

BBS alloys replaced

During this installation of the Vredsteins at Madhus, they found that one of the alloys had severe bend and another one had a mild bend. The one with severe bend will have to be replaced.

The wheel balance report for the severely bent wheel.


The report for the mildly bent wheel.


Spoke to PJ Speed Sport from Chennai who had supplied the BBS alloys. They had one set in stock. I asked them to supply two alloys, but they asked me to take all the four as they will find it difficult to sell the remaining two.

As the alloys keep bending regularly, I decided to buy the full set and keep the rest as spare. They sent me the alloys within two days and I got the alloys changed at NextGen in Coimbatore. Instead of replacing just one alloy, I installed two new alloys in the front. One of them is the severely bent one that I will be scrapping and the other one is with a mild bend. I will install the 245/45/18 tire on this alloy and keep it as a full size spare wheel for long road trips in the future. A few pictures of the alloys being installed.









Finishing this post with a few pictures of the 3GT taken during a drive to Virajpet during the last long weekend.











That's all folks, I have for now. Will update about the strut replacement in the next post soon.

[itwasntme]

@graaja, lovely pictures as usual. A few random thoughts:
1. Your usage of the BSI+ package seems to be fruitful given your high running. Strictly financially speaking, was it worth it (as on date)?
2. How much were the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti compared to the Michelin counterpart (PS4?)? Are Madhus stocking them officially, or they procured them for you?
3. Can you share a picture of the 'severely bent' alloy? Is it visible to the naked eye? What are you planning to do with it? Interior or exterior decor? :-)

[graaja]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

@graaja, lovely pictures as usual. A few random thoughts:
1. Your usage of the BSI+ package seems to be fruitful given your high running. Strictly financially speaking, was it worth it (as on date)?
2. How much were the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti compared to the Michelin counterpart (PS4?)? Are Madhus stocking them officially, or they procured them for you?
3. Can you share a picture of the 'severely bent' alloy? Is it visible to the naked eye? What are you planning to do with it? Interior or exterior decor? :-)

Thank you for the kind words

1. I paid about 4 lakhs for 6 years / 120000 kilometers BSI+. So far, I have got 7 oil services, 5 sets of brake pads, 2 sets of brake discs and 3 sets of wipers. Considering some round figures based on other owners' inputs:

Oil service - 7 x 20K = 1.4 Lakhs
Brake pads - 5 x 22K = 1.1 Lakhs
Brake discs - 2 x 25K = 0.5 Lakhs
Wipers - 3 x 8.5K = 0.25 Lakhs
Total = 3.25 Lakhs

In the remaining 2 years left, if I could complete 100000 kilometers, that would mean another 3 oil services, another set of pads and discs and two sets of wipers. I guess the total service cost would be significantly higher than what I paid for BSI.

2. The Vredestein Ultrac Vortis cost me 15.5K per tire. I did not check the rate of the P4STs. So could not compare. They stock Vredesteins at Madhus. As Vredesteins are manufactured in India by Apollo, availability is not an issue.

3. The bend is not visible in a picture. It is visible when the wheel is rotated. and it is quite bad. I did not capture a video. Many friends suggested that I put a glass over the wheel and use it as a table. I am too lazy to get it done. So, I plan to scrap it.

[Axe77]

How much did the alloys cost please Graaja? They look really lovely.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Axe77

How much did the alloys cost please Graaja? They look really lovely.

Hi Axe77, they cost 1.4L for a set of 4.

[carthick1000]

Nice pics and thanks for the service update.

Originally Posted by graaja

But the service manager told me that he will try to get the MSport strut replaced under BRI.

I hope your plan is to get it done on both sides instead of only the leaking one. It is always better to change/replace the suspension components/tires/brakes etc. ATLEAST per axle instead of per corner.

Originally Posted by graaja

Thank you for the kind words

Oil service - 7 x 20K = 1.4 Lakhs
Brake pads - 5 x 22K = 1.1 Lakhs
Brake discs - 2 x 25K = 0.5 Lakhs
Wipers - 3 x 8.5K = 0.25 Lakhs
Total = 3.25 Lakhs

Just for understanding, I was comparing the costs of engine oil, wipers and tires with my old bills when I did the E90 service myself in a DIY garage (where you can hire a bridge and also special tools if needed). Just for comparison, here it goes:

Oil service - Mann Filter (12EUR) + BMW LL twin turbo Engine oil (6L @ 11EUR/L)+ Fasteners (4EUR) + DIY garage hire (1.5hours @ 10EUR/hour) + 2 hours of my time = 97EUR ~ 8200INR

Wipers - Bosch Aerotwin - 20EUR/set ~ 1680INR

For tires, we have a nice EU label which rates tires on various criteria. At that time I found the Nokian Eline 2 AA 205/55R16 comfortable,silent, efficient and esp. safe in wet weather conditions. A set of 4 costed me about 364EUR (including changing and balancing) ~ 30500 INR.

BTW, I could not find the exact EU labels for the size you have. But it should look something like this:



The Nokian Eline 2 AA I had was A / A and 68dB. But it wass also based on the EU label standards from 2018 (when I had the car) and my E90 had a relatively smaller stock tire size. I find the Nokians so good (read quiet, efficient and having very good wet weather grip) that if my current model 3s Michelin's are due for replacement, I would choose the Nokian again.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by carthick1000

I hope your plan is to get it done on both sides instead of only the leaking one. It is always better to change/replace the suspension components/tires/brakes etc. ATLEAST per axle instead of per corner.

I am not sure what is BMW's replacement policy of suspension components under BRI, if they replace both the struts on the front axle or just the leaky strut. Will check with them.

Originally Posted by carthick1000

Just for understanding, I was comparing the costs of engine oil, wipers and tires with my old bills when I did the E90 service myself in a DIY garage (where you can hire a bridge and also special tools if needed). Just for comparison, here it goes:...

Wow. That is quite economical. How expensive would it be to get the same service done at a BMW authorized dealer in EU?

[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by graaja

How expensive would it be to get the same service done at a BMW authorized dealer in EU?

The oil and filter prices marked up by 100%+ : 6L @ 24EUR/L + 1 filter @ 29EUR + fasteners @ 4EUR = 177EUR~14800INR

Wipers have also 100%+ markup @ 53EUR ~ 4500INR

Labour costs in NL (varies widely within EU) : 1hour @ 150EUR/hour (I assumed the professionals can take 1 hour to do what it took 1.5hours for me). Let's conservatively include Wiper change also in this 1 hour. Then Labour 150EUR ~ 12600INR

Total 31900INR ie about 320% more than than what it costed me if I did it myself. So in India it is a bit cheaper and I assume it is due to slightly lower labour costs and less markup. With the BMW specialists (They are sometimes better in troubleshooting than the dealers themselves ) here in NL, the labour cost is a bit low @ 95EUR/hour and the markups will be almost the same.

Trivia: Recently a Dutch auto magazine, Autoweek did an overview piece about various dealerships and their hourly charges. Here it is:

[harish]

Originally Posted by graaja

Thank you for the kind words

3. The bend is not visible in a picture. It is visible when the wheel is rotated. and it is quite bad. I did not capture a video. Many friends suggested that I put a glass over the wheel and use it as a table. I am too lazy to get it done. So, I plan to scrap it.

Hey graaja,

I would love to make a table out of it, can I buy them off you if you're going to be scrapping them? I'm in Coimbatore as well.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by harish

I would love to make a table out of it, can I buy them off you if you're going to be scrapping them? I'm in Coimbatore as well.

Ah. You are a little late. A friend took it off my hand

[graaja]

Tree Planting

The thing that I like the most about the GT is its practicality. Be it transporting tree saplings, or taking those fast corners in the hills, the GT feels at home.

Last weekend, planted 40 trees in my small farm. Coincidentally, Earth Day happened to be a couple of days earlier on 22nd April. Following were the trees planted.

Teak - 3
Mahagony -3
Almonds - 3
Naval - 3
Fig - 1
Bauhinia (Mantharai in Tamil) - 3
Tree jasmine - 1
Mango - 3
Drumstick - 1
jackfruit - 2
Guava - 5
Gooseberry large - 2
Gooseberry small - 1
Water apple - 3
Custard apple - 3
Litchi - 1
Cherry - 1
Starfruit - 1

The perfect utility vehicle. The enormous boot space of the GT comfortably swallowed the saplings and some other items like a water heater, a water can, a vacuum cleaner and a couple of bags.





The saplings unloaded, segregated and ready to plant.



Planted the 40 trees on Sunday morning. Did not get to take any picture of the planting process as only two of us (I and another farming hand) were working on this. A small video of the planted trees and the irrigation which I had set up before the planting. There was a heavy downpour the previous evening which softened the soil and made the planting process easy.

https://youtu.be/6aHsnluhgbA

Times like these make me very happy that I chose the 3GT instead of the 3 sedan, and am grateful for fellow BHPians Dr. AD, Asta_la_vista, Suhaas and Prathiik who suggested I go with the GT instead of the sedan.

That's all folks I have for now!