[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Check this one. Mine always stay in this and I don't have to take it out ever. Alcantara is top grade on this and feels nice. Will be available with the dealership for around 4K.

https://www.amazon.in/BMW-8229235551.../dp/B071R8SL6G

OK, great! Thanks a lot. This looks like a great key case. This would solve the problem.

Unfortunately it is unavailable on amazon at this time. But I have added this to my wish list there. And once this lockdown is over, I will also check if it is available at the dealer and buy from them if available.

[VineetG]

So I just crossed 30,000 kms on my F30 320d (actually 31K kms now). Car has seen some expressway runs from Gurgaon to Lucknow/Kanpur. The best fuel consumption I saw was from Gurgaon to Lucknow, with a cruise speed set at 120kmph on Yamuna Expy and Agra Lucknow Expy. It returned a fuel efficiency of 21 kmpl.

Just returned from Mussorie and car returned 17+ kmpl on the hills and some bursts of spirited driving.

That's the beauty of this torquey engine and gearbox combo. You can potter around in the city, or cruise on the expressway with phenomenal fuel efficiency or just flick the paddle shifts a couple of time and press the accelerator and you can be doing silly speeds in no time.

Faults/Issues
- Tyre bulge due to the tyre hitting a brick in the middle of the road. Tyre replaced under BMW secure policy.
- Chrome on the kidney grille was coming off. Grille changed under warranty after escalation to BMW.
- Wiper fluid not coming out with pressure. Just dribbling through. Turned out the filter in the washer bottle was gunked up. Cleaned under warranty. I read in some overseas BMW forums that this is a common problem if you use non BMW screenwash. Since the wiper fluid gets topped up during services by BMW, I have not had a repeat of the problem.
- Rattling sound from rear of car under acceleration. One of the two hand brake cables had come loose due to a broken clamp. The cable was secured with a cable tie and the sound was gone. Seems like a common problem as the SA was immediately able to diagnose the problem without even looking at it. Done under warranty. I did not get the clamp replaced as it was not covered under warranty and as per the SA, the cable tie solution is good enough. Could have escalated to BMW to get it replaced under warranty but thought that it was not worth it.
- Still some more rattles from the rear. This time the workshop tightened some screws and secured another cable properly. Sound gone. Done under warranty.

At 31,000 kms, tyres seem to have good tread depth left, for atleast 10-12000 kms.
The front brake is showing 18000 kms and rear 26000 kms life remaining. However, these are not accurate and may reduce abruptly. But still pretty good.

All in all, a good run with great reliability. Have taken 5 year BSI + 5 Year BRI for peace of mind.

Service has been excellent by BMW Bird Automotive Gurgaon, with services and faults attended promptly. They give a courtesy car wash every time I bring the car in, even it is for a minor repair. Otherwise, they charge 2400 + GST for a wash (Not that I would ever pay it). So a very good gesture by Bird.

Can't wait to do my next long trip.

Rgds

Vineet Garg

[kartikv1]

Hi all,

I got my treads checked at first service (11.3Kms) for my 330i sport (2021).

Front - 5.4MM remains
Rear - 4.5MM remains

Also i am doubtful of the alignment of the car.

The SA quoted a price of 12K for WA WB for the car. I'm looking for independent experts for WA WB / tires for such cars.

Can some one point out any good service centers in Delhi NCR region for WA WB of a German car.

[anb]

Originally Posted by kartikv1

Hi all,

I got my treads checked at first service (11.3Kms) for my 330i sport (2021).

Front - 5.4MM remains
Rear - 4.5MM remains

Also i am doubtful of the alignment of the car.

The SA quoted a price of 12K for WA WB for the car. I'm looking for independent experts for WA WB / tires for such cars.

Can some one point out any good service centers in Delhi NCR region for WA WB of a German car.

Does this car comes with a staggered set up ? If not, please swap the rear with front. It’s the rear which wears faster than the front. I have a F30 and always do alignment from outside and rates are ridiculous in service centre.

[kartikv1]

Originally Posted by anb

Does this car comes with a staggered set up ? If not, please swap the rear with front. It’s the rear which wears faster than the front. I have a F30 and always do alignment from outside and rates are ridiculous in service centre.

it does not have a staggered setup. My only concern is the external WA WB guys should have the specs for camber, caster, toe for G20. If any G20 owner has indeed got this done outside - let me know.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by kartikv1

Also i am doubtful of the alignment of the car.

What is the issue at hand? Pulling to left or right?

Originally Posted by kartikv1

The SA quoted a price of 12K for WA WB for the car. I'm looking for independent experts for WA WB / tires for such cars.

Wheel Balancing is required only when you unmount tyre from rim. Otherwise not. Its a misconception that every time you do wheel alignment, you need to also do wheel balancing.

If you have issue with Wheel Alignment, just do that.

Originally Posted by kartikv1

it does not have a staggered setup.

Simply ask Service Centre to rotate tyres whenever you visit for a service.

[coolboy007]

My 320D would turn 6 years old next month, have clocked 44k KMS now and this car has given me immense fun and thrill. I have done Delhi-Bangalore, Delhi-Udaipur and countless trips to Himachal. Just got the service done and total bill was 25K INR with some 14% bmw joy discount for old cars.

It has been a pleasurable ownership experience so far, no rattles, premature part failures or any other tantrums. The service and warranty support from BMW India has been impeccable and when i decide to change the car, it would most probably be a bmw because the car is super fun to drive and reliable at the same time which is a very hard combination to find. She is 6 years old now so am mentally prepared for any untoward expense or part failure as she is a german after all.

Just came to know recently that the remapped 320D produces 220+ bhp and pumps out around 500 NM of torque. No wonder all other cars in my garage feel dead to drive, i have hardly used the sports mode because the torque rush is so addictive even in comfort. The other upgrade i opted for was the m sport steering with cruise and paddles, cruise is a boon since i do a lot of highway trips and the paddles make it a party trick with so much torque.

Surprising, the FE has increased tremendously after the remap and i am confused why. On highways with speeds varying between 90-120, she is dishing out an embarrassing 19+ KM/L. Mine being a prestige misses out on carplay, a better sound system etc but twist that right foot and the torque just pins you back.

I was told by SA that 3 alloys have slight bends in them, seems BMW uses light weight delicate alloys as mine is running on 16 inchers with tubeless Michelin Pilot Sport 3, can not fathom how they got bent as well. Letting it be since the wobbling comes above 140 and i hardly every touch such speeds.

Upgrade plans
Car is doing just fine but that 6 year upgrade bug has started itching in. The problem is what do i upgrade to? The 330i has similar power/torque to my car and the interiors don't feel like an upgrade, 340i is out of the budget and impractical for my usage since i love to travel and tour, can not fathom a 5-6 KM/L FE with fuel at 104.

Roads around Delhi have deteriorated a lot + with my new love for exploring new places, i might move away from sedans now. I can fall on my knees for the new 5 LCI, even pre owned 530D's are on the radar but the stupid 10 year diesel NCR ban is holding me up. The decision would be made next year depending on what deal i can extract on the new cars v/s a 2 year old under warranty bimmer, i also find the 7 year mark to be right to change.

Till then, LIVE TO DRIVE, DRIVE SAFE, posting the 6 year service bill and some photos i clicked in Himachal.

[DeKay]

A question for current owners of the F30:

Provided the car passes all pre-purchase inspections and has genuine miles, do you think it makes sense to get a 6-7 year old low mileage F30 320d in 2021 and use it for 4-5 years? My yearly running is around 8000km.

I've been looking at some pre owned examples on the internet and I'm very tempted. What are the things I need to make sure (electronic and mechanical) of before biting the bullet? Any guidance will be appreciated!

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by DeKay

Provided the car passes all pre-purchase inspections and has genuine miles, do you think it makes sense to get a 6-7 year old low mileage F30 320d in 2021 and use it for 4-5 years? My yearly running is around 8000km.

I've been looking at some pre owned examples on the internet and I'm very tempted. What are the things I need to make sure (electronic and mechanical) of before biting the bullet? Any guidance will be appreciated!

I'm currently driving a 9 year old pre-owned 328i (bought when the car was 5 years old) with the intent of keeping it for another 2-3 years.

Despite being one of the initial batches of the F30 sold, the car has been fairly reliable. There are some issues I've faced which may happen as these cars age:
- Rubber parts start becoming brittle as the car ages in our conditions. Our old E60 5 series faced this, our A6 saw some beadings deteriorate, and even the 328i is currently at the workshop as the rubber around sunroof seemed to have deteriorated resulting in a whistling noise at speed. Same holds true for the interior roof liner.
- Specific to the F30 are the interior door grab handles which become sticky, and specific to BMWs are the wheel speed sensors resulting in ABS error.
- Check when battery was replaced. My OEM battery lasted 8 years and was replaced last year. A new battery costs around Rs. 40K.
- Even though the vehicle is fairly reliable, it's advisable to keep around Rs. 1-1.5L/year in maintenance : tyres will be around 50-55k, rubber parts, suspension, brake pads and discs, ABS modules, etc. along with the odd unforseen failure.
Keep in mind some parts can take around 3 weeks if they aren't available and need to be ordered from Germany, and some parts you may just prefer to go the aftermarket route on.

The 320D overall is quite a reliable car. Do send it to BMW for a full 360 evaluation + also check the service history. Don't be alarmed if service history is not done annually, as the 3 has need based service so some users may have to do at 9 months, some at 15 months, etc.

That being said, compared to its peers the BMW has been more reliable and cheaper to maintain.
Interestingly my service & maintenance costs for years 5-9 on the stage 2 328i have been comparable to the service and maintenance costs of my wife's w205 C220d for years 0-5, and the C was bought as a brand new vehicle, still in stock form with 3 years warranty covering a bunch of repairs.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by DeKay

A question for current owners of the F30:

Provided the car passes all pre-purchase inspections and has genuine miles, do you think it makes sense to get a 6-7 year old low mileage F30 320d in 2021 and use it for 4-5 years? My yearly running is around 8000km.

"Provided the car passes all per-purchase inspections and has genuine miles" (this is the key part), I think it does make sense. In general, F30 is very reliable. In a large group of friends driving F30, I have not heard of anything that is scary of worrisome on the reliability front. As long as the car is maintained well as per service requirements coming up in the Condition Based Servicing (CBS) system and you continue to do so, it should serve you well for next 5 years.

However, there is always an odd chance of something going wrong that is either expensive to fix and/or time consuming to fix (a simple suspension part such as lower arm can take more than 1 month to arrive if not available in stock at your dealer). This is where your risk appetite for a low probability but potentially expensive event matters. If you have that risk appetite, by all means go for it. Given that your running is less, chances of things going wrong purely due to very high mileage are also low.

Keeping aside that low probability event, F30 320d (especially if you get the SportLine variant or the M Sports variant with the Sports Seats - they are amazing!) is a great car and even a 5 year old example drives very well. I use it in all sorts of conditions including rough roads and the car is serving me well under all types of driving conditions.

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Despite being one of the initial batches of the F30 sold, the car has been fairly reliable. There are some issues I've faced which may happen as these cars age:
..
That being said, compared to its peers the BMW has been more reliable and cheaper to maintain.

Very well summarized. I fully agree with your points.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Don't be alarmed if service history is not done annually, as the 3 has need based service so some users may have to do at 9 months, some at 15 months, etc.

Interesting. My condition based service does reduce the "kilometers to service" non-linearly depending upon how hard I drive but it still has the max duration capped at 1 year. So some cars having it done in 9 months is possible but some cars allowing themselves 15 months is not possible IMO. Last year, my 330i barely ran ~2500km and yet the CBS prompted for a service in the 12th month.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Interesting. My condition based service does reduce the "kilometers to service" non-linearly depending upon how hard I drive but it still has the max duration capped at 1 year. So some cars having it done in 9 months is possible but some cars allowing themselves 15 months is not possible IMO. Last year, my 330i barely ran ~2500km and yet the CBS prompted for a service in the 12th month.

Agree with you. The oil change interval has a 12 months or 12000km max cap, and is reset to that after each oil change. After that, based on the driving conditions, it goes down but never goes up. Thus, even if one does not drive the car much, 12 months is the maximum duration between two service intervals.

[Yakuza]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

So some cars having it done in 9 months is possible but some cars allowing themselves 15 months is not possible IMO

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Thus, even if one does not drive the car much, 12 months is the maximum duration between two service intervals.

The early F30's had an oil change interval of 2 years/24000 kms which is why if you run less, the car will ask for a service only once in 24 months.
If I'm not mistaken MY2014 onwards it was changed to 1 year/12000 kms.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Just came to know recently that the remapped 320D produces 220+ bhp and pumps out around 500 NM of torque.

Who was the tuner and how much did it cost? Did the tuner do a TCU (Transmission Control Unit) remap also?

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Surprising, the FE has increased tremendously after the remap and i am confused why. On highways with speeds varying between 90-120, she is dishing out an embarrassing 19+ KM/L.

Any chance EGR has been disabled? Same is doen on Vento 1.6 TDi to extract more power and breathe clean air always.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

mine is running on 16 inchers with tubeless Michelin Pilot Sport 3

After changing to tubeless, was there any change in driving dynamics/handling? Since RFT are stiffer, may be aid handling?

How are PS3 doing? Can be pushed into pothole without worries or over a unseen speed breaker/rumblers we encounter on highways?

Lastly, 320d is looking great. Gangsta!

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Who was the tuner and how much did it cost? Did the tuner do a TCU (Transmission Control Unit) remap also?

The remap was done at GT TUNERZ, New Delhi and they flash a Quantum tuning remap. When i got the remap done, there was no dyno there but it is now. They tested a LCI 320D and the figures were great, even if i remove 10% for dyno error and mine being pre LCI, it is still impressive. Posting a photo they put up on social media.

Any chance EGR has been disabled? Same is doen on Vento 1.6 TDi to extract more power and breathe clean air always.

Nopes, i did not request for an EGR delete and the same was not done, not to my knowledge for sure.

After changing to tubeless, was there any change in driving dynamics/handling? Since RFT are stiffer, may be aid handling?

My variant being a prestige came with 225/55/R16 RFT's with a sidewall height of 123.75mm. I switched to tubeless 225/50 R16 with a sidewall height of 112.5mm. I knew RFT's aid in handling but the sidewall height drop solved it for me. 124mm sidewall is really a bit too much for a 3 series, F30's stock suspension is on the softer side so the car is way more fun to drive after the swap.

How are PS3 doing? Can be pushed into pothole without worries or over a unseen speed breaker/rumblers we encounter on highways?

Michelin makes some of the best tyres. I have completed 20k kms on them and the grip levels are impeccable, they have never ever squealed, road noise is non existent and like all Michelins, the comfort is great as well. RFT's mostly wear out unevenly but the PS3 have even wear on all 4 corners.

I usually take it very easy over rumblers and broken roads/potholes with any of my cars but a number of hits which you can't avoid have not caused any damage to PS3's. I take my car to all nooks and corners of Himachal.

I don't know how the new Michelin runflats are, have only heard great reviews about them. The Bridgestone Turanzas that came stock with my car were very crappy, the traction control light kept coming on hard launches and that is when my car was not even remapped.