[Sahil]

Originally Posted by neo007

Anyways how does one get the matte plaster coating? What do you mean you can get it changed to any colour? Where can i find the pics??
Cheers

Check this video out of the matte grey m5 in Mumbai i mentioned:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fWMTnrDULc

Check this video to better understand the wrapping process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KqhwzLZ5DE

There are very competent people in Mumbai that are doing this job too on high end cars. Most wraps are made my 3M so quality is a given. I think the last time I asked around on the forum the pricing was around 40k for the whole car. Not sure who is the best in the business for this in the city, perhaps others can shed light on this.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by Sahil

neo- if the exterior color is causing large delays there is a way out. Get the a matte plaster on the car, this is not a tacky solution, infact it looks superb! There are pics on the forum of a matte grey f10 m5, it looks hot and there is no way you can ever tell it is a plaster coating that is removeable when your friend gets bored or can be interchanged for another color. A gunmetal matte m5 would look WOW !

If we change the color using these matte plasters will we get into trouble with the cops during regular inspection of the RC book?I know they are considered as stickers hence we don't have to change the color in RC book but we know how rules work here .Please throw some light on my doubts.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

If we change the color using these matte plasters will we get into trouble with the cops during regular inspection of the RC book?I know they are considered as stickers hence we don't have to change the color in RC book but we know how rules work here .Please throw some light on my doubts.

Come on ! Dont be soooo law fearing now ! There are several cars repainted and its no an issue. Cops never stop you because your RC book color doesn't match your car color, that's just absurd !

[StrangeWizard]

Originally Posted by neo007

Anyways how does one get the matte plaster coating? What do you mean you can get it changed to any colour? Where can i find the pics??
Cheers

Matte coating means wrapping the entire car with a vinyl of a color of your choice. It looks great and no one can make out easily whether its paint or vinyl.

If you get bored with the color then you can simply remove it carefully and then maybe wrap the car with another color vinyl.

Professional guys who are into car graphics do the wrapping and removing of the vinyl.
There is a guy Chirayu from Extreme Graphics at Bandra who does this. Not sure about the cost, he had quoted me 30,000 to get my Spark matte black wrapped. So I guess the M5's wrap will cost a lot more.

If you want to see pics of such cars then search the forum for a black 650i. There's also a matte red F10 in the "tastefully modified cars" thread. Check it out.
I've even seen a matte black Merc CLS and Audi A4 in mumbai. Both are vinyl wrapped and looked hot!

Cheers.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Come on ! Dont be soooo law fearing now ! There are several cars repainted and its no an issue. Cops never stop you because your RC book color doesn't match your car color, that's just absurd !

I use a bike for commuting,Guess that should explain my fear for law Every now and then cops used to stop me and shoot out all possible question from number plates (mine has little scratches due to vandalism) to angels eye(they call it distracting lights and try to give me a ticket for that).

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by neo007

@kbk_75.Thanks a lot for the in depth explanation.
My friend is in his late 30's. He wanted a performance car that was easy to drive,maintain & comfortable. It would mostly be used on highways for intercity travels.

Another point to consider, none of these cars are really good for intercity travel. The range is not too good for such high performance engines, and the need for Speed 97 is also there which is not available in most places. Also the M5 does not have a spare, and the tyres are not even runflats.

If for intercity travels, I would suggest the S4. That cars engine would be ok on normal fuel also, and it has a spare.

Though a high powered diesel might be a better option. What about the 640d Gran Coupe, bookings have started.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Though a high powered diesel might be a better option. What about the 640d Gran Coupe, bookings have started.

What is the approx price on that ? When is the launch date expected?

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Sahil

What is the approx price on that ? When is the launch date expected?

It would be a couple of lacs more than the 6 series coupe. So expect it around 1.1-1.2 on road. I think the launch should be before year end.

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Another point to consider, none of these cars are really good for intercity travel. The range is not too good for such high performance engines, and the need for Speed 97 is also there which is not available in most places. Also the M5 does not have a spare, and the tyres are not even runflats.

If for intercity travels, I would suggest the S4. That cars engine would be ok on normal fuel also, and it has a spare.

Though a high powered diesel might be a better option. What about the 640d Gran Coupe, bookings have started.

Actually the M5's cruise range is amazing! If you want to run at around 120-150 Km/h average, you could EASILY go 500-600Kms on a tank full, it's one of the truly awesome aspects of the car. But yes, no run flats and no spare.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

Actually the M5's cruise range is amazing! If you want to run at around 120-150 Km/h average, you could EASILY go 500-600Kms on a tank full, it's one of the truly awesome aspects of the car. But yes, no run flats and no spare.

These engines are very efficient with a light throttle. But you sir, after owning an M3 should very well know that when you see smooth open roads in front of you, feathering the throttle is not what comes to mind And after that the efficiency drops a fair amount no?

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

These engines are very efficient with a light throttle. But you sir, after owning an M3 should very well know that when you see smooth open roads in front of you, feathering the throttle is not what comes to mind And after that the efficiency drops a fair amount no?

No, of course you sometimes go nuts, but in general the F10 M5 is a lot more fuel efficient than the E92 M3 simply by virtue of the fact that it has SO much torque, you hardly need to use the throttle to cruise at quite fast speeds, even 160-180 on half throttle is no biggie!

I generally manage around 350 Kms on a tank of gas in the M3. The F10 would average at least 450 on a tankful if not closer to 500.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

No, of course you sometimes go nuts, but in general the F10 M5 is a lot more fuel efficient than the E92 M3 simply by virtue of the fact that it has SO much torque, you hardly need to use the throttle to cruise at quite fast speeds, even 160-180 on half throttle is no biggie!

I generally manage around 350 Kms on a tank of gas in the M3. The F10 would average at least 450 on a tankful if not closer to 500.

Amazing how forced induction makes an engine that much more efficient.

OT - But any plans to change to the newer M3 when its out, or maybe some mods for your E92?

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Amazing how forced induction makes an engine that much more efficient.

OT - But any plans to change to the newer M3 when its out, or maybe some mods for your E92?

It's a combo of the much higher torque and a substantially larger fuel tank, not just down to greater efficiency.

As per my info the F32 M3 will not be out until 2014. The F30 will launch about 9 months to a year earlier and will launch mid-late 2013. I dunno if I'll buy one. I guess I'll have to see how good it is first and whether or not it's a big enough jump up from the F30 335i. That's the problem with forced induction...everything is just a chip flash / relatively easy mod away from being something altogether different. Apart from which, I don't think I'll sell this car, irrespective of how the next M3 is, there's really nothing this side of an F430 / 458 / Gallardo to touch it in terms of engine brilliance and those cars are a whole 'nother kettle of fish in every way. Don't think I'll mod it either...I've toyed with the thought of an Akra Evo exhaust but there are times when I really don't want my car to make a racket, so...

[suhaas307]

The biggest problem with BMWs in India, or for that matter anywhere else, is the fact that they run on run-flats. Even more so in India because the technology is unheard of and repairing / replacing them would be expensive. Also, the ride is just awful!

BMW does give you some peace of mind with the packages on offer, but would it help when you're stuck in the middle of the GQ with nowhere to go?

So is it feasible to switch the run-craps () with something more reliable and stick a spare in the boot? Would BMW allow you to do that without being fussy about it? Also, sticking a full-sized spare in the boot would eat into the boot-space I'm sure. But by how much?

I've read on several forums that people have gone about changing the tires just so that they can avoid the jarring ride.

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by neo007

@kbk_75.Thanks a lot for the in depth explanation.
My friend is in his late 30's. He wanted a performance car that was easy to drive,maintain & comfortable. It would mostly be used on highways for intercity travels.

We had driven the XFR way back when the jaguar's where just launched in India, But we don't recollect enjoying it much, esp i have a problem with the headroom in the XF.
The C63 was fun but he didn't like the ride, handling & to him it just looks like a normal C.
The M3 would have been perfect, but the rear space would have been an issue. The new M3 might take a year to be delivered in India so it's most likely to be out of question, unless he get's a A6 or normal 5 or 3 series for the time being.
He just fell head over heals after driving the M5, he just loved almost everything about it.We are yet to drive the S4 hopefully soon.

For most people such purchases are normally impulsive buys & the idea of waiting for 5 months for a car of his required colour combination etc seems to be frustrating him a bit. Also since he has not yet given his advance booking amount, the practicality of owning such a car might dawn on him:( till then will keep my fingers crossed. If he does end up buying any of them will certainly post the pics.
Cheers

Sounds to me like the M5 is his car then. He's not gonna like the S4 much if he's comparing it to an M5, you can be sure of that. Cost is the only real downer in that comparison. Also, the rear seat leg room in the E92 M3 is surprisingly good, unless you're 6' +, in which case most cars' rear leg room would be a bit marginal.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The biggest problem with BMWs in India, or for that matter anywhere else, is the fact that they run on run-flats. Even more so in India because the technology is unheard of and repairing / replacing them would be expensive. Also, the ride is just awful!

BMW does give you some peace of mind with the packages on offer, but would it help when you're stuck in the middle of the GQ with nowhere to go?

So is it feasible to switch the run-craps () with something more reliable and stick a spare in the boot? Would BMW allow you to do that without being fussy about it? Also, sticking a full-sized spare in the boot would eat into the boot-space I'm sure. But by how much?

I've read on several forums that people have gone about changing the tires just so that they can avoid the jarring ride.

M cars don't run on run flats. They have regular tubeless Pilot Sport 2 / Pilot Super Sport tyres and the ride is actually very good. Better than non-M cars if your M has Electronic Damper Control.