[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Tyre Failure
The TPMS did not give any warning through all of this. I had reported before that the ABS based TPMS is not trustworthy.

Hi Santhosh,

Similar thing happened to my X3 as well. The first pop you heard was probably the cut in the sidewall. Then you have been running on the RFT feature after that which requires you to keep speeds within 80 kmph and also only for a distance of about 100 kms or so before the tyres packs up.

As yous said the TPMS monitor should have triggered after you lost air after the first pop. Similar to what happened to me.

The TPMS feature has be initially calibrated. This has to be done before delivery, but most dealerships don't do that. After you change your tyres, please go to the Vehicle Information section in the IDrive app and calibrate your TPMS.

I request all BMW owners reading this to do the same, regardless of your model.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Centre rib worn out more than the sides

Maybe, the foam lining inside the RFTs, makes the tyres wear-out a bit more in the centre? The centre portion of the tyre may experience higher friction due to the firm foam lining, more so, if the tyre pressure is slightly lower than required? I am not saying that 34 Psi is low. I am not sure about it either. But thin side-walled Pirelli tyres would have a wider lip and so, would sit lower, isn't it?

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Experiencing premium car tantrums first hand.

You are scaring me buddy!


Extremely sorry to hear about the incident Santosh. Happy that you are safe. As Akshay mentioned, IMHO, changing the blown-out tyre should be good to go. All 4 valves to be changed too.

All the best! Drive safe!!

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Hi Santhosh,

Similar thing happened to my X3 as well. The first pop you heard was probably the cut in the sidewall. Then you have been running on the RFT feature after that which requires you to keep speeds within 80 kmph and also only for a distance of about 100 kms or so before the tyres packs up.

As yous said the TPMS monitor should have triggered after you lost air after the first pop. Similar to what happened to me.

The TPMS feature has be initially calibrated. This has to be done before delivery, but most dealerships don't do that. After you change your tyres, please go to the Vehicle Information section in the IDrive app and calibrate your TPMS.

I request all BMW owners reading this to do the same, regardless of your model.

I guess you haven't read previous posts. I have switched to normal tubeless from RFTs . I reset the TPMS every time I fill air, that's what the manual says. The ABS based TPMS is not sensitive enough and is not failsafe. So far it has warned me only once when I was on RFTs and that too when the tyre was down to 7 psi.

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Maybe, the foam lining inside the RFTs, makes the tyres wear-out a bit more in the centre? The centre portion of the tyre may experience higher friction due to the firm foam lining, more so, if the tyre pressure is slightly lower than required? I am not saying that 34 Psi is low. I am not sure about it either. But thin side-walled Pirelli tyres would have a wider lip and so, would sit lower, isn't it?

I don't think there is any foam lining inside the RFTs. The recommended pressure is 32 front / 32 rear for light load and 32 front and 39 rear under heavy load. I usually maintain 34 psi all round for my highway drives and in city bring it down to 30 psi (occasionally). 90% of my running is on highway

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

You are scaring me buddy!


Extremely sorry to hear about the incident Santosh. Happy that you are safe. As Akshay mentioned, IMHO, changing the blown-out tyre should be good to go. All 4 valves to be changed too.

All the best! Drive safe!!

That's what I decided and asked my tyre shop to give me one tyre. But these are rare tyres and shops generally stock it in sets of 4. He gave me scare a couple of days back that this pattern is not available anywhere in the country. Only when I told him I'll manage from online stores did he seriously hunt for it and managed to get me one.

I've decided to give the tubeless tyres another go. There must have been some external factor for the tyre to lose air. Replacing all four at this time seems to be overkill. I also got all valves changed to these Michelin (supposedly) SS metal valves on the recommendation of the store owner. Hopefully these are more durable and hardy.

The tubeless tyres have well and truly transformed the car. I just can't go back to RFTs after experiencing the tubeless tyres. The car feels more premium, ride is so comfortable, grip is better, the engine's power is properly put down on the road, the car doesn't tramline on road imperfections, silence, the list goes on...

I've also decided to invest in a TPMS system which I found online https://www.amazon.in/FOBO-FP1611-Ti...&keywords=fobo. Its quite pricey (price I paid is 15K, for some reason price has gone up overnight!), but I am saving the money by buying tubeless tyres which are about 4K cheaper per tyre compared to RFTs. This system displays the pressure on the phone via bluetooth, so there's nothing plugged into the power socket all the time. Lets hope the system is effective.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I've decided to give the tubeless tyres another go. There must have been some external factor for the tyre to lose air. Replacing all four at this time seems to be overkill. I also got all valves changed to these Michelin (supposedly) SS metal valves on the recommendation of the store owner. Hopefully these are more durable and hardy.

Michelin doesnt make tubeless valves. The best in India is Triton. A home grown company who supply to ALL major OEMs in India (Ford, Maruti, etc etc etc).

http://www.tritonvalves.com

Off late a lot of Chinese valves have entered India. They just brand it whatever people want. Some people put the Bridgestone logo, some people put a Michelin logo, some people put a BMW logo, whatever.

It is like taking a set of cheap Chinese alloy wheels and then putting a BMW centre cap and calling it BMW wheels!

In hindsight, my post looks scary. I dont mean to scare you. The valves that you've posted a pic of look good and should easily last you till your next tyre change.

[Santoshbhat]

2 Yrs/ 28,000 kms update



The car completed 2 years this new year week. Its been smooth sailing so far with nothing much to report. The car's running came down a bit this year. About 11K kms compared to 17K in the first year. The reason being a few highway drives undertaken by the Polo twins (GTI + GT TSI). Also I've been quite busy this past year and wasn't really able to undertake too many trips with family.

The car has been a delight to own. Its been almost 100% reliable barring the one headlamp washer failure. Everything else is working like clockwork. It is a joy to drive on highways and the decision to pick the lusty six cylinder has proved to be one of the best decisions I've taken. Highway drives are extremely stress free and enjoyable at the same time. Family also enjoys being driven in the X3. The space and overall luxury gives them a lot of joy.

The switch to tubeless tyres has been a slightly controversial decision if you read the last few posts. I had suffered a tyre failure in one of the tubeless tyres which caused a scary moment on the highway. I decided to stick with tubeless tyres and got a single tyre replacement of the same make/ model. I strongly feel that the valve had developed a leak and I also suspect the TPMS system had remained deactivated at the time. That's one thing about BMW's TPMS system. At times it shows that it's not been activated. I can't fathom why that should happen? I assume once I have reset the system and activated it, it should remain activated unless manually deactivated. Several times I find it is deactivated and I have to manually activate it again. I wonder if it s designed that way or there is a software bug. Anyway, I opted to get an after market active TPMS to give me constant alerts. I've put up a detailed review here

Its been about 5 months since the switch to tubeless and the effects are positive. The ride quality is simply outstanding now. Small cuts and bumps are hardly felt in the cabin. That harsh thud is also gone. The luxury quotient as a result has gone up a notch. Grip too is also a lot better since these tyres have a sporty orientation. In cars like these you need to have good tyres to exploit the engine's power. The moment the tyres start losing traction, the traction control system starts cutting engine power to prevent wheel spin.

Initially I was maintianing the same pressure as those recommended for the RFTs. But I felt that the car had lost a degree or two of sharpness in steering feel and body roll was slightly pronounced. This is a natural trade off that comes with cushiony tyres. At slow speeds it did not matter much, but at somewhat higher speeds it starts getting bothersome when the car starts acting unBMW like. I played with different pressure settings and hit the sweet spot at 36 psi allround. The ride and handling balance is perfect now.

The car has visited the service centre four times so far.

Service Costs
1st Service = Rs. 26K (Oil + filters)
2nd Service = Rs. 25K (Oil + lesser filters + wash/ wax)
3rd Service = Rs. 21k (rear brake pads)(Front pads going strong as of now)
4th service = Rs. 35k (Oil + filters + WA + WB + wash/ wax)

Renewed second year insurance with HDFC ergo for about Rs. 87k (zero dep). This time I opted for engine and gear box protector as well. Last year I had to drive through some water logged areas in the monsoon and I became very nervous about damaging the engine. BMWs don't take kindly to water. Also Bangalore is becoming notorious for water logging even in the lightest of rains.

Other costs :
1 set of tyres costing 25K apiece
Full exterior detailing at 3M.

BMW's conditional service system can be a pain at times. Different areas need attention at different times and the iDrive will pop the message to visit the service centre. For example you may get a message that brake pads are due for replacement, but engine oil change isn't due for another couple of months. So you will need to visit the service centre twice in like 2 months.

Overall service experience has been satisfactory. I guess as long the car is fine these guys are good with their routine service. I did not find them trying to upsell unnecessary jobs like what I find in Hyundai service centres for example.

One other thing I'd like to mention is that I find the built in navigation system pretty useless. The map is outdated and you don't get live traffic information. In the past 2 years, I haven't used navigation even once! Google maps ki jai ho!

DIY Android Auto



A few recent pictures for your viewing pleasure.

[H_Dogg72]

I'd like to suggest a magnetic phone holder for your navigation duties.
It clips onto the AC vents and after using it in the polo, all three of my cars now have it. Simple one hand operation and it sticks like a leech even under hard cornering and stupid potholes.
Link: http://amzn.in/6B7Ae9x (This is what I have, the cheaper one in my cousins car is a menace, falls off often)
Also, if possible a comparison between the GTI and your X3 when it comes to highway/high speed drives would be really appreciated. I own the 1.2 TSI & 1.5 TDI DSG twins and find it more relaxing to drive the petrol be it in the city or on the highway, diesel just feels *heavy* if that makes any sense, would like it if you could chime in on that.
Car looks very hot!

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by H_Dogg72

I'd like to suggest a magnetic phone holder for your navigation duties.
It clips onto the AC vents and after using it in the polo, all three of my cars now have it. Simple one hand operation and it sticks like a leech even under hard cornering and stupid potholes.
Link: http://amzn.in/6B7Ae9x (This is what I have, the cheaper one in my cousins car is a menace, falls off often)
Also, if possible a comparison between the GTI and your X3 when it comes to highway/high speed drives would be really appreciated. I own the 1.2 TSI & 1.5 TDI DSG twins and find it more relaxing to drive the petrol be it in the city or on the highway, diesel just feels *heavy* if that makes any sense, would like it if you could chime in on that.
Car looks very hot!

Thanks, the holder looks neat.

GTI and X3 are two completely different beasts. There really is no commonality for comparison. The GTI just wants to be driven fast all the time. It is just made that way. No matter how hard you try, you see an open stretch and its impossible to resist the temptation to speed up. It's at home in the city and lots of fun on winding roads. The X3 on the other hand can be driven slowly and in a relaxed manner and you can enjoy the luxury on offer. Its not a big floaty SUV and very easy to drive and you almost feel like you are driving a big hatchback.

In a straight line there is no doubt which car is faster of the two. The BMW straight six is a monster and with all settings dialed for maximum performance, it simply takes off like a rocket. In-gear acceleration too is stupendous. 250 NM torque Vs. 560 NM - it's a very unfair fight. Also the fact that the X3 is more refined and the fact it is better at masking speed on long straight highways definitely makes it the nicer car to be in. The GTI just starts to feel too busy in comparison. The super stiff suspension of the GTI gets caught out if the road is uneven. The X3 with its adaptive suspension beats it hollow when it comes to comfort. But if the road is smooth with some nice bends and curves, the GTI is the one to pick.

My preference generally goes like this

GTI preffered if

• Journey is relatively short
• Road surface is known to be good
• Two lane highway
• No more than 2 on board
• Travelling for work

X3 preffered if

• Journey is long
• Lots of 4 lane straight driving
• Travelling with family
• Bad roads likely to be encountered (Not too bad though )

[the_skyliner]

Congratulations on completing 2 years!

It is sad to see that you have to use an aftermarket TPMS system even after buying a car like X3. You should definitely write to BMW India about this with evidence of TPMS getting deactivated on it's own and ask some difficult questions.

About switching to tubeless, I am not a fan of that. Our Indian roads can not be trusted and more the safety the better it is as it provides peace of mind to push the car on long journeys.

Do give a thought to switching to RFTs during your next tyre change which I believe should be round the corner now.

Wish you many more happy miles on the beast.

[abhiram7912]

Attachment 1717053

Hi you seem to have the BMW natural air car perfume, how do you like it (in terms of smell and effectiveness) and how much did it cost?

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by abhiram7912

Attachment 1717053

Hi you seem to have the BMW natural air car perfume, how do you like it (in terms of smell and effectiveness) and how much did it cost?

Yes, its pretty good actually. For the first purchase you need to buy the starter kit that comes with 3 fragerance sticks. I don't remember exact cost but it should be close to 2000 bucks. Later on you can buy refill sticks costing about 900 bucks for a set of 3 sticks.

The starter kit was loaded with something called "Raindrops" . That was really excellent. I have been trying to get the same refill ever since, but its not been available. The dealer says that flavour comes only with the original kit . Later on I've tried "Vitalizing woods" and "energizing tonic". THe woods one smells like after shave and wifey was getting a bit nauseous and got me to remove it . The tonic one is the one that I've got installed right now, but I miss the original raindrops one. The claim it to be some natural stuff and it does smell nice and premium. The kit is also easy to fix and intuitive to use.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

One accessory that I did buy though was BMW Advanced Car Eye. Basically a BMW OE dash cam. The system comes with 2 cameras, one front facing and one rear facing. A 32 GB micro SD card stores all the data....
MRP is about 35K. I managed to eek out a 10% discount.

Hi Santosh,

Need some inputs on the dashcam.

I too want a dashcam installed in the GT, and thinking of the BMW Advanced Eye for it's clean install, dual camera setup and no worries about warranties.

The dealers have given me a quotation of 40K with the below cost breakup.

Cost of camera - 25K
Installation - 9K
GST - 6K

You had mentioned that the MRP was 35K and you got a 10% discount on that. Was that 35K including installation cost or installation was extra?

How does the camera fix to the windshield? Have they used a double sided tape to fix the base? Does it obstruct your view or create any distraction?

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by graaja

Need some inputs on the dashcam.

The dealers have given me a quotation of 40K with the below cost breakup

Cost of camera - 25K
Installation - 9K
GST - 6K

The installation used to be without charge but it's a labour-intensive work so perhaps they have started charging. You can negotiate discounts if they don't agree on free installation. I got 7 % Discount and no charge for installation & paid Rs 30K - check enclosed and perhaps show to your dealer and ask him to match

How does the camera fix to the windshield?

The front one has a special high-quality suction mount and on the rear, its fixed by double-sided tape.

Does it obstruct your view or create any distraction?

No.

Now, I have a mixed feedback based on my usage on 7 series & X5, though installation and utility are unmatched, the one on the 7 was the culprit in draining the battery. They are still not able to fix the fault, have upgraded the software twice but its still faulty. I will have to ask for replacement probably. The one which I bought in 2016 and am using on X5 was working fine till a month back when the rear camera failed. Will need to show them what's wrong. So do consider other options as well.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

The installation used to be without charge but it's a labour-intensive work so perhaps they have started charging. You can negotiate discounts if they don't agree on free installation. I got 7 % Discount and no charge for installation & paid Rs 30K - check enclosed and perhaps show to your dealer and ask him to match

Thanks a ton for the details. I have sent a screenshot of this to the BMW service and asked him to match the discount. He said as there is lot of work to be done, they will have to charge for installation, but he will do his best to reduce the charges. I am even thinking why not do a DIY. Could save some bucks and also result in an interesting weekend. Got the installation manual online and it looks quite straightforward except for the risk of breaking the trim locks

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Now, I have a mixed feedback based on my usage on 7 series & X5, though installation and utility are unmatched, the one on the 7 was the culprit in draining the battery. They are still not able to fix the fault, have upgraded the software twice but its still faulty. I will have to ask for replacement probably. The one which I bought in 2016 and am using on X5 was working fine till a month back when the rear camera failed. Will need to show them what's wrong. So do consider other options as well.

I also considered getting the regular dashcams. But the only issue is how to tap the power supply for the camera. BMW provides a wiring harness that plugs into a socket in the engine bay for the camera power supply. For any third party solution, it would be very difficult to take out the power supply.

Hope your battery drain in the 7 series was a one-off defect, and the camera does not fail on me.

I think you should definitely ask for a replacement camera in the 7. As the issue is not there in all the cameras, it has to be definitely a hardware issue which a software update will not fix.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by graaja

Hi Santosh,

Need some inputs on the dashcam.

I too want a dashcam installed in the GT, and thinking of the BMW Advanced Eye for it's clean install, dual camera setup and no worries about warranties.

The dealers have given me a quotation of 40K with the below cost breakup.

Cost of camera - 25K
Installation - 9K
GST - 6K

You had mentioned that the MRP was 35K and you got a 10% discount on that. Was that 35K including installation cost or installation was extra?

How does the camera fix to the windshield? Have they used a double sided tape to fix the base? Does it obstruct your view or create any distraction?

MRP was exclusive of installation in my case. I checked the bill and they have charged me Rs. 2,850 for the installation. So all in all including VAT and labour and service tax it came to 35K after discount of about 3,000 on the MRP.

Front camera is fixed using some kind of glue. The rear one is via a double sided tape as Turbanator has mentioned.

No it does not obstruct vision in any way and it works prettly seamlessly with the ignition. i.e. it turns on and off on its own along with ignition. Installation is pretty neat and no messy wires can be seen from the front seats.

The camera recording quality is so so considering the price you pay. But the biggest advantage is that it is OE BMW and designed for BMW by BMW, so your warranties are intact and they are tried and tested by the maker for their cars. I haven't had any battery drain issues so far. I have disabled event recording option when parked, so the camera is asleep when parked.

One other disadvantage I found was that the space allotted for continuous recording is only 6 GB although it has a 32 GB card. The remaining space is reserved for 'events' which don't get erased on their own. I could not find the option that allowed us to increase the allocation for continuous recording. As a result if you do not transfer the video files to a computer, you will lose the recording within a couple of hours of driving.

My experience has been positive and I would highly recommended for someone keen on protecting warranty.

[graaja]

Thanks a lot for the inputs Santosh.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

MRP was exclusive of installation in my case. I checked the bill and they have charged me Rs. 2,850 for the installation. So all in all including VAT and labour and service tax it came to 35K after discount of about 3,000 on the MRP.

I hate negotiating, and that is exactly what I have to do here it seems! If they are charging me 9K for a simple camera installation, God help me for the suspension installation. The service person has promised to come back with some discounts on both the camera and the installation. If they are able to bring it down to even 35K, that would be good enough.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

The camera recording quality is so so considering the price you pay. But the biggest advantage is that it is OE BMW and designed for BMW by BMW, so your warranties are intact and they are tried and tested by the maker for their cars.

My experience has been positive and I would highly recommended for someone keen on protecting warranty.

Warranty is exactly the reason why I am considering this. Can take a chance with VW, but can't mess with BMW though!

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

One other disadvantage I found was that the space allotted for continuous recording is only 6 GB although it has a 32 GB card. The remaining space is reserved for 'events' which don't get erased on their own. I could not find the option that allowed us to increase the allocation for continuous recording. As a result if you do not transfer the video files to a computer, you will lose the recording within a couple of hours of driving.

Oh. That is bad. Is it possible to increase the SD card size to 64 or 128GB? Have you considered that?