[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by ece2k2

Am I missing something here? Kerala dealer is going to hand over the car with a temporary registration that costs only Rs.550 and is valid for a month. I am completely confused and it would be helpful if you guys could please enlighten me.

Check with our member Karan561. If I remember correctly he got his 328i from Kochi and got the registration done in his state.

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by ece2k2

I am getting a good price for X3 from a dealer based out of Kerala state. But the local dealer in my (Tamilnadu) state is claiming that I need to pay an additional entry tax of 14.5% on the ex showroom price of the car before I could register it in Tamilnadu. If I have to pay 14.5% entry tax that works out to around 7.5 lakhs, I am going to lose the whole price advantage of purchasing the car from the other state and will infact end up paying more. Am I missing something here? Kerala dealer is going to hand over the car with a temporary registration that costs only Rs.550 and is valid for a month. I am completely confused and it would be helpful if you guys could please enlighten me.

Santoshbhat - sorry for hijacking your thread

Please read through this or ask someone if you can't understand all the details yourself.
https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&so...fGXXRG72d0OOjw

There is a clause about reduction in tax liability and it says that the entry tax is reduced to the sales tax of the state in which the car was bought.
There is no tax liability if you can get the car registered in Kerela and keep that number for 18 months and then get a TN number.

[ece2k2]

Originally Posted by rdst_1

Please read through this or ask someone if you can't understand all the details yourself.
https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&so...fGXXRG72d0OOjw

There is a clause about reduction in tax liability and it says that the entry tax is reduced to the sales tax of the state in which the car was bought.
There is no tax liability if you can get the car registered in Kerela and keep that number for 18 months and then get a TN number.

I am not planning to get a Kerala number as it is going to impact the resale value if I change it to TN number.

I am still not able to interpret the following rule about reduction in tax liability:

(2) Where an importer who, not being a dealer in motor vehicles, had purchased the motor vehicle for his own use in any Union Territory, or any other State then his liability under this Act shall, subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, be reduced to the extent of the amount of tax paid, if any, under the law relating to general sales tax as may be in force in that Union Territory or State.:

Thanks!

[araje]

Hey Santosh... very good thread.
I own an X3 myself but I bought it in 2014 and hence only had to 2.0D engine option. I was very unhappy with my Q3 and hence couldnt wait for another 1.5yrs as they had not given any ETA for 3.0D option.
I have a thread going on but havent updated it in a while. With my navdy purchase I will be updating it this week. Here it is

I am stuck up with the 6.5" idrive but use Navdy as a HUD so helps out.
One question: does 3.0D comes with active TPMS? or passive TPMS.

One way to check out is - do you see the pressure PSI and temperature on each of the 4 tyres when you go to the tyre monitor section.
Can you let me know.

Wish you lots and lots of miles with your car.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by araje

Hey Santosh... very good thread.
I own an X3 myself but I bought it in 2014 and hence only had to 2.0D engine option. I was very unhappy with my Q3 and hence couldnt wait for another 1.5yrs as they had not given any ETA for 3.0D option.
I have a thread going on but havent updated it in a while. With my navdy purchase I will be updating it this week. Here it is

I am stuck up with the 6.5" idrive but use Navdy as a HUD so helps out.
One question: does 3.0D comes with active TPMS? or passive TPMS.

One way to check out is - do you see the pressure PSI and temperature on each of the 4 tyres when you go to the tyre monitor section.
Can you let me know.

Wish you lots and lots of miles with your car.

Passive TPMS, araje. Same ABS based system on the 20d that detects variation in rotation speed of the wheel and gives out an alarm. Its fairly unreliable as once I had a puncture and the pressure was down from 32 psi to 20psi and yet there was no warning from the system.

I have completed one year with my machine. Detailed report coming up.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by ece2k2

. But the local dealer in my (Tamilnadu) state is claiming that I need to pay an additional entry tax of 14.5% on the ex showroom price of the car before I could register it in Tamilnadu.

Your TN dealer is correct. You will need to pay entry tax in TN if you buy new car in Kerala and try to register it in TN. Please pm me your number. I will connect you with the Sales rep from whom we bought two beemers from Kun BMW. Will see if he can work out a deal for you.

[ece2k2]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Your TN dealer is correct. You will need to pay entry tax in TN if you buy new car in Kerala and try to register it in TN. Please pm me your number. I will connect you with the Sales rep from whom we bought two beemers from Kun BMW. Will see if he can work out a deal for you.

Thank you.

I got a chance to interact with both the RTO and Commercial Tax officer of my region during the last few days. They told me that all I need to pay is the difference in VAT amount if the other state's VAT is lower. But since Kerala's VAT (14.5%) is not lower than TN VAT, I don't have to pay anything as TN entry tax. But I still might have to pay 1% towards some fee before I can get the car permanently registered at TN.

Even if KUN matches the offer from the Kerala dealer, I might end up paying more as KUN charges 55k for temp registration (that is something not necessary at all) and 60k for Secure (that comes for free).

[BeamerBoy]

Originally Posted by ece2k2

Thank you.

I got a chance to interact with both the RTO and Commercial Tax officer of my region during the last few days. ....

Even if KUN matches the offer from the Kerala dealer, I might end up paying more as KUN charges 55k for temp registration (that is something not necessary at all) and 60k for Secure (that comes for free).

On another note, do watch that you are too close to the year end. Year end volume and stock clearance pressure generally gets out the best deals. Come January, the seller will be singing his own tune.

For what I know, the X3 30d scheme is already over and the interest rate of 7.9% is for this year only. All the best for your shopping.

[ece2k2]

Originally Posted by BeamerBoy

On another note, do watch that you are too close to the year end. Year end volume and stock clearance pressure generally gets out the best deals. Come January, the seller will be singing his own tune.

For what I know, the X3 30d scheme is already over and the interest rate of 7.9% is for this year only. All the best for your shopping.

I am taking delivery of X3 30d this Saturday. Logically speaking, discounts in January should be higher for a 2016 manufactured car - isn't it?

[BeamerBoy]

Originally Posted by ece2k2

I am taking delivery of X3 30d this Saturday. Logically speaking, discounts in January should be higher for a 2016 manufactured car - isn't it?

From what I know, there is hefty leverage on target achievement in December. Full year sales numbers and so the dealers go all out.

In January, we as buyers are at mercy. If the dealer has reasonable Sales momentum in January, they wouldn't bother negotiating beyond a point.

Just was prompting in case the train leaves the station. Congratulations on the X3 30d. Beautiful looking machine. Will wait for the reviews.

[Santoshbhat]

One year : 16,000 kms update



Warning this is has turned out be a loooooong post! Turns out I have so much to say!

The X3 completes one year with us in December. Its done 16,500 kms in this period and here is a summary of my likes and dislikes.

Likes

• Engine Engine Engine
• Driving pleasure - Thanks to excellent road manners, ergonomics and drivetrain
• Sublime 8 speed automatic transmission
• Selectable and configurable driving modes.
• Superb front sport seats with body hugging adjustable side bolstering and adjustable thigh support.
• Long distance cruisability
• X Drive grip - Helps transfer all that power down beautifully.
• Black interiors - Classy and easy to maintain
• Slick iDrive infotainment system with Harmon Kardon audio.
• Just right dimensions - Spacious enough inside, yet not too big on the outside
• Reliabiliy – So far so good.
• Aircon cooling. Who said Euro cars have weak ACs?
• Controlled NVH levels. Feels expensive
• Brakes
• All round visibility from driver seat
• Ground Clearance - Terrible roads leading up to that fancy resort? No worries.
• Peace of mind, thanks to decently priced warranty packs.
• Diesel efficiency and practicality. 70L fuel tank = Range of approx 800 kms.

Dislikes

• Irritating Auto Start Stop feature that is ON by default.
• Lack of keyless entry in this age and at this price point.
• AT box could have been smoother in stop and go traffic.
• Lack of a ‘next track’ button and mute button on the steering.
• Centre armrest box already creaking.
• Lack of cavity to store space saver spare tyre.
• TPMS system innacurate. Does not give out warning even after a 12psi drop in pressure.
• In built Sat Nav not a patch on Google maps. Wish it had Android Auto or phone mirroring feature.
• Sudden thump from the suspension on deep road imperfections. RFTs to blame?
• Long turnaround for replacement of body parts in case of accident. Stuff has to be imported from Germany.
• Average after sales experience. Constant follow up needed to get things done.

One year – 16,500 kms down on the X3 and I still can’t stop grinning. The X3 has been a lovely purchase and I am really enjoying every minute behind the wheel. I am virtually using it exclusively on highways apart from the odd weekend drive. Weekends in BLR are so crowded that it’s a pain to take out a big car. With my office now shifted very close to home, the Polo GT takes care of all city duties without a fuss. Virtually two thirds of the running has been on drives up and down to Belgaum. The X3 has brought the 2 cities closer and its unbelievable how fresh I am at the end of every 500 kms drive. The big 3.0 has a huge hand in making this a special car. The engine has been absolutely brilliant on these long drives. Great power, great handling, fantast gear box and superb brakes make highway driving a real treat. Ultimate driving pleasure – That’s why you buy BMWs and my X3 totally lives up to BMWs tagline.

On Road performance : The car is fantasitic to drive overall. Performance from the engine and the way it combines with the 8 speed ZF is just brilliant. The official 0-100 kph figure of 5.9 secs is quite phenomenal for a car in this class. The X drive system has big hand in this as it gives the car a perfect launch with zero wheel spin and perfect torque split. Even though the car is shod with 245 section tyres all round (same as other variants), there is never any wheel spin and the car launches perfectly, no slipping and sliding and definitely no torque steer. Here is a latest video released by BMW explaining how their X Drive system works and its advantages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Nv8HpbFtg

Highway cruisability is awesome. I’ve configured sport mode to alter only the chassis so that the drive train remains in normal mode. This is my default cruise mode on the highway. This tightens up the suspension and minimizes body roll to a great extent. It also improves steering feedback and quick lane changing ability and the X3 feels so agile and light. In case I want more performance, I slip into Sport+ mode. This now puts the drive train also into sport mode along with the suspension and steering. DSC (Dynamic stability control) is turned off and DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) is now turned on. I now get sharper throttle response and the gear box holds revs a little longer before upshifting and everything is lively. Now sometimes you want even more, because you know the car has more to offer, and you want it to give you the best its got. That’s when you tap the sexy gear lever to the left into its own Sports mode, which is independent of the drive mode selector. The car is now like a raging bull. The gear box drops down another gear and shifts are further delayed and shift times are super fast. In other words, performance is red hot. In this mode when you drive aggressively, for every upshift, the car gives out a very deliberate ‘thunk’, a kind of kick that feels very sporty. People talk of seamless gear shifts and here’s BMW progamming a deliberate kick to let you know, the car just changed a gear. Fantastic!

Paddle Shifts : I’ve never been a frequent user of paddle shifts but off late I’ve started using it during my long drives on NH4. They are extremely responsive and shift levers are well finished and feel lovely to operate and touch. You can tug at them for an instant downshift (even in D mode) if you are looking at a quick burst of acceleration or simply if you feel like revving the engine up and showing off. The engine revs up to 5,500 rpm without any protest and not sounding gruff or unrefined in the process. I am quite amazed at this quality of this diesel engine. In full manual mode it will hit the rev limiter but still not upshift.

I thought the X3 may not be a lot of fun in the twisties. But the car surprised me. I did a trip to Madikeri where I took the Shanivarsanthe – Somwarpet road which has lots of curves and hairpin bends . The X3 was delightful to drive up the ghats. The variable ratio steering rack almost allows you to take hairpin bends in one motion of the wheel and the X drive grip truly comes into its own here. This is the first car in which I actually hit the throttle to pull out of an overcooked corner. There is absolutely no understeer and the X3 just goes where the steering wheels tells it to go, no drama whatsoever.

Ride Quality : Ride quality is generally good and I don’t have any major complaints on this front. The adaptive suspension on comfort mode is pliant over medium sized undulations. The premium Pirellis are very quiet and road and suspension noise is well controlled. You think its all good and go over a slightly deep cut without slowing down to a crawl and you get a huge thud from the front wheels. The rear axle takes it much better, but this sudden shockwave is very annoying. I put this down to the RFTs and their stiff sidewalls. As long as the bumps and cuts are not sharp, the ride quality is good and the suspension keeps the occupants well insulated from the road imperfections. All said and done, even in full comfort mode, the ride has a firm edge to it. I kind of like it this way. X3 is not a car that will gobble up craters and bumps and you simply can’t throw it carelessly over bad roads at speed. You have to slow down to a crawl if you don’t want to be jolted by the suspension. The upside of course is that the X3 is never wallowy or wafty and always gives pleasurable handling. The adaptive suspension is clever enough to tighten up slightly once the speed increases, even if you are in the default comfort mode, to improve body control.

Configurable driving modes : This is one of the best things about the X3. Various permutations and combinations materially alter the driving behaviour of the X3. Here’s a chart showing the various combinations and their parameters.



So that’s 5 driving modes X 2 Transmission modes = 10 combinations.

On RFTs : RFTs give the ride a firm edge, there is no doubt about that. I feel RFTs have improved over time and they ride much better now than they used to a few years back. The Pirelli P7s shod on this car are soft compound premium touring tyres. Manufacturers choose a softer compound for treads of RFTs to compensate for the stiff sidewalls. As a results RFTs wear a little faster and don’t last as long as regular tubeless tyres. At 16,000 kms tyres look like they are down to about 40% wear and I expect them to last anywhere between 35 and 40k kms. I had not gone for wheel alignment or tyre rotation upto 15k kms and was thinking of getting it done during next service. About a month back I observed that tyres were showing signs of feathering. The feathering was not from inner edge to outer edge but rather on both, the other and inner grooves, in the direction of rotation. I guess its due to fact I haven’t rotated the tyres and the tyres have been spinning in the same direction for nearly 15,000 kms. Immediately I took the car to a nearby tyre shop and did a basic X rotation. I avoided alignment as I wanted to do it at BMW A.S.S. , so that it goes on their record for keeping the warranties intact. I’ve driven the car for about 1500 kms after the rotation and the feathering pattern seems to be reversing and evening out. There are signs of tyres taking a beating due to bursts of acceleration that is so hard to resist as a driver what with all that power on tap. Small shreds of rubber have come off from some of the grooves. I expect the tyres to deteriorate at an accelerated rate over then few thousand kms and I may well need to replace them before 30,000 kms.

I was keen on swapping the 18” rims to 19 inchers purely for cosmetic reasons, but have dropped the idea now. Apart from the obvious cost reasons (total cost of swap ~ 4.50 Lakhs) I feel 18s are more suited for Indian conditions. Tyre replacement costs are also significantly higher with 19s and if I have to keep changing tyres every 30k kms, it is not going to be pocket friendly. I am likely to stick with RFTs come replacement time as my usage is maximum on the highway and I can easily live with the slightly firm low speed ride. Out on the highway RFTs don’t feel very different from regular tubeless tyres and come with two major advantages. The reinforced sidewalls give you much better control in the event of a tyre burst. So they are safer and they also allow you to drive some distance even if the tyre is punctured. Very useful feature to have if you are passing through remote and secluded areas with family. I always carry a space saver in the boot and a Michelin inflator so I am quite well covered in that respect. But it will be a problem to fit the regular tyre into a loaded boot as it is huge! If only the X3 came with a proper boot cavity like the new X1 and X5. Expect the new X3 (G01) to come with a spare and a proper cavity.


Reliability : Overall reliability has been pretty good with no major niggles faced. Only one minor niggle was a failed headlamp washer which they agreed to replace readily under warranty.

Build quality : Build quality is impressive. The dashboard, central console buttons, door pads, door handles and switches are all built with quality materials and are solid and have that built to last feel. Only issue I am facing is a slightly creaky centre armrest box which creaks every time you put a bit of weight on your elbow resting on it. Need to figure out some way of lubricating the contact points.

Fuel Efficiency : I am getting between 11.50 kmpl and 12.50 kmpl on 4 lane highways. Steady crusing between 100 and 110 kph pushes it up to about 14 kmpl. Within city its anything between 6.00 kmpl and 10.00 kmpl. One thing I’ve noticed is that the engine runs a bit smoother on PSU diesel. I was infact preferring Shell Diesel all these days. I don’t know if it’s a placebo or just the fact that the engine components have bedded in nicely, but I am sticking to PSU diesel for now. Overall the fuel efficiency is very good for the performance available and the fact that you can fill up regular diesel just about anywhere makes it very easy to live with.

A.S.S. : After sales experience has been just about OK during the times I’ve had to use their services. First service was done around 8,000 kms and second service is due at 18,000 kms. I’ve had to deal with them for one accident repair and the turn around was more than a month. Cost of first service came to about 24K. I’ll give the A.S.S. 3 out of 5 stars.


Extended Warranty : I’ve recently bought a 5 years/unlimited KMs extended warranty pack priced at 1.50 lakhs. Interestingly the price for extended warranty makes no distinction between variants. So extended warranty for the entry level X3 20d expedition and top of the line X3 30d M Sport is priced same. So that makes it a good deal for me. I could have delayed purchasing the extended warranty for another year as the standard warranty is for 2 years. But I went for it now as Navnit guys told that service and warranty pack pricing is being revised upwards.

Insurance Renewal : First year Insurance cost was only Rs. 1.00 Lakh from Bajaj Allianz. This is a normal policy. The car comes with BMW Secure advance by default from the factory for the first year. BMW secure is an add on to the normal policy and is akin to a zero dep policy with some add on features like tyre replacements and full car replacement in case of total loss. Zero depreciation cover came handy for the bumper replacement that I had to do for the dog hit accident. Bajaj Allianz quoted 1.50 lakhs for a Zero dep policy for the second year with an IDV of about 45.00 lakhs with zero NCB! Took quotes from ICICI Lombard, Tata AIG and HDFC Ergo and found HDFC Ergo to be the lowest. Premium paid was about Rs. 85k for a zero dep policy for an IDV of Rs. 45.00 lakhs and zero NCB. I decided to avoid add on covers like engine protection and new car replacement etc.. as I wanted to keep costs down. Engine cover basically covers engine damage due to hydrostatic lock and transmission damage due oil leakage subsequent to underbody hit. High riding X3, unlikely to be submerged in water and suffer underbody damage I thought.

Incidentally quote from BMW for a Bajaj Allianz Policy + Secure was (1.72L for Zero Dep + 0.32L for Secure) Rs. 2.05L.

BMW Secure benefits include

• 4 tyre replacements in a year. Damage bay be bulge or cut during normal driving or driving in deflated state after a puncture. Compensation reduces proportionately with tread depth. In case the alloy is damaged in the process, alloy also will be replaced. The wordings are very clear in stating that alloy wheel damage has to be in addition to tyre damage. So if the there is no damage to tyres, you can’t claim any compensation for alloy rim bends etc…
• New Car replacement in case of total loss.
• Key replacement
• RSA
• Golf Hole in one .”Under the program AGA will pay the owner of BMW Vehicle a flat sum of INR 40000/- (all inclusive) who has scored “Hole in One” during the Organized Game of Golf”, on the Event Date on the Course and on the Designated Hole as described by the Golf Course for the particular event organised anywhere in the world.”

My logic in avoiding secure : With a spacesaver in my boot I am unlikely to drive on the RFTs for long after a puncture. My tyres are anyway down to 50% treadwear so I will get only 50% compensation in case one tyre gets damaged. More than one tyre getting damaged in a year is very unlikely as I take care while driving on bad roads and look after my tyres. In fact in my total driving history of 400K + kms, I have only suffered one tyre bulge. And I am pretty sure I will not score a hole in one in my life! Not that I know how to hold a golf club.

Here are some pics clicked during a recent outing with family.

[2himanshu]

Great and unbiased update, Kudos to you.

Hope you enjoy your ride for many more years

[karan561]

^ Thanks for the long term report & superb pics Santosh

The car is looking great specially from the front, with all the 'black' treatment, hope you have some mods lined up for the alloy wheels (black colour or may be a new design), All the best

[androdev]

Thanks for posting such a detailed ownership report. It's a perfect car for your usage pattern. 530d would have made the photos look much better though

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

AT box could have been smoother in stop and go traffic.

I hate the way this AT behaves in crawling traffic and Bangalore commute is one long crawl. There are two issues: 1. AT lurches forward on GO. 2. AT disengages with a slight judder on STOP. To prevent #1, I shift to manual mode 1st gear and hold it there till traffic eases up. In fact, I do this with all AT cars with good results. #2 is unique to this AT I think, because I haven't seen other ATs disengage when you come to a stop. I haven't found a solution for the same.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by karan561

^ Thanks for the long term report & superb pics Santosh

The car is looking great specially from the front, with all the 'black' treatment, hope you have some mods lined up for the alloy wheels (black colour or may be a new design), All the best

Thanks Karan. I've just settled a huge debate in my mind that I shouldn't change the alloys . Alloy design is quite dated isn't it? Upgrading to 19s is an option but the cost is too prohibitive and I am worried the ride quality will be hit. I've got some time till the current set wears out, then maybe I'll take a call whether to go for 19s or stick with 18s and look for other designs. OE options in 18" are very limited.

Originally Posted by androdev

I hate the way this AT behaves in crawling traffic and Bangalore commute is one long crawl. There are two issues: 1. AT lurches forward on GO. 2. AT disengages with a slight judder on STOP. To prevent #1, I shift to manual mode 1st gear and hold it there till traffic eases up. In fact, I do this with all AT cars with good results. #2 is unique to this AT I think, because I haven't seen other ATs disengage when you come to a stop. I haven't found a solution for the same.

I haven't really faced problem #2 that much. My problem is that the gear box is a bit 'leapy' when starting off from standstill. You need to be very very precise with throttle input when starting off from standstill.