[bottle]

Yes, other than the web radio (Which is fun to have) I havent seen much use for the connected app.

[venom_op]

Congratulations Hayek! Wish you many more miles! I love this car to bits! Mine is in the same Deep Sea Blue and it always just looks absolutely gorgeous! Glad to see they updated to the semi digital instrument cluster and the wider screen!

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by bottle

Can you share a picture of the boot with the spare tyre ?

Long overdue, but here is the picture


Have not really kept this thread as updated as I would have liked to - but that is largely because life has been quite uneventful since I started the thread. Went a few weeks back for a drive past Pawna dam. The roads around Pawna are among the nicest driving roads close to Bombay, and while the road surface was bad in parts, there were stretches that still put a smile on your face. The remarkably good handling of the X3 comes into its own in these stretches - there was never an occasion when I felt too much body roll or uncomfortable around corners. However, I was alone, and had to get to a destination - so I did not stop, and hence there are no pictures for me to upload.

This one trip out of town, plus my routine driving has taken me to close to 12500 km so far. The MID shows 3500 km to the next service - which will likely come down faster than the kms over the next few months. Given that I will be traveling quite a bit till mid July, I suspect I will hit the distance service interval at just around the time service interval (in late October). Let’s see how that goes.

[bottle]

Thanks for the update , i found RFT's handling slightly better post 1000kms, how is your experience on rough roads?

[Hayek]

Drove to Club Mahindra at Tungi recently. Once again, the X3 came into its element on both the open highway, and the fabulous curvy roads (Jal vayu Marg) leading from Bushi Dam past Lion Point towards Cloud 9 Resort. The unobtrusive way in which the car picks up speed is a real pleasure - and I did come back and check if I have received any speeding fines (not so far, though for some reason, the MTP app has forgotten I own this car and is not letting me add it back). The sense of control you have does lead you to push more than you would in any other car.

However, the pleasure of the drive up to Cloud 9 was taken away by the non existent roads leading from there to Club Mahindra




It amazes me that hotels like Club Mahindra and Hilton Shillim can’t get together and ensure that a 10 km road used mainly by their customers can’t be in a serviceable condition. I was glad that I picked the X3 - friends who were driving in sedans found this stretch much tougher to manage. Of course, the views from Club Mahindra made all the pain getting there worth it - even if the property itself seems a little old and tired and in need of a refresh. Got an overall mileage of over 12 KMPL despite the mix of Bombay traffic, pushing hard on the Expressway and the Jal Vayu Marg, and crawling through craters for the last 10 km.





As an aside, and to my shock, have got a warning on the MID asking me to change the rear brake pads in 1500 km more - which is shocking given that I have covered only 14000 km so far. Not sure if this is because of the use of Autohold, or the stop and go traffic on LBS Marg towards BKC every day - I certainly have not been wringing the car, and my brakes even on the Superb lasted a lot longer. An Oil Service is also due in October or 2200 km - given that I don’t have any long runs planned this month, plan to hang on and get both done together.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by Hayek

As an aside, and to my shock, have got a warning on the MID asking me to change the rear brake pads in 1500 km more - which is shocking given that I have covered only 14000 km so far. Not sure if this is because of the use of Autohold, or the stop and go traffic on LBS Marg towards BKC every day - I certainly have not been wringing the car, and my brakes even on the Superb lasted a lot longer. An Oil Service is also due in October or 2200 km - given that I don’t have any long runs planned this month, plan to hang on and get both done together.

The brake wear sensors are installed only one pad per axle. They tend to be a bit erratic. At times if the pads are thick enough, they reset the pad life displayed in iDrive and it starts showing higher numbers. Usage of auto hold should not affect pad life significantly.

[Hayek]

Completed the 2nd service for my X3 at 20 months / ~14500 kms. The process was super smooth. Had called Infinity up and they gave me an appointment after 10 days - which suited me since the brake warning indicated it was still good for another 1000 km when I called them. Their pick up boy turned up at 915 am (vs the promised 930 am), I got a message at 945 that the car had reached the service centre. Got a call a little later from the service agent - had added a complaint of relatively poor cooling from the AC in addition to the Rear Brake Pads and Engine Oil. Was told they will try replacing the micro filter, and that I should check it cooling improves failing which they will need to take the car in once again. The car was back by 445 PM, spic and span, with the rear brake pads replaced, engine oil replaced and the micro filter and air cleaner replaced as well. Free of cost, thanks to the BSI Package I have taken. The package may have cost a lot - but the very fact that I don’t have the hassle of bothering about repair costs makes it worthwhile for me. There was a rather unobtrusive tag attached to the mirror warning me to be gentle on the brakes for about 200 km. AC cooling seems better (but i am not the benchmark, I was fine even earlier - I will know if it has improved once my wife sits in the car).

I really like the fact that the car lists out all the service that has been carried out. Picture attached.



Will need to get a wheel rotation and balancing done, and give it for a detailing after the rains.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Hayek

I really like the fact that the car lists out all the service that has been carried out. Picture attached.

Attachment 1800290

I am guessing it is just showing what the service technician entered into the system and not actual reading form the respective components. If it is the latter, it would be really cool as they can't cheat by charging for parts without actually replacing the parts, a practice that is not uncommon. Still a great feature to know what service has been carried out. It is surprising why none of the other manufacturers offer condition based servicing in India.

[Hayek]

Mini Travelogue - Goa in my BMW X3

Just got back from Goa after the first really long drive in my (not so) new X3.

Goa has always been one of my favourite destinations, and I have ended up visiting it at least once a year for the past few years. It was also the destination for my longest drive with my Superb, albeit way back in 2011. I had been keen to drive down to Goa in my X3 ever since I bought the car, but a combination of various other commitments and the unwillingness of my family to have another rushed “break” with two days of driving had prevented this from happening.

The opportunity for a Goa trip arose when some of my school friends planned a reunion in Goa (no, we did not study in Goa but any excuse to visit Goa is a good one). A couple of my friends were game for driving down, even if most of the others were for flying. Everything fell in place when another friend suggested that we get our families to join us for a few more days in Goa after the reunion - while spending 2 days of a 3 day reunion driving to and from Goa was not very attractive, 2 out of 6 days was a lot more doable.

So the final plan was as under:

Day 1 : drive to Goa
Night 1 - Day 3 : reunion with friends (what happens in Goa stays in Goa)
Day 3 evening : our families join us, and we shift to a more upmarket, family friendly destination
Day 6 - I drive back to Bombay with my family

A quick glance at the Bombay Kolhapur Goa thread suggested that the Nipani / Sankeshwar - Ajra - Amboli route I had used last time was ruled out as it was in a very bad condition. However, the Belgaum Chorla Sanquelim route seemed to be in good condition, and this was confirmed through conversations with some acquaintances who drive to Goa twice a month.



I started from home at about 4:15 am, and picked up my friends from Vashi by 5 am. At this time of the morning, traffic was still light, and we soon hit the Expressway where I could have driven at any speed I liked. However, having heard stories about radar based speed traps and heavy penalties for drivers crossing 125 kmph, I chose to err on the side of caution, and had a relaxed drive with cruise control on at 121 kmph. The ghat section after Khalapur was crowded as usual - mainly because of trucks marching in formation across all three lanes at 15 kmph. Post the Khandala exit, the traffic thinned out, and we were once again able to get onto cruise control mode.

Traffic on the Pune bypass was also relatively light, and by 715 am, we crossed the dreaded Khed Shivpur toll gate and decided to stop for breakfast. After a ~ 30 minutes break having delicious Dahi Misal with cutting Chai, we were on our way again.





The last time I had travelled to Satara (in Sep 2017), the Pune Satara Road was a complete mess - with 6 laning work on virtually all the way. Shorty after Khed, there were 3 junctions where this work was still on - but unlike the last time, we had properly paved 4 lane service roads, and hence we did not lose much time. Once we crossed the Anewadi toll plaza, the 6 laning was complete - and we were able to pick up speed. The road quality on this stretch was as good as anything you can find around the world. What I also liked was the use of acoustic tumbler strips laid horizontally across the carriageway ahead of junctions - they have been laid with increasing frequency as you approach the junction and clearly warn drivers of potential cross traffic. There also was a hard shoulder with what looked like a marked lane for cycles / two wheelers. If our drivers had some kind of lane discipline, this road would have been truly relaxing to drive on. Unfortunately, you still had farm tractors pulling trailers full of sugar cane in the left lane, slow moving two wheelers on all lanes, and trucks on the right lane - with the result that driving involved going through a mobile obstacle course. We were still able to maintain a consistent high speed on this stretch. Crossing Satara was also a breeze, there is now an elevated road through that stretch.

The Satara to Belgaum section is still 4 lane, and is a section I had not driven through since my last trip to Goa. Traffic in this stretch was much higher than I recall - and hence progress (particularly around Karad and Kholapur) was slower. But there were still long stretches where cruising at over 120 kmph was possible, and once my friend took over the wheel, there were points in time when we touched 100 (I leave the units to your imagination). By 1030, we ended up crossing the Karnataka border - the 220 km stretch from Khed had taken us 2 hours 45 minutes - a very respectable average speed of almost 80 kmph.





The Karnataka stretch of NH4 until Shankeshwar had been the fastest part of our journey in 2011. That is no longer the case, traffic has built up on this stretch too and the road surface has deteriorated slightly. We filled up fuel shortly before reaching Belgaum - the tank to tank mileage till then was 11 kmpl vs an indicated 11.7 kmpl on the iDrive.

We also grabbed a quick lunch, and then commenced our journey through Belgaum on NH748 (the old NH4A), SH 54 and SH 31. Driving through Belgaum was not as bad as we feared, but the road surface on SH54 was not great by any stretch of imagination. This brought back unpleasant memories of our journey in 2011 - where there were abysmal stretches between both Ajra and Nipani, and around Sawantwadi despite the Amboli route having generally been praised by regular travellers - and I feared that perhaps we were going to be caught out again between what regular highway users consider good roads and what I had been expecting.

Fortunately, my fears were unfounded. Once we moved onto SH31 and started ascending the ghat, the road surface improved markedly. The road running through forests on either side is indeed a great driving road - it is wide enough to overtake and pass oncoming traffic comfortably, and the slower moving traffic was considerate enough to let us pass without unnecessarily holding us up. We soon passed the Shiv temple at Chorla and the KA state border checkpost, and were descending towards Goa. The views towards the plains were fabulous here, and we stopped to take a few pictures.





Soon, we were on the plains (which is where the Goa state checkpost was located), and headed towards Sanquelim. The road now passed through a number of small villages, and reminded me a lot of Kerala roads. Post Sanquelim, there were two options, and we picked the southern route, heading towards Velha Goa and Panjim. We crossed the Mandovi over a steel truss bridge, and shorty thereafter joined NH748. The NH 748 stretch towards Velha Goa has been largely 4 laned, and hence we were able to pick up speed once again. We shortly reached the junction with NH66 where once again 4 laning work was in full swing, and a massive new bridge over the Mandovi (including 4 cable stayed sections) was under construction. We crossed over on the old Mandovi bridge - but I must say that if the work on the MH section of NH66 is progressing at the same pace, within a year or two, driving down NH66 (yes, the Dil Chahta Hai road) will become a very viable option.

We reached Candolim by 4 PM - the total door to door drive time was 10 hrs 15 minutes for 620 km, with 11 hours travel time (halts and all) from Vashi.






I must say that this drive made me appreciate the virtues of the X3 even more. The car was extremely stable at high speeds, always had enough power to accelerate quickly when needed, and was a revelation on the twisty sections of the Chorla ghat. I was in the rear seat for parts of that section (for the first time since I bought the car) and never once felt that the car exhibited too much body roll. Lots of us on Team BHP (including me) have dissed the 20d engine as being unrefined and underpowered - but it was anything but. Engine noise disappeared at highway speeds, and power even in Comfort mode was more than adequate.

Goa was great fun as usual - I relived my teenage years with friends and then played the role of dutiful dad and husband once my family joined us.







Our return journey saw us leave Bambolim at 830 am, reach the McDonalds just before NH48 in Belgaum by 11, and get to a friend’s place in Poona by 5 PM (with about 1.5 hours stoppage time). My wife paid the ultimate compliment to the roads at Chorla - she said that they reminded her of our Blue Ridge Drive in the US this fall. That might be an exaggeration - I could take the twisty bits at 60 kmph here vs 50+ mph in the Blue Ridge. But directionally, it was a correct statement.

The overall mileage we got was great as well - 11 kmpl from Bombay to Belgaum; 9 kmpl for Belgaum - Goa - Belgaum (including local driving in Goa), and 11.3 kmpl from Belgaum - Bombay.

Overall, it was a great holiday and has vetted my appetite for more such trips. Will leave you with some pics from Goa.

[Hayek]

Got my X3 detailed at 3M as a New Year’s (and 2nd Birthday) gift to the car. Went in for the Interior Germikleen + Exterior Paintseal package, which worked out to ~ ₹ 12k. They provided a pick up and drop service.

Some pics of the car post detailing are posted below:



















Always feels good to drive a car that looks new - I may have overpaid (did not bargain) but I think it’s well worth it.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Got my X3 detailed at 3M as a New Year’s (and 2nd Birthday) gift to the car. Went in for the Interior Germikleen + Exterior Paintseal package, which worked out to ~ ₹ 12k. They provided a pick up and drop service.

Always feels good to drive a car that looks new - I may have overpaid (did not bargain) but I think it’s well worth it.

I think they have done a great job. Of course one way of knowing is to see how long the sheen lasts. But even from a pure economics point of view (ironical for an auto enthusiast) given the cost of the car it certianly is a reasonable cost to keep an expensive car looking top notch. Especially the interiors which is a pain to clean up on your own.

Drive on,
Shibu

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Always feels good to drive a car that looks new - I may have overpaid (did not bargain) but I think it’s well worth it.

Hmmm....looks like the Bimmer is keeping you happier than the Skoda

That said, amongst the 3 Germans, BMW is the only brand I'd dare to purchase in India.

Across their product lines (barring the 7 & sports cars), they've proven reliable, dependable and relatively affordable to use and maintain.

[Hayek]

Completed 18000 km almost exactly 2 years after I bought the car. So far, so good - but even my Superb was well behaved for the first two years, so keeping my fingers crossed

As an aside, have been driving in EcoPro mode since my last fuel up. Have gained almost 20 km from less than half a tank of fuel - not bad

[Hayek]

Quick update.

I got a call from BMW Infinity last week. Was about to cut it off, but they told me it was urgent. I learnt that my X3 (Oct 2016 manufactured) was covered by the recall for the Exhaust Gas Recirculation system for the B47 engines.

They followed up with an email, screenshots of which are given below





They picked up the car from my residence, and had to keep it for more than 24 hours. Have not received anything in writing but I presume that they have replaced the system.

The car is back now and running fine - but I was a bit surprised and disappointed that they reached out to me more than 6 months after we first heard about the recall. At that time, I had thought of proactively reaching out to Infinity, but had let it skip my mind.

Would advise all others with 20d engines to reach out to your dealer in case you have not been contacted as yet. I am surprised that they are not more proactive in solving a problem that has led to recalls around the world.

In other news, the car has now completed 20000 km, and has been running fine. The unusually pleasant Mumbai winter led to better than normal mileage readings - suspect that will collapse now that the heat is on.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Quick update.

I got a call from BMW Infinity last week. Was about to cut it off, but they told me it was urgent. I learnt that my X3 (Oct 2016 manufactured) was covered by the recall for the Exhaust Gas Recirculation system for the B47 engines [/ATTACH]

Wow! Surprised that your car is covered under the recall given that yours is a 20d and a more recent production car. I thought only the 30d engines under the N series were covered and upto 2015 production cars only. My X3 30d should be likely candidate but there is no communication from my dealer yet. I proactively reached out to them (on phone) and my advisor came back saying that it is not covered. He said that if it is covered they will reach out to me or something to that effect. I am not really sure if he even checked! During next service I will try to dig into their systems and try to satisfy myself.