[graaja]

Originally Posted by drsvijay

i have a 1.8TSI Octavia- 4 years old. I just had a test drive of 330i GT , thought i was planning to buy 330i, since they brought the GT only on the way to somewhere else. the first thing i missed is keyless entry.

The engine was peppier than 1.8Tsi, I cudnt still feel like an upgrade in most other things.

Is it just me ? most other things appear the same or less.

All you need is an M Sport suspension upgrade and you have a practical beast at your service

[Aqil]

hi,

So, will begin with something positive. New turbo arrived, oil feed/drain and coolant fittings have reached local facility and will be with me tomorrow. Going to Delhi for manifold fabrication and maybe a straight pipe.

Onto the issue part. When I bought the g20, it had no new car smell and I being the person I am got suspicious. Sat in the 330i cars in showroom and did notice the new car smell. My car was in the dealerships basement. I had told the salesman about the colour and interior colour a day before. Next morning, the car was parked outside the service department and in transport mode. The sales guy said, it's yet to be inspected (PDI). SO, I paid to come back too to collect the car.

Next day, it was parked inside the showroom where they have one parking slot for delivery. I sat in and the car had above 10 profiles made. The sales guy said, people come in and check etc. I got double minded and took a look at other 330i cars in the showroom. None of which had a singe profile made. Called home to ask if I should go with the other interior colour as mine looked suspicious. To which, parents said, "BMW wouldn't do such a thing". I drove off.

After 6000km on October 2020. Car displayed, service due in 2000km/January 2021. A day later, it requested an immediate oil top up. I checked the service history and found out car had been PDI on October 19, 2019. I messaged the salesman, why the car was in transport mode when PDI had been performed in 2019. He said, he has forwarded the query to service department.

Next day, I go for an oil top up. But, because I had purchased the maintenance package, they serviced the car. The service team was behaving very suspiciously. Indicating the guy servicing my car to keep quite. I got further suspicious and said I am taking the matter to court. They, literally tried everything for me not to.

My lawyer started drafting a legal notice and said any literature would be helpful. Which i bought the after sales package from NEWtis, i believe it's called. And it has everything a workshop would need. Ista +, service manuals. Basically, everything a workshop needs.

Then, a few days ago, I ran over a big stone, which wasn't visible. And after that the left side started vibrating on high speeds and quick accelerations. I took car to the dealer and they found out both left alloys to be D shaped. And BMW offers complimentary stuff for the first year of purchase. Service department said, you can't get a claim if tyres haven't burst. Anyway, they checked the tread on the tyres. Which was front 5.5 and rear 2. Basically, negligible tread left in 6500km of driving. This will ofcourse, help prove my point in court, that the car was used and then the odometer tampered with and sold to me.

In all of this, one important point, when I asked the service department, why my car was in transport mode after PDI. The GM said, for people to not mess with the car. A car that was parked in the basement. A car that, they let in 10 people to make profiles after it has been sold and is parked for delivery. Which, I think the profiles were made by people driving the car before purchase. Not a single profile in cars parked in showroom for display. 10 in mine, within 3 hours.

For people buying new cars, tread wear is a very good indicator of if the car has been driven or not. And never assume a big company would or would not do illegal things.

Anyway, to the most important part, anyone know the YouTuber mentioned above? Ask him to get in touch. If he so desires, we can pool in the money for track days. I really want to enjoy the bigger turbo.

[Aqil]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

1993 Hindustan Ambassador 1800 ISZ to 2020 BMW 330i Sport.

This is a story of us moving from a 75 bhp/135 Nm RWD sedan to another RWD sedan but this time with 258 bhp/400Nm . In the intervening 27 years, my parents or we (wife & I) owned/drove 13+ FWD vehicles, and hence there can no more fitting way for us to compare the roaring 330i with the silky smooth 1800 ISZ!

Please, let me know at what km your tyres need a change. My Car asked for oil at 6500 and tyres are gone. Especially the rear ones.

Originally Posted by GTO

itwasntme, I took the 330i M-Sport for a long drive on the weekend. Absolutely loved that rev-happy engine & fast gearbox. I especially liked how the G20 has balance; the E90 was too stiff, while the F30 was too soft. The G20 felt just right, and I drove on all kinds of roads!

Attachment 2052587

Did you buy it. If so, please let me know when it asks for oil top up and tyres. Also, check your service history in idrive and see at how many km was PDI done and what the odometer showed when you bought it.

[TheHelix0202]

Very nice write-up about an equally nice car! This would be my go-to car to buy if I couldn't afford a 5-er. Not that I can afford even a humble S-presso...or even an espresso for that matter, thinking about it...

Anyways, I have a couple of curious queries which I'd be grateful for if you answered -

1) You mentioned something about the used car mafia in Bangalore. Sounds intriguing. Could you shed some more light on the topic please?

2) What's this RTO windshield sticker business about? First time I'm hearing about it.

Thanks! May you drive long!

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Aqil

When I bought the g20, it had no new car smell and I being the person I am got suspicious.
I sat in and the car had above 10 profiles made.
After 6000km on October 2020. Car displayed, service due in 2000km / January 2021.
The service team was behaving very suspiciously.
Basically, negligible tread left in 6500km of driving.
And never assume a big company would or would not do illegal things.

Originally Posted by Aqil

Please, let me know at what km your tyres need a change. My Car asked for oil at 6500 and tyres are gone. Especially the rear ones.
If so, please let me know when it asks for oil top up and tyres. Also, check your service history in idrive and see at how many km was PDI done and what the odometer showed when you bought it.

Really surprised to hear about your predicament. This sounds like what a Skoda dealer would have tried till a few years back. Unthinkable for BMW India to start an ownership experience like this. Hope it is resolved to your satisfaction.

Some of my responses to your questions:
My PDI was done in June 2020 at 8 km and handed over to me at 17 km (distance from workshop to showroom).
Current odo reading is ~4,300 km at 5 months. CBS shows 7,000 km with service due in June 2021. I will probably reach the odo limit faster with things opening up slowly.
Tyres are in great shape but I can see clear indications of wear (evenly spread, no deformations)

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

1) You mentioned something about the used car mafia in Bangalore. Sounds intriguing. Could you shed some more light on the topic please?
2) What's this RTO windshield sticker business about? First time I'm hearing about it.

1) I started off a storm with my then casual statement. GTO turned it into a pretty active thread : https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...car-mafia.html (What is Bangalore's "used car mafia"?)

2) Since 1 April 2020 (I believe), all new KA vehicles have moved to the HSRP regime with this (mandatory) ugly RTO sticker. I requested the dealership not to stick it but they explained that by law, they have to stick it physically themselves and take a picture for the RTO records. I would have preferred to keep it in my glovebox.

As an update, Shadowfax rolls on giving us immense pleasure. Now at 4,300 km, the engine seems to be opening up nicely. Driving experience is exemplary as ever except for that dratted default auto stop-start system which I have to switch off every time I start the engine.

Tried some Sport+ with Sport transmission and it's insane. Haven't tried Launch Control yet. Frankly, unless you're lucky enough to have twisties with clear view beyond the turns, you can seldom make use of the enormous power. I am loathe to push it as a lot of people AND livestock have been bitten by the pandemic bug, and are doing inane things in the middle of the road!

Our gated community's access road is undergoing concretization and am happy to say Shadowfax sails over them even with full load.



Mileage continues to be exemplary with my 70% highway usage. Long term average is 10.5-11 km/lt with some cruise control 80 km/hr runs showing 15 km/lt.

For example, this was after an errand run with pretty spirited driving:



Some random pictures follow. The Mediterranean Blue looks different in different settings - It's not showy like the Portimao or Phytonic Blues, but definitely 'younger' than the quintessential Imperial Blue found on the 5 Series. Yet to get it detailed as such.

[androdev]

I think your and BMW's paths crossed at the right juncture This is an excellent iteration of 3 series and thanks to your Octy ownership, you can really appreciate the nuances of this car. I worry about their new grill design - no matter how good their cars get, it is very difficult to swallow that design.

[PraveenM]

Lovely ownership thread @itwasntme !

My G20 330i is now a year old. For a truly exhilarating experience with the sport+ settings, pls plan a visit to the ghat roads of Yercaud and other hills of TN.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by androdev

I think your and BMW's paths crossed at the right juncture This is an excellent iteration of 3 series and thanks to your Octy ownership, you can really appreciate the nuances of this car. I worry about their new grill design - no matter how good their cars get, it is very difficult to swallow that design.

Dear Androdev,

Both your S Class & Porsche threads are a source of inspiration for me - just the other day, I remarked to my better half that I'd love to locate a similarly pre-worshipped Porsche after maybe 8 years with my beloved 330i. She also liked the idea - my 5'9" older son agreed visualizing himself with a Porsche during his college years. . Quickly disabused him of any such thoughts. He is currently eyeing my darling 3 once he is old enough for a Learner Licence.

Originally Posted by PraveenM

Lovely ownership thread @itwasntme !

My G20 330i is now a year old. For a truly exhilarating experience with the sport+ settings, pls plan a visit to the ghat roads of Yercaud and other hills of TN.

Pictures please! I am more than happy for any other G20 owners to post here. You are of course spot on about the hill roads. Except for the pandemic, we would have been on our frequent trips to Kotagiri, Coonoor, Ooty during these lovely winter months. Sometimes, I dream about the experience on the 36 hairpins from Masinagudi to the TN RTO Thalaikunda checkpost.

Very soon hopefully some day.

[Aqil]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Really surprised to hear about your predicament. This sounds like what a Skoda dealer would have tried till a few years back. Unthinkable for BMW India to start an ownership experience like this. Hope it is resolved to your satisfaction.

My response to your questions:
My PDI was done in June 2020 at 8 km and handed over to me at 17 km (distance from workshop to showroom).
Current odo reading is ~4,300 km at 5 months. CBS shows 7,000 km with service due in June 2021.

I checked everything I could at my level. Bought ista, and it's not showing any signs of odometer tampering. I have decided to move on. However, the next set of tyres might reveal a bit.
With an aftermarket turbo and the power bumped to 450hp from 250. New tyres should be gone in under 6k km. It's funny how this could bother me so much and not my parents. My parents suggest to look forward to, "important " things like work, family, etc.
What's done is done. Will only be ever more careful next time.

Will update here on how the internals and the drive train handle the 200+hp stress.
Thinking about going against my tuner's advice and not use the factory EWG. Going with go fast bits ebc. So, I can have different boost settings and not stress the drive train all the time. It's wonderful how, one can change boost to stock levels and not have the internals stressed everytime they go full throttle.

People who upgrade their vrs, Laura, etc, they Don't get forged internals. So, I guess I should be good too.

Mod Note : Dear BHPian,

There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use a spell-checker.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Aqil

With an aftermarket turbo and the power bumped to 450hp from 250. New tyres should be gone in under 6k km.

Will update here on how the internals and the drive train handle the 200+hp stress.
Thinking about going against my tuner's advice and not use the factory EWG. Going with go fast bits ebc. So, I can have different boost settings and not stress the drive train all the time. It's wonderful how, one can change boost to stock levels and not have the internals stressed everytime they go full throttle.

Aqil, those are some amazing numbers. Do update on what you've done and/or planning to in future. Also some pictures please!

[Aqil]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Aqil, those are some amazing numbers. Do update on what you've done and/or planning to in future. Also some pictures please!

Sure,
Here's a picture of the turbo and pistons.
Don't plan to install pistons anytime soon. Turbo will go sooner .Actually, it should have been installed by now. It's the virus that's been delaying it.
I bought some parts that will allow me to clamp a hose onto both the feed and drain side of coolant and oil. Silicone couplers to clamp the air intake....so on.
Just the downpipe needs to be fabricated with the sensor bungs.

[itwasntme]

Regular food chain going on in and around my precious Shadowfax :-(.

Rats under the bonnet and cats on top. The 330i unfortunately has a very hot engine plus a huge rough road package, which combined means ample space for rodents on cold winter nights.

My garage is unfortunately open on 3 sides. Suggestions required urgently please.

The immediate things I can do is to park it bonnet outwards so that the juicy bits are far more exposed to the cold, plus adds open area for the rats to traverse. Again, I can keep the garage lights on at night, thereby making it less appealing to night critters.

Will check out the 3M spray which seems to be very messy and with mixed reviews. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-page-4-a.html (3M Rat Repellent Coating. EDIT: Doesn't seem to work (page 4))

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Rats under the bonnet and cats on top. The 330i unfortunately has a very hot engine plus a huge rough road package, which combined means ample space for rodents on cold winter nights.

Petorl engine of Bimmer is a lot hotter compared to 20d.

Easiest solution be changing parking spot.

If that is not possible do following
1. Remove any dustbins, storage boxes as can be seen in images from your parking area.

2. Get PCI Roban Cake. Put few of them around your parking area. All other rat cakes are either ineffective or namesake.
Get it from Amazon. Link.

3. Lastly, you can put glue traps either PCI or HIT make. Put 4 of them covering all sides of each front two tyres. Morning you will find the rat lodging in your engine bay without your permission.
Get it from Amazon. Link.

Let us know how the mission went.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Will check out the 3M spray which seems to be very messy and with mixed reviews.

Not effective.

[itwasntme]

All done. Garage washed & cupboard removed. Dryer now on stilts to make it easier to clean.

Wife amazed, was eyeing everything saying I've never done so much housework in 20 years of marriage :-).

[Sreesh1009]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Regular food chain going on in and around my precious Shadowfax :-(.

Rats under the bonnet and cats on top. The 330i unfortunately has a very hot engine plus a huge rough road package, which combined means ample space for rodents on cold winter nights.

My garage is unfortunately open on 3 sides. Suggestions required urgently please.

The immediate things I can do is to park it bonnet outwards so that the juicy bits are far more exposed to the cold, plus adds open area for the rats to traverse. Again, I can keep the garage lights on at night, thereby making it less appealing to night critters.

Will check out the 3M spray which seems to be very messy and with mixed reviews. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-page-4-a.html (3M Rat Repellent Coating. EDIT: Doesn't seem to work (page 4))

Few things:
1. Get tobacco pouches and tie them around all the entrances.
2. Spray some peppermint oil around the entrance points, rats hate the smell of it.
3. Get a Dog

Do "NOT" go for the 3M spray, it's a waste of money honestly. Go for these home remedies and Shadowfax shall be safe.

I'm not sure about the cat, I think there's a certain oil that repels them as well.

Hope this helps.

NOTE: I just found out that cats hate strong citrus scents. Try and get some citrus essential oils.