[mobike008]

No major update.

Just some pictures of the beast after a nice "Platinum Wash" on Sunday.

This wash is just $15.

First comes the Blue Foam, second round is Rainbow Foam.

Then they spray "Rain X" on the glass that makes the rain drops to slide and not stick to the glass and helps in better visibility during rains.

Wheel and Tires also get automatedly washed in this wash (Other wash does not clean the wheels with brush). And, final touch up is a dry down with a soft cloth.

All of 10 minutes end-to-end and it comes out clean and beautiful.

Wash in process..

https://youtu.be/MUU5W_5G0yo

Pleasure of seeing a clean car is inexplainable..

[mobike008]

BMW Driving Experience- Seattle- October 28, 2023

BMW does this "sales exercise" and invites folks to register to drive their new offerings.

I did not realize until I went for this event that this was not on a track but, a huge parking lot converted into a makeshift " Autocross Track"

Me and a Friend drove almost 100 miles and 2-hours both ways to this event and were sorely disappointed as soon as we saw it was not on a track.

We decided to go through the motions.

BMW had all their offerings on display and we were particularly enamored by the luxurious i7 (Enjoyed the experience of exploring it's interiors), M4, M3, M2 etc.

Cars that were available to drive :

1. BMW 330e (Hybrid Version)

2. BMW i4 M50 (Most Powerful Version of the i4 with 540 HP)

We took 3-rounds of the track with each car with an instructor riding shotgun.

It was an underwhelming affair as he was "barking instructions" as if we are a novice and that kind of spoilt the fun and could not push the car as I would have loved to if I was driving alone.

Continuous instructions were not required as this experience was not on a track. I told him, I know how to drive so "don't worry, I won't shoot off the track".

When I was driving the i4M50, the instructor was a "Typical Texan and a bit cocky" and asked me if I have ever driven an Electric Vehicle.

I replied : I own an EV that can smoke this BMW without breaking any sweat. He gulped and kept the instructions to the minimum.

Driving Impressions:

1. i4M50 is really nice to drive and the one to buy if ever in the market to buy a BMW Electric Sedan. But, then obviously it's no match to a Tesla Model 3 Performance from a performance aspect.

2. 330e- Well, after driving the i4M50, this felt under-powered and was also not an electric vehicle in the true sense.

We got "M Badged" water bottles as give-away.

Post that drive experience, we visited a popular food cart nearby and enjoyed some tacos and Mexican " gold spot" for lunch.

Here are a few pictures from the event. Cheers to BMW !!!

My friend driving the i4 M50

https://youtu.be/rnKUGRRs0oo

[mobike008]

Last weekend, Blau Rakete crossed 30,000 miles on the odometer.

No major updates, it's running with the same German precision like always with zero issues. Touchwood.

This milestone is crossed in 33-months of ownership and we are excited to continue the run to it's next milestone.

[mobike008]

If you want to know what a BMW X3M40i owner feels about the popular Subaru Forrester after driving it for 600+ miles in Alaska?

This is where I would go.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5660508 (2 BHPians (Mobike008 & Crackhead) Exploring the Alaskan Wilderness)

[mobike008]

Blau Rakete is doing what it does best.

Spirited driving and taming the hilly mountain roads at blistering speeds.

Drive to a Frozen Lake Photoblog :

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5667613 (Team-BHP Drive Meet to Frozen Lake | Drive to Picture Lake in North Cascade Mountains, WA)

Frozen Lake

[mobike008]

When you are out of the country there is a constant anxiety to check on how the "Beast" is doing (especially, when it's parked at a friend's home).

Looks like the "Beast" is having a good rest. All good !!

[MadMax007]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Untouched/Unedited pics from the phone. Please click for full resolution

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Well, I get to drive this amazing car to this beautiful location daily.

What else do you want in life???

Sorry, I'm bit skeptical that unedited Pictures are so breathtaking, you are lying !

Just kidding, Awesome Pictures !

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by MadMax007

Sorry, I'm bit skeptical that unedited Pictures are so breathtaking, you are lying !

Just kidding, Awesome Pictures !

Haha! Thank you.

You sure did dig out some old pictures. Skies in that area turn dramatic almost every other evening.

That place was our daily evening walking jaunt. Now we don't live there anymore but, still visit whenever passing it.

[MadMax007]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Haha! Thank you.

You sure did dig out some old pictures. Skies in that area turn dramatic almost every other evening..

I am trying to learn Photography now a days, hence just learning from existing beautiful snaps

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by MadMax007

I am trying to learn Photography now a days, hence just learning from existing beautiful snaps

Awesome. I love photography too and have ditched my DLSR equipment for iPhones. I can teach you the basics, if you'd like.

And, we can take this conversation offline (Ping me privately). Cheers

[mobike008]

Dec 23rd, 2023 (Day trip to Portland, OR)

A close pal & I decided to make a day trip to Portland which is exactly 400 miles (650kms) round-trip. Plan was to enjoy some amazing food at Food Trucks in Portland and also do some “big ticket” item shopping as Portland is one of the very few tax-free states in the US.

Trivia :

1.) Portland, OR is the “Food Truck” capital of the world and apparently has 5000 food trucks all over Portland. They are consolidated into a POD ( 20-30 food trucks comprises of one POD). There are multiple PODS across all over Portland (including Greater Portland). Name the cuisine of the world, you will get a food truck in Portland.

2.) Portland is also one of top 3 destinations for Micro Breweries in the US.

I could have taken the Tesla but, long trips it’s always the Blau Rakete that wins the toss.

Picked up my friend who lives near home at 8:00am and we drove through a foggy Seattle. In fact, entire route was super foggy until Portland.

Enjoyed an amazing lunch ( We tried Burmese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Lebanese) at the food trucks and hopped around with our shopping duties before enjoying one more round of food trucks meal in the evening before heading back home.

Onward drive for about 100 miles, my friend drove and he was absolutely blown with the bimmer and he just could not stop gushing. He was like “ Damn, this thing hits 3-digit speeds even with a super light foot”

Return drive, it was even more foggy but, I drove keeping Aytron Senna as my inspiration and we reached home at 10:00pm marking an end to an absolutely joyful and eventful day.

Picked up my friend- His rides are the Volvo XC90 & Mercedes C300 (Sonata is owned by his dad).



Foggy Seattle





Blau Rakete resting in a super foggy rest-stop.





Somewhere in between on I5-South.This road goes up to San Diego, CA





My friend enjoyed the "B58" a lot.





Entering Portland..



Portland Downtown.





Awesome and Next Level Food.





This Thai soup hit the spot. It was extremely hot and we were sitting outside by the fire in 0 Celsius. Superb!



Coffee Pit-Stop.

[mobike008]

TLC for BMW X3M40i

Post the Portland trip, Blau Rakete became dirty so I decided to show some "TLC" to this beast.

Picked up a 12 wash-voucher (Does not expire) on a Christmas deal at one of the best washing locations in Washington.

They also offer free vacuum post the wash for their customers.

It's a rigorous wash process including the under-body and tire cleaning and blow dry the car (no manual intervention anywhere in the process).

This is an almost 3-year old car ( actually, a few weeks shy of 3-years) and after a wash, it just looks like Day 1 when I picked her up all gleaming from the showroom in Washington D.C.

I love this washing station..







Powerful free vacuum- Sucks out the dirt effectively.





A clean interior is a "God's Place".









3-Years down the line with zero care. The interiors have hold up pretty good. BMW quality is really good. Don't you think?





Gosh. I love this angle. Looks every bit mean that she is.



P.S : Click pictures for full resolution. Wish it was sunny so the true color pops out.

[mobike008]

My lease expires later this month. I had the following options :

1. Return the car and upgrade to a 2024 BMW X3M40i (Obviously, this would come at a premium considering the prices have increased quite a bit in the last 3-years for model).

2. Buy the car (When leasing, had negotiated for an awesome residual value) and, then immediately sell it and pocket around $10K.

There is a massive demand for this particular model and due to increased prices, I can make a clean profit of $10K.

3. Buy the car and Continue to enjoy this beast.

Well, a normal sane person would obviously choose Option #2

But, then I never considered myself to be sane.

I took the Option 3-"insane" route.

Happy to share the good news in the new year. I bought the "Blau Rakete" and looking forward to enjoying it to bits for the next 2-years.

[mobike008]

Blau Rakete continous to munch some serious miles.

Last month, I did a solo drive to Whistler, Canada.

This was my 6th road-trip to Canada in 2023. Man, I just love PNW outdoors, it's simply outstanding sights for sore eyes.

A short photoblog of this trip :

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5690130

[mobike008]

I was introduced to the world of BMW’s by this young friend. He had moved to US a little before me and dabbles in amateur photography and loves cars.

At that time, we were discussing which car should I get when I moving to US, he was trying to convince me to get a Bimmer. Well, I took a different path of Mazdas before getting into the BMW bandwagon. In a way, it was good as I have now a better perspective of BMW's as I owned Mazdas previously which in our world is known as poor man's BMW.

In the meantime, he worked his way through BMW 330i, BMW 530i and we happened to live in the same city in US- Detroit, Michigan.

I was not even aware, he at that time owned a BMW M340i. As you may know from my ownership report, I bought the X3M40i by fluke and after getting blown after a test drive.

I called him to let him know I bought the X3M40i and then realized he owned the same car but, in a sedan version- M340i. Darn, what a coincidence.

Like the old days- He did the photo shoot of my Triumph Bonneville back in India.



Check the link here :

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ml#post3376011 (My Triumph Bonneville. EDIT: Sold!)

We decided to do a photoshoot of our cars on a cold afternoon in Michigan.

A few pics of our photoshoot (Many more there in my ownership report in this thread) :




Yours truly driving his M340i.







We speak on and off and the conversation is at least an hour long and it’s only about BMW’s.

We were trying to speak since December as he wanted to tell me something but, I was travelling and finally got a chance to speak last week.

He broke the news to me that he let go of his BMW M340i and got himself a spanking new 2024 BMW X3M40i. Obviously, we spoke about the differences and some of his observations since he owned M340i for 3 years and now owns the X3M40i and already clocked 2000 miles in 1.5 months.

When I mentioned why did you again get the M40i, he said, its hard to give up the “B58”- And, I totally agree and that’s the reason I decided to retain my car for at least next 2-years.

M340i

1. M340i was playful and fun.
2. M340i suspension is much harsher than X3M40i


X3M40i

1. First comment- It’s a better car from all aspects
2. Really stable at high speeds and comfortable for long drives
3. He is a bit disappointed with 2024 engine (Gen 2 B58 with Mild Hybrid) note as it’s toned down a bit and it’s not as loud as 2021 (Gen 2 B58) or 2018 (Gen 1 B58 which was the loudest)

His 2024 BMW X3M40i- I absolutely love this Brooklyn Grey. If I ever get another BMW, it will be this color. First ownership had to be a "Blue".











Bottomline : Life is full of coincidences. Haha!!