[krishnadevjs]

It's been quite a while since I updated this thread. Work, and a series of unfortunate incidents prevented me from doing so.

Anyway, today marks 100 days since the M340i came to me. The odometer stands at 7000 km, bulk of them on highway drives.

April, however, was a bad month for me, primarily owing to 3 unfortunate incidents that occured.

Incident 1

We had gone to Phoenix Market City in Kurla and were coming back home via the LBS Marg, on the right lane.
A BEST bus, out of nowhere, decided to swerve into our lane. And despite pressing that horn to oblivion, he scraped against my left ORVM.
Even more infuriating was the fact that he just continued as if nothing happened.

I did catch up with the bus, and forced it to stop. Confronted the driver, along with a few policemen who were behind me and witness to the incident.
Eventually, the policemen asked him to call for a replacement bus, to get the passengers off, and take the vehicle to the station.

Considering the inconvenience to all those passengers, and the fact that despite all this, the end result would be my insurance paying for the damage, I decided to let it be and left the bus driver off with an apology.


The errant bus. I was quite surprised at how calm I was despite boiling with rage at the incident.


Damage to the M340i was limited to a crack in the base of the left ORVM, and...


damage to the outer end of the ORVM. The entire unit needs to be replaced and will cost 60-65k.


Incident 2

The very next day, I took the car to Navnit Motors workshop in Thane, in hopes of getting the spare quickly and repairing this.

But, at the turning towards the service center, I was stopped and waiting for a car ahead to cross me and take a right. And then, BAM! an idiot in a Honda City rams into my left rear.


The first look had me boiling with rage. There was lot of paint deposit on the bumper and the rear quarter panel. Not to mention the alloys had paint all over it.


By the looks of it, bumping into others wasn't something new for this guy. The City was so banged up, I was surprised it was determined to be road worthy.

Despite me being stopped, and him banging into my rear, the driver maintained it was my mistake because he had honked. He further asserted his driving superiority by saying, "I've not hit a single car in all my driving days." Later, I came to know he had been driving for all of 20 days!!

This time, I anyway got the cops involved, who rode with him to the station, and asked me to follow. On the way to the station, the City bumped into another auto rickshaw. This made my case quite easy, as the police now had a first hand view into his 'driving skills'.

The SI asked me what damage I'm looking at. I spoke to Amol ji from Optimum Detailerz (where I had got my PPF done) and he asked me to immediately head over. So, while the police detained the other party, I went to Optimum and Amolji quickly worked his magic.


A few minutes later, there was hardly any indication of the incident from earlier. Even the alloys were back to mint condition. Thankfully, the PPF took all the impact. Even though there is slight tearing of the PPF in some spots, that's something I can live with instead of redoing the entire panel for ₹40k.

Called up the police station and informed them of the situation, and asked them to let the other guy go.

Incident 3

NEXT DAY, I'm going to office on my daily regular route. Out of nowhere, there's a uneven tar formation on the Eastern Express Highway near that Chembur signal and my front right tyre goes over it.
I immediately knew this was a sidewall damage.


And I was right.

Luckily, for me, this was on Day 88 of my ownership. BMW Advance Secure covers 100% tyre cost within 90 days. And so, I got this tyre replaced, for just ₹2000.

The tyre itself wasn't available and Infinity had to source one from the open market. It's an MOE tyre though (The Mercedes equivalent of the Star mark) but I'm guessing it shouldn't impact performance much given the ratings are basically the same.

3 incidents in 3 days shook me badly, and I re-contemplated the decision to use the M340i as a daily driver. And so, I went ahead and booked this:


A Tata Tiago.EV in it's MR version.

It should be good enough for intra-city commutes and the daily office drive. The M340i could be the one off drive to office, and long trips.
Given I've covered 7000km in 100 days, I guess despite having the Tiago, I'll easily 'use' the M340i adequately.
While the Tiago was readily available, we chose to take delivery by June, since we were going to be out of town for all of May.

Bad news aside, April end also brought with it, my much awaited road trip to Kerala!

Packed off the wife and kids to Bangalore, and onward later to Kochi via flight, got my brother in from Bangalore and we were all ready for the drive.


My brother even got his M T-Shirt out for the occassion

We left at 5AM, but were caught in the long weekend traffic on the Pune Expressway. Lost almost 45 minutes stuck in traffic, and even after crossing Pune, there was heavy traffic on the road.

Not only could we not cover distance, courtesy the traffic, but fuel economy too was seriously hit.
Add to that the fact that once the Low Fuel indicator came up, we couldn't find a single IOCL pump for almost 70km!


We were living pretty dangerously, till we finally got an IOCL pump with XP95.

As you can see from the pic, we covered 550 km in 10.5 hours - about 50 kmph average speed. This is in contrast to our earlier Bangalore drive, where we got an average speed of 95kmph.


Got a really nice shot of the M340i against the sunset, as we stopped for coffee.

Traffic did improve once we entered Karnataka. Roads were also really smooth. This was M340i's native environment.

We really enjoyed the drive in Karnataka and were able to make up some time.


15.5 hours after we started, we finally reached my brother's apartment in Bannerghatta Road.


Average speed of 65 kmph. Mileage of 10.2 kmpl.

My wife and kids, who were now in Bangalore with her brother, came over to see us. We had dinner together and they went back, leaving us to rest and power up for the drive the next day.

Day 2 started at 5:30 AM, with us making an early exit out of Bangalore before traffic could hold us up.

This day was really fun, and the roads were open, wide and smooth. Tamil Nadu truly has some of the best, smoothest, most beautiful highways in the country.
I've always enjoyed driving in TN, but this time was special, courtesy the beast I was driving.

We were crossing districts quicker than we could count - Krishnagiri - Salem - Dindigul - Madurai - Tirunalveli.


At Tirunalveli, my lawyer boy kid brother took over the reins.

The smile on his face tells you the story.

His review: "This is easily the best driving experience I've had. I never understood when you said it drives brilliantly, but now I get it. You don't really care for comfort of the back seat passengers when you're driving this. The car just does what you think. And you also get super agitated at others on the road, trudging along slowly on the right most lane. This car is just insane."


And soon enough, we started seeing sign posts for our very own, beautiful 'Thiruvanthoram'.

Some navigating through Nagercoil's narrow roads filled with traffic, along with showers welcoming us, saw us through to the ever enchanting God's own Country!

We got into another traffic jam near Balaramapuram, but thankfully that was the last of it. 4 lane roads all the way from there, made it easy to get home quickly.

Finally, around 4 PM, we were home. Around 10.5 hours for 800km, an average of 76 kmph with a mileage of 10.2 kmpl.


Home Sweet Home! Amma's Polo thankfully went behind and made space for the M340i.

Overall, the M340i performed amazingly during this drive. I feel this car is meant to be driven on open roads and used for such long road trips - not tied up in the garage or driven around in the city.

Within Trivandrum, this car has never failed to make head turns. Firstly, it's a really handsome vehicle, in an amazing shade. Secondly, if you don't see it, you surely hear it with its roar, pops and gurgles.

After buying this, I see my own lifestyle changing - I'm making more road trips, simply because this car makes me want to do that. And I'm absolutely enjoying this.

Over the next few weeks, I have quite a few road trips: Trivandrum to Kochi, Kochi to Guruvayur (for my 2nd one's choroonu) and back from Guruvayur to Kochi and Kochi to Trivandrum. By month end, it's back from Trivandrum to Mumbai. So, by the 4th month of ownership, I'd probably end up at 10k km in this amazing amazing machine.

[d3mon]

Excellent decision to get a beater car for the city grind. It'll make every outing with the M340i that much more special and will avoid future heartburns on the unavoidable scratches / dings that are a part and parcel of city commuting. I hate driving my 530d in the city and pick the beater Amaze 9 times out of 10 as it is so much more stress free and actually gets me to my destination faster within the city

[manson]

This is the stuff sleepless nights are made of, sorry for the heartburn you've had to deal with offlate!

Originally Posted by krishnadevjs

A Tata Tiago.EV in it's MR version.

Unless your daily commute is regularly in really thick traffic I'd strongly recommend you continue using the 340i every single day. Using it everyday would help you understand the car better and with the understanding & experience you would be able to enjoy the machine a lot more than a few joyrides.

For the extra couple of lacs you may spend in upkeep costs you will be able to enjoy the 340i every single time you drive. Lets not even start on time in the urban setup being in short supply. Since you've already bit the bullet and gone YOLO please do justice to your acquisition than saving it only for the weekends.

[ImmortalZ]

Couple of points.

I've run my 530d to 34k KM with 2 months still to go for the 2 year mark. A significant portion of that is city driving. Yesterday is the first real damage to it - at the beginning of of a 1AM drive, a gust of wind sent a loose metal panel on the divider straight into the driver side ORVM. Mirror glass and the indicator strip were smashed. Total cost is about 29k including labour. I could claim insurance and have the driver side window glass (scratched when the ORVM smashed against it) and the entire mirror assembly replaced. But I have a trip coming this week I cannot avoid. So I changed what was damaged and went on my way.

The point is that the outer cap, the ORVM glass (super expensive on the driver side due to the electrochrome), the motor, and then the mounting assembly, are all separately available. You do not have to replace the whole thing.

Second point. These kind of depressing weeks come and go. When I was dailying my Civic, I had just gotten the entire left side painted after a biker who was looking everywhere except the road crashed into it, destroying everything from the rear left tail light to the front bumper. After two weeks in the body shop, I took it out of the dealership and went to my favourite coffee shop to meet friends. Turning into the street where the restaurant is, I scraped the freshly painted quarter panel and bumper pretty heavily against a KSEB post. I just wanted to stop driving at that point.

It happens. It goes away. Buying an EV just because you had two fender benders is overreacting. How much is that EV going to cost in terms of immediate, ongoing and depreciation cost? Just because a transport bus smashed your mirror?

Edit: To illustrate, here are the exploded diagrams, showing what are separately available.

Mirror glass:


Mirror assembly:

[np23]

Good buy on the EV, congrats, but daily your 340 as per me. I daily all my Germans and that’s the way to use them - not garage queens for those night drives or only polished when you’ve important visitors. Enjoy them as these are meant to be, especially when new and under warranty.

Out of the 3, first 2 could’ve happened in any car, and for the third, switch to tubeless tyres once these wear off and you’re sorted. Few people daily such cars and those are the ones who enjoy.

My G30 is 61,000 km in under 5 years that too with two years of lockdowns. Enjoy true EV but don’t humble down on the 340 my friend.

[RaceCyborg]

Oh boy!! I am so sorry that you went through all that. I know almost EXACTLY how you feel like. I have an Altroz dark edition at home, although not in the same price segment as yours but still went through similar stuff .

First incident was on a narrow road, had a white Dzire coming from the oncoming side and I stopped on the left side to give way, but it wasn't enough. Pretty soon there was a traffic jam and folks on two wheelers asked me to move my car more to the left. I followed their instructions blindly and ended up with a scratch on my front left bumper. But my plight wasn't half over yet, the Dzire guy just moved his car hitting my rear right quarter panel leaving a deep white mark there. I was too stunned and shocked to even try and stop the guy who just sped off.

Ever since that day, I was wary of taking the Altroz out but still had to do so, as our other car (WagonR F10D) was due for a fitness test. My anxiety rose up ten-fold after that incident. To make matters worse, around a month later a bike rammed into the rear while I was in bumper to bumper traffic. I was so done after that. Got the car fixed from all the damages done so far and now I barely take it out anymore. Literally rushed to get the fitness certificate and registration renewed for the WagonR and now solely use that inside city limits. It really is a good idea to have a beater car around especially on our roads and I can't stress enough how much of a good decision you've made on getting a Tiago EV as a beater.

Also, it is really good to see that such incidents haven't deterred your enjoyment in driving as it has with mine. Hats off!!

[kiran_aithal]

Good decision. Buying an EV for city runs is the way to go.

I have been following this 'rule' from my Cruze days. Bigger car only for highways, smaller one (Alto or Celerio) for the city. Out of the nearly 40k Kms on my X4, some 500 to 600 Kms are in the city. Everything else in the highway. It is pain to drive bigger cars in Bangalore (or any other city traffic).

Staying near the NICE road entry point helps this cause immensely. Even the service station (Navnit) is at one end of the NICE road. Only time I take X4 in the city is for detailing related work or go towards airport or old madras road.

Mod Note: Please avoid typing with excessive dots.…like...this.

Thanks

[vjbox]

With Euro cars, it's important to have a daily beater and I am with you on this. As much as we can daily the Germans, there is always that sense of anxiety and overly cautious attitude when driving them as opposed to the slightly careless attitude you tend to have when driving a cheaper beater. As much as I daily drive our Volvo, with a Kodiaq added to the garage now, we find it beneficial having a Tiago NRG as a beater which we easily take around tighter spots in the city and not worry about finding the perfect parking spot. I am sure the Tiago EV will serve you well in this regard.

[Draunzer21]

The way you described incident 2, it's car and the driver was really funny.
Good that you got a smaller car as we have lot of traffic on road and people don't care if they touch other vehicles or scratch someone else's car plus the feeling we get everytime our favourite car gets a scratch is something we don't want.

[yatesh.92]

Best decision to get a Tiago EV for using as a beater car within the city. Quite convenient for city roads given the driving mannerisms existing in the country. Many have mentioned to continue using the M340i for daily driving but IMO, if you are doing frequent long haul trips I think it would be fine to restrict the BMW for highway driving.

[ferrarirules]

Originally Posted by krishnadevjs

A Tata Tiago.EV in it's MR version.

It should be good enough for intra-city commutes and the daily office drive. The M340i could be the one off drive to office, and long trips.
Given I've covered 7000km in 100 days, I guess despite having the Tiago, I'll easily 'use' the M340i adequately.
While the Tiago was readily available, we chose to take delivery by June, since we were going to be out of town for all of May.

Congratulations on both the purchases. I will hands down say having a beater car is much better than going through the stress of making sure your prized possession doesn't get dinged in the maniac traffic. And if you "love" your car (which all bhpians do) even the faintest of scratches causes a lot of pain.

[krishnadevjs]

Originally Posted by manson

For the extra couple of lacs you may spend in upkeep costs you will be able to enjoy the 340i every single time you drive.

That's actually the point - one can't really enjoy a car like the M340i in the urban traffic setup, especially when the road is full of idiots. Add to that pathetic roads and you have a recipe for hypertension while driving.

I felt that a better solution would be to use a more practical car for the daily commute and trips to the market/crowded areas, whereas the M340i would be for more pleasure-oriented drives. This arrangement ensures that every time I get behind the wheels is a tension free, pleasurable experience.

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Couple of points.
It happens. It goes away. Buying an EV just because you had two fender benders is overreacting. How much is that EV going to cost in terms of immediate, ongoing and depreciation cost? Just because a transport bus smashed your mirror?

Edit: To illustrate, here are the exploded diagrams, showing what are separately available.

Mirror glass:
Attachment 2449088

Mirror assembly:
Attachment 2449089

My thought process was that I'd anyway need a beater car for the city. I really cannot take the M340i to the local market (I did, but I can't do that regularly) or take it somewhere without a proper parking arrangement.
Plus it's a car my wife would also be confident driving (she doesn't drive the M340i because it's too powerful and she's too scared of injuring it.)

The Tiago would also pay for itself in about 5.5 years in fuel costs with my non-M340i running, considering I'd basically get free charging at office and I don't intend to take it anywhere long. Also, the peace of mind such incidents rob me of, IMHO, is more valuable that what I'd spend on a Tiago EV.

On the mirror, the SA showed me a similar blow-up of the M Mirrors on my car. The challenge is damage has happened to the base plate and the mirror cover - the base plate doesn't come as a standalone part. Hence, the need to replace the entire unit, along with the mirror cover. In fact, the only parts I need not change are the actual mirror and the transparent indicator strip.

Originally Posted by np23

Good buy on the EV,congrats, but daily your 340 as per me, I daily all my Germans and that’s the way to use them, not Garrage queens for those night drives or only polished when you’ve important visitors, enjoy, these are meant to be, especially when new and under warranty, out of the 3, first 2 could’ve happened in any car, and for the third switch to tubeless once these wear off and you’re sorted,

I definitely don't intend to keep the M340i as a garage queen. Will be taking it to office a couple of times a week, not to mention the multitude of long drives this car has made us start doing. Absolutely fully intend to squeeze every ounce of pleasure from this beast.

Originally Posted by RaceCyborg

It really is a good idea to have a beater car around especially on our roads and I can't stress enough how much of a good decision you've made on getting a Tiago EV as a beater.

Also, it is really good to see that such incidents haven't deterred your enjoyment in driving as it has with mine. Hats off!!

Originally Posted by kiran_aithal

Good decision... And buying an EV for city runs is the way to go ...

Originally Posted by vjbox

With Euro cars, it's important to have a daily beater and I am with you on this. As much as we can daily the Germans, there is always that sense of anxiety and overly cautious attitude when driving them as opposed to the slightly careless attitude you tend to have when driving a cheaper beater.

Originally Posted by Draunzer21

Good that you got a smaller car as we have lot of traffic on road and people don't care if they touch other vehicles or scratch someone else's car plus the feeling we get everytime our favourite car gets a scratch is something we don't want.

Originally Posted by yatesh.92

Best decision to get a Tiago EV for using as a beater car within the city. Quite convenient for city roads given the driving mannerisms existing in the country.

Originally Posted by ferrarirules

Congratulations on both the purchases. I will hands down say having a beater car is much better than going through the stress of making sure your prized possession doesn't get dinged in the maniac traffic. And if you "love" your car (which all bhpians do) even the faintest of scratches causes a lot of pain.

Thank you folks! I definitely agree with you that having a beater or a cheaper car for the city is a MUST in a city like Mumbai. For one, my heart would stay where it should be and not be in my mouth, as much as it is with the M340i in the city. And it opens up a lot more convenience - no need to check for parking, can take it to any crowded place AND it can actually cover all of Mumbai with its 150-180km range. Thirdly, it does make financial sense given the lack of fuel costs (free office charging) and immensely lower maintenance costs.
I'm still gonna drive the M340i as much as I do now, just that each of these drives would be immensely more pleasurable, as they'd be on nice, open roads.

[GentlemanOnRoad]

Good call to buy that smaller car! I myself own a Meridian and later on purchased Nline N8. Life has been good ever since! I never take out Meridian for local chores.

By the way, I had never seen a BMW with a BH registration. �� In a transferable job, it is very handy.

[Auto_guy_101]

This is truly a mixed bag of good and bad experiences!

A better car becomes essential for bumper to bumper traffic and an electric is probably the best choice. Congratulations!

I'm a little curious on how you managed 76 kph avg across Kerala. Thrissur to kochi (a route I regularly drove on till Jan 23), I've never managed an average above 65, with the traffic. And from kochi to Tvm, the roads are mostly 2 lane with heavy traffic (via Alleppey). Tvm Nagercoil roads were not in good condition on my last trip (over a year ago) with lot of work going on and uneven tarmac. Add to that the speed cameras set at 90 kph (100 till Thrissur I guess).

Wishing you many many more happy miles on your beast!

[84.monsoon]

Excellent decision to get a beater car. I use my 2020 Thar as the daily driver and the M340i for weekend drives and long distance drives. The huge black plastic wheel claddings all around the Thar act as a shield and the few times I have had scrapes with cars and scooters, they were the losers - As one cannot even make out any scratches on the Thar while the other vehicle got quite visible damage.