[adi58]

Originally Posted by krishnadevjs

Post further escalation, BMW have now asked me to submit the car at the service center, where they will disassemble and inspect the headliner (what they were charging me 30k for in the first place) and suggest replacement if required.

Whatever you do, ensure they refrain from dismantling the sunroof or the headliner. Reject any offers for a sunroof replacement, trust me, it's a pitfall I've learned the hard way. My sunroof underwent three replacements at Turbhe workshop, yet none met factory standards. Expect alignment woes and more noises from the headliner.

As for your sunroof rattle it is due to dry rubber, just spray some Wurth Silicone Spray on the rubber seals around the sunroof and it should fix the problem.

[M9000]

Originally Posted by krishnadevjs

Hello folks!


My M340i is still well within warranty and has a maintenance package for 2 more years.
The service center even went so far to say that rattles are caused as a result of road conditions, and therefore not covered in warranty.
My view to that was that the car is made in India for sale and use in India. Do they expect owners to drive it on EU roads?

In any case, this is a premium vehicle and definitely shouldn’t be rattling like a bullock cart 1 year and 4 months into ownership.

[/i]

Rightly said!

It is disheartening to hear such excuses from service team after spending a bomb on the car and service package. Global brands should consider modifying or make necessary changes to suit local conditions before selling their products. Rattling sounds are something that shouldn't happen in a BMW car as it speaks about their poor quality. Hope you got your issue resolved.

[ImmortalZ]

Originally Posted by M9000

Rightly said!

It is disheartening to hear such excuses from service team after spending a bomb on the car and service package. Global brands should consider modifying or make necessary changes to suit local conditions before selling their products. Rattling sounds are something that shouldn't happen in a BMW car as it speaks about their poor quality. Hope you got your issue resolved.

This sounds more like a dealership issue. I've had two rear dampers replaced under warranty because one plastic cup inside the left damper assembly developed a crack. That's almost 1.2L worth of parts. Because BMW wants to replace both components together, considering of the age/KM covered by the outgoing part would cause an imbalance if replaced only on one side.

They've replaced two front lower arms because one bushing was showing cracks.

All of these can be technically qualified as wear and tear and they could've washed their hands off it easily. But they're committed to keep their cars problem free - in my experience, at least. These issues were discovered during regular servicing, intimated to me proactively, with absolutely no fuss, no back and forth. My car is under extended warranty only and no service package in effect.

[krishnadevjs]

So, update on the issue I faced with the rattling on the M340i - while Infinity had asked for a bomb to rectify the rattles, BMW intervened and first offered a quote at ₹15k, and then agreed to waive off all the costs and replace the part under warranty.

The part they replaced was the Sunroof Frame.
Over the last 3 weeks since the work was done, I've driven the car around 1000km, and I'm happy to report that the rattles seem to have been completely eliminated.

Although the initial experience with Infinity and BMW, in this case, was not up to what was expected, I guess they have made it up in the end, albeit with a bit of back and forth, which I would've wanted to avoid.

[ImmortalZ]

Good to hear this. It is almost always a dealership issue. They are supposed to advocate for you.

[krishnadevjs]

25,000 km up in the blink of an eye!

Post the Mount Abu trip, long trips took a bit a of a break, mainly because of work and either my daughter having school or wife and me having work commitments.

To compensate, I started taking the M340i out regularly to office and back.
And of course that meant much more of this:


She at her favourite place

This also meant that the Tiago EV, which we bought solely for city commutes lay dormant, accruing just 5,000km in one year.
Much to the annoyance of my wife, who is now convinced that I'm mad.

I must be, because against all good sense, I did go through with this:

The longest 10 minutes of my life!

We went to SoBo one day and parked near Rustom & Co. Some twat stole the 4 from the M340i logo.
Thankfully, a friend and fellow Mallu from the M340i Owners' Group had a spare 4 to lend me. And my M3 0i became an M340i again.



Come July, it was monsoon time in full fury again.

Now I understand when pilots say near zero visibility.

While many folks romanticize about the monsoons in Mumbai, I absolutely hate it. For two reasons:

1. ISRO and BMC seem to be competing with each other. While ISRO tries to make vehicles to run on craters in the moon, BMC is trying to bring said craters to Mumbai roads. So far, the BMC seems to be winning this match.

2. Our country is so efficient that the richest city in India gets flooded if it rains overnight. And a flooded road is not somewhere you want a low GC German sports car going through.

Due to above said reasons, the tables turned and the M340i stayed indoors most days, while the EV bravely ventured out.
This decision did pay off, as I realized while driving the Tiago effortlessly past a 5 series that got stuck in water. IP67 rated battery and motor pack FTW!
The M340i would've surely gotten stuck that day had it been out on the roads.

While the Tiago EV is a great car, it's understandably nowhere near as engaging or fun as the M340i. And so, last weekend, I decided that we simply have to go out somewhere on a road trip.

Given we didn't plan much or book anything in advance, there were only limited options.
Since being stuck in traffic isn't the best use of 380 HP and 500NM, common options like Karjat, Lonavala etc were weeded out.
The road works on the Gujarat side of Mumbai meant only destinations to the south were viable.
I literally sat in front of Google Maps, looking at places and destinations where we could go - which is when I chanced upon Tamhini Ghat and Mulshi.

A few checks on Google as well as our M340i owners' group confirmed that roads were good all the way.
However, there was nothing to do there. This would just be a drive for the sake of driving.
We'd go there, have lunch and come back!

After a lot of cajoling and convincing, the better half finally agreed to this insane plan of taking 2 kids (including a cranky 1.5 year old) on a 200km drive, just for the sake of driving!
My madness must surely be rubbing off on her, 10 years into our marriage.

And so we set off. While I've done quite a bit of driving in Maharashtra, I must say this one was the ABSOLUTE BEST!
Smooth tarmac, twisty roads, no traffic and green all around us!

Shifted her into Sports Plus and pushed her hard into every corner I could find. The roar of that straight six hushed out the music we were playing inside.
Even my 1.5 year old daughter was squealing with joy, as the G-Forces pushed her side to side. (She surely does take after her father!)
The pre-tensioned seatbelts wrapped themselves snugly around us, as we blasted through that empty stretch of tarmac.

Green fields and meadows, twisting windy smooth roads, forests at some places and then a winding ghat with waterfalls along the way - I was in driving heaven!
The X-Drive system made it feel like understeer was a term that wasn't meant for this car.
But of course, I had the last laugh, as I was able to throw out the back a couple of times. That too, only cos the tires were the ones to lose grip!
Man, what a car!




You'd think her looks are her most attractive feature. That's just until you hear her voice! <3

When we started the trip, the M340i was showing a range of some 250km. I had planned to fuel on the drive back.
But we were having so much fun in Sports Plus, that the range quickly dropped to 100, then to 80 and finally when we were half way up the Ghat, to 50.
Since it'd be quite the scene to be pushing an 85 lac car into a petrol pump, we decided to turn back, refuel and then come back up again.
Eco-Pro + downhill rolling meant the range was back at 85 by the time we got to a BPCL pump.

Sufficient fuel in the tank, we drove the way back up to Mulshi Dam.
Unfortunately, by then, it started pouring - so there was no way we could step out anywhere.
Made our way to a restaurant there, and had our lunch.
Thank God the drive was amazing, cos the food definitely wasn't!

By evening we were back home. Thanks to our near-tryst with an empty fuel tank, the entire journey took close to 8 hours.
Of course, my takeaway from this was that if we could sit for 8 hours now with the kids, we could do a Goa road trip in August, as well.

Somewhere along the way, the 25,000 milestone came and went. I was too engrossed in the amazing drive, that I didn't even realise it.
And that's what this car does to you - it's something normal folks just won't get. It engages you and connects with you in ways, few other cars can!
You forget the worries of the world, and think only about pushing into the next corner, or rocketing past everyone else.
It inspires you - to push boundaries. It gives you confidence, it makes you feel invincible!

For now, she's back in the garage, waiting out the flooded roads and the craters. I've already booked hotels in Goa for August - so that's another amazing 2k trip hopefully.

[skler]

Originally Posted by Monster2810

Apologies for my late-ish reply. Thank you for the detailed response, after a lot of back and forth with BMW India, KUN procured one and changed it under Secure. As far as the depth difference you mentioned, obviously they didn't bother telling me any of this, I will now go get an independent test done.

Honestly, I'm waiting for my secure to expire, which is so strange because I should be confident I have it.

I the tread depth for xdrive need to be exact same then why does the X5 xdrive come with staggered tyres

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by skler

I the tread depth for xdrive need to be exact same then why does the X5 xdrive come with staggered tyres

You’re mixing up totally different things! Tread depth has got nothing to do with staggered or square setups. Please research the matter.

[skler]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

You’re mixing up totally different things! Tread depth has got nothing to do with staggered or square setups. Please research the matter.

Staggered meant the overall diameter of the front vs rear wheels would be different... That is why I am curious. 2 mm? It's too little even a little air pressure difference can be more than 2mm

[skler]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

You’re mixing up totally different things! Tread depth has got nothing to do with staggered or square setups. Please research the matter.

Also front and rear wheels wear out differently resulting in a difference in tread depth after a few thousand kms what happens then?

[ERDOC]

Hi congratulations for owning and taming this beautiful German beast . This article is very well written and I must say written with a heart . Looking forward to your Goa trip ,keep us updated.

[M9000]

Originally Posted by krishnadevjs

25,000 km up in the blink of an eye!
.

An absolute beast. Great performance and driving dynamics. Keep these articles coming.

[krishnadevjs]

Okay, so as mentioned in my last post, we did a Goa trip and back around Independence Day.
This was a well needed break, as it's been super hectic at work - both for me and my better half.

The plan was to start on 15th August, go via the NH 66 route.


Road trips mean early morning starts. This time, it was a bit relaxed at 5 AM.


Knowing my proclivity to switch to Sports Mode on these long drives, and how the M340i likes to gulp fuel in said mode, the first stop was the nearest IOCL pump with XP95.

Basis what other TeamBHPians were saying in this useful thread (Mumbai - Goa NH 66 | Latest info & updates on the brand-new (WIP) highway), the best route was to go from Mumbai - Khalapur - Pali - Mangaon - Sangameshwar and Goa.

I was pretty worried about the road condition and how the M340i would fare in those roads, but I'm happy to report we could complete the entire trip without any scraping issues.
Of course, there were really bad sections in between, with almost no tarmac, but slow speeds saw us through there without bottoming out.
And where the roads were good, they were bliss - pristine, winding roads with no traffic. Thoroughly enjoyed the 380 horses on this road.
Add to that the light rains and the misty roads, this was just an amazing drive.

The below video might give a sense. This was a 2 minute long stretch after all the winding roads, where I slipped her into EcoPro and calmly coasted along - soaking in the beauty around us.

https://youtu.be/x2hlSEhKfUg?si=2af3YtZ68igI5fbh

As we neared Goa, roads became better, but as usual with all Maharashtra roads, there were these uneven tar patches.
The left front tyre went over one such patch and I had a sinking feeling in my heart.

And sure enough, there it was - a nice sidewall bulge.

Given the TPMS wasn't showing any issue, I decided to continue the trip and get it looked at either at Goa or on the way back.

Soon enough, we reached Goa - in a total of 10.5 hours including long stops and breaks to get the kids out of their nightwear, brush their teeth and have breakfast.

We were staying at the calm Alila Diwa Club by Hyatt in South Goa. A bit away from all the hustle and bustle meant we got some calm down time.

The resort had a private beach nearby, with a buggy service to take us up and down.
Usually, whenever we go to the beach, it's in our car - so I avoid getting the kids soaked in sand - as I'd be the one cleaning the car after.
But this time, the kids were let loose on the beach, and they had a BALL!


The sea too was nice and cool, with not much of choppy waves. It was a fun day for the kids, and for us.


They say if you can walk away without looking back at your parked car, you're driving the wrong car. Well, I sure ain't.

After 3 days of bliss and some pretty good food, it was finally time to come back. We took the same route back, and most of the trip was uneventful.

Until when we reached Mumbai. We took the Atal Setu and the Eastern Freeway to get back home.
The Eastern Freeway is my daily commute back home. But somehow, in the past week's rains, there had emerged some massive craters on the road.
I completely missed them and plonked the right front tyre into one.
Immediately heard the ominious hissing sound, followed by a TPMS indication.
The car was calling out that the right front tyre had gone down to 0 PSI, but I could drive at up to 80 KMPH for 80 KM. The ONLY time I thanked my stars we had a RFT.
Gingerly drove the car back for the balance 6kms and got her into the parking slot.


Once I got the family and all the suitcases back in the house, I came down to do a recce of the tyre.



And there it was - a nice long crack on the outer wall of the tyre. This was a goner.


Put on the space saver tyre for any emergency runs, and loaded the busted tyre into the boot.

Next couple of days was spent in searching for this tyre. Mumbai dealers were quoting exhorbitant prices, whereas Madhus in Bangalore would sell only a set of 4.
Having replaced the rear tyres with tubeless Michelin PS4S's, I just wanted the two front tyres in the same make.
Finally, managed to source it from another dealer in Bangalore for slightly less exhorbitant prices.
Paying more for two tyres than I had paid for the Octavia in its full 5 years with me, I got them shipped to me.


Finally, almost a week later, got them fixed on the car.

Now, with all 4 tyres specced with Michelin PS4S tubeless, the ride has become significantly better. The M340i has become a lot more practical with lesser worry of sidewall bulges.
A word of advice to anyone buying this car - swap out the RFTs with tubeless. It's expensive, but is worth the peace of mind it gives you.

The car's now just shy of 29,000 km. The next long trip planned is around Diwali.
This time, we're planning a North India trip with both kids. Planning to do Mumbai - Daman - Baroda - Ranthambore - Agra - Indore - Mumbai over a 9 day span.
Hopefully more sections of the Mumbai - Delhi expressway gets open by then.

The car has been showing a countdown to the next service. Started at 5,000km left, and is now at some 3,600km left. I guess we'd be doing the service right after our Diwali road trip.

[omar]

Originally Posted by krishnadevjs

Okay, so as mentioned in my last post, we did a Goa trip and back around Independence Day.

Kudos to you for making the trip to Goa in the BMW. The road conditions are seriously bad most places in MH. Even the newly laid tarmac feels eons old already. Not ideal for German cars I would say.

[ex-innova-guy]

Hope you had a blast driving through the rural roads between Pali-Mangaon.

Originally Posted by krishnadevjs

https://Youtu.be/x2hlSEhKfUg?si=2af3YtZ68igI5fbh]

Just a small correction: the above video is of NH 753F just before entering Nizampur on the Mangaon-Nizampur road. This road then meets NH 66 at Mangaon 10 km later. This road and Tamhini Ghat are one of the best places to stretch the legs of your beast. :-)

I wish NH 66 had such beautifully laid tarmac.