[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Desmosedici

That’s quite a lottttt of interesting mods. Thanks for sharing. Never heard of Turbo Muffler Delete so learnt something new there....
Cheers,
Raj

Yes, the turbo muffler delete does not do much though. The stock item is a pipe with a built in muffler that cancels out some of those turbo noises, for refinement purposes. The aftermarket item only releases some of these muffled turbo sounds at best!

Originally Posted by splendor blende

Hey, talk about a small world.
I spent a while ogling the same Carrera S in nearly the same parking spot albeit on what seems to be a different day. I was absolutely smitten with the flawless silver paint and the red leather interiors and ooh those alloys. Hope the deal works out

Cheers
SB

Originally Posted by Turbojc

Hi Suhaas, I’m elated to hear that our resident Porsche guru is on track towards his 911 - I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you as well .

It’s so heartening when you see fellow enthusiasts you grew up reading snag their dream set of wheels. Gives me hope that I too will join the bandwagon soon
Cheers!

Thank you! I too was smitten, and hope the stars align to help realize my lifelong dream.

Originally Posted by car love

Awesome. I do know a woman who has similar tastes and likes all her cars in black. These women are never to be messed with :-)

They are a menace, aren't they!

--------------------------------------------

Update - June-September 2024:

An amateur click by a friend, whilst on our way back from a short blast out of the city:



Overseas and domestic travel scheduled during this period meant that my time spent with my car would be minimal.

Nonetheless, I was determined to lighten my pocket one way or another, and my car apparently had similar ideas:



The plastic pipe (upper intake pipe) that connects the turbo inlet and the airbox decided to call it a day:


This resulted in irregular MAF readings and an unsettled idle.

The car behaved fine while on the move but the air remained unmetered, thoroughly confusing the DME, especially while idling at traffic lights. The engine even stalled a couple of times at traffic lights when the RPMs fell below 500.

This could have happened because of the MST Turbo inlet (billet aluminium + silicone tube) that I'd first installed when I bought the car in 2023. Viddy suspects that the billet aluminium and stiffer silicone tube has reduced flex in the entire system, causing the stock plastic pipe to split at its weakest point, which could be true. I also think it is poor plastic quality generally, and well, yeah, my incorrigible need to fiddle with the car, I suppose.

A quick patch-job was effected by the folks at Carmed, sealing the crack temporarily while I look for a more permanent solution.

At this point, I debated swapping the entire stock airbox with a aftermarket intake system, but nearly all of them were in the price range of 400-500 USD. Simply not worth it, given our hot ambient temps and dusty conditions. Some folks on Bimmer forums have complained of these intakes often registering MAF specific fault codes intermittently. 500 USD for intermittent MAF faults and potentially higher IATs? No thanks!

Meanwhile, I found this:


An aftermarket replacement item for the upper intake pipe, made by a company called Turner Motorsports and priced at around $100.

It is also made of silicone, just like the MST turbo inlet, and is devoid of the perforated muffler-chamber/baffles that are built into the stock plastic pipe.

At $100, this silicone tube from Turner seemed like a cost-effective mod that would release some of those sweet induction sounds that I'd wanted from an intake system, all while retaining the stock airbox and panel filter and not risking higher IATs that an open conical filter would be susceptible to. Win win!

Placed the order and had it shipped to a friend's address in the US.

Unfortunately, the part would take 1 month to reach the US address, and it would eventually reach me in December due to pre-scheduled travels.

This meant I had to live with a patched up plastic pipe for a couple of months, and the idea wasn't sitting well with me. I checked with a bunch of folks in the local 328i groups if they had this part lying around, since many had swapped their stock airboxes for aftermarket intakes. Either they couldn't locate the stock item, or had discarded them at some point.

Dropped a short line with Prateek at GTPO, and he said he could source the stock part and deliver it within the week! Figured it would be sensible to have a new (read-non broken) stock item installed for now, and later on standby once the aftermarket item is installed:


Notice the perforated muffler-chamber/baffles in the stock pipe that cancels out all those lovely induction notes.

This stock pipe was installed at my request by the folks at Endless Customs, a 3rd party workshop located in Chandra Layout. With slots becoming increasingly difficult to secure at Carmed for these minor things, owing to massive footfalls on Saturdays particularly, an acquaintance suggested I give them a try.

While at Endless Customs, I had requested their technician to have a look at the A-belt, since a close friend who also drives a 328i had an abrupt Aux-belt failure not too long ago, leaving him stranded by the side of the road. I wasn't prepared to deal with that anxiety and persuaded the technician to investigate. The factory belt was promptly removed and upon close inspection, we noticed that it had already developed a deep crack and was on the verge of getting split:


The good folks at Endless Customs were kind enough to source a replacement belt on a moments notice...

...and also sourced a replacement BMC panel air-filter on my request:


And with that, I was done fiddling and fettling for the year. Maybe.

Caught up with some folks from Support later in the week. Jaggu rocked up (pun intended) in this new 4-door Thar that was with him for official T-BHP Review duties, and we (Ajmat especially) couldn't pass up on the opportunity to have a little poke around:

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Figured it would be sensible to have a new (read-non broken) stock item installed for now, and later on standby once the aftermarket item is installed

Every plastic part under the hood of this car will snap or crack with age. Its unavoidable. Its the achilles heel of this car. Under the good as well as in it.

I don't think the stock part is bad. One must come to terms that plastic as a material has certain life on it. In our fluctuating weather conditions, they will eventually fail. The hot-cold cycling is significantly higher than say the same car operating in temperatures that don't exceed 25 degrees ambient.

The problem with going after market is the general life time of the part is unknown. Sure, its rubber so should last long. That part has not been in a car with >10 years of age so we can't really say if it will last. Or not. Stock gives you the mental peace that you WILL get X amount of life out of it. Minimum. Based on the life of the part that did fail.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

So.. you remember! :')

I have crossed all my fingers and toes hoping that a certain gentleman, with whom I have had the pleasure of being acquainted with recently, decides to sell this beauty in the not-too-distant future:

Attachment 2744090

He has graciously promised me rights of first refusal, when the time comes.
.

The Cayman, along with the Boxster was much disliked and reviled by the great ‘Purists’ when they came out.

I remember so many articles in 00’s about their ‘deviations from Porsche’s thitherto unassailable Holy Purity’ and the waves of hate that used to emanate from the pages of most every magazine.

But to me, both the Cayman and the Boxster have a certain ‘purity’ of both form and function and will always remain amongst my favourite Porsches.

Yes everyone loves the 911. I do too.

But I also love the 356A, the 550 Spyder, the 904, the 924, the 928 and all.

What’s not to like about Porsche?

I hope you succeed in getting that Porsche.

At least we in Bangalore can listen to its burble occasionally.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

...I don't think the stock part is bad. One must come to terms that plastic as a material has certain life on it. In our fluctuating weather conditions, they will eventually fail. The hot-cold cycling is significantly higher than say the same car operating in temperatures that don't exceed 25 degrees ambient.

The problem with going after market is the general life time of the part is unknown. Sure, its rubber so should last long. That part has not been in a car with >10 years of age so we can't really say if it will last. Or not. Stock gives you the mental peace that you WILL get X amount of life out of it. Minimum. Based on the life of the part that did fail.

You're right, repeated heat-cycles will contribute to the degradation of plastic components. And there is always uncertainty surrounding aftermarket parts and their overall quality. Which is why, keeping the stock park on stand-by is a good idea.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The Cayman, along with the Boxster was much disliked and reviled by the great ‘Purists’ when they came out.

I remember so many articles in 00’s about their ‘deviations from Porsche’s thitherto unassailable Holy Purity’ and the waves of hate that used to emanate from the pages of most every magazine.

But to me, both the Cayman and the Boxster have a certain ‘purity’ of both form and function and will always remain amongst my favourite Porsches.

Yes everyone loves the 911. I do too.

But I also love the 356A, the 550 Spyder, the 904, the 924, the 928 and all.

What’s not to like about Porsche?

I hope you succeed in getting that Porsche.

At least we in Bangalore can listen to its burble occasionally.

Thanks, Shankar! I do not discriminate between Porsche sports-car variants. Sure, the 4-cylinder turbocharged 718 Cayman/Boxster isn't appealing, but other than that I'd be okay with any Porsche, so long as it's powered by a flat-six motor. If it's air-cooled - even better!

Let's catch up some time, if you are lurking around in the CBD. Would love to pick your brains on all things automotive.

-------------------------------------------------

Update - October-December 2024:

Wayanad drive:

Subsiding rains and tempering weather conditions call for frequent weekend getaways, and I wasted no time in booking a short two-night-three-day stay at Tranquil, a lovely little resort nestled in the forests adjoining the sleepy town of Sulthan Bathery. I'd already penned a short note on this drive here (Bangalore - Wayanad: Route & Accommodation).

A quick stop for breakfast at our regular haunt, Renuka Tiffanies (Bidadi):


The road condition was generally fantastic. We maintained a steady 100 on the Bangalore-Mysore highway where the car clocked a minor milestone - 50,000:


Getting off the expressway and onto Mysore's ring road eventually led us to the Gundlupet stretch, which was also pretty alright. An unscheduled stop at a slightly desolate Cafe Coffee Day had to be made since the skies opened up rather spectacularly:


30 minutes later, we were back on the road and navigating the speed-breaker-riddled roads that thread through the gorgeous Bandipur forest. Popped open the sunroof and switched to my favourite CSNY album as we cruised to Sulthan Bathery, and eventually reached our destination:


Tranquil Homestay offers spectacular views and hiking trails:


A day and a half into our stay, and I was itching to walk back to our designated parking spot to check on my little BMW, and that's when I saw this clean and well maintained Jetta giving my 328i some company:


Turns our that the owner is also a fellow enthusiast (no surprise) and his Jetta (1.4 TSI) was carefully identified from the used car market and purchased by him after much deliberation. Our final evening at Tranquil was spent discussing our cars and other interests. Fun times!

As we left Sulthan Bathery, we were pleasantly surprised by a day in the life of this sleepy town. The name is derived from the days of Tipu Sultan, when the town was used to store his artilleries and ammunition. The town is adorned by smooth roads with clearly marked zebra crossings that are used by the town folk the way it is meant to be, and vehicles on the roads are expected to give way, as they should. The roads are lined by clean fences and flower pots. Order and discipline is taken seriously, and its quite refreshing:


Cruising through lush green forests on a cool drizzly day, with Mark Knopfler on the stereo for company - unmatched!


A drive to Kerala is not complete without a quick stop for banana chips!


The total journey to-and-fro was around 540 km. It took us 5.5 hours onwards and about 5 hours on the return leg.

Mysore / Srirangapatna:

A few years ago, I'd made a promise to myself that I would prioritize fitness and health (The Diabetes Thread) over everything else.

With great reluctance, I had to pass up on an amazing drive (8 BMWs at the "Lands' End", Dhanushkodi) to Danushkodi with a bunch of folks and their Bimmers, as we had signed up for a 10k trail-run on the banks of the Cauvery river scheduled on the same weekend!

It was our first late night drive in the 328i, and the weather-gods delivered quite the curve-ball as incessant rains lashed the Mysore highway. Thankfully, the drive was incident-free and we reached safe and sound.

The next morning, we put on our running shoes and took part in the 10k trail run.

About an hour and 10-15 minutes later, the 10k trail was done and dusted! Pretty decent, as we hadn't really prepared for this run. My personal target would be 1 hour, and I hope to achieve this by the end of 2025!

Famished after the run, we fueled up at the designated guest house in Srirangapatna and relaxed for about an hour before high-tailing it back to BLR.


A few days later, I caught up with a close friend who picked up this sparingly used and beautiful green Audi (B9) S5 Sportback:


Rounding off the year-end at a Cars & Coffee meet at the notorious Mall of Asia:

[SavoyWalrus]

Lovely thread! The car looks the part and seems like it's a hoot to drive Looking forward to hearing more about it.

[Abg89]

Hey, I got a BMW M2 recently as well, and I really appreciate you posting here about installing a grill. Would you have anybody in mind who can help me do this in Delhi?