[FlyingSpur]

The pics suggest a purplish tinge to the shade which otherwise seems all too similar to the Monaco Blue. What is this Deep Sea Blue anyway? I saw a 320d with a lighter (than Monaco Blue) shade of blue the other day and it look really wieird. Or maybe I'm not used to the shade.

And there's an explosion of 320d's on the forum! Nice to see that it's receiving a grand farewell, and that the driving enthusiasts on this forum are making the enthusiasts choice even at the sunset of its life cycle. Time for a mega drive!

[Ravich]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

That is very well maintained Laura. How much has she clocked and how old is she?

Also, does the lower GC of the 320d pose an issue compared to the Laura over speed breakers and bad roads with a full load of passengers?

Thanks. Blood, sweat and tears have gone into washing and waxing the car every weekend! It is 16 months old with 10500kms on the odo.
320d handles the speed breakers with far greater composure than the Laura.

[Ravich]

Completed the running in 2000 kms. As I discover for myself what " balance" , "handling" and chassis perfection mean, I am awestruck at how good and glorious diesel engines can be. The distinct note of a BMW diesel (even a 4 cylinder one ) at 3000 to 4000 RPM , plays in your head long after the drive is over. The TSI in stock form , sadly , is no match , and drives not as exciting as they seemed earlier. TSI's steering especially seems vague and almost numb in comparison. The 320d's EPS servotronic is very simply , fantastic and at high speeds is confidence inspiring and well weighted. Comments in the forum about this being not as good seem misplaced. TSI's engine still feels brilliant in low gears but the humongous torque of the 320d even in the 6th , makes the TSI seem feeble.
Have come to love the 320's Steptronic in the manual mode. Don't miss the classical manual anymore.
In short (I guess what every BMW driver in this forum already knew ), the 3 series is motoring Nirvana.

PS: The spouse's views are diametrically opposite. The Laura is said to be roomier, more comfortable ride and easier to get in and get out. Well I never noticed !

[FlyingSpur]

Ravich, great to read your post today since after many many weeks, I got to show the 3 an open highway today and had a ball of a time. Everything you mentioned, from the torque pull in 6th to the tiptronic function on the gearbox is just... awesome. Had a great drive on a great road with overcast skies after really long Motoring nirvana, yes.

[contangoback]

Ravich,

The more the merrier. Only in the 320d, 3 is not a crowd..we have many on the forum. Happy to read your initial impressions. I bought mine last April (24th to be precise) and have clocked 16,000 kms already. Just renewed the insurance and Secure and its been an absolute Joy. The car just grows onto you and I still feel excited everyday. Not a day has gone by that friend and family keep checking it out or keep talking about it.

I am not sure of the run-in. I had stretched her legs from day 1 and had taken it twice to Lavasa where it performed exceedingly well on the turns. I would advise you to maintain 30F and 30-32R tyre pressure on the run flats. Definitely take her out. I visit Mulund occasionally from Lokhandwala and the EE highway from Powai to Mulund is a great place to check the various modes. In city driving, I would recommend sticking to the normal Auto mode.

I would love to see your car someday to check the steering. Mine is the old school hydraulic one, providing utmost confidence in all situations. And correct me if I am wrong, the Deep Sea Blue is not the same as Monaco Blue.

Just to share with other 3 owners, I was recommended that if you are out of town for more than a week, tyre pressure should be kept at 35-37 levels for the car in stationary position. I did that recently when I was out for 15 days.

Flying Spur, lets have a 3 get together. Its been a while..

And Ravich, keep writing and put up some more snaps. You can check mine on the thread.

[Ravich]

Originally Posted by contangoback

Ravich,

Not a day has gone by that friend and family keep checking it out or keep talking about it.

You must have a large heart to give the key to friends and family !. I am Scrooge when it comes to the 320d or the Laura.

Originally Posted by contangoback

In city driving, I would recommend sticking to the normal Auto mode.

Steptronic manual mode is second nature now. So much so I have started noticing the slight delay in the shift from pressing the lever to when RPM changes !

I would love to see your car someday to check the steering. Mine is the old school hydraulic one, providing utmost confidence in all situations. And correct me if I am wrong, the Deep Sea Blue is not the same as Monaco Blue.

Absolutely. I work in Hiranandani , Powai.
Hydraulic servotronic must be really good if it is better than the current EPS one. Keen to try it myself.
The Deep sea blue is not the same as Monaco Blue.

Just to share with other 3 owners, I was recommended that if you are out of town for more than a week, tyre pressure should be kept at 35-37 levels for the car in stationary position. I did that recently when I fwas out for 15 days.

Flying Spur, lets have a 3 get together. Its been a while..

My experimentation with lower than recommended (260 kpa , 38psi for rear) wasn't good. Switching back to the recommended values. I know that is not popular but I am still experimenting. I found the DTC coming on with every small bump in the road and the ride worse than when values were higher Since I keep a 12v compressor , I am experimenting still.

Ravich, keep writing and put up some more snaps. You can check mine on the thread.

Yes of course. Have read yours and Flyingspur's and practically every review on the 3 series on the net.

Are you aware of any popular BMW specific OBD scanner SW?

[KGK]

Well, you can add another smiling bimmer fan to the list. Not trying to hijack your thread Ravich but just penning down my experience very briefly.

Got a 320d CE (Monaco Blue+Black Interior+BSI+Secure) in Feb 2010 and since then get to hear a lot from my wife because I spend more time with the car - driving as well as maintaining (Monaco Blue: Looks awesome but takes a lot to maintain). Rightly said by contangoback, that the car grows on to you. This is one of my first posts on this forum, have been a silent spectator for sometime now.

Have crossed 20,000 kms on the odo - as I never miss an opportunity to take it on the highway. Numerous trips to Pune; Couple of trips from Mumbai - to south karnataka: Over 2,000 kms (return) - one way drive of over 1,000 kms on both occasions was covered on the same day; 1 Mumbai - Tirupati: Close to 2,500 kms. Inspite of all the long driving hardly felt tired at the the end of the day.

No problems so far other than the occasional noise from the struts. Used the BMW Secure couple of times, had to replace the front bumper after a small collison on the express higway while on the way to Tirupati. BMW Secure was hassle free and the guys at Infinity (Chembur) have done a great job so far, though initially there was a slight problem with registering the BSI pacakage.

Manual mode is perfect for the highway, where the Auto (even if you kick-down) tends to display the rubber band effect when you try to overtake. The torque at high speeds, superb handling and the ultraquick manual gearshifts make it so convenient and pleasure to drive on the highway. Feel that the Auto mode is the best for city driving conditions as the gear changes (even in manual mode) get set around a rpm range and tend to drop back while you upshift in the manual mode if you are not in the rpm range. Get an average of 9-10 in the city and highways in the range of 14-16.

Only thing I dont like are the leatherette/sensatec seat covers/arm rests/door pad armrests and the steering wheel cover. Lower back tends to sweat even after short drives and on long drives it gets very irritating. The steering wheel cover on my car (the current sports steering wheel is great) is also very irritating. The spec sheet claims that it is leather but I highly doubt it. Was exploring to change to sports wheel but it seems that the airbag module would also need to be changed. Contangoback are you happy with your steering wheel cover?

Second service is just around the corner.

Bye and keep bimming!

[androdev]

@KGK,
Congrats mate, that's some serious distance!

Does Secure allow unlimited claims or is it capped at twice a year? Most zero-depreciation insurance schemes sold by Bajaj-allianz/tata-aig etc allow zero-depreciation claims twice a year only.

I have a 40K worth repair which I will not claim if there is a cap of two claims per year on Secure. I would rather preserve it for a bigger bill.

[KGK]

Thanks androdev.

I am covered under Bajaj and am told that Bajaj secure has no limit but Tata AIG secure has a limit of 2 claims. However the number of claims will have an effect at the time of renewing the policy interms of the premium amount or the secure policy itself being rejected.

[Ravich]

Originally Posted by KGK

Well, you can add another smiling bimmer fan to the list. Not trying to hijack your thread Ravich but just penning down my experience very briefly.



Have crossed 20,000 kms on the odo - as I never miss an opportunity to take it on the highway. Numerous trips to Pune; Couple of trips from Mumbai - to south karnataka: Over 2,000 kms (return) - one way drive of over 1,000 kms on both occasions was covered on the same day; 1 Mumbai - Tirupati: Close to 2,500 kms. Inspite of all the long driving hardly felt tired at the the end of the day.

No problems so far other than the occasional noise from the struts. Used the BMW Secure couple of times, had to replace the front bumper after a small collison on the express higway while on the way to Tirupati. BMW Secure was hassle free and the guys at Infinity (Chembur) have done a great job so far, though initially there was a slight problem with registering the BSI pacakage.

!

5k kms per month! You must be by now the unquestioned expert on the 3series handling and dynamics. Will be delighted if you can post some highlights. I had just one spectacular braking instance in a near pileup incident on the Shirdi Pune highway. The 320 stopped spectacularly, with the emergency braking coming on, hazard light blinking. The Innova behind me too stopped valiantly (fantastic reflexes , the driver must have had). Unfortunately he got hit by the car behind him. The car ahead of me , a Tata Indigo hit the car ahead of him. Thanked the starts no one was hurt

Do you carry a space saver or full spare wheel ?

The bumper replacement: did they have stock ready or you had to wait?

Good to hear Infinity service is excellent. I bought the car from Infinity too. I only wish the road to their workshop was less chaotic.

As for maintainig the Blue, I can well relate to your difficulties. 3 to 4 hours a weekend is typical.

[cedricsg]

Originally Posted by GTO

Neat thread.

That's because the TSI got a super-soft suspension for India; get performance dampers, springs & tyres and enjoy the magic. To me, a souped up Laura TSI will be a lot more fun to drive than the 320d; primary reasons = Manual gearbox, and the ability to keep revving after 5,000 rpms. Modern-day diesels have gotten really quick, and the torque is mindblowing, yet the simple joy (pun intended ) of a manual + high-revving petrol is irreplaceable. The BMW has a RWD advantage, but recently lost the hydraulic steering.

You got a great garage now, Ravich. How about a picture of the beauties next to each other?

GTO, would like to know more details on performance dampers, springs & tyre upsizes. Pls help we some more specifics.

[KGK]

Originally Posted by Ravich

5k kms per month! You must be by now the unquestioned expert on the 3series handling and dynamics. Will be delighted if you can post some highlights. I had just one spectacular braking instance in a near pileup incident on the Shirdi Pune highway. The 320 stopped spectacularly, with the emergency braking coming on, hazard light blinking. The Innova behind me too stopped valiantly (fantastic reflexes , the driver must have had). Unfortunately he got hit by the car behind him. The car ahead of me a Tata Indigo hit the car ahead of him. Thanked the starts no one was hurt

Do you carry a space saver or full spare wheel ?

The bumper replacement: did they have stock ready or you had to wait?

Good to hear Infinity service is excellent. I bought the car from Infinity too. I only wish the road to their workshop was less chaotic.

As for maintainig the Blue, I can well relate to your difficulties. 3 to 4 hours a weekend is typical.

I wish I could do 5k kms per month but that's not the case, got my car in Feb 2010. Though did have an incident on the express highway when I had to brake at very high speeds due to an obstacle. Had to slam the brakes and though the car did hit the obstacle it barley moved away from the straight line. Had to replace the bumper due to this incident and think it took them about 4-5 days.

Don't carry a space saver, experienced a flat tire in the second month and got it replaced under secure. Since then have been running on Ride-on tire sealant and working perfectly fine so far.

Yes, both the infinity workshops have a poor entrance. Believe they are setting up a new one soon.

[Ravich]

Had my first flat . Tyre pressure warning came on in the night on the highway . Did not stop as it was raining heavily . Drove for another 10 kms. Checked the pressure in the morning and found rear right down to 175 mBar . Found a thin nail as well. Looking at the tyre you could not tell its pressure was low. Could not get the pressure above 210 with a portable compressor. I normally keep it closer to the recommended . Called BMW Infinity motors and by afternoon got a new tyre (balanced) fitted - they said as a policy they don't repair run flats. Since this was covered under Secure, I did not protest. BMW Infinity service was good - in fact excellent ( had to reach the right person though).
Run flats kept their promise - expensive if you have to pay for it but have no complaints from a safety point of view. Would I stick to run flats after the first set wear out - need to think that through

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by Ravich

Had my first flat . Tyre pressure warning came on in the night on the highway . Did not stop as it was raining heavily . Drove for another 10 kms. Checked the pressure in the morning and found rear right down to 175 mBar . Found a thin nail as well. Looking at the tyre you could not tell its pressure was low. Could not get the pressure above 210 with a portable compressor. I normally keep it closer to the recommended . Called BMW Infinity motors and by afternoon got a new tyre (balanced) fitted - they said as a policy they don't repair run flats. Since this was covered under Secure, I did not protest. BMW Infinity service was good - in fact excellent ( had to reach the right person though).
Run flats kept their promise - expensive if you have to pay for it but have no complaints from a safety point of view. Would I stick to run flats after the first set wear out - need to think that through

Seems like you got some good service from the dealer there.
If its covered under secure why bother eh. Total peace of mind.
I think you are entitled to 2 tyres per year or something like that right?

[abhimanyu s]

hi guys, this is the first time i am posting anything on team bhp, so was not sure where to start. I have a 320d ce in which i replaced oe tyres with 225/50r17 pirelli runflats and bbs rims, the car has clocked around 27k and i see the tyres are wearing already, is it normal or should i get the car checked. Genuine advice will be appreciated.