VW to BMW to Hyundai i20: Finding who I am & what I wanted from a car

I am surprised how easy it has been transitioning from a 5 series, a huge testament to how far Hyundai's engineering has come today.

BHPian Themomomonsterr recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

INTRODUCTION:

Hi guys, this is my first post here, I intend to detail my ownership of four cars over the past 10 years and how I am finally happy today with my ride.

A short introduction... I am a young surgeon today, so, at the point where this story starts, I was pretty much dependent on my father, and I would like to thank him indirectly for allowing me to experiment with various rides over the years. Have been crazy about cars and all things with wheels for as long as I can remember. It was on a trip to the UK with my father, when I got introduced to BMWs. I was around 12 years old, and he had rented an E92 BMW 330i coupe for our use. I was smitten with the way it looked, and I started noticing other BMWs on the road. Back home, I started my research into the company with whatever little internet time was allowed, and the E63/64 BMW M6 became my poster and PC wallpaper. I was fascinated with its Bangle'd butt, and a burning desire to experience the 'sheer driving pleasure' as advertised on the youtube videos I had access to, had set in.

The Bangle'd butt which had stung me.

Them curves...

THE FIRST EVER CAR:

Fast forward several years, I had joined medical school on merit, and wanted a car. I was super excited to receive the hand-me-down Hyundai i20 Elite 1.4 CRDi in Red Passion paintjob, and had already drew up a list of modifications I would do, once I could afford them. The dream was as short lived as dreams could be. This was around the time people had started to take their vehicles in the wrong direction on the road, right royally. A speeding Royal Enfield Classic smashed into my car while I was waiting to make a left turn onto the main road, within three weeks of calling it mine. To speak about the car, I loved the way it looked, especially with the front headlights running towards the grille like an F30 3 series. I was thoroughly thrilled to have the car and it took me a long time to understand that it was the definition of a dead centre, poorly responsive steering, and spongy, lousy brakes. But, I had no complaints!

Our i20 elite CRDi on a trip to Kodaikanal.

CAR NUMBER TWO - My first real car:

It was back to public transport for the next year before my father decided to give me his VW Ameo 1.5 TDI DSG in Carbon Steel Grey (Blue Shark). My first real car. I wanted the Polo GT TDI very badly, and had shown my father some well maintained, preworshipped examples on the market, but hey, the Ameo was close enough, and I got to experience the 'DSG'. Got the wheels painted black, new swanky leather seat covers, a very 'form over function' carbonfibre print bootlip spoiler, a ceramic coating, and a Stage 1+ ToT ECU remap.

Ameo in all it's glory after a pamper session.

Amazing peppy engine with a recognizable snarl, quick gearbox, solid build, all the necessary features (which cars today miss out on - aka one touch up and down on all windows, and rain sensing wipers.) - absolutely nothing to hate except for it's looks from the rear. I must say, the rear really grew on me over the years. This was the ride that was an integral part of my undergrad life. Drove it for 35000 km over four years, when the itch for buying a BMW really got strong.

The Rear I had come to love over the years.

ALL THINGS STUPID - THIRST TRAP ONE:

It was around the same time I started using my Ameo, a close associate of my father's who was an Aeronautical Engineer with Jet Airways, convinced him to finance a pet project of his - to revive a flooded BMW . The car in question was a 2012 F10 pre-LCI 520d in Alpine White, which was totalled in the 2015 Chennai floods and auctioned off in March 2016, for a pittance of INR 2 lakhs.

The sad state in which we received the car post auction.

I learnt everything there was to know about the car over the next four years, at the end of which the engine finally came to life. It was taken to the RTO, inspected, RC reinstated, and I finally had it. A BMW in my life, albeit, via a far from ideal, most unorthodox, method of procuring a ride. The car was christened Torchic, a cute name for a cute car.

Torchic en-route to the RTO

Mission resurrection - completed.

The M47 diesel motor coupled with the ZF 8 speed TQ was a charm. A freely revving diesel engine, with torque on demand, my first time at experiencing anything like it. I believe the pre-LCI had an assisted hydraulic steering and I was finally able to feel what 'sheer driving pleasure' was all about. Tight, Responsive, Magical.. (It was another year before I drove the E90 320d owned by a friend, which further defined steering characteristics for me). It was incredible that a fully flooded, totalled car could be revived to such an extent. It had no niggles whatsoever during the short period I used it - maybe because of my father's friend's expertise, or our combined, incessant, patient efforts at procuring the right parts from around the world, or a testament to how BMWs were built (LOL - I would find out more later in life).

Torchic in all its glory, with a dear friend. Notice the new alloys? "wink"

I had the car during my medical internship, and one fine afternoon, as I was returning home after a long night duty, dreaming about sleeping on my bed, I crashed the car into the median, when a speeding two wheeler tried to overtake me from the left. It was a nightmare, a traumatic event, which took me over four months to overcome. I escaped with only a long scratch on my right forearm, thanks to ALL the airbags which worked as they should have.

RIP Torchic. "insert sad cat noises."

To put it simply, I was driving a death trap of a car in which anything could've gone wrong, because of how extensively it had been meddled with - but it didn't. I have all the gods I've prayed to and all the luck in the world to thank for that, also the engineer who didn't cut corners while bringing the car back to life. At this point, I had been using the car for about a year, and driven about 12000km.

INTERLUDE:

The insurance company totalled the car, and I received the full IDV about 6 months after the accident. During this period I purchased the INT650, which was my pride and the love of my life - a separate story to tell in a different post.

After receiving the insurance payout, the itch to get a new car started again. This was in April of 2021, when rumours of steep discounts on CBU Skoda Octavia RS245 was floating around. This was also the time when a fresh batch of CBU VW T-Roc-s were available.

On the other side of the market, a splendid F30 pre-LCI BMW 328i in Melbourne Red, with just 16000km on the ODO was on the market in Chennai for a great price. Went and checked the car out. Progressive steering, N20 - inline four turbo petrol, albeit an open deck, with a clatter along with the same flawless ZF 8 speed TQ, widened the horizons for me. The car was a beast and, it surpassed my experience driving the E90 - a very unpopular opinion. Another unpopular opinion was my liking for the non MSport bumpers all around and the sleek 18 inch alloys - a proper sleeper. My father took the longest time to take my suggestion seriously, and good cars at great price don't stay in the market for long. At least I got to experience the feral N20 motor once.

The Sleeper.

We checked out the T-Roc, and came back absolutely unimpressed. The Octavia ticked all the right boxes, hell, it ticked every conceivable check-box, except for it's price. My father was very unwilling to commit to a car which was manufactured over a year ago and been sitting around, for such a high asking price. The rumours of a steep discount were just that. Rumours. Gurudev Skoda barely offered a lakh and a half as incentive and we came back absolutely demotivated. My father was hearing my sermons of how good cars in the used car market should be pounced upon (I was an ardent follower of VinWIKI, Doug DeMuro and Hoovies Garage on youtube).

Around one month later, the Octavia was still available, and lucrative discounts from Gurudev Motors very much unavailable. My father said - "If we are spending money, might as well be on a BMW. Look for good used cars." And the search began.

A CASE STUDY IN POOR FINANCIAL DECISIONS - THIRST TRAP TWO:

Based on confidence instilled by my short stint with the 520d, turning a blind eye to all warnings of owing a used mammoth, we zeroed in on an F10 LCI BMW 530d MSport, 2017 in Alpine White with Brown interiors, owned by a distant friend of my father's. In my defence, I had experienced the most meddled with German one could lay their hands on. I told myself - "What could possibly go wrong, that I wouldn't be able to manage?" The car in question had 44000 km on the ODO, and was 4 years old. No warranty, no BSI packages. It was meticulously maintained, and had wheels and front kidneys painted gloss black . Had it sent to KUN Exclusive for a checkup, and the car was ours within the next week. It was named Blaziken (Evolution from Torchic, LOL). I know I am a child.

Blaziken's first day at home.

Although, I had driven a 530d in the past, it was within the city, and I was too scared to really push it, as it belonged to an acquaintance. Driving it after owning it, was surreal. My brain opened up to an experience like nothing else. I came to understand what 560 Nm of torque meant. I understood what sending your rear flying out in turns meant. Agreed the 520d could've done that as well, but my first real drift was with the 530d (in a closed space obviously). It was absurd how I could do 160km/h on the odo and stay within 2000 rpm on the tacho. Mind-blowingly effortless. Above all, the motor itself, the N57 inline six, is everything it is painted to be, and more. Butter smooth, harmonious, calm, monstrous when needed. Coupled with the same gem of a gearbox - ZF 8 speed TQ, it pulled, like a train, like a rig. Slotting the car into Sport/Sport+ really transformed the way the car drove, like Tony Stark becoming Ironman. Put the Gearbox into sport mode, and you could really feel the shifts. The car really shows you that it's serious about what it's capable of. Need any icing on the top? - the Harman Kardon branded audio system will bamboozle most people.

If all I had were good things to say about this car, I wouldn't have started writing this post in the first place. My relationship with Blaziken was toxic at best. My girlfriend, now wife, hehe, referred to Blaziken as my other girlfriend, who was well, HIGH MAINTENANCE, needed constant attention, and kept throwing tantrums. I was paying ZeroDep insurance for a car which spent 4 months out of 12 in the garage waiting for spares to arrive. The real question is, why did it need spares at all.... I found out the hard way that BMWs are not made for our country, at all. Subpar rubber and plastic parts was the norm. It is shocking that BMW had not acknowledged this issue over the 20 odd years of their existence in our market by then. I haven't owned any of the G series of cars, but from what I hear from friends who do own them, the ordeal has improved only ever so slightly.

Agreed, none of my cars were garage queens. They have been on all kinds of roads and terrains, but that doesn't mean I neglect them, or that I am careless. So it is outrageous that my ownership was a nightmare riddled with bouts of joy - the definition of a toxic relationship. I will now list all the repairs the car required over the period of 3 years that I owned it and drove 45000 km, and the downsides as well. I hope it might be useful for someone looking to buy a used luxury car. Disclaimer: By this point in the story, I had a temporary job at a central government run hospital with a decent pay, and I was paying for the insurance and all the upkeep of Blaziken by myself.

1) Headlight seals - the issue which had me pulling my hairs out the most. They fail. Don't know how, why, or when. 5 months into my problem free ownership, the instrument cluster lit up with warnings that my left headlight, front left turn indicator, and the left DRL had failed. I knew it must be water ingress into the blaster module. Took it to KUN Exclusive, they quoted a heartwrenching INR 40,000 for a new module for one side. When I enquired if I had to prophylactically change the module/ rubber seals if any, on the opposite side as well, I was told that this leak was a one off event, and assured me nothing would happen. The ASC also suggested that my carwash service provider was using incorrect technique, and suggested I do "dry" wash ONLY. For the record, I regular with CarCares Chennai, very professional, expensive, but top notch.

Needless to say, I did not follow their advice. The right side blaster module failed in another three months. This time, I took it to my father's friend (will refer to him as Dinesh hereon) who is an aeronautical engineer, who rebuilt the flooded 520d. Jet Airways, and his job were by this time non existent, and he was operating a full time garage specialising in Ford, BMW and Mercedes. We sourced some used blasters for cheap and sorted out this problem.

Fogging in the headlights - An issue the Ameo also suffered from.

Fast forward another 6 months, the problem recurred during the North East Monsoon resulting in complete fogging and failure of both the headlights. Doubting the seal of the headlight itself, it was worked upon by a reputed headlight shop, on the advice of Dinesh, which didn't quite solve the problem. I had started exploring other service providers as options, one even tried to solder the headlight straight to the battery resulting in fried wiring on the left side of the car as well as a fried left FCM module. I was also cheated by an associate of a reputed, still in business, very famous, used luxury car dealer, who said he would source new headlights for me, and gave me absolutely useless, used headlights with faulty seals.

In the end, I returned to Dinesh. He had a contact within the BMW ASC, who finally restored the wiring, and installed a freshly sourced left FCM module and both the headlight blasters. Dinesh had procured new headlights for his F10 LCI 520d, which he very kindly had fitted on my car, and said he would figure out his problem later. A note for the skeptics: If I had gone to the ASC, I would have shelled out more money in one go than I did enduring this whole torturous ordeal, also, if they don't have the parts in stock, it takes them 3-4 weeks minimum, to arrange them.

2) Coding the new parts. After procuring the necessary spares, which in itself was a pain, coding them to work with your particular car is another nightmare altogether. There aren't many who know what they are doing when it comes to coding a BMW. Dinesh tells me, he finds it easier to code Mercedes, and when it comes to BMW, his software doesn't make the cut. He even tried arranging overseas coders and connected with them remotely, but to no avail. It was the person within the BMW ASC, Chennai mentioned above, who is also an expert in coding, who finally helped me as well as another friend who had issues with their F15 X5's headlights. I finally had a car with no fireworks or bells on the instrument cluster - YAAYYY!

Long story short, don't mess with the electricals or the electronics on your BMW if you're looking for a fix it, forget it experience. For those who consider time as money, go to the ASC, pony up, and lead a carefree life. Don't be me.

3) The wheels! There's a separate thread dedicated to this. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...ed-rims-3.html on which I have shared my experience. I was the proud of owner of a grand total of 'fourteen' F10 MSport Wheels. LMAO.

Cracked wheel number 4.

For those of you who hadn't already figured I have a problem, here's your cue.

I did figure out how to make it work towards the end though.

• a. AVOID RUNFLATS, at all costs.
• b. Change tyres early. Damaged tyres result in damaged rims
• c. Go for higher profile tyres, even though, at the cost of aesthetics, erroneous speedo and odo.
• d. Expensive car with precision engineering requires expert alignment and balancing. MRF TyreDrome or nothing. You WILL feel it in the higher speeds if the alignment and balancing is not perfect.
• e. Switch to a Square set up to save costs. Big tyres are not cheap (16-30k a piece depending on what you are looking for).

4) The suspension mounts. They are known to become powdery in our climate, and small particles end up entering the shock absorbers, need I say what happens next? Dinesh was aware of this though, and a quick research will show you several BMW owners replace the suspension mounts periodically, before they become powder. I did the same. Here's a video by ThatBeamerGuy explaining this issue in detail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BInoxomKfXw&t=10s

5) Suspension mounts aside, if your car is not a garage queen, you will break a support arm or two, if you frequent on bad roads. The steering rack like all German cars, can give way at around 30-40k on the odo. I replaced both the front support arms on my car. I will come back to the steering rack a little later.

6) Classic BMW issues - melting door handle rubber, window and door seals becoming stiff and fragile - again attributable to our climate. Flimsy AC Vents, which break if operated by a person lacking fine touch. Fortunately these are some of the easier and less expensive (still not easy on the pocket) issues to fix. Yes, I could've left them cracked, or broken, but that's not me. I see a problem, I go mad if it's not fixed ASAP.

7) Continuation of the previous point - the rubber seal on the front windshield deteriorated to the extent, that water seeped into the carpets on the left side and into the floor mounted subwoofer on the left side. I was extremely lucky to have not damaged any of the wirings or modules. This was proactively acted upon by the ASC - KUN Exclusive, and it was repaired on goodwill - something I was both surprised by and grateful for, although it took two weeks of down time.

8) The Auto Start Stop function - The not so robust AC Compressor just can't take it. Do yourself and the compressor a favour, get the ASS coded to remain off on startup. I have changed three compressors, and finished 2 trips - one Goa to Chennai and one Trivandrum to Chennai without airconditioning. The compressor replacement with labour will set you back by around INR 70-80k if you have a Dinesh in your life, or about INR 3 lakhs if you end up at KUN Exclusive (More on this later).

9) Reasonable wear and tear -Needed to replace the drive shaft dampener (INR 15k at the ASC), and all four wheel hubs (Burnt all my bank accounts even with Dinesh's intervention). Though insanely expensive, these repairs were essential as these parts are responsible for making this beast slide like butter. While on the topic of wear and tear, the windshield wipers are laughably expensive, but they do last long. Needs engine oil changes every 6000 - 8000km as per your usage. Even though the service counter starts at 12000km after a service, the computer requests early oil changes, especially if driven in the city frequently. The brake pads, don't last very long, owing to the car's heft, as well as the stupid speeds it is capable of. OE Replacements are reasonably priced though. The discs themselves are slotted, and HUGE - An expensive bill I didn't have to bite. I have not elaborated on the tyres anywhere here, as it is a story of its own.

10) Other things known to fail, which actually did not, praise the lord - the plastic water pump, timing chain, turbocharger. So it's safe to assume, they will last long if the car is periodically maintained well.

11) Now for the things I didn't enjoy about the car.

• a. The steering is not as good as the 520d pre-LCI I had. Doesn't come anywhere close to the E90 or the F30 328i I had test driven. It gets better in Sport/Sport+, and don't get me wrong. The steering in general, it is amazing, but once you have tasted honey, sugar just doesn't cut it. For more perspective, even the FWD F48 X1 had a more responsive and enjoyable steering.
• b. The rear seat space is the biggest joke, no one from my family EVER got into this car. The two rear multimedia screens are about as useful as paying taxes.
• c. The sheer size. I enjoyed chucking around the Ameo everywhere, parking it wherever I liked. With this car, espcially since this wasn't the prince of Pudupet, like the 520d was, I had to plan my journeys, although it has seen it all, from mountains to riverbeds to beaches, I had to plan them. Can I take the car here? Will I be able to park it? Will it be safe? Will the streets be wide enough? I hope I don't have to turn around! Trust me a three point turn won't make it, you'll need 10-15 points in narrow lanes.

12) Around 87000km on the odo, it was December again, year of 2023. The Monsoon gods were thrashing Chennai, and the right headlight had started fogging again. I had parked the car at my workplace and spent the next two days there due to heavy rains and patient load. When I went back to the car to go home, it was Christmas lights on the instrument cluster once again.

Christmas lights on the infotainment screen.

Blaziken being flatbedded for the first time ever - Notice the right front indicator on short circuit.

The Steering motor wouldn't work, the ac compressor wouldn't work, and the right headlight which had show signs of fogging was completely shot. I called the BMW ASC (Dinesh agreed it was time to invoke the insurance gods), and had the car flatbedded to KUN Exclusive. I had the front left headlight, and all associated modules, the AC compressor and cooling coil, and the steering rack, replaced under insurance, due to water damage. How was that possible, is a question which haunts me even today. The final bill was a whopping INR 14,00,000/- only, fully covered by the zero dep insurance. I had to pay a deducitble of INR 7,000 on the compressor though. Reinsuring the car after this debacle was a major pain in the rear, and I finally had to change the insurance company as well as switch to a comprehensive cover with standard deductibles.

In case there's anyone out there like me, wondering what a BMW Steering rack looks like, this one's for you guys...

February 2024, I got married to my girlfriend. The high paying central government job had been replaced by a stipend 2 years earlier as I had become a post graduate student. All savings and investments from earlier having been spent on Blaziken, I did the most logical thing - Sold the car to a very close friend. I am now Angelica Schuyler of the Broadway Hamilton Musical, my friend - Eliza Schuyler, and my car - Alexander Hamilton. At least I get to keep him in my life. LOL. And the world was right, I will never be satisfied. For those who don't get the reference - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo70UDHoS4Q

All things said and done, I loved every minute of actually driving the car. Sitting behind it's wheel really puts a wicked smile on your face. Knowledge of access to the kind of mundane torque and power on demand, really changes a person inside out. Both the BMWs were an integral part of me becoming a surgeon, as they taught me persistence and perseverance - I know I could've been educated on those for a lot less money, don't guilt trip me. I have spent countless night shifts sleeping inside Blaziken, while waiting for calls from the ER - Memories for a lifetime. Not to mention all the wide exposure I got, getting to know the inner workings and engineering of a car, and, contacts (more along the lines of whom to avoid) in the Chennai car scene. I am attaching below, a few pictures of Blaziken through the years. I am drenched in nostalgia at this point.

Blaziken en-route to Goa.

Blaziken on a riverbed somewhere in Karnataka.

Blaziken en-route to the most adventurous day of it's life near Kerala. We almost fell off a hill - no exaggeration.

A photo of Blaziken with yours sincerely. LOL.

GOODBYE GERMANS (for now, LOL):

I have written this memoir of sorts, because I am unable to forget, and I want the world to know that I am unable to forget, the bonnet raise every time I tapped the A-pedal, the silent hum of the harmonious N57. I can even hear the engine note on command - auditory hallucinations y'all. With Blaziken, I had become one with the machine, it was an extension of me, at least when I was able to drive it. Drive, I did. Lots of it... I drove to Goa and back, Vizag and back, and made countless memorable trips all around Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry. I yearn to be able to experience the effortless cruise of a straight six - or more, yet again in my life - Maybe a B58 or an S58 motor? - wishful thinking, what with the rapid takeover by Electrics and Hybrids. For now, I am extremely happy with my Hyundai i20 N-Line MT in Atlas White (Hedwig). Despite having to fill in the shoes of a legendary car, this tiny guy has come dangerously close. It's going to be a year and 14000 km on the ODO, the smile on my face has not faded at all.

Hedwig sharing a frame with my better half in full candour.

I am surprised how easy it has been transitioning from a 5 series, a huge testament to how far Hyundai's engineering has come today. I have a lot of good things, and not many bad things to say about Hedwig, which I will in a separate ownership post, very soon.

To answer the question raised in the title - Who am I? I am just every other guy, fascinated by automobiles. What do I really want from my ride? Deep inside, looks like all I ever wanted was a small hatchback, with a small motor, and a manual gearbox with reasonably sorted dynamics. Feels like I'm finally home. In my heart, Hedwig is a tribute to the Polo GT TDI, I didn't get to own. Cheers!

If you got till the end, thanks for sharing my journey. It means way more than words could possibly express.

Signing off with a photo of the fleet - all dolled up, with Blaziken taking centre stage at my wedding venue.

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