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Thoroughly enjoyed driving my BMW 330Li on the twisties of Munnar

A limousine when you want it to be and a sporty sedan when you want it to be one.

BHPian sandygordon recently shared this with other enthusia

Had a blast with the 330Li on some hill station roads. The stretch from Munnar to Chinnakanal was one of the best hill station roads I have driven on. It was very good and was a good test for the handling prowess of the 330LI.

To tell the truth, I was a bit disappointed with the wallowing the car had on the twisties. It did handle well, steering was precise and weighty in the sports mode, although I had to reduce the speed at the corners due to some body-roll. It did take the corners at fair speeds with some finesse and the rear wheel drive made it a bit sweeter at the hairpin bends. Some rare instances where you would crave for adaptive dampers.

I thoroughly enjoyed the car and made me fall in love with the overall versatility. A limousine when you want it to be and a sporty sedan when you want it to be one.

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My 2020 BMW 330i Sport is just sheer enjoyment: 38,000 km update

Put the TCS off, goose it on an u-turn and the car will easily lose traction and slide even on hot tarmac in summer.

BHPian itwasntme recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

38,000 km up and not much to report apart from the sheer enjoyment delivered by this lovely machine.

RWD and relatively slim 225/50/17s mean a lot of wiggles and slides even with the TCS on. Put the TCS off, goose it on an u-turn and it will easily lose traction and slide even on hot tarmac in summer. Remarkable control offered though even to newbies like me; pretty easy to opposite lock and come out of it.

On another note, the Michelin PS4s are not up to expectations and are definitely sliding around more than the OEM Turanza RFTs. Now either I’m driving too hard nowadays (likely) or the PS4s are ageing fast (equally likely)!

Last detailed in 2021 hence please excuse the swirls and scratches.

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Sold my BMW 328i: My last ever post as I close the chapter on 'Red'

As it turned out to be, the car was sent riding off into the sunset with a gent who came riding in on a beautifully modified Pajero Sport, and I couldn’t have asked for a much better home for Red.

BHPian iliketurtles recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Car-ma: It’s very real

I’m not a fatalistic guy in general, but when it comes to all things automotive, I am a huge believer in car-ma.

Be it in the manner I sold the Jetta back in the day after just one fateful meeting (with a dealer who was fair, if you would believe such a Unicorn exists).

Or in the manner in which I closed the deal to buy the 328i after cutting short, what was to be one of the most expensive Sunday maalish sessions in the history of Bombay.

Or the manner in which I closed the deal to sell the 328i after just one brief sortie with the man who proved to be the next human at the helm. On a Sunday, no less, rather fittingly. Nearly 5 years on, too

Video

What is to be, will B…MW.

Buy buy birdie

In the lead-up to parting ways, life threw at me a collection of prospective buyers, each with stories more interesting than the last, as I sat down to write the BMW’s next chapter

But it wasn’t a case of the wind being firmly in my sales at all times. I listed the car for merely one day on CarTrade/Carwale, and got a few rather rubbish leads from your typical dealers, causing me to grab the nearest pack of Disprin and deactivate the ad quicker than you finished reading this sentence. I cannot suffer fools that insult the two grey cells I have left to rub together, and so I cut that cord in double quick time

Remarkably, I got a fair few guys off of the listing here (none of them fools, delightfully). And I got some seriously heart-warming stories from prospective buyers

Such as the young ‘un who had the capacity to bankroll the car all by himself, but wanted to speak to the folks at home and get their buy-in and blessings before pulling the trigger.

Such as the gent in Bangalore, who was disappointed to learn that Red was spoken for, and made me promise to contact him if the deal fell through, and would fly down to buy it virtually sight unseen.

Such as the delightful fellow who abandoned politeness and chose to address me as an “ass man”, while wondering if my redhead had found a suitor to take her to the ball.

Such as, most memorably, the lady who called me secretly, unbeknownst to her husband, and stole my heart over the course of a single conversation

Image for representational purposes only. I was only slightly less animated than this gent while talking to The Lady

There is something just delightful about planning and plotting in secret, away from the watchful gaze of our significant others, as this lady had.

You see, her husband had cast covetous glances at the car for some time now, and she wanted to buy it for his birthday because Red is the colour of love

This lady had my heart most of all, but alas, she called me at the very end of the tale, once all had been written and the ink was drying. Else, the romance of it all was too great to ignore, and it hurt me most to turn down a woman after my own heart.

I excitedly told my wife of this tale of true love, worthy of being put in the pantheon of such legends as Shahjahan’s great erection for Mumtaz Mahal, or Jeff Bezos parting with billions because of actions guided by his throbbing monument of love.

Suffice it to say, I was given steely glances by the wifey who told me to get no such ideas, and I would be extremely lucky if I didn’t get a toy car hurled at my noggin on my birthday. Romance. Who says it’s dead, eh?

As it turned out to be, the car was sent riding off into the sunset with a gent who came riding in on a beautifully modified Pajero Sport, and I couldn’t have asked for a much better home for Red.

Far from wondering out loud if the car could be raised back to its stock height, he expressed zero interest in doing so.

Instead, he agreed on a price with precious little haggling and asked my help to bring the car up to spec fixing a clutch of minor issues as he wanted her to be back to something approximating her best before delivery.



Given that he willingly agreed to foot the bill to do so, I was a more than willing accomplice in this plan.

Even so, I was surprised at the speed at which things moved once the ball was set rolling. Eventually, I was left in that perpetual state of no man’s land every enthusiast knows, where you sell a car only to say you miss it for the rest of your life, no matter how much you move on. Literally or otherwise.

D-Day (a.k.a. Delivery Day)

Inevitably, D-Day swung around and brought with it that sweet sorrow we know as parting.

The last time she was ever seen in parking slot number 69

To soften the below, I decided to take her down memory lane, just the two of us, revisiting where I first met her.

One last sortie towards the Sea Link...



...with fate seemingly mocking me with her song choices

Back at the spot where it all began...

Rebelling against the rules, one last time

Speaking of car-ma…

Having said my goodbyes to her one final time, I imagined I’d never see her again.

Video

So imagine my surprise when Kurla West’s Kanye West sent me videos soon after, of her on JVLR, on her trip out of Bombay, for good. It’s a small world after all, eh?

To paraphrase a sappy quote, some cars enter our lives and leave with nary a tyre print in the sands of time. And some enter our lives, leave a trail of burning rubber on our hearts, and we are never quite the same again. It is safe to say that Red was very firmly in the latter camp for me, and I will mourn her tremendously in that way we all lament the absence of a much-loved one.

Goodbye, red. May you howl down highways, wherever they may lead you. You were one of a kind.

Yes, I know it's a repeat pic. But it's my favourite one of hers, so suck it up

Addendum: This will most likely be my last ever post about Red on this thread. While I welcome chatter and general gupshup about her or cars in general on this thread, this is where I close the chapter on Red. Her tale has been told

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My pre-owned BMW 328i: Mods and Preventive maintenance at 41,000 km

The car belonged to a fellow BHPian and was extremely well maintained with only 41,000 km on the odo, so it seemed like a no-brainer.

BHPian suhaas307 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi folks!

I have recently acquired a super-clean 328i that Vid6639 discovered on T-BHP Classifieds.

The car belonged to a fellow BHPian and was extremely well maintained with only 41,000 km on the Odo, so it seemed like a no-brainer. I closed the deal in a week after mutually agreeing on the price.

At first, I wasn't sure about the red leather interior, but in person, it actually wasn't bad at all. Now, I have gotten used to it and personally think it's one of the best spec 328i variants out there.

The car needed some mechanical work, including a suspension overhaul and brake rotor replacement, both of which I got done within a month of taking delivery. I have replaced the dampers with OEM+ Bilstein B4 struts and new top hats. The bushes, links, and other components seemed to be in good nick so I did not meddle with them. Rotors are from BMW's OEM supplier - Zimmerman, paired with EBC Ultimax pads.

I also took this opportunity to splurge on a few modifications, including (1) Wagner Evo1 Intercooler, (2) FTP Charge Pipes + Boost Pipe kit, (3) MST Turbo Inlet Pipe and (4) Active Autowerke Axleback exhaust.

I have also recently purchased the BootMod3 licence key and tune package with unlimited tunes and I am waiting on the ENET cable + phone adapter from the US. I have also bought a 200-cell sportcat from Evolution Racewerks, with thermal cera-coating for heat management. Hopefully, I can get this installed in the next few months.

I am also aware that the 2012-2013 cars are plagued with timing chain issues, with the chain guides and even tensioners failing prematurely. But since the car has done only 41k on the ODO, I think the timing chain overhaul can wait a while.

However, I needed some advice on a few things:

1. This being a 2012 car, is it wise to change the transmission oil + pan? I know that the transmission oil is supposed to be a 'lifetime' thing, but I am skeptical. The shifts do seem a little jerky at the moment and not absolutely smooth.

and..

2. Being a 2012 car, the turbo is supported by a Pneumatic Wastegate (PWG) and the wastegate actuator flap appears to be plagued with the infamous "play" which is causing a characteristic rattle on cold start and for the first 20 minutes of driving, after which it seems to settle down. I am aware of the wastegate actuator repair kits available online and I know of some folks who have attempted this repair job successfully. Initially, I considered buying a replacement hybrid-turbo thinking it will come with a new wastegate, but MHI's big turbo for the N20 requires PWG to be reused from the old turbo, so it seems like a pointless and unnecessarily expensive exercise.

Inviting suggestions from all those experienced with the N20 328i, please.

Happiness is not around the corner. It is the corner.

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How I retrofitted an OEM head-unit in my BMW 3-Series (F30)

As the car was out of warranty BMW quoted around 1.5L to replace the unit and rectify the issue.

BHPian y2s recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Back in early 2019 - The stock head unit(HU) of my 2014 F30 began malfunctioning - It was stuck BMW Logo as can be seen in the image below -

As the car was out of warranty BMW quoted around 1.5L to replace the unit and rectify the issue. I asked if they could upgrade the HU to something with carplay and to no one's surprise I was told that was impossible - If I wanted carplay then I would have to purchase a new vehicle. I was not willing to pay such a huge amount for simply fixing the basic and featureless system my car came with and therefore decided to deny BMW the repair to look for 3rd party & DIY options that were either cheaper in terms of price for the fix or gave me an upgraded system. Below is a conclusive list of the options I came across over weeks of research -

Options for fix

1. China Android-Based System 10.25" - REJECTED This was the first option I came across and it exited me because of the cheap cost of around $300 and the large feature set it offers. Quality may not be very great however seemed very worth it for the price. Rejected because I realized these systems require a working OEM HU to interface with. There is also concern for long-term reliability.

Decided OEM was the only way I wanted to go. My car came equipped with an HU_Entry CIC system (OEM Part 65129270363 9281518)

2. Replacement OEM HU_Entry - REJECTED Found this with great difficulty online in china for $75 used (Yes, you read that right) + Shipping/Tax. This would require a DIY install. Additional costs would include professional coding service @ $75, Hardware Emulator @ $50 & OBD Cable @ $10. All in I would be able to fix the system for under INR 20k to factory condition. While this would have been a great option - By the time I found this used part - I was in too deep for option 3 and the itch for retrofitting a better system had already taken hold.

3. Retrofit a newer OEM HU - Realized it is possible to retrofit the latest OEM systems from BMW into my car. The different generations of systems in BMW cars can be seen in the following image. I obviously wanted the latest and greatest compatible with my car -


3a. Plug & Play Retrofit - REJECTED There were only very few international companies that offered a complete plug-and-play solution for the same. I reached out to them and got some quotes. Please note that these options still require a DIY opening of the dash and unplugging/replacing the HU/Screen and USB. Includes remote coding through TeamViewer. One need not worry about VIN emulation / ATM emulation/coding/cable harness pinout or parts compatibility.
NBT Evo ID 5/6 - $2500 + Shipping + Tax = ~ INR 2.5L (2GB Model - Non Touchscreen)
NBT Evo ID 4 - $1500 + Shipping + Tax = ~ INR 1.5L
Rejected this option because I thought the cost was a little on the higher side as individual parts could be sourced cheaper if bought separately. After having done this project and experiencing the technicalities and nuances involved - I believe the cost these integrators charge is somewhat justified.

3b. Complete DIY Retrofit - ACCEPTED Even though I had never worked on a car in any capacity in my entire life (Not even changed as much as a wiper blade) - As my research progressed- I got more and more confident in doing the entire retrofit myself - Got up one morning and decided I was going to risk it and if things went south then that would just be the cost of learning - Decided on a budget of INR 1.5L (Cost BMW had initially asked) and I would do the best I could within that. After months of scouring for parts that were both compatible and affordable - I finally had all the parts I needed for the retrofit. I even managed to squeeze in an OEM Backup Camera in my budget. Below is the final parts list including Estimated/Actual and total cost - (eBay - Shades of Blue, Aliexpress - Orange)


Please note here that there are multiple versions of the Head Unit - There are 2GB/ 4GB and GPS Inbuilt / GPS, not Inbuilt - You should look for 4GB with GPS Inbuilt. The additional RAM is great as 2GB versions are known to crash often on ID6 software. It is fine if you plan to remain on ID4/ID5 though. GPS Inbuilt is great to have as one would not need to emulate ATM which adds both cost and complexity. If your car already has an ATM module, this might not be much of a concern. Mine did not.
There are also 2 versions of the screen - Touch and Non-Touch.

The Retrofit

Finally, one rainy Sunday in July 2019 after all the parts had arrived (took more than 2 months), I went to a friend's enclosed parking area to start the retrofit process. Followed several YouTube videos and eventually got everything disassembled and then installed, tested & programmed. At the end of the day, I had carplay working however I was unable to get any car information on the Idrive display as I could not update the car firmware as I needed a special cable. I left the car in this state as I didn't really need anything else and didn't have the time.


Fast Forward to Jan 2020 and BMW refused to carry out maintenance because no DATA - So decided to 3d print and make the harness - We Put in the new FW - Attached the OFC and voilla everything showed up. The project was finally complete.

Additional Coding
DRL
Disable the Auto Start Stop function in ECO mode
Sport+
No Warnings
Video in Motion
Digital Speed in Instrument Cluster
NBT Sport Displays
cluster M Performance logo
cluster Start logo
NBT Pressure and temperature in tyre pressure monitor
NBT Start animation nbt Connected Drive 1
NBT Volume popup enabled
Convenient Closing
Maximum volume at start-up 2-%
Warning Chime/ Ringtone

Questions I had (FAQ)
Will Connected Drive (Remote lock/unlock) work? No
Are AM/FM Antennas already there? Yes
BT/Wifi GPS from Aliexpress work fine? Yes
Do I need to worry about ZGW (Kcan1 vs Kcan2)? No
Do I need MOST Loop for my Combox? No
CIC Pinout, NBT Evo Pinout Diagram? Same
Test Bench available in Mumbai? No
Bluetooth Mic Needed? No
Will USB work? Yes
Does Touch Controller use CAN2? Yes

I have been a forum reader here since 2014 and had actually decided to buy this car by looking at posts here. Thought you guys might enjoy my journey and it is my hope this thread inspires/helps someone. Please feel free to post any query in the thread or PM me. Will be happy to help all and answer any questions. Started writing this in 2019 and am finally posting now.

The retrofit added a good 3 years of life to this vehicle. I recently upgraded to a BMW 630d M Sport.

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5,500 km in my Mercedes-AMG A35: Booking, delivery, first service

The other new car options I considered were BMW M340i, 330Li and the GLA 35 AMG.

BHPian Tvk1991 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am happy to share that I purchased an A35 AMG in the month of April 2023, the booking was done in Jan and I got the car delivered on April 2nd week.

The other new car options I considered were BMW M340i,330Li, and the GLA 35 AMG.
Used car options were C43 AMG, CLA/GLA 45 AMG, and BME 340I

M340i: I tried seeing the car twice in the showroom and both times was not successful. The OTR price was 25% higher and there were no discounts.

330Li: I was mainly considering the 330i and not the LI as the car will be used by my wife mostly. So I felt we won't be needing the longer wheelbase version. Took a test drive of the interiors and the drive feel was good but the car felt big for me.

A35 or GLA35: I personally loved sedans much when compared to hatches/SUVs. So decided to go ahead with the A35 AMG. There were many demo cars with multiple dealers for 20-30% less. But the Interest rate was calculated as a used car for these.

Used cars: I saw a white CLA 45 AMG in Hyderabad, a GLA 45 AMG in Bengaluru, and a C43 AMG in Delhi the cars were good and were within my budget. But obtaining a loan for a used car was a bit tricky particularly if I was in TN and I am planning to buy another state car.

We preferred to buy the car with finance and this was not a possible used car. Now I am saving some funds in FD's for my next car to go for a loan against FD and purchase my next used car.

The pre-booking and test drive experience were good but they continuously pushed the delivery dates and I paid off the whole amount on March 31st after getting confirmation car was ready to be shipped and delivered on April 2nd week.

Been using the car for 5.5k kms so far, I took the car for 1 1-month/1000kms checkup and was charged around 4k for a rodent protection sleeve for the steering wire.

Use it only for self-drives on weekends, weekday nights, and vacations.

Likes:

1) Like the performance and decent legroom for rear occupants.
2) 8-year warranty for turbo, engine, and gear box.

Dislikes:

1) The major one is GC. Have scrapped multiple times so far mainly in diversion from NH to side roads where the Speed breakers are mental.
The GC is so low 113mm only.
2) Due to GC have to take out only in places I know the road well.

Trips so far:

1) Chennai-Bengaluru
2) Chennai-Pondy
3) Chennai- Yercaud
4) Chennai-Kumbakonam
5) Chennai- Sivakasi

FE in all trips between 8.5-10.5 km/l based on how we drive.

Removed the speed chime 3 weeks back and enjoyed the car much better during highway runs.

Upgrades planned:

1) Plan to go for stage 1 or stage 2 with a Downpipe in the future.
2) Change tires from 235/40/18 to 235/45/18 to increase the GC by 11mm.
3) Planning to take the service package before the end of 1 year.
4) Thinking of changing colours of the alloys to Gold.

Some pics of the car:

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Major maintenance of my decade-old BMW 3 Series

View Forum Discussion

The last time I changed the spark plugs was about 5 years ago, hence it was a good thing to get a set of new ones.

BHPian karan561 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Mega update for my F30

In the video above, you can witness the car installed with brand-new Suspension, Bushes, Rack components & Fresh Tyres to regain Day 1 feels.

Those who prefer text may read on.

10+ years into ownership & it was finally a good time to refresh the suspension & its parts. The Shocks chosen were OE Genuine BMW Shocks. I was also considering the M Performance upgrade option but that had a drop which I did not want & also aftermarket options were not readily available and were expensive. So finally went in for the OEM option.

Ask any knowledgeable BMW guy, which is the most comfortable 3 Series of all time & the answer will be the F30. F30's genetics were always comfort-oriented and I did not want to disturb that as for performance I have the G20 M340i which is an M Performance car with the M Sport suspension (lower than the regular G20 330i by 10mm) & for fun I have the E46 328i which has an adjustable KW coil over setup. Hence for the F30 I wanted to retain the OE comfort levels so I went with the OEM option to gain back the original factory feel.

As the 4 shocks were changed it was always a good idea to change other critical components which would have worn out over the years and will complement the new shocks.

New Stabiliser Link Rods

New Tie Rods

New Control Arm Bushings

Steering Rack Rebuild Kit

As the car was in the workshop some other jobs were done

New Tappet cover & gasket - As there was a bit of oil sweating observed hence this job was necessary to safeguard the engine & restore performance which may have been missing due to the leak.

New Spark Plugs - The last time I changed the spark plugs was about 5 years ago, hence again a good thing this was done.

New Engine Oil & Oil Filter - Routine.

New A/C Filter - Routine.

New Tyres

I have always experimented with tyres & tyre sizes on my F30;

  • OE size: 225/45 R18 (Squared) - RFT
  • Experiment 1: 225/45 (Front) 245/40 (Rear) - Michelin Pilot Super Sports - Tubeless
  • Experiment 2: 245/40 (Squared) - Yokohama Advan Sport V105 - Tubeless
  • Experiment 3: 245/45 R18 (Squared) - Michelin Primacy 4 - Tubeless

As in this experiment, I was going for a higher profile hence did not opt for a drop or other aftermarket options as the OE seemed accommodating 45 profiles. Hence this comfort-oriented tyre profile and model selected (Primacy) was tuning the F30 as a Performance Comfort Tourer.

Alignment being done;

Time for a test drive;

A decade down & now hope these parts will help the car sail through smoothly for another decade. Until next time!

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Next-gen BMW 3 Series could get separate EV & ICE platforms

BMW has already announced that the first Neue Klasse-based car will enter production in 2025.

According to media reports, BMW will offer the next-gen 3 Series range on two separate platforms in the future - one for its electric models and the other for its internal combustion (IC) engine versions.

Reports suggest that the IC engine and hybrid powertrain versions of the 3 Series will continue to be underpinned by BMW's CLAR architecture, while its pure-electric models will be based on the company's Neue Klasse architecture. The pure-electric BMW 3 Series, likely to be called i3, has been internally designated as 'NA0' and is expected to be launched in 2027.

BMW has already announced that the first Neue Klasse-based car will enter production in 2025. However, the carmaker is yet to announce the specific model, only stating that the upcoming EV will be in the same segment as the 3 Series. BMW also refrained from mentioning the body style of the car, but reports suggest that the first Neue Klasse BMW could be the iX3.

Source: BMW Blog

 

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Quick fix to a rattling noise plaguing my BMW 3 series for a year

What I initially thought was a complex operation, turned out to be just a quick 2-minute fix.

BHPian Dr.AD recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I find my engine+gearbox combination to be the best (for my liking) in Sports mode on Engine and normal D mode on gearbox (there is a separate sports mode on the gearbox that you can try too), and I almost always use that combination. You can play around with these and see if you find something that works better for you.

Annoying Rattle Fixed

By the way, since about a year ago, I had an annoying rattle somewhere from the rear (boot area), that would turn itself on and off randomly. I had mentioned that previously in this thread (about a year ago). That time, the expert from the service centre who test drove my car told me it was coming from the rear sunblinds. Since fixing that would require a complex job of opening the entire rear sunblind assembly (it is an electrically operated sunblind), I decided against that complex operation. I just decided to live with that rattle.

Then later sometime, the rattle mysteriously disappeared, and I was happy about that. However, that annoying rattle returned with a vengeance about two months ago.

Thankfully, it got identified correctly and got fixed yesterday. Turns out that the rattle was not from the sunblinds at all. The rear sunblind rattles are common in F30, and therefore, many F30 owners attribute any rear rattle to sunblinds. However, that may not be correct, as I learned in my case.

Yesterday, a "rattle/noise expert" from Navnit BMW accompanied me for a short test drive. These rattles have an annoying habit of not showing their real nature when someone is watching for them. I was worried that I may not be able to reproduce the rattle when I wanted to show it. However, thankfully, the rattling sound started when the expert was sitting in the rear seat just to listen to the rattle sounds. He got a good "sample" of the sound, and true to his expertise, he identified that sound. He asked me to pull over at a safe place on the side of the road and stop the car. He got down and opened the boot, and showed me exactly the part that was causing that rattle. I was amazed by his skill in exactly pinpointing the source of the rattle, the source which was elusive to all of us for more than a year!

Turns out that under the boot roof (further inside from the boot lid; this is the interior boot roof that we are talking about), there was a plastic bracket attached. And this bracket was making this rattling sound. When we tapped on that bracket by hand, I heard the exact same rattling sound that was annoying me for so long.

I could not see any purpose for that bracket. The BMW expert explained to me that this bracket has no purpose in my car, and it is meant for some accessories used in the international market. Basically, this was a plastic piece attached to the roof of the boot with no apparent purpose in my car.

So, as the best solution to that rattle, he simply unscrewed a screw holding that bracket in place and removed it. Voila! The rattle was gone!

The bracket was attached to this hole that you see in this picture (Note: This is not the boot lid which is covered with a soft liner; this is the interior roof of the boot)

This is that bracket, removed from that roof spot.

I am still not sure why that bracket was there, but it was there and it was making that annoying rattling sound. I am so happy that the sound is gone and quite impressed by the rattle expert from Navnit BMW who identified this so precisely and fixed it.

For fellow F30 owners who are also suffering from what is assumed to be a sunblind rattle, it might be worth checking if this is the part that is actually rattling.

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Photologue: 4 BMWs & a picturesque 100 km drive outside Bangalore

We had two F30 320ds, one G28 330Li, and then the fourth was the monster M340i.

BHPian Dr.AD recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Bangalore 3-Series Club Meet

We have a small group that is called "Bangalore 3-Series Club", and a few members of that group (four, to be precise) met last weekend for a short morning drive, photoshoot, and of course coffee and snacks.

Although we were just four members, the four cars had a nice variety. We had two F30 320ds, one G28 330Li, and then the fourth was the monster, the M340i.

The F30 320d owners were me and another gentleman who is not a forum member, who was driving a lovely white car! The G20 330 Li, in Cashmere Silver, was of fellow member @Gaboonviper04. And finally, the famous Sunset Orange M340i was of @robimahanta.

Our driving circuit, about 100 km long, included a loop around some rural areas in the North of Bangalore. We drove on some fast national highways, then some smooth and scenic rural highways, and then finally even ran into small narrow village roads and even faced a road blockage due to excess water from an overflowing lake. We had enough fun and enough drama in one short 100km drive! (The 100km loop was from the meeting point and back to the meeting point. For me, the total door-to-door drive from my home was about 200km).

Anyways, let me share a few pictures from that short but memorable morning drive:

The "Four Musketeers", met on a side of a wide highway on a rainy morning:

And then drove on to enjoy such lovey tarmac and some mild corners:

The four-car convoy claimed a tad above 1000hp (thanks mostly to the 6 cylinder monster in Sunset Orange)

Time for some solo shots now. The elegant yer sporty 330Li:

The timeless F30:

The hottest car in "The Club", the M340i:

And then finally, my humble 320d:

Another view of the convoy:

After driving a bit ahead, the convoy reached another picturesque corner :

I did not mean to exclude the 330 Li, but this frame with these three cars somehow looked nice:

Back to all four cars, on the side of a lake:

The M340i looked killer, as it always does:

I am very bad at taking people's photos, but here, is one photo with an added "human touch":

From this spot, we continued driving on. We had lovely roads (similar to what you see in the images above) for the next 25km or so, but then our luck ran out and we entered into the small narrow road which had seen plenty of damage due to recent heavy rains. At one point, the road was totally submerged under an overflowing lake, and we had to take a U-turn on that narrow rural road and find our way out of that mess. We somehow managed to find a way out, and then reached back our usual pit stop in that area, "Tribal Cafe".

The M340i at Tribal Cafe.

Coffees and BMWs:

Finally, a parting shot of my car and @Gaboonviper04's 330Li, as we stood back there discussing various topics (Run-Flat Tyres is always one of the most discussed topics when BMW drivers hang out like this and discuss various things):

Thanks, guys for the lovely meet and drive. This was the 1st meeting in this smallish club, but I hope there will be many more in the near future.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 

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