[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by humbleroadster

Thank you Santosh for your very detailed thread and the journey with your car.
I have been tutoring myself through it for some time now!

Glad to know that you've found my thread useful . My updates have reduced off-late as there isn't much to report these days. Car is performing flawlessly. Recently got the rear pads and discs changed. Discs were changed for the 1st time after 70,000 kms. Very happy with the life and quality of such components from BMW. Long term BMW owners will be happy to know that BMW offers discounts on parts for 5 year + old cars. I was told that a 14% discount was applied automatically for my 5.5 yr old X3.

Originally Posted by humbleroadster

Could you point out a few more details about the staggered set-up of the wheels and rubber that you’ve got on?
Also, what is the spare size that you’re using after the change to this set-up?
I drive from Goa-Pune(and back) at least once a month and I’m still on RFTs.
Mind boggling how the RFT Vs. Tubeless discussions can jumble you up at times.

The staggered set up is 19". BMW equiped the F25 X3 with different wheel options for different variants from 17" to 20". One of the OE options is the staggered set up that I opted for (sizewise). 245/45/19 front and 275/40/19 rear. For more details on the rims, refer the attachement

I had Yokohama Advan V105 tubeless on them for the past 20k kms or so. Recently switched to Michelin Pilot Sport 4 for the rears as the rear Yokos had worn out quickly. Now I have Yokos on the front axle and Michelins on the rear axle! The Yokos were good no complaints at all. The fast wear on the rears must be due to some alignment issue or simply due to the fact that we can't rotate the tyres across axles and the X3 does have some rear bias in its AWD system.

I hate RFTs and always advise BMW owners to switch to tubeless. 99% cars on the road run on tubeless.

Originally Posted by humbleroadster

On a side note, have you thought of swapping the steering wheel with the new(er) M wheel?

Looks a little dated to me in my car. Will get it detailed soon, but I think I’ll find out where could possibly have it swapped for the best price!

I love that steering wheel ! Maybe I am a bit old school.

[humbleroadster]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

The staggered set up is 19". BMW equiped the F25 X3 with different wheel options for different variants from 17" to 20". One of the OE options is the staggered set up that I opted for (sizewise). 245/45/19 front and 275/40/19 rear. For more details on the rims, refer the attachement .

Thank you Santosh for the detailed reply.
I’m not too keen on upsizing, and I’m wondering if changing over to 18 tubeless should just serve the purpose well.

All in all, what is really missing in the car is the sensor (leg) to open up the boot given its weight! Not sure if BMW has not been attentive towards this feature, or maybe this feature wasn’t around when the F25 was launched(In India). Sore miss nevertheless!

Anyhow, thanks again!

[Santoshbhat]

7.5 yrs - 84,000 kms update

It's been a really long time since I've posted an update. So here goes. Roughly 7.5 yrs into the ownership, the car is at 84,xxx kms currently which translates to about 11,500 kms annually. I had taken extended warranty package for years 3 to 5. I have posted about few items that were covered under warranty in previous posts. The cost of warranty for 6th year was quite high so I opted out. Luckily no issues cropped up in the 6th year. The regular services have been carried out periodically as per the iDrive prompts - 10,000 kms or 1 year. My usage pattern nicely matches this duration.

The front tyres (Yoko Advan V 105) are nearing end of their service life. They were installed at around the 48,000 km mark. Still got some life left after about 32,000 kms of usage. The rear yokos wore out in about 20,000 kms and were replaced with 275/40/19 Michelin PS4s. The Michelins seem to be better than the Yokos in terms of their wear rate. Hope they last a bit longer. I usually slap on the OE 18 inchers for our annual trips to Sirsi where we like to visit various interior villages and nature spots. We usually encounter rough roads during these trips, so I make it a point to slap on the Pirelli 18S (Tubeless) which still have good tread depth for these trips. These BBS alloys were hard to source initially. I am sure there is no way I will be able to get a single piece if I happen to crack one of these on such trips.






19" BBS Rims : The 19s are great for my usualy Bangalore - Belgaum NH runs. The difference between the 19" BBS rims + low pro tyres and 18" OE rims + Pirelli tyres is quite stark. The car feels very agile and light with the 19s. The steering feels more responsive and the car feels eager to change direction like a hot hatch. It hardly feels like a heavy family SUV. Usally bigger rims + low pro tyres are heavier than smaller rims + higher profile tyres. But these CI-R rims from BBS are flow formed alloys specifically designed to be light weight https://bbs.com/en/product-details/CI-R. 19" tyres hardly make the ride stiffer, but the positive effects in handling and agility is very much evident. I am very happy with these rims and tyres and they go a long way in making the car feel special both in terms of looks and performance.



Wheel bearings replaced : The car had been running smoothly without any issues until couple of months back when I noticed mild humm from the tyres. Since the tyres were getting old, I thought the humming was from the old tyres. But over time the intensity increased and the sound seemed to be going up and down in sync with vehicle speed. I had a similar experience in one of our earlier cars and it was diagnosed to be as a result of worn or damaged wheel bearings. I was pretty sure this was the same thing. The sound was coming from the rear axle. I called up my trusted SA who has been servicing the car from day one at Navnit Airport road service center. He asked me to bring the car and in and after a short test drive he was of the opinion that it is most likely to be bad wheel bearings or possibly some problem with the rear differential (expensive). They kept the car and diagnosed it to be wheel bearings only. The parts were not in stock, so they had to be ordered. I was advised not to take the car out in the interim as bad wheel bearings could potentially cause the wheel to get stuck while running and pose a serious safety threat. So I left the car with them while we waited for the part to arrive. The parts took quite some time to arrive and I got the car back after nearly 20 days. BMW parts are not cheap and the cost of replacing the bearings for both the rear wheels came to about Rs. 31k. They gave the car back all washed and cleaned. But I later realised that they might have parked the car under a tree in their yard as there were remains of bird dropping stains on the bonnet. I hate leaving the car with service centers when we have to wait for parts for precisely such reasons.

The X3 has been a lovely car to own and drive. The 30d engine is the star of the show. The car simply revels running on fast highways. Miles are dispatched effortlessly with the engine turning over at lazy RPMs in 8th gear delivering dollops of instantaneous torque at the slightest nudge of the A pedal. The car is rock solid at speeds, with superb feel from the steering and highly reassuring brakes. The chiller of an AC, comfy and widely adjustable front seats, adjustable dampers (in stiff setting) and the immersive HK sound system all team up to make highway drives an absolute delight. I am not a diesel fanboy (this is my first diesel car), but the diesel economy and resulting range is hard to ignore. I am yet to see a single digit figure kmpl during my usual drives to Belgaum. There is no need for any special diet. Tank up at a decent bunk (70L fuel tank capacity) and you can keep going on and on. In the interest of long term health of the engine, I am using BMW's diesel additive quite regularly now (every 3rd fill or so). The engine does seem to run smoother and quieter when the additive is added.

The crossover + AWD platform has been very useful as well. This is a family album on wheels - as a wise man once remarked about his own steed. We travel to Sirsi (Uttara kannada dist) every year and the locals suggest new places to explore every time. Initially I used to be hesitant to take the X to these places. But now I have enough confidence to do so.

To remap or not : I have had endless debates in my mind about this. I always believed that I'd be getting a remap once the extended warranty expired. It's been nearly 2.5 years since that happenend and still no remap. On fast expressways the car is mighlty fast in stock form (Max 258 PS/ 560 NM at decent rpms). No matter what gear, what rpm, there is always power on tap. My default setting on the highway is

• Chassis (suspension + steering) : Sport mode
• Drivetrain (Throttle response and engine map) : Comfort
• Transmission : Normal mode

In this setting I can cruise all day at high triple digit figures. If I need more power, I switch the drivetrain also to Sport mode. This gives faster throttle responses plus the engine seems to have 15% more punch. This setting is enough to leave pesky wannabes in the dust. If I still want more, I then shift the gear lever to the left for transmission sports mode. In this mode, the gear shifts are super fast with later (in the rev range) and faster (shift time) upshifts accompanied by those characteristic thumps on every upshift. This is the full on beast mode. When I am in my default mode, there is always the option of stepping up to two levels of higher performance if I want to. But the fact is that 95% of the time , I am in my default mode, cruising smoothly and happily. I keep asking my self " Do I really need that remap?"

AWD Grip - I am not into offroading and rarely drive to places that regular 2WD cars wouldn't be able to manage. So I didn't think much of AWD and nor did any research much about it when I bought the X3. It is one of those features that happened to come by default with the car, and not a must have. I just thought AWD will be useful when driving in remote and rural areas over slushy or loose rocky roads. Something that would prevent the car from getting 'stuck' . I least expected X drive AWD to transform high speed highway manners of the car! The X drive system is an intelligent AWD system. It is rear biased, so it gives you that RWD shove in the back kind of feel, but can transfer power between the front and rear axles in a fraction of a second depending on levels of traction. It is quite quite complex stuff, but the result is unbelievable levels of grip while taking curves or making lane changes. You always feel like you are in total control no matter the situation and the car always behaves in a predictable manner. I have now got used to hitting the throttle to get out of tricky situations, rather than hitting the brakes. Just point the steering wheel in the direction you want and hit the A pedal, the X drive does the rest. No skids, no screeches, no drama, no fuss. I might have posted this old video from BMW before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ClBFjP95pw

I am so happy I picked the 30d variant when it was available. The only reason I don't feel the need to upgrade, is this beautiful 6 cyl diesel motor. Silent, refined, silky smooth power delivery are some common adjectives used to describe this motor. It has been quite reliable till date. A stuck EGR actuator the only blemish in its track record thus far. 85,000 kms done and it feels exactly the way it did on day one on all parameters. No sign of fatigue or age whatsoever.

Negatives :
A few misses

• Rear seats tad too upright with hard cushioning.
• Spacesaver eats up luggage space.
• Would have loved the drive mode selector button somewhere on the steering wheel. Have to look down to make that switch.
• No seat belt warning chime for passenger.
• Ride quality at slow speeds a bit edgy even in comfort mode.
• Non LED turn indicators look too old school now.
• Android Auto missed, but embedded screen layout in dashboard is a perfect fit to place the phone with G maps on.
• I would like the current gear displayed in regular D mode (like it does in VWs)
• Would like the good old oil dipstick to check oil level and quality.

Servicing
I am continuing to service the car at Navnit Motors Airport road facility. I am a happy customer, they've taken good care of my car. I never had BSI, but have religiously followed the iDrive service reccomendations to the T. Post 5 years, BMW offers discounts on service parts and labour proportionate to the age of the car. I think I got about 18% discount on my last service bill. Brake pads and discs also seem to have decent life. I am averaging 25K kms per pad change. Both front and rear discs have been changed just once in the ownership period thus far. Service bills average about 40k p.a., which is not bad for this class of car.

The infamous F series door handle issue
The X3's build quality is top notch. Interiors look and feel like new even now, except for the driver side door handle rubber trim that seems to have given up. Quite a common issue with the F series BMWs. No squeaks or rattles otherwise. I periodically apply some lubricants over the door rubber beadings and that seems to keep them from squeaking. I also pamper the steering wheel with some leather cleaner and conditioner every now and then to keep it fresh. Suspension is holding up fine as of now. That may be then next big ticket service item as it is the adaptive type.



What next?
Very tough question. Cars with similar or more power cost a lot of money these days. The X3 is fun, fast, spacious, fairly comfortable and reliable. What it misses out on is modern gadgetry - Android auto, ADAS, this assist, that assist blah blah. It has all the must have safety features I need and I am not a gadget freak. New cars coming out these days hardly feel like a step up for me. They cost big money and are ugly looking. I believe I've got BMWs best diesel mill + GB + AWD all wrapped in this one superb package. I don't think I will ever get bored of this one. The F25 X3 belongs to that generation of classic BMWs that you know is a BMW even from a distance in your rear view mirror. Not the case with modern BMWs. You wonder whether it is a Hyundai, Kia or Skoda until it is quite close to you.

Some latest photos after a wash

[iliketurtles]

Congrats on racking up the miles and using her like you should, she's a beauty and reflects the love you have put into keeping her up to spec.

I fully believe the 530d is the perfect car for India, courtesy this 30d powerplant. And in the X3 30d, you have an absolute weapon on your hands with its go anywhere ability thanks to ample ground clearance and X-drive. Your ride is as close to perfect as it gets when it comes to balancing fun and family needs.

That said...

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

To remap or not : I have had endless debates in my mind about this. I always believed that I'd be getting a remap once the extended warranty expired. It's been nearly 2.5 years since that happened and still no remap. On fast expressways the car is mighlty fast in stock form (Max 258 PS/ 560 NM at decent rpms). No matter what gear, what rpm, there is always power on tap...

...The fact is that 95% of the time, I am in my default mode, cruising smoothly and happily. I keep asking my self "Do I really need that remap?"

To this, I will simply say, do it. It transforms the character of the drivetrain even further, especially when paired with a top class transmission tune.

I've driven a stage 2 530d extensively, and it is a different animal entirely to its stock form. The passing power on the highways is in a different league, and even though the engine operates in a narrow power band, I always found it was in the right gear and in the meat of a wave of torque to just leave almost anyone behind. This was, of course, in sports mode. Because, why not?

Even in the city, the car was a tower of power, capable of leaving 90+% of cars it encounters in the dust. Perfect for blasting past that pesky rickshaw wala or biker that is absent-mindedly or otherwise drifting into your lane, or taking off from a signal when your inner racer boy momentarily wakes up.

I think the question you should ask is "why shouldn't I remap?" rather than "why should I remap?". It's a must-do, IMO.

[OffRoadFun]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

7.5 yrs - 84,000 kms update

To remap or not : I have had endless debates in my mind about this. I always believed that I'd be getting a remap once the extended warranty expired. It's been nearly 2.5 years since that happenend and still no remap. On fast expressways the car is mighlty fast in stock form (Max 258 PS/ 560 NM at decent rpms).


Very tough question. Cars with similar or more power cost a lot of money these days. The X3 is fun, fast, spacious, fairly comfortable and reliable. What it misses out on is modern gadgetry - Android auto, ADAS, this assist, that assist blah blah. It has all the must have safety features I need and I am not a gadget freak.

Congratulations on the milestone and the update! 6-cyl diesel engine from BMW is an amazing motor.

As someone who went for a re-map as well as installed "modern gadgetry" on my stock Q5, I can provide my perspective.

Re-map: It does boost the power a bit but 30d is already a powerful beast. After the re-map (211 --> 255hp), I am not aware of one situation where I could overtake a car in city traffic (or even otherwise on highway) because I had a re-map which otherwise would not have been possible. The point is constraint on city roads is open space, not power. (Anyways, having a drag race with comparably powered car for overtaking is extremely dangerous in city , which should always be avoided.) For highways, unless one feels underpower "absolutely", what's the point of extra power when probability of encountering similar powered cars is low and again, drag race should be avoided at all costs? Confession: At times, I believe driving a powerful car (200HP+) LEADS to frustration/aggressive driving behavior due to our overcrowded roads.

Regarding gadgetry: Mine also did not have BT (only for calls) and integrated maps. For a long time, a BT FM transmitter hidden provided excellent music from my phone and map directions were decent from phone mounted on magnetic phone mount on dashboard (Youtube premium subscription ensured YT runs in background/off screen). Only issue was phone would sometimes get overheated on long drives on dashboard. I recently installed integrated ICE for around 1L (Will write a post on that shortly). It's good with bigger display and other Apps but I realized I was not missing much earlier too as a believer in minimalism. Was it worth it ? A hesitant yes!

Cheers,
OffroadFun

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

when your inner racer boy momentarily wakes up.

I think the question you should ask is "why shouldn't I remap?" rather than "why should I remap?". It's a must-do, IMO.

With great difficulty I've put that inner boy racer to sleep. You don't know the kind of control he has had over us. Now he is sitting here, salivating, making me read your post over and over again.

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

Congratulations on the milestone and the update! 6-cyl diesel engine from BMW is an amazing motor.

As someone who went for a re-map as well as installed "modern gadgetry" on my stock Q5, I can provide my perspective.

Power is addictive, we can never have enough of it. I have exploited the raw power of this engine to the fullest extent possible as I drive to Belgaum (500 kms one way) and back almost once a month. The roads are awesome now. I can't remember a single occasion where I have said "I wish I had more power". If the raw power of the stock 30d is not enough, then you can imagine what kind of speeds and duels we are talking about. And I have had my fair share of duels! I am trying to resist the urge to race every time someone challenges me. I don't know if I'll be able to do that if you give me another 50 bhp and 100 NM

I also see iliketurtle's point. Tuning the engine does not necessarily mean one has to drive flat out all the time. The remap delivers more boost and power across the rev range and even if your are just cruising in comfort mode at a steady pace, the extra layer of torque and power under your feet increases the driving pleasure quotient. After all, that is what is we are all after.

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

Regarding gadgetry: Mine also did not have BT (only for calls) and integrated maps.

The infotainment has bluetooth connectivity and I am able to play streaming audio from apps like Spotify seamlessly from the phone. There is navigation also, but the maps are old and not live maps like Google maps. The phone heating issue is one thing we have to watch out for while using google navigation from phone.

[OffRoadFun]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

If the raw power of the stock 30d is not enough, then you can imagine what kind of speeds and duels we are talking about. And I have had my fair share of duels! I am trying to resist the urge to race every time someone challenges me. I don't know if I'll be able to do that if you give me another 50 bhp and 100 NM

Fair enough. At the risk of sounding like lecturing, my thoughts. There is no dearth of "challengers" ranging from Suzuki Swift to what not on any highway in India.

Read this in Fortune magazine sometime back:

Once you win/lose a 0-100 duel, victory/humiliation is COMPLETE for a REAL man/driver.

If the adversary challenges by going to crazy speeds in 30 seconds on roads NOT designed to do those crazy speeds (which almost none of Indian highways are NOT), he/she is forcing you to play the game by his/her rules, not yours and is unworthy of a duel. Any decent car can touch even 180+ kmph in 30-40 seconds, but that's not the point. I pick a speed which is comfortable for oneself on highway, once ahead, and not by what other person would like me to drive at.

And that is precisely why duels are absolute pointless on crowded city roads, though tempting!

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

With great difficulty, I've put that inner boy racer to sleep. You don't know the kind of control he has had over us. Now he is sitting here, salivating, making me read your post over and over again.

Oh believe me, I know that buoy very well. I wrestle with him every day. (I know that sounds wrong out of context).

Every time I'm at a signal, and I see an empty stretch, I hear my inner monologue at play. The angel and the devil. It sounds something like this.

"Don't do it"

"You know you want to"

"No. Please. No"

"Send it"

"THINK OF THE CHILDREN!"

"YOU HAVE NO CHILDREN!"

"WILL NOBODY THINK OF THE HYPOTHETICAL CHILDREN?"

"SEND IT, YOU COWARD"


I will not say who wins more often, but let's just say it's a 55:45 bias one way.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I also see iliketurtle's point. Tuning the engine does not necessarily mean one has to drive flat out all the time.

Exactly! It's just wonderful sitting in the centre of that power band, knowing a flex of your toe is all you need to make a move on.

It's like if I work out at the gym and build a physique to be envied (hah!). I'm not going to go about flexing it for all to see all the time. But just knowing it's there, and feeling it ripple by inducing just the slightest twitch is intoxicating.

At least I imagine it would be.

[suhaas307]

It is a misconception that remaps are unnecessary for powerful cars.

If that really were the case, there wouldn’t be tuning companies expending hard earned resources into cracking / unlocking ECUs of engines like the B58. Or even the twin-turbo flat-six engines in Porsche 911s.

Engine / ECU tuning is more than just turning up the wick and forcing the turbo to boost more, or advancing ignition to manufacture burps and farts, sorry I meant - pops and bangs, from the exhaust.

A carefully calibrated ECU tune developed on a dyno by the right people will extract the best from the engine - power as well as efficiency without compromising its reliability. And if you are feeling particularly naughty, your engine could run even cooler with the right hardware modifications, like a catted/catless downpipe.

Tune your car, I would say! Don’t think twice about it, considering you have taken great care of your car. The straight-six diesel is a reliable motor with another lakh miles left in it before requiring any serious attention or intervention, I’m sure.

And you would know this - once tuned, you can never go back to stock. It just wouldn’t feel the same.

[adi58]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

7.5 yrs - 84,000 kms update

Wheel bearings replaced : BMW parts are not cheap and the cost of replacing the bearings for both the rear wheels came to about Rs. 31k.

Wheel bearings premature failure could be because of your 19inch wheels?

[androdev]

Congrats on the milestone! I feel like I'm your contemporary in the sense of moving from Skoda Laura to a German tank along with a bit of fun with two door sporty petrol. Our best driving years coincided with "coming of age" of Indian car scene - all this at relatively reasonable prices. "What next" is a very expensive proposition even to contemplate - you may spend tons of money but unlikely to experience any new exciting emotion unless you dig giant screens.

I would say better to wait for the EV scene to mature - hopefully some brands will pursue a different route instead of "car as an appliance" approach. Something like a Leica digital camera - which has retained all that Leica stands for during the transition from film to digital technology. Unfortunately BMW doesn't seem to be on such a path so I wouldn't hold my breath. Maybe Porsche or some new leader like Hyundai/Kia.

About the remap, I'm sure you can extract better performance as you won't have emission related constraints like a manufacturer. People tend to geek out once they venture into the realm of tuning and the car becomes a "project car" with infinite possibilities and trial and errors. Great if you enjoy that type of ownership but given that you are still using A.S.S, I am not sure you should venture down this path. If you still feel you need a more thrilling ICE experience, may I suggest you look at a sedan like a proper M :-)

I am curious about the wheel bearing issue. What do you suspect caused the issue - a known BMW issue or your driving (hard impact or incorrect fit of 19" wheels, etc.)?

[the_skyliner]

Congratulations on completing another milestone, Santoshbhat. Kudos to you for keeping this thread as up-to-date as possible and filling it with so much useful information.

Have enjoyed reading it every time you post something in it.

However, I will go against the tide here and would suggest you to upgrade. The car's age is such that probably you can still derive some meaningful resale value out of it. I have seen my cousin struggle with selling his luxury cars beyond 10 years. The quotes you get after that are eye watering and also most of the customers that you get to interact with are also not the type you would want to hand over your car to.

Not to mention the risk of being out of warranty with an older gen car. I am sure the engine will hold good for another 7 years but not so sure about suspension, steering mechanism, other electronics, etc.

What to upgrade to? - is definitely a very difficult question to answer. But if you are open to sedans then 340i could be an excellent proposition.

If you decide to retain the car then I don't see how remapping would hurt. It will definitely have a noticeable power bump and you can enjoy it especially on the long highway runs.

Cheers!

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Exactly!

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Tune your car, I would say!

You nice gents have done a great job of pushing me over the edge

Originally Posted by androdev

Congrats on the milestone! I feel like I'm your contemporary in the sense of moving from Skoda Laura to a German tank along with a bit of fun with two door sporty petrol. Our best driving years coincided with "coming of age" of Indian car scene - all this at relatively reasonable prices.

You can say that again! I was really lucky to get my hands on these rare production cars (X3 30d + GTI) when no one was really going for them. This makes the process of upgrading or replacement super difficult especially in this era of tight emission norms, EV push, high taxes and inflation. And no I don't dig giant screens!

Originally Posted by androdev

About the remap, I'm sure you can extract better performance as you won't have emission related constraints like a manufacturer. People tend to geek out once they venture into the realm of tuning and the car becomes a "project car" with infinite possibilities and trial and errors. Great if you enjoy that type of ownership but given that you are still using A.S.S, I am not sure you should venture down this path.

I am not holding back the remap for servicing reasons. BMW service guys are least bothered about these things once you are out of warranty. You might remember us having a discussion once about driving fast and associated risks on our highways and about the need to slow down. I have a natural tendency to drive fast. I am just afraid more power will break my resolve!

Originally Posted by androdev

If you still feel you need a more thrilling ICE experience, may I suggest you look at a sedan like a proper M :-)

I reckon the X3 is a keeper. Perfect highway cruiser with lusty engine + long range combined with decent comfort + luxury. I don't think my family can handle higher G forces. I've seen what fast drives in the GTI does to them. If at all, it's the GTI that has to make way for something more exciting. I am looking forward to the "what next" question in that category

Originally Posted by androdev

I am curious about the wheel bearing issue. What do you suspect caused the issue - a known BMW issue or your driving (hard impact or incorrect fit of 19" wheels, etc.)?

I also suspected non OE wheels to be reason for this. But these wheels are lighter than OE wheels (even the fat rear wheels). The size and and fitment are perfect as these are listed by BBS specifically for this BMW F25 X3 model. There is no need for hub rings, spacers etc.. There is a slight difference in offset which might have had an impact. My SA says that wheel bearing replacement around 1 lakh kms is common. 90% of my running is on fast highways. So my average speed in these 80,000 odd kms is surely 3x or 4x compared to similar mileage cars. I believe this to be the main reason. I could be wrong. 19" wheels were installed around the 45 k km mark. If this set also wears out in the next 30 odd thousand kms, then we can surely blame the wheels. Hard impact on potholes etc.. can also cause damage. The bearings were damaged on only wheel of the rear axle. When you are replacing bearings, it is always recommended that you do for both wheels on that axle simultaneously. So we did just that.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

You might remember us having a discussion once about driving fast and associated risks on our highways and about the need to slow down. I have a natural tendency to drive fast. I am just afraid more power will break my resolve!

Tell me about it, I have come to a point where I am liking a Camry Hybrid. My top speed has steadily come down during the last 10 years. Whatever little josh is left in the tank, I reserver it for the 911 and even there I chose my moments very cautiously. My copilot expresses his displeasure in not engaging in duels but I tell him duels on public roads are won based on recklessness and not horsepower or skills. Of course, I feel like the middle aged mom, who has been there done that, preaching her teenage daughter to be "sanskari"

I am not holding back the remap for servicing reasons. BMW service guys are least bothered about these things once you are out of warranty.

What I mean is that experience of interacting with A.S.S is very different from private garages and tuners. Luxury cars of this age typically change hands and tend to be "valued" less by private garages. Whereas it's the reverse at the A.S.S as far as my experience goes. They do appreciate older cars that are maintained in great condition and service experience tends to get very personal.

I reckon the X3 is a keeper. Perfect highway cruiser with lusty engine + long range combined with decent comfort + luxury. I don't think my family can handle higher G forces. I've seen what fast drives in the GTI does to them. If at all, it's the GTI that has to make way for something more exciting. I am looking forward to the "what next" question in that category

This is the right thing to do and it's been my approach as well. No matter how big a repair bill I have to foot for my S Class, it would be peanuts compared to a new car. The trick is to keep the car in great condition inside out - which is perfectly doable with these German cars if you are the only person driving it.

I also suspected non OE wheels to be reason for this. But these wheels are lighter than OE wheels (even the fat rear wheels). The size and and fitment are perfect as these are listed by BBS specifically for this BMW F25 X3 model. There is no need for hub rings, spacers etc.. There is a slight difference in offset which might have had an impact. My SA says that wheel bearing replacement around 1 lakh kms is common. 90% of my running is on fast highways. So my average speed in these 80,000 odd kms is surely 3x or 4x compared to similar mileage cars. I believe this to be the main reason. I could be wrong. 19" wheels were installed around the 45 k km mark. If this set also wears out in the next 30 odd thousand kms, then we can surely blame the wheels. Hard impact on potholes etc.. can also cause damage. The bearings were damaged on only wheel of the rear axle. When you are replacing bearings, it is always recommended that you do for both wheels on that axle simultaneously. So we did just that.

If the wheel are of correct spec then I wouldn't blame the wheels - I am guess they are forged and lighter? However 19" leaves less sidewall to soak up the impact and if you maintain really good speeds, then all the imperfections of the road transmit to the wheel bearing. So I guess must be a combination of several factors that shaved off 20-30% expected life. I particularly hate the expansion joins on our roads - in the middle of a beautiful smooth asphalt stretch that looks so perfect and inviting.. boom, expansion joints! If you hit one those at some crazy speed, you can imagine the impact that gets transmitted to the bearings.

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I also suspected non OE wheels to be reason for this. But these wheels are lighter than OE wheels (even the fat rear wheels). The size and and fitment are perfect as these are listed by BBS specifically for this BMW F25 X3 model. There is no need for hub rings, spacers etc.. There is a slight difference in offset which might have had an impact. My SA says that wheel bearing replacement around 1 lakh kms is common. 90% of my running is on fast highways. So my average speed in these 80,000 odd kms is surely 3x or 4x compared to similar mileage cars. I believe this to be the main reason. I could be wrong. 19" wheels were installed around the 45 k km mark. If this set also wears out in the next 30 odd thousand kms, then we can surely blame the wheels. Hard impact on potholes etc.. can also cause damage. The bearings were damaged on only wheel of the rear axle. When you are replacing bearings, it is always recommended that you do for both wheels on that axle simultaneously. So we did just that.

Originally Posted by androdev

If the wheel are of correct spec then I wouldn't blame the wheels - I am guess they are forged and lighter? However 19" leaves less sidewall to soak up the impact and if you maintain really good speeds, then all the imperfections of the road transmit to the wheel bearing. So I guess must be a combination of several factors that shaved off 20-30% expected life. I particularly hate the expansion joins on our roads - in the middle of a beautiful smooth asphalt stretch that looks so perfect and inviting.. boom, expansion joints! If you hit one those at some crazy speed, you can imagine the impact that gets transmitted to the bearings.

I feel that the easily bent alloys on BMWs (and maybe other Germans too) is a feature, not a bug, to prevent damage to other components like wheel bearings, suspension parts, steering rack etc. If the OEM wheels are replaced with something stronger, then the components downstream of the wheels are at risk of premature failures. BMW's official guidance says that wheel damage (with wheel alignment falling out of spec) could require wheel bearing replacement, because of consequential damage.