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-   -   BMW 320d & 328i (F30) : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/126290-bmw-320d-328i-f30-official-review-120.html)

It would mostly be due to a sensor malfunction/failure. The brake pad kms range does fall erratically but now to this extent that it would drop from 20k to 2k in a matter of days.

My 320d after 1yr 8 months & 20,000 Kms - no problems to report. It's been a wonderful ownership experience.





I had switched to normal tubeless tyres (Continental Conti Sport Contact 5) right after collection day and that turned our to be the best thing I had ever done to the car. Even though the tyres where doing a great job, a small mis-handling of the car at the service centre damaged one of the rear tyres to cause a bulge, so had to replace both rear tyres and this time I went for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4. I know that it is not recommended to put different brand tyres on the same car, but I figured since I would be replacing the front Contis with Michelins soon, it wouldn't matter that much. The grip difference is noticeable at higher speeds - nothing alarming though.

** If you are planning on changing your RFTs to Normal tubeless, please go for Michelin Pilot Sport 4 as they are now available in 225/50 R17 - they are the better tyres.





I had also Ceramic coated the car from Ceramic Pro Kochi - well I am not sure if this was a good decision yet. I have the following reasons:

The Pros:

1. The coating make body panels very smooth and slippery - makes cleaning the car slightly easier and non-coated cars. Water still glides off the car and its a joy to watch that as it makes you feel like you are washing a brand new car.

2. The car gleams a lot after a wash and looks brand new.

The Cons:

1. The car is prone to scratches, even though Ceramic Pro advertises that you will not get any scratches on your car - the truth is that my car has swirl marks even though its just me washing the car 9/10 times - and I am very careful about how I wash the car.

2. If you are washing your car at your local service station, you have to make sure that they do not use wash based shampoos or dirty cloths that may scratch the coating. ** Ironic, when you have done the coating to protect your paint and now you are protecting the coating!!** :deadhorse

PPF would be a better alternative for protecting your paint as it has self healing properties and replacing a worn out film would be easier and faster.



Overall, I am very happy that I chose a 3 series. I have driven some very good and more powerful cars, but this car is quiet addictive:

1. The handling and composure is very very good compared to anything south of 75L.
2. Enough power to "smoke" most other cars on road.
3. Grip is always available no matter even if you turn in again while cornering (the car is more capable than you would think or ever need it to be)

And the cherry on top for me where figures like this below:



Dear F30, you have been very good and you will be missed dearly. Let's hope that the new G20 will fill in the shoes better.

Not having fancied the looks of the new incoming 3 series front end with the bonnet tip moved back and the slats exposed more, I've gone for the outgoing 330i M Sport in Estoril blue. The incoming 3 series may be far superior in handling as per reviews so far, but I was quite happy with the way the 320d handled, and am sure the 330i (which I will take delivery of in March) will handle even better with its staggered tyre size and variable sport steering.

Any suggestions of change of alloy wheel size to 17" from those who have owned the 330i M Sport?

Hi Guys,

I'm driving a F30 BMW 320d Prestige model and the tyres are up for replacement. My current setup is Bridgestone RFTs - 225/55R16.

Looking out for options in both RFTs and Tubeless. Some forum members including Tanveer_2558 have advised to go with Tubeless ones. So, here are the tyres I'm looking at currently.

Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 Tubeless - 10.5k per tyre
Pirelli Cinturato P7 XL Tubeless - 10.5k per tyre
Michelin PRIMACY 3 ST Tubeless - 11.5k per tyre
Yokohoma Advan Sport RFT - 13.3k per tyre (surprisingly low for an RFT)

Please give your feedback and advice on the above mentioned tyres and also I'm open for any other options.

Thanks in advance.

I'd advise you should consider Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 17", 225, R50. Perfect fit for your car's persona!

Hi Madhav,

I have been using the Primacy 3 ST on my Jetta for over 3 years now and have found their performance to be very good. Over the OEMs, i found the following advantages (Pl note that I have upsized to 17" from the original 16"s)

- Better handling, esp cornering speeds
- Improved braking (lets me push the limits of the car both city driving as well as on the highway)
- Not much change in ride quality or mileage

For my 328i though i have switched to the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tubeless (staggered setup 225/45 front & 245/40 rear) in the initial stages itself and found substantial improvement in the overall handling and comfort levels of the ride.

Though it is a little bit of an effort to import these sizes, I would definitely urge you to consider, given the benefits.

Cheers!!

Hi guys,

Did anyone extend the 320d's warranty recently. My 2 year warranty is going to lapse next month and I plan to extend it to 5 years prior to that.

Following is the quote I got from Hyderabad dealer , wanted to check if this is inline with what other have received.

That looks fine. I paid similar amount (2.88L) for 6 year BRI for my 330i GT.

Rates are correct. Mine is also due next month. My usage is 13.7K in 23 months and not finding a very valid reason to go for it. I know its for peace of mind/like insurance, etc, but beyond 2 addl yrs seems way too high.

My question is why is BMW giving these options as extra and not giving 3/4 yr warranty bundled at the time of purchase.

Yes, it does give the option for the buyer to choose. But, is this another way for them to make money?

How many in this forum have really benefited from taking extra warranty?

What parts are likely to fail more often?

Is there something like "if it had to fail it would have failed in the first 2 years"?

Can we run a poll on the utility of this extra warranty?

Of course, warranty is definitely a way for BMW to make money.

IMHO, I don't think a poll will really indicate if taking warranty is beneficial. Even if in such a poll, no one has had any warranty claims, that does not mean you would not come across a situation. Warranty, is just an insurance policy against something failing after the standard warranty.

A little late, but I'd recommend the Michelin Primacy 4ST as a good mix of ride and handling. Recently got them on our A6 and it's been a great experience so far!

Unfortunately grippier tyres such as the P Zero, and the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (PS4) are not available in 16" as far as I am aware. That being said, do check if your dealer is able to source Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) in that size - a friend got those on his E90 320D CE.

A query for the gurus out there.

I am getting a BMW 320 Luxury line at 37L on road in Gurgaon. I.e a 15L discount.

The deal is that it is a demo car, with 3000 kms on the odo. On checking the VIN, the date came out at Jan 2018, while the dealer claims that it was delivered to them from the factory in Oct/Nov 2018. Since the VIN number is of the CKD kit, which may have been produced in Jan 2018, is it possible that the car was manufactured in Oct/Nov 2018, as claimed by the dealer.

Otherwise, the car is in mint condition

Car is stored in one of their showrooms, indoors. Car is unregistered and i will be first owner. Will be getting full warranty.

Do you think it is a good buy?

Rgds

Vineet

Even for CKD kits, I think the date you get in VIN check is the date the car was assembled, not the date the CKD kit was made (I could be wrong though). So, it should be a January 2018 manufactured car which was in stock at the factory and sent to the dealer in Oct/Nov 2018.

Usually test drive cars would have gone through lots of abuse from all those test drives. But with BMW which is made to be driven fast, it may be fine. But there is still a small risk involved. If you feel the car does not show any mechanical issues and is worth the small risk, you could negotiate a 5 year or 6 year warranty to be included in the deal. That way, you will have a peace of mind during the ownership.

BMW has this standard practice of replacing their demo cars at 3 months/3000km and the demo vehicles are generally sold at significant discounts because the dealers also get them at subvented prices from BMW.

Going by the above practice, I would say it is a good buy with some more negotiation thrown in.

I was at Noida last week and the dealer there too has 2 demo 320D s for sale, 1 done 1800km and the other 3k km.

You might want to check with them as well to see who gives you a better deal. I was quoted 30-31 lac ex-showroom for the 3k km done blue Luxury Line 320D.

Mine is 16" size and upsizing is costing a Bomb!! So I decided to stick with 16 inch only:D

I'm not getting Primacy 4ST in that size in entire Hyderabad.

Very True!! They are not available in 16" sizes.
Checked with many dealers in Hyderabad. No body could do that. Also tried sourcing RFTs but very less options and old stock available.

Hence, finally took the plunge and went ahead in the tubeless way with Michelin Primacy 3ST.

My Opinions:
- Ride comfort is far far superior now. Feels like I'm riding on cushionslol: (Especially after coming from RFTs).
- Hard Cornering and Handling took a slight toll, but nothing to complain on the grip. It's good.

- Braking - I couldn't find any difference. It's almost the same.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the results. Improved everyday comfort vs occasional & slight handling compromise - I guess I can live with that.

Thank you everyone for your valuable inputs.