Team-BHP - BMW 320d & 328i (F30) : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly66 (Post 4719764)

Cigarette lighter or USB port:

Hi, do any of you know whether any of the above ports remain always powered on even after switching off the car? All the 3 cigarette lighter sockets turn off after about 10 min.

I want to connect a wifi camera which has a built in battery that needs constant charging (only 30 min backup). I want to use that as a rear camera (usb based) connected to my Android tablet. If it losses power overnight, I need to press the power button on the camera in the morning which is not practical. Hence, this question.

I bought a Garmin Dashcam with a similar deal - however mine starts on powering on the engine, so no such issue. I didn't want to lose my cigarette lighter port, so I hardwired the camera to the fuse box (had to buy a specific hardwire kit - you'll find it on Amazon in a few years once lockdown ends :p ). We've set it up such that it switches on with the car, and switches off 30 minutes after turning the engine off. You can plug it in to the another socket to have it powered non-stop, but please don't try this yourself. I got mine done from Wagenwerkz in Mumbai.

Quote:

Originally Posted by graaja (Post 4747678)

Was this the first brake pad change? Usually, the discs are changed only every 2nd brake pad change. It is strange that you had to change the discs at 34K kilometers. But with a disc change, you will get the most out of the money you paid for the BSI+

I have taken a 3 year / 40K kilometers BSI+. The front brake pads were changed around the 20K kilometers mark. The rear pads have come up for replacement now at 34K kilometers. But no need for discs yet.

I'm in a strange predicament with my brake pads. I bought my F30 LCI in August with 15k on the ODO. No brake pad change done on it. Up to 22k now, but iDrive still says I have ANOTHER 24k remaining for front pads and 30k+ on rear, which seems a bit absurd to me. I haven't heard of any BMW that ran the same set of pads for 45-50k.

A few months ago, I had a wheel squeaking issue in my right rear tyre (a loud metallic squeak as the tyre rotates, only at low speeds), for which I took the car into the shop a couple of times. After the first time of cleaning out the pads the issue persisted post which they did a wear check on the pads and measured them. SR told me I had had around 6mm left on the rear pads before they would need changing, but they can't change under BSI Plus until it's almost completely worn. ODO was at around 21k at that time and he said it should be due in approx 500km and the iDrive would alert me. It's been 1k+ and nothing. However, I have an ABS sensor warning light out of the blue which comes when I start the car and goes away with after driving 30 minutes and restarting the engine. So I'm a bit puzzled as to what's actually going on. It's also rather hilarious how at least 3 BMW SRs have told me that iDrive brake pad readings are completely unreliable. So what's the point then?!

Quote:

Originally Posted by zebanaff (Post 4793887)

So I'm a bit puzzled as to what's actually going on. It's also rather hilarious how at least 3 BMW SRs have told me that iDrive brake pad readings are completely unreliable. So what's the point then?!

The brake pads have a physical wear indicator. This is just a couple of wires embedded inside the pad. When the pad wears and the wires get exposed, the brake disc shorts these and the car knows that the pads have worn out enough to be replaced.

But till the pad wears and reaches these physical wires, iDrive just does a prediction based on kilometers run and braking patter. This has very high amount of error. Once the pads reach the physical wear indicator, you will see a sudden jump in iDrive from maybe 10000 kilometers to 1500 kilometers.

So, till the pads reach the physical wear indicator, the pad life shown in iDrive is meaningless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dealer (Post 4792765)

Hey guys,

After using a vin decoder online I noticed that my F30 LCI 320i had the option -
S858 - Low Compression Engine

I couldn't find much info regarding this option and was wondering what difference it made in terms of power. Previously when the car came with the N20 series of engines, the S858 variant shared the same pistons between the 320i and the 328i. Can fellow 320i/328i/330i owners check if they have the same option when using a vin decoder? Does the option mean that running a higher Octane of fuel wouldn't make a difference?

As far as I know, in the n20 engine too, the pistons were different between the 20i and 28i tunes. It is the same with the B48 engine. I think the decoder is giving you the option code wrong, because for most petrol BMWs I have noticed, S858 is engine settings for lower quality fuel or something. Basically they detune it a little bit, so that it runs on regular fuel with minimal issues. That being said, if you put in higher octane fuel you will definitely notice a difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by graaja (Post 4793927)

Thanks for clearing that up. I think I should be due for a change anytime now. Any chance that my ABS speed sensor warning is linked to this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by zebanaff (Post 4794097)

Thanks for clearing that up. I think I should be due for a change anytime now. Any chance that my ABS speed sensor warning is linked to this?

The abs warning is not linked to this and you should get your car scanned for any error codes/faults. There is no reason as to why the light should stay on or come on frequently. Could be an issue with one of your wheel speed sensors and it might need cleaning or replacement.

The iDrive brake pad indication is not very reliable and it is better to keep a visual check when giving the car for alignment/balancing, that is what i do. My rear pads were showing 12000 kms, i started on a 1200 kms road trip and halfway through, the sensor tripped and then it dropped to 2000 kms, thereafter it drops 100 kms. I was far away from any bmw workshop and was a bit tensed that i would damage the discs too if the pad thickness goes too low, got it changed at 800 kms to go and there was hardly anything left on the pads.\

Though the iDrive brake pad life indication is not accurate, it is a deterrent to to some dealerships who are hell bent on fleecing customers by saying your brake pads need a change and the customer accepts since he does not have a clue. It is safe because i have not yet heard of pads getting worn down to limits and the iDrive showing 15000-20000 kms, it is accurate when it is on its last legs, kind of a plus point against dealer malpractice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by graaja (Post 4793927)

Oh, good to know this! My 320d has done nearly 22K in 3 years and my iDrive is still showing 60K for Rear pads and 70K for front pads (surprisingly after an Idrive update this moved up from 60K).

When I went for monsoon check in Sep 19, my brake pad thickness was 10 mm in front and 9 mm at the back (new ones have 12.5 to 13 mm). I am told that pads will need to be changed only when it goes below 3.7 mm.

So is the physical wear indicator closer to this 3.7mm mark? I was wondering why the iDrive reading has still not changed. Of course, I don't brake too hard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly66 (Post 4795607)

Yes. The wear indicator will be closer to 5mm or so. You will still have some life with the pads after the wear indicators are exposed.

As you mention that you don't brake hard, that could be the reason for the 60K life that iDrive is predicting for the pads. It calculates the wear based on how hard you brake and at what speeds you brake etc.

I am facing a peculiar rattle from the front of my 320D from the past 2 months, have shown it my mechanic but he has not been able to diagnose as such and recommends opening up the suspension which i do not want to do.

I had installed Bilstein B6's an year back and initially though there could be an issue with them or the installation, at low speed on rough/slightly deformed roads, i am able to hear slight rattles, like metal clanging. I had got the brake pads changed to Textar an year back since BMW wanted to return the car next day with a brake job and i had a long drive planned, i rushed to my mechanic and got the front pads changed and this happened 7-8 months back. The idrive sensor tripped from 8-9k to 2000kms suddenly and i did not want to take a chance. The pads otherwise are doing good, no complaints.

I read a lot about it on bimmer post and have narrowed it down to something with the brakes. The moment i hit the same road/bumps with my brake pedal pressed, the noise vanishes. I read about it and i guess it is with the anti rattle or retaining clips on the pads and it is an issue faced by many, bmw advises to replace them for cars older than 4 years and mine is about to complete 5.

I have ruled out suspension components or steering rack since the moment i hit brake pedal, the noise goes off. Waiting for lockdown to open so i can send the car to the workshop, if any one has any advice, would appreciate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolboy007 (Post 4802893)

I am facing a peculiar rattle from the front of my 320D from the past 2 months, have shown it my mechanic but he has not been able to diagnose as such and recommends opening up the suspension which i do not want to do.

I have ruled out suspension components or steering rack since the moment i hit brake pedal, the noise goes off. Waiting for lockdown to open so i can send the car to the workshop, if any one has any advice, would appreciate.

While I do not have any particular solution for your case, uploading a video with clear sound of the rattle would be greatly beneficial in diagnosing the issue. I have found that a lot of times we misdiagnose the problem relying solely on the sound we hear in the car, a video that you can hear at any time and can send to a qualified mechanic would be of great use!

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolboy007 (Post 4802893)

I had installed Bilstein B6's an year back and initially though there could be an issue with them or the installation, at low speed on rough/slightly deformed roads, i am able to hear slight rattles, like metal clanging. I had got the brake pads changed to Textar an year back since BMW wanted to return the car next day with a brake job and i had a long drive planned, i rushed to my mechanic and got the front pads changed and this happened 7-8 months back. The idrive sensor tripped from 8-9k to 2000kms suddenly and i did not want to take a chance. The pads otherwise are doing good, no complaints.

This will probably be a clip or a pin missing or loose in the caliper. That's what you should check first.