[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by yshvj

Congrats Suhaas for the amazing ride. The spec is absolutely exotic, red on black is perfect.

This car looks stunning in the stock form, looks sporty, classy, understated.

Thank you! I intend to keep it looking "stock" forever. Nothing quite beats the pure and simple lines of a standard 3-Series in my opinion.

Originally Posted by N4Revv

Wow, what a post. Congratulations on your best decision, its too good when you get so much fun in so less amount of money. OLD BMWs are really the real BMWs, new ones seems less in looks as well as driving dynamics, with each passing year they are taking out the spirit of it making Japanese models a good contender. Your Polo was such a beauty and this BMW is the right replacement of her, a true upgrade. Hats off ����

Thank you!

Well, it may have been reasonably priced to buy, but it ain't cheap to maintain let me be honest!

Originally Posted by UD_328i

Thank you, Suhaas. This is very helpful.

Any time! Do reach out if you have any queries or concerns.

Originally Posted by 99octane

Congratulations on building a true 328i with the absolute right mods! The engine is a gem and wholehearted good luck and wishes for a happy car ownership

While reading through few things popped up in my head, what was the customs process like? Assuming you got it door delivered how much customs duty was imposed on the parts and the timeline from shipping to delivery.
Over and above how was your experience dealing with GTP Otomotive for the exhaust?

I’m in a similar situation looking for parts for 2 of my cars and both these sellers offer a good ton of options. Hope to get some good insight into your experience

99Octane

Thank you!

So, for some of the items like the charge pipes, boost pipe, intercooler and the active autowerke exhaust, I enlisted the services of an agent to help me ship the parts and clear customs. I did not have the time to deal with it myself, hence.

I have dealt with GTP Otomotive for several parts and so far, I am extremely happy. GTPO is extremely transparent and the costs are not only reasonable but competitive. While most tuners and speedshops quote exorbitant prices for imported parts, GTPO prefers to price items competitively and levies minimal margins on goods. I would recommend them strongly, especially for big ticket items.

Originally Posted by Surprise

Wow! Building a car to one's taste requires in-depth knowledge, patience & passion. Reading your threads on purchase experience, the different stages of modifications with stunning pictures & attention to details is like reading an interesting novel. You have been extremely open and honest with your experiences, which is truly an asset for this forum.

Thank you for your kind words!


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6-Month (February) Update:

I have now been living with this car for about 6 months, and I must admit that I was bowled over by it!

The sharp and direct steering, uncorrupted by driveshafts and whathaveyou, the low and focused driving position, the red leather interior that is borderline exotic - something straight out of a sports car, the punchy 4-cylinder engine and the fruity exhaust note courtesy the new MPE; this car ticks all the right boxes!

It's such a fun car that I often find myself jumping into the drivers seat late into the night, for a short spin around the city and for no apparent reason:





It's so good that suddenly, the Laura felt like a truck to drive! The weight over the front axle was suddenly extremely apparent, the laboured steering feel and laziness with which it changes direction, the 1.8 litre TSI engine suddenly felt agricultural and insipid, despite the stage-2 software and the Milltek exhaust.

Somehow, the Laura felt even larger than the 3-Series even though it isn't! and the 3 felt easier to drive in the city thanks to the automatic transmission and quicker steering.

I realised that it was pointless to keep the Laura and decided to let it go.

Fortunately, an extremely enthusiastic gentleman spotted the Laura receiving some TLC at Carmed and made an offer that I couldn't refuse!

Deal done, and now I am back to owning just the one car (if I don't count my extended family's long list of cars).

While at Carmed, I decided to resolve another small issue that I had mentioned in my opening post - the sticky door handles.

This was quite possibly the easiest fix of the lot!

A set of 4 inner door pulls (in black) were available on amazon.in of all places, for a small sum of INR 8000. I bought the set and took it to Carmed for a quick swap:



No more sticky door handles!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Thankfully, my car, at approximately 41,000 km, still has plenty of time before the timing chain becomes a serious problem. Also, there are certain tell-tale signs of timing chain failure such as a loud mechanical whine during acceleration or while revving the car when stationary that would alert me into taking immediate corrective action.

If its reassuring at all, I've got 104,000km on my 328i and everything around the engine remains stock. I've got no issues or leaks as of now. I do keep an eye on things. Pop the hood atleast once a month to take a quick look around the engine and ensure coolant levels are in check. Unfortunately you can't check oil levels as there is no dip stick. My car does not have a engine coolant temperature gauge either. There is a oil temperature gauge.

I have been toying around the idea of getting an after market exhaust. Just can't seem to get myself to put in the money. Maybe its cause I've been thinking of trading up to something else. As you know, anything after market you throw at the car makes it less appealing to the general crowd and you're also going to loose money on that part cause you can't swap it over to the new car. Only a handful appreciate modifications.

On replacing the sticky grab handles, I assume you had to break the rivets to get them out? The screws by themselves do no allow you to take these out. Thats how its setup on my car the reason I've delayed replacing them. For me, its just the drivers door grab thats failed. All other grab handles are in good nick.

What you have a nice low run, well maintained sample of a 328i. Look after the car and all should go well. I would not necessarily pry open anything unless there is a real issue going on.

[ExtremePocca]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

for a small sum of INR 8000.

Is that a typo or has inflation gotten that bad? 8000 INR For 4 small pieces of plastic?