[rossm]

Hi all

Have been lurking on these forums for quite a while gathering information, so now I have bought the car I thought I would finally sign up and introduce myself

Spent a long time looking for the right car with the right spec and mileage, am very pleased with the one I found which is a Dec 2012 car with a few toys

F31 330D S Drive
M Sport Package
Black Dakota
Panoramic sunroof with anthracite roof lining (so glad I went for the sunroof option, makes a huge difference to the interior)
ProNav
Harmon Kardon
Adaptive M Suspension
Adaptive Xenons (witchcraft!)
High gloss satin/ aluminium interior
Privacy glass
Dimming mirrors etc

Collection day



First mods: Philips Silvervision indicator bulbs, M Performance black grills and carbon mirror covers (dog approved), M Performance grey floor mats



Planned mods:

Steinbauer ECU
ACS springs
M Performance front splitter
M Performance rear diffuser
M Performance alcantara dash inserts
Better brakes (the previous owner didn't tick the M performance brake option sadly)

I've come from a high revving Honda Civic Type R so whilst its nice to have masses of power available without wringing the car's neck, I'm not so impressed with the turbo lag / dead spot from low RPMs - I'm hoping the Steinbauer ECU upgrade will sort this out though.

Very impressed so far though, the adaptive suspension is really very good indeed and the handling is very good even on the Bridgestone Potenza runflats - the technology on these has moved forward immensely from when I last tried a set. Only raised drain covers and potholes will give an unwanted shock through the car, so I'm sort of debating keeping them or binning them when this set are shot.

One question: all of my 403 alloys have heavy corrosion around the centre caps - in my previous research I have read that people have had BMW successfully replace them. Now I see the car has a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty - has anyone had BMW replace their wheels outside of the 3 year standard car warranty?

Cheers all

[cncmastr]

Congrats and welcome to the club.

[430GH]

Congrats on the new car and again welcome to the forum.

If you bought the car as AUC (Approved Used Car) from BMW then I would have thought they would have sorted the wheels before collection.

If it is AUC, take the car back and point out the corrosion and see what the response is.

If it was an independent then I'm not sure what they would do, could range from nothing to getting the wheel's refurbished.

Good Luck

[rossm]

Thanks very much for the warm welcome!

The car was from an independent, it's unfortunate the previous owner let them get to this state. However, the corrosion itself is not related to any kerbing so I'm hoping to claim under the anti-corrosion warranty. If not then I guess I will get them refinished myself or just put winter tyres on and get a nicer set

Cheers

[TouringPleb]

I doubt very much the alloys will be covered under the anti-corrosion warranty. Depending on age/mileage/service history you may get a goodwill contribution.

[Dyl]

Welcome! Very nice car!

I agree with the sunroof, it makes a big difference to a cabin.

[Norris-wf]

Great looking car there and nice few mods too, looks like the grill and mirror covers are done. That's a fantastic spec you got to, and I completely agree with you, sunroof makes a huge difference.
Welcome to the forum and try to avoid us all spending your money

[HelmutVisor]

Lovely looking car. There is something about an F31 in that colour; perfect.

As for wheels, yep as you've mentioned, its a common BMW issue. I went through two sets (M Sport 313s) on my E92. When I took it in for its initial service, the dealer changed the first set without question due to exactly the corrosion you mentioned. When I px'd the car for the current one, the new wheels had gone exactly the same way. Must cost BMW a fortune due to poor QC on their wheels. Its a shame the previous owner didnt push the dealer.

[CazuaLLUK]

Awesome man!

[Chrismac13]

Lovely motor

[Rich9600]

Great car! Given the chance you'll adjust your style to the 30d delivery, and start a love affair with torque...

[rossm]

Thanks all for the kind comments, I'll hopefully get some better photos up soon with less boring backgrounds

Originally Posted by Rich9600

Great car! Given the chance you'll adjust your style to the 30d delivery, and start a love affair with torque...

Thanks - yes I know what you mean in terms of fast road use eg overtaking, it's more pulling away from junctions into gaps in traffic without flooring it to be honest. I'm hoping for a bit more low-mid range smoothing with the ECU but you're right I really do need to adapt my driving style. I haven't really decided if M/S mode on the gearbox is any better than D in Sport mode yet , I really need to RTFM with this thing, but it's a lot of fun learning

Cheers

[1966-TR4]

Originally Posted by rossm

I haven't really decided if M/S mode on the gearbox is any better than D in Sport mode yet , I really need to RTFM with this thing, but it's a lot of fun learning

Cheers

In iDrive Settings, you can configure whether the Sport Mode via button adjusts Chassis, Drivetrain, or both. I have it set to Chassis only, then if I want to do a fast overtake with maximum throttle response I knock the stick over to M/S (which is always configured to Chassis + Drivetrain )

[willjames]

Top Man...you'll love it. A joy to drive and never gets boring👍

[hyakuhei]

That's a stunning looking car, welcome!

Were the mirror covers BMW OEM or 3rd party? Interested in your thoughts on them.

[brtttt]

Also interested in the mirror caps , thought process behind cf instead of black considering the m performance mods ?

Any links for the Philips Silvervision indicator bulbs ?
Great Spec / Car

[rossm]

Hi guys

Thanks a lot! I wasn't sure I was going to like the mirror covers so went with the 3rd party ones, I found a link in another thread on here. They were around £75 delivered and took around 15 days to arrive. They are actually surprisingly good quality and the clearcoat seems to be pretty thick which means they can probably withstand a lot of road debris and bugsplats without looking nasty too quickly.

As for matching with the rest of the M Performance kit, well if you are standing around 10ft away you can't see the carbon weave unless it's in direct sunshine but I was planning on getting the front splitter resprayed EB2 and the rear diffuser will never see the mirror covers and vice versa so it's irrelevant. The carbon is a gloss finish on the mirrors so blends into the sun protection on the rear 2/3rds of the car just fine

The Silvervision bulbs were around £12 from Amazon, search for part number: 12496SVB2 12496-SV PY21 Silver Vision, fitting was dead easy through the wheelarch flap


Cheers

[Jaghave]

Congratulation

[brtttt]

Originally Posted by rossm

Hi guys

Thanks a lot! I wasn't sure I was going to like the mirror covers so went with the 3rd party ones, I found a link in another thread on here. They were around £75 delivered and took around 15 days to arrive. They are actually surprisingly good quality and the clearcoat seems to be pretty thick which means they can probably withstand a lot of road debris and bugsplats without looking nasty too quickly.

As for matching with the rest of the M Performance kit, well if you are standing around 10ft away you can't see the carbon weave unless it's in direct sunshine but I was planning on getting the front splitter resprayed EB2 and the rear diffuser will never see the mirror covers and vice versa so it's irrelevant. The carbon is a gloss finish on the mirrors so blends into the sun protection on the rear 2/3rds of the car just fine

The Silvervision bulbs were around £12 from Amazon, search for part number: 12496SVB2 12496-SV PY21 Silver Vision, fitting was dead easy through the wheelarch flap


Cheers

Makes sense , and thanks for the info on the bulbs.
Appreciated