BMW and M Power Owners

[TW]Fox said:
It's a really nice car and you've obviously put some effort in with it, show us a photo of it looking nice like like an unloved company car :p
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Thanks m8, here you go

tK7o5tp.jpg


Forgot to mention I am running a £150 tuning box from Bluespark, increases boost down low and almost makes it drive like a torquey diesel whilst retaining the petrol pull right to the end. I don't follow this thread so not sure how many 340s on here but, highly recommended for those who want a bit more and keep their warranty in tact.
 
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ceaton88 said:
Thanks m8, here you go

tK7o5tp.jpg


Forgot to mention I am running a £150 tuning box from Bluespark, increases boost down low and almost makes it drive like a torquey diesel whilst retaining the petrol pull right to the end. I don't follow this thread so not sure how many 340s on here but, highly recommended for those who want a bit more and keep their warranty in tact.
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From your previous pic I though a car that mucky must be a diesel:D.
 
Noticing the passenger front disc rubbing against the pads during a rotation of the wheel in one spot. I had my indy look when it was last in and they suggested lower control arms. Booked it in for a few weeks time.

When swapping to my summer wheels I checked for play at the wheel and couldn't feel any. Car did have a chunky knock at the start of the year which split the tyre sidewall (ratchet strap on motorway). Less likely to be a wheel bearing but not impossible?

Handling is generally fine though do occasionally notice a little pulling depending on the severity braking but not necessarily to the left and there has been a faster wear rate on that disc.

E92, 98k.
 
Is there by any chance someone close to South Wales or Bristol that’s handy with e-sys/ISTA and would be willing to help out getting my NBTEVO head unit updated to the very latest version? Specialist dealer had trouble with it but didn’t feel like they really knew what they were doing other than ‘we pressed go and it didn’t really work’.
 
Done over 1k in my e65 750i since I did the Valve stem seals, and it's not smoked or burnt any oil at all!
It was asking for a top-up every 700 odd miles before the change.
I also found a creak in the rear seats was down to the rear ski hatch, little bit of duct tape, covered it all up again and no more noise :D
Really enjoying it again!!
 
Perhaps this is the wrong thread to ask in given it's obviously biased nature, but I'm struggling to think of a better practical car for ~£50k than the M340i Touring. I'm not keen on SUVs although I can absolutely understand why they're popular, and I don't want a ~5m long car like a 5 series.

I see you can get 69 plate M340i Tourings with all of the packages for £42k which seems pretty astounding value for money, and it's been said that it has the best interior in its class.

Have I missed any other obvious contenders (estates only)? I'm not keen on the C43 because the interior isn't nice at all, and it's a pretty old platform now. I've also had a current generation A4 Avant and I don't really want the same car again even though I thought it was very good.
 
M340i is a great car, I had the saloon for a few days. The combination of the M sport diff and rear bias x drive makes it handle very well but also get all it's power down. I will probably get a M340i Touring next over a 540i, it's annoying BMW decided to keep the power output of the 540i lower.

I would have considered the S4 but with it being diesel only that is off the cards, I think Audi have made a mistake at least not offering it with the option of a petrol engine.
 
I am also seriously considering an M340i next.

I'm still really happy with the 530d but my mileage isn't what it used to be since we moved and I've had it 4 years now - it's 5 years old soon.

The obvious choice and what i'd still prefer is a 540i M Sport, however there are a number of issues with these, namely:

a) The specification of UK cars is poor. I don't have the budget for a new one so I rely on AUC cars circa a year old. Virtually all of them are missing ICON LED lights and I've yet to see a single one with Driver Assistance Plus package. All people care about is massive wheels and M Performance grilles. It's a real pain
b) The LCI was initially encouraging but has resulted in the end of the 540i in saloon form. It has now been replaced by the 545e, which is an interesting car that may work but again the styling heads more and more in the wrong direction, particularly wheels - there is no wheel option on the LCI 5 Series M Sport that isn't black and looks like something Wolfrace sold through Halfords 10 years ago.

So, enter the G20 3 Series. I took a 320d M Sport out for a day last year as a courtesy car and was impressed - the interior is no longer the cheap plastic bargain bucket of the F30, it feels much more like a smaller version of bigger BMW models again not an oversized 1 Series.

A 4 cylinder BMW is unacceptable which leaves the 330d, M340d or M340i. I would happily have either a 330d or an M340d but given my regular long distance trips up and down the M5 are now a short town commute, the odd 60 mile round trip for work and a trip to Heathrow every few months I have concerns about diesel for that purpose - plus the hysterical and misjudged anti diesel backlash isn't going away.

So, that leaves the M340i. Most are very well optioned and if you can find one without the silly M Sport Super Shadow Plus Ultra Mega Shadow pack with the standard 19 inch wheels they have 35 and 40 profile tyres, are entirely silver, and look fantastic in Portimao Blue.

It's still difficult to find with Driver Assistance Pro, and they are annoyingly xDrive only, but other than that they look very nice - plus dimensions wise its basically the same as an E39 5 Series. Another bonus - because I don't want a small car despite not needing a big car.

Power wise 540i v 340i - couldn't care less. Both have more power than you can use in the UK without getting in trouble. I've had a couple of 540i's for a week or so and have found the performance to be nothing short of incredible. The extra power in the 340i is obviously a bonus but doesn't make much difference to my decision I don't think.

As for the alternatives - I have driven them all extensively (ie, 1500 miles+ on each) in regular form and would say the C class is unfortunately very dated now - shame as it looks fantastic and would be unacceptable as a result. The infotainment system isn't just poor, its a constant frustration. The next C Class will have MBUX and as a result will probably be the complete opposite and be absolutely fantastic. The A4 I have driven as an A5 but as mentioned above the S4 is diesel only. E Class - just been facelifted, never driven one, might be quite good with MBUX. Audi A6? No thanks. Jaguar XF? I'd rather walk.
 
Thanks Dangerous Dave and Fox :) I haven't come across Driver Assistance Pro for the 3 series so I need to go find out more about that. I don't mind the Shadowline Pack too much, but if I could have it with silver wheels instead I think it would look amazing. I quite like Oxide Grey but need to find some more pics of Portimao Blue and all of the other available colours.

My current car is up for sale soon and should move quite quickly. I'm going to try my utmost best to sit on the cash until the end of the year since we are working from home until at least then and limp along as a family with the F55 Cooper S. But, once a petrolhead always a petrolhead and I can just see the money burning a hole in my pocket (already)...
 
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[TW]Fox said:
New car...
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So strangely I am about to embark on a similar journey of new car discovery. I start a new job in a couple of weeks which gives me access to a lease scheme and am looking at the M340i Touring, C43 Estate and S4 Avant. All 3 should fall within the budget I have available and should be spec'able to a decent level too. Waiting to get the details of the scheme properly and the quotes, which I should get when I start but plan on test driving all 3 and seeing what I like the most. C43 has been updated in recently and there are a fair few in the car park at work that all sound a look good. The S4 is pretty much recently updated as well so both look pretty good, not bothered by the S4 being a diesel but like the idea of the M340i and the C43. We get 2 puppies in a couple fo weeks hence the desire for the estate versions.
 
To be honest I have nothing against the S4 being a diesel and think big power diesel really suits this type of car anyway. If I did the miles the M340d would be top of my list.

The C43 is the best looking of the lot but they are very dated inside sadly. Such a shame they don't have MBUX, had it in an A200 a few months back and it was brilliant. C class would be on my list if it had it. To be fair to Mercedes the C class is about to be replaced.
 
I'm surprised you liked the glitziness(?) of the A class enough to consider the new C class. I had a good look at an A35 last year and it's wonderfully made inside, but it does feel a little blingy in places.
 
C-Class was facelifted in 2018, guess you still find it dated? I thought it was quite a worthy update with the digital dash and larger screen (ok, it's still a stick on). Still think the exterior looks good too, but horses for courses.
 
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