320d M Sport Touring
Discussion
After owning my red 330d Touring for 4 years, I fancied a change.
I was toying with something silly again after the 330d, but as we've got a remapped Mk6 Golf GTI it seemed a bit daft having two thirsty cars!
So I decided the best way to go would be a fully loaded 320d for long distance and family duties.
I loved my old one, so why not use the opportunity to improve on what I had.
The red one had one hell of a spec, so it was going to be a tall order to match it, let alone better!
I wanted LCI this time, it also had to have CIC idrive, xenons and hopefully a panoramic sun roof. I had to compromise on the sun roof last time, so really didn't want to have to miss out on it again.
Once again I was onto a near impossible task of finding a rare specced car!
I looked at tons, spent hours and hours checking VIN's against the factory specs hunting out the best cars. I even had a spreadsheet so I could see which had the most options!
I eventually settled on a very nice Space Grey one.
The spec I ended up with includes CIC. idrive, DAB radio, factory tints, folding and dimming door mirrors, adaptive xenons with high beam assist, sliding armrest, universal remote control, front and rear parking sensors, 6FL USB, the rare later flat roof rails and no doubt some other bits I've missed.
Oh! and the all important panoramic roof
Out with the old:
In with the new:
It needs a good wash, as it had sat for two weeks while the seller was on holiday, he got back Saturday evening and I snapped it up on Sunday morning!
It has full BMW history, and the owner had had it from 8000 miles, of which he paid £27,000 for, so a big loss for him, and a big gain for me.
I have some plans for it, mostly the same sort of thing as the 330d had, which is to add OEM options and retrofits to make it well and truly fully loaded. A nice family long distance cruiser.
First thing is to get a Combox fitted, as I used that a lot on my old one.
Its already booked in and will also get the CIC firmware updated and some 2017 maps (its still on 2010 ones!)
I might lower it, as it feels a bit too soft in comparison to how the 330d was.
Certainly not as bad as I was expecting it to be, considering the 330d had non run flat 19's and Eibach springs.
Various other stuff to do which I will post as I do them
I'll post more pics as soon as I get a chance to give it a wash!
I was toying with something silly again after the 330d, but as we've got a remapped Mk6 Golf GTI it seemed a bit daft having two thirsty cars!
So I decided the best way to go would be a fully loaded 320d for long distance and family duties.
I loved my old one, so why not use the opportunity to improve on what I had.
The red one had one hell of a spec, so it was going to be a tall order to match it, let alone better!
I wanted LCI this time, it also had to have CIC idrive, xenons and hopefully a panoramic sun roof. I had to compromise on the sun roof last time, so really didn't want to have to miss out on it again.
Once again I was onto a near impossible task of finding a rare specced car!
I looked at tons, spent hours and hours checking VIN's against the factory specs hunting out the best cars. I even had a spreadsheet so I could see which had the most options!
I eventually settled on a very nice Space Grey one.
The spec I ended up with includes CIC. idrive, DAB radio, factory tints, folding and dimming door mirrors, adaptive xenons with high beam assist, sliding armrest, universal remote control, front and rear parking sensors, 6FL USB, the rare later flat roof rails and no doubt some other bits I've missed.
Oh! and the all important panoramic roof
Out with the old:
In with the new:
It needs a good wash, as it had sat for two weeks while the seller was on holiday, he got back Saturday evening and I snapped it up on Sunday morning!
It has full BMW history, and the owner had had it from 8000 miles, of which he paid £27,000 for, so a big loss for him, and a big gain for me.
I have some plans for it, mostly the same sort of thing as the 330d had, which is to add OEM options and retrofits to make it well and truly fully loaded. A nice family long distance cruiser.
First thing is to get a Combox fitted, as I used that a lot on my old one.
Its already booked in and will also get the CIC firmware updated and some 2017 maps (its still on 2010 ones!)
I might lower it, as it feels a bit too soft in comparison to how the 330d was.
Certainly not as bad as I was expecting it to be, considering the 330d had non run flat 19's and Eibach springs.
Various other stuff to do which I will post as I do them
I'll post more pics as soon as I get a chance to give it a wash!
Nice car.
I've just acquired a 2013 F31 320d Sport. Having looked at them online for quite a while, it was quite a revelation to find one with more than a rep spec.
Mine has the panoramic sunroof, 8 speed sports auto box/flappy paddle gear shift, adaptive xenons, adaptive M-suspension, variable sport steering, and it can parallel park itself, reversing camera, etc. It has cloth sport seats and no nav though - very strange spec, but as this was the best spec'd car on the approved used listings, and was local, I pulled the trigger.
Enjoy!
I've just acquired a 2013 F31 320d Sport. Having looked at them online for quite a while, it was quite a revelation to find one with more than a rep spec.
Mine has the panoramic sunroof, 8 speed sports auto box/flappy paddle gear shift, adaptive xenons, adaptive M-suspension, variable sport steering, and it can parallel park itself, reversing camera, etc. It has cloth sport seats and no nav though - very strange spec, but as this was the best spec'd car on the approved used listings, and was local, I pulled the trigger.
Enjoy!
The short answer is that I was bored of the red one.
Don't get me wrong, I really liked it but fancied something different.
However, as you can see, that didn't really end up being that different!
Do I regret it? Not one bit. I love the new one even more.
In 20+ years of driving I've never kept any car longer than about 18 months, the 330d I had for just under 4 years.
I spent an unhealthy amount of hours per day pouring over AT, PH, ebay and gumtree looking for what to get next.
In the end I realised I simply couldn't find anything else that I preferred that would do everything the 330d did.
As cliched as it is, it really is an amazing all rounder.
So I thought why not upgrade what I had?
Get one a bit younger (5 years as it turned out), LCI this time, and of course the spec I originally wanted plus more.
If anyone is wondering about the difference between engines, of course its going to be slower, but not as much as I was expecting to be honest!
The 330d was remapped, the 320d isn't (currently!).
The lesser torque is noticeable, corners or junctions I find I'm having to change down a gear where the 330d would be ok.
The 320d is a bit more agricultural when pulling away, but apart from that its plenty good enough to do the job.
MPG wise, the 330d lived on 37 no matter what I did unless I went into central London, then it would drop to around 32.
I reset the 320d just before the 2.5hr drive home, I cruised around 80 all the way apart from the usual M25 rubbish and it was on 49.5 when I got home.
So will see how it settles down to local driving...
Don't get me wrong, I really liked it but fancied something different.
However, as you can see, that didn't really end up being that different!
Do I regret it? Not one bit. I love the new one even more.
In 20+ years of driving I've never kept any car longer than about 18 months, the 330d I had for just under 4 years.
I spent an unhealthy amount of hours per day pouring over AT, PH, ebay and gumtree looking for what to get next.
In the end I realised I simply couldn't find anything else that I preferred that would do everything the 330d did.
As cliched as it is, it really is an amazing all rounder.
So I thought why not upgrade what I had?
Get one a bit younger (5 years as it turned out), LCI this time, and of course the spec I originally wanted plus more.
If anyone is wondering about the difference between engines, of course its going to be slower, but not as much as I was expecting to be honest!
The 330d was remapped, the 320d isn't (currently!).
The lesser torque is noticeable, corners or junctions I find I'm having to change down a gear where the 330d would be ok.
The 320d is a bit more agricultural when pulling away, but apart from that its plenty good enough to do the job.
MPG wise, the 330d lived on 37 no matter what I did unless I went into central London, then it would drop to around 32.
I reset the 320d just before the 2.5hr drive home, I cruised around 80 all the way apart from the usual M25 rubbish and it was on 49.5 when I got home.
So will see how it settles down to local driving...
I gave up looking for 335i's, I went to view a few and they were all dogs. Really good LCI 335i's were way above my budget and hold good money. Maybe next time unless I get an F30.
Combox prices can vary, it all depends on what spec you already have in your car, and which options you want to add as they need specific firmware for certain options. You might also need to update the CIC firmware too.
Mine is £700, which includes:
Supply combox
Supply cables
Fit and code
Update combox firmware to include full iPod control with album art, bluetooth streaming, connected apps, all other online stuff
Update CIC firmware
2017 maps + FSC code
It could probably be done cheaper, but the bloke I use is a perfectionist and does the job like a factory install.
Ive seen others done that have been complete bodges! I'd pay a little more and get it done right.
When he fitted digital TV to my red one he even tided up the CIC install that had been done badly by someone else.
Both cars are manual
Combox prices can vary, it all depends on what spec you already have in your car, and which options you want to add as they need specific firmware for certain options. You might also need to update the CIC firmware too.
Mine is £700, which includes:
Supply combox
Supply cables
Fit and code
Update combox firmware to include full iPod control with album art, bluetooth streaming, connected apps, all other online stuff
Update CIC firmware
2017 maps + FSC code
It could probably be done cheaper, but the bloke I use is a perfectionist and does the job like a factory install.
Ive seen others done that have been complete bodges! I'd pay a little more and get it done right.
When he fitted digital TV to my red one he even tided up the CIC install that had been done badly by someone else.
Both cars are manual
djdest said:
I gave up looking for 335i's, I went to view a few and they were all dogs. Really good LCI 335i's were way above my budget and hold good money. Maybe next time unless I get an F30.
Combox prices can vary, it all depends on what spec you already have in your car, and which options you want to add as they need specific firmware for certain options. You might also need to update the CIC firmware too.
Mine is £700, which includes:
Supply combox
Supply cables
Fit and code
Update combox firmware to include full iPod control with album art, bluetooth streaming, connected apps, all other online stuff
Update CIC firmware
2017 maps + FSC code
It could probably be done cheaper, but the bloke I use is a perfectionist and does the job like a factory install.
Ive seen others done that have been complete bodges! I'd pay a little more and get it done right.
When he fitted digital TV to my red one he even tided up the CIC install that had been done badly by someone else.
Both cars are manual
£700 is a good price I got quoted £1200 once upon a time and (obviously) didn't do it. Do you mind forwarding me details?Combox prices can vary, it all depends on what spec you already have in your car, and which options you want to add as they need specific firmware for certain options. You might also need to update the CIC firmware too.
Mine is £700, which includes:
Supply combox
Supply cables
Fit and code
Update combox firmware to include full iPod control with album art, bluetooth streaming, connected apps, all other online stuff
Update CIC firmware
2017 maps + FSC code
It could probably be done cheaper, but the bloke I use is a perfectionist and does the job like a factory install.
Ive seen others done that have been complete bodges! I'd pay a little more and get it done right.
When he fitted digital TV to my red one he even tided up the CIC install that had been done badly by someone else.
Both cars are manual
I'm not sure what exact specs are required for it to work though. One thing I think I need which I don't have is the USB in the glovebox so I may be scuppered in my plans anyway.
Thanks
The glove box USB is simply used to add music to the CIC hard drive and update maps.
It is literally a USB socket with a cable that goes to the rear of the CIC unit in the dash.
Assuming you already have CIC, you can add the USB to glovebox simply by removing the glove box, pull out the CIC unit and route the cable to both.
Half hour job max.
I've got a spare USB socket sat here that I never bothered fitting to my 330d.
The bloke who does my fitting and coding is based in Redditch
It is literally a USB socket with a cable that goes to the rear of the CIC unit in the dash.
Assuming you already have CIC, you can add the USB to glovebox simply by removing the glove box, pull out the CIC unit and route the cable to both.
Half hour job max.
I've got a spare USB socket sat here that I never bothered fitting to my 330d.
The bloke who does my fitting and coding is based in Redditch
djdest said:
The glove box USB is simply used to add music to the CIC hard drive and update maps.
It is literally a USB socket with a cable that goes to the rear of the CIC unit in the dash.
Assuming you already have CIC, you can add the USB to glovebox simply by removing the glove box, pull out the CIC unit and route the cable to both.
Half hour job max.
I've got a spare USB socket sat here that I never bothered fitting to my 330d.
The bloke who does my fitting and coding is based in Redditch
Yep I have CIC. It is literally a USB socket with a cable that goes to the rear of the CIC unit in the dash.
Assuming you already have CIC, you can add the USB to glovebox simply by removing the glove box, pull out the CIC unit and route the cable to both.
Half hour job max.
I've got a spare USB socket sat here that I never bothered fitting to my 330d.
The bloke who does my fitting and coding is based in Redditch
I also have USB in the glove box but not in the arm rest which is what I thought I needed?
Would adding combox allow me to Bluetooth Spotify to the screen and control it through there?
When you add the combox you can run a cable from that to the arm rest USB socket, its very straight forward and would be included in the combox fitting I'd have thought.
It's literally a cable and socket.
You could use Spotify in two ways if you have combox:
1)Plug it into the armrest USB and use the Spotify plugin for Connected apps, you will then get full control via the CIC controller and steering wheel, and full info on the idrive screen.
2)Connect your phone for bluetooth music streaming then control it all through your phone and its screen
I believe you need an iPhone to get the best out of combox/Connected apps
It's literally a cable and socket.
You could use Spotify in two ways if you have combox:
1)Plug it into the armrest USB and use the Spotify plugin for Connected apps, you will then get full control via the CIC controller and steering wheel, and full info on the idrive screen.
2)Connect your phone for bluetooth music streaming then control it all through your phone and its screen
I believe you need an iPhone to get the best out of combox/Connected apps
New number plates ready to go on, full LED interior lights fitted and LED angel eyes all done.
The yellow had to go! They were even more yellow than my old pre LCI were!
Combox was due to be fitted today, but I had to reschedule it for next week now.
Still toying if I should lower it and put some spacers on to fill out the arches a bit
The yellow had to go! They were even more yellow than my old pre LCI were!
Combox was due to be fitted today, but I had to reschedule it for next week now.
Still toying if I should lower it and put some spacers on to fill out the arches a bit
Sorted a few bits today, oddly the previous owner had managed to break 3 of the 4 vents on the dash, and also the passenger cup holder sprung bit.
The cup holder bit was in the ash tray, so I removed that and refitted it.
Fortunately I had my old plastic trim from my 330d, so swapped all of the vents out of that.
Everything fixed and working again
The cup holder bit was in the ash tray, so I removed that and refitted it.
Fortunately I had my old plastic trim from my 330d, so swapped all of the vents out of that.
Everything fixed and working again
djdest said:
New number plates ready to go on, full LED interior lights fitted and LED angel eyes all done.
The yellow had to go! They were even more yellow than my old pre LCI were!
Combox was due to be fitted today, but I had to reschedule it for next week now.
Still toying if I should lower it and put some spacers on to fill out the arches a bit
Is this led swap easy to do? Amazing how much of a difference it makes! Never knew how much I didn't like my yellow ones!The yellow had to go! They were even more yellow than my old pre LCI were!
Combox was due to be fitted today, but I had to reschedule it for next week now.
Still toying if I should lower it and put some spacers on to fill out the arches a bit
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