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      04-20-2012, 07:23 AM   #1
BenDiem
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2013 X3 35i MSport -New Owner

Greetings all,

I picked up my X3 35i MSport yesterday afternoon.

By way of brief background, on 3/31, I orderd a '13 X3 28i MSport w/the new 4 banger Turbo. The next day, Sunday, I had doubts, and immediately called my dealer the following Monday (4/2) morning. On 4/2, I changed my special order from a 28i MSport to a 35i MSport.

I changed the order for the following reasons:

1. I did not want to purchase the Alpha series of a new engine.
2. More hp and more torque from the 35i, what's not to like?
3. Cost difference btw the two MSport models is approx $3k plus.
4. With the 35i, the Xenons and the Pano Roof are standard. Thereby the small diff in price premium. I wanted these options on my 28i MSport...
5. Fuel rating is inconsequential, when you look at the numbers.
6. I did not want to experience buyers remorse. In essence, you buy cheap(er), you buy expensive, b/c I would have eventually wanted the 35i, and I would have paid for it in the end with a trade-in. Pay the money up front and be happy, lol.
7. Lastly, the new 4 banger Turbo appears to be a success for the 3 series Bimmer, but that car weighs about 800 pounds less than the X3. I figured the SAV needs a bigger engine to haul approx 4200 plus pounds.

In the end, very satisfied with my decision. No buyers remorse here.
Engage the Sport Mode or the Sport+ Mode, and look out. Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde.... It is amazing how the SAV transforms from mild to wild with the switch of the iDrive. Simply amazing!

This will be a fun SAV!

Options: White exterior/Tan interior; MSport Pkg; Premium Sound Pkg; Cold Weather Pkg;

Special ordered car on 4/2; car arrived at dealer on 4/16; picked up at dealer on 4/19. Fun began on 4/19...

Interesting Tidbit: I was surprised to learn the car can run on 89 octane, after the break-in according to my SA... I picked up my 2012 BMW R1200 RT last weekend, and even the motorcycle can run on 89 octane. This was a big surprise to me??? Does anyone know why high compression Turbo charged engines can all of a sudden run on mid-grade fuel???

Future Purchase Plans: I informed my SA and the SM that a 135i MSport is in the plans, soonest. I need a small pocket rocket to replace my 4 door sedan, due to limited parking space in my garage...

Tks/Cheers,

BB
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      04-20-2012, 08:17 AM   #2
KingX
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Congrats on another 35i rolling.

I see a lot of writing but your pics didn't link properly work on that
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      04-20-2012, 11:52 AM   #3
Want the thrill
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I can't believe your SA told you 89 is fine! Don't do it!! Right on the label to your gas tank cover it says that it requires premium fuel. If anything goes wrong that would normally be covered under warranty, BMW will put the blame you on and say that the warranty is void because you did not run the proper fuel in the vehicle. I wouldn't even think about it!!
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      04-20-2012, 12:25 PM   #4
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The owners manual recommends 91 and states minimum requirement is 89. I always us 91 because the price of a tank of gas only $2 more for 91.
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      04-20-2012, 12:40 PM   #5
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^^^ No worries Mates, I'd never use mid-grade. I'm old school - high tech engines require high octane fuel... I was just surprised to see it. Agreed, the price diff is minimal. Believe you me, I sleep well at nights.

Cheers,

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      04-20-2012, 12:57 PM   #6
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The trend I have noticed with a lot of the newer turbo/supercharge vehicles is that they are lowering the octane requirements. I'm not sure if they are doing it because the price of fuel is up or if the newer engine tech doesn't require the higher octane. I prefer to play it safe and stick with the premium. Like you said it's not worth losing sleep over a couple bucks a tank.
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      08-29-2012, 12:02 AM   #7
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I have an N54 335i coupe boosted to twice the stock levels and it's a monster the tuners have extracted unbelievable numbers from these motors. Now for the uninformed, the tuners are running E85 in these cars and bunch of guys out there running on it for the performance gains. Not me though. Already got more than I can handle in this 10 seconds straight to jail machine.

But yes it requires software recalibration and to run those fuels means it won't be emissions legal on those tunes. The engine can run those octanes on the proper tune, but BMW can't get away with doing that without fouling up emissions laws. That's just my opinion. Now your car is not tuned to run crappy fuel from the factory and I believe long term use of the same will result in adverse effects. I have a cheap friend who ran regular in his 91 recommended bimmer for a long time. He kept claiming he saw CNN feature saying high octane was not necessary and the recommendations were bunk. anyway he eventually had to replace cylinder head and his car ran like crap. I couldn't definitively blame the fuel, but. Think he eventually paid the price for his ignorance. That thing pinged like crazy. He ofcourse shelled out the cash was told to use better fuel by not only myself but even dealer mechanics. You wondering what genius did? He obviously knows better than even BMW and went right back to el cheapo regular. Can't fix stupid. He even skips oil change saying it doesn't look dirty enough. I sorry dude you read this thread. Nothing personal.
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      08-29-2012, 03:53 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Want the thrill View Post
I can't believe your SA told you 89 is fine! Don't do it!! Right on the label to your gas tank cover it says that it requires premium fuel. If anything goes wrong that would normally be covered under warranty, BMW will put the blame you on and say that the warranty is void because you did not run the proper fuel in the vehicle. I wouldn't even think about it!!
My gas cap says "PREMIUM FUEL (AT LEAST 89 OCTANE) REQUIRED."

Don't tell me you think that running 87 octane will void your warranty by the way.
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      08-29-2012, 09:20 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ctwickman View Post
My gas cap says "PREMIUM FUEL (AT LEAST 89 OCTANE) REQUIRED."

Don't tell me you think that running 87 octane will void your warranty by the way.
I didn't say it would void the warranty, but that BMW will try to put the blame on you and say that the warranty is void based on the fact that cheapo gas was used. I've read that it has happened on the previous generation X3 boards.
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