[TaroBaapG35]

Originally Posted by IcEWoLF

Welcome to the club! You will love this car! It's fast, it's fun and it corners like a sedan!

Also, if you don't mind me asking, does the x3m come with different wheels for the comp? I actually like the rims shown in your pic vs mine because cleaning the one I have is a pain…

Lol I'd trade with you if you were closer since I actually like yours better. And my wheels are PITA to clean too..but then again I'm biased coming from TEs.

[Sbwilbur]

This seems to be a surprisingly common jump for enthusiasts looking for a fun and practical daily. I have a 2019 RS3 that I'm selling to get into an X3M. I don't actually mind how small the Audi is but I'm dropped slightly and the ground clearance is a abysmal. Getting tired of watching out for speedbumps. Having a hatch again will also be nice.

Friend of mine at work let me take his X3M Competition out and after I got it sideways pulling out I was pretty much sold. I owned a lot of RWD cars before the RS3 and miss that dynamic.

[TaroBaapG35]

Originally Posted by Sbwilbur

This seems to be a surprisingly common jump for enthusiasts looking for a fun and practical daily. I have a 2019 RS3 that I'm selling to get into an X3M. I don't actually mind how small the Audi is but I'm dropped slightly and the ground clearance is a abysmal. Getting tired of watching out for speedbumps. Having a hatch again will also be nice.

Friend of mine at work let me take his X3M Competition out and after I got it sideways pulling out I was pretty much sold. I owned a lot of RWD cars before the RS3 and miss that dynamic.

Beautiful spec! Yea many more convertees then expected. Aside from the fuel economy hit (completely expected) vs the Audi there isn't anything that this SAV cannot do. Mods are a bit more expensive and sparse (hopefully temporary) but overall it's amazing! You'll love it!!

[pmark837]

Beautiful Cars!, i also came from Audi, B8.5 S5 6spd now i've got a 2022 X3MC. i still have the S5 but i really struggled to stay in the Audi family with this one for my DD/Family car, there is nothing comparable at this point,

[FrankieNuo]

Congrates on leaving the Volkswagen brand. Welcome to fun, or what's left of it. The car looks great.

[TaroBaapG35]

Gave the big girl her first real bath. The dealership applied some BS spray that couldnt even protect the paint for 2 weeks of driving.

Full Detail:
- Wheels Washed (Not fully detailed/deconned with wheels off yet as I realized (after reading up) my QJ5000 won't fit without the extensions < They've been ordered.
- Paint was Foamed, Strip washed, and decontaminated.
- Did very light polishing (mainly on lower door panels and bumpers) and heavy compounding on rear bumper.
- Tailights needs to be polished but cant yet as my buddy is borrowing the micro polisher (SPTA from Amazon..surprisingly good for only $170 compared the rupes for $600 X_X)
- Followed up with Eraser and 2 coats of Gyeon Cancoat followed up with 2 coats of Colour lock.

I'll do full detail after winter with a "real" ceramic coating.

Quick pic after completion:



Items on Order
- Macht Schnell 12mm Spacers (Fr/Rr): Went with these vs FC as they seem good enough to use. I used generics on my B9 and if the hub/spacer is properly cleaned any brand works well. I've used Supreme Power, H&R, and some off brand knockoffs that the salesperson from Audi gave me. Received..pending install as I dont think my 1.5T jack can hold the side up safely
- CG Precision VSC-2 - Variable Sound Controller: Ordered this after hearing how good the car sounds with the valves fully open (damn you pre-LCI tuned X3Ms!) vs how muted this thing is from inside/outside even in Sport+. This will be a temp fix to get valves fully open when I want until a full tune (from OBD) is released allowing for better valve actuation. Thanks! danniexi for the review and recommendation!Ordered..pending arrival..hopefully it doesnt take 6+ weeks

Future Mods
- Active Autowerke Non Resonated Single Midpipe: First on list for upcoming. Wifey said car is too quiet even in Sport+. Since she's on board, this HAS to happen soon!
- Full Front PPF - Debating if I should do this...I know I should, but don't wanna shell out $1.5k on this first vs the AA Midpipe
- 265/40/21 & 295/35/21 DWS06+ - Had DWS06 on my B9 S4 for 4 years. Love the tires! Def need this upgrade soon as the SportContact 6's RFTs are pretty bad.
- Fr/Rr Marker Deletes from IND: 100% needs this...expensive but I do love the cleaned up look
- Painted Calipers: Car was specced with Black calipers..I was hoping these came with Blue...will probably change to M Blue when I do the front/rear IND Markers.
- BMS Billet Strut Cross Braces: Love how these look. Hoping there would be something similar to what's on the G80 or what 034 provides for Audi's, but these should do for now.
- Intake?: There don't seem to be any (Aside from RK Tunes) front mount intakes for this platform. The JDM Fanboy in me wants a front mount intake that you can hear...come on BMS! Make one for us!
- MRG Stud Conversion 82mm: I didnt do a stud conversion on my B9 even though I had multiple wheels, so I might do this on this platform once I decide on new wheels.
- ISweep Fr/Rr Pads (Is1000): After BrockDM & r33_RGSport comments/reactions on this along with my OCD neat freak nature, these are a MUST. I cant fathom how much brake dust the current pads produce is insane. Its 2-3x as much as my B9 did. Yes, rotors/brakes are larger, but why so much dust!!

Other then that, I am thoroughly enjoying this thing. The LC is incredible. Doesn't "feel" fast in terms of the aural satisfaction as my previous car was loaded with AWE Track and a open-element Intake. Speed wise, this IS fast...Just needs the sound to match up to the speed.

Side note, stock Conti's can't hold the power (88F tire temp on 67F outside temps). Launched twice with passengers in rear and both times the rear tires hopped off the line..

[BrockDM]

It seems like you have a great sense of position for this one! In for more updates

I really second the MRG studs and iSweep pads.

I sadly had to pull my MRG kit off for winter (long story; winter wheels had tiny bolt holes) and I was quickly reminded how annoying it is without studs haha. Love the look too.

The iSweep pads continue to impress me every day. Even now that it's cooling off a bit by me they bite really well once you have a little heat in them. Right out of the garage they can be somewhat soft but 5-10 mins in and they feel back to normal. I love them haha

[suby01]

OP how do you compare the Audi dash / instrument panel to the BMW? I get it your BMW is a lot newer but still.

[gapband]

Originally Posted by suby01

OP how do you compare the Audi dash / instrument panel to the BMW? I get it your BMW is a lot newer but still.

I'm not OP but, for me, the B9 cluster is better. I miss having the whole map on my dash. M mode in the BMW is very nice though.

[freesole]

Originally Posted by TaroBaapG35

- ISweep Fr/Rr Pads (Is1000): After BrockDM & r33_RGSport comments/reactions on this along with my OCD neat freak nature, these are a MUST. I cant fathom how much brake dust the current pads produce is insane. Its 2-3x as much as my B9 did. Yes, rotors/brakes are larger, but why so much dust!!

Yes! It is painful. Especially with all the gloss black that is on these stock wheels, they show the dust right away. This X3M produces brake dust faster than any car I've had. Ended up ordering a set of bronze wheels which should hopefully hide the dust impact a bit.

[95wildtt]

Originally Posted by BrockDM

The iSweep pads continue to impress me every day. Even now that it's cooling off a bit by me they bite really well once you have a little heat in them. Right out of the garage they can be somewhat soft but 5-10 mins in and they feel back to normal. I love them haha

Agree 100%, really happy with the improved feel and lower dust.

[TaroBaapG35]

Originally Posted by suby01

OP how do you compare the Audi dash / instrument panel to the BMW? I get it your BMW is a lot newer but still.

Take these with a grain of salt as my Audi was the first year model of the Fully Digital Dash (2018) vs what they look like now, but majority of the functionality is the same. apologies for the long winded response LOL

2018 Audi Dash

Regular/Detailed View (non-map)


Sport Display


Sport (+Map)


2022 X3M

Regular/Detailed View (non-map)


Sport Display

[TBD]

Sport (+Map)

[TBD]


Conclusion

I like BOTH Audi and BMW. I would say in terms of Sport displays, Audi's are better (a fan of the single Tach vs having rpms on both sides, even though Audi is also doing this now in RS models). Since my car was an S, and not an RS, in that aspect, the Sport Display's Functionality is superior in BMW. Audi's display looks cleaner and I feel like it utilizes the empty space better whereas BMW (in non Mmode) if you don't have the adaptive cruise view or map view, the center area is just blank. And even in Map mode, the map looks too small. I personally keep the adaptive cruise/lane settings turned on because I'm used to have space used vs empty.

Audi is cleaner/sleeker, BMW is updated and has more options as part of M.

I HATED the BMW dash before I bought this car. Some nitpicks here and there, but for most part, it works for me. There are other things on the BMW that Audi does just MILES better *cough**cough* *valve actuation to fully open*.

It sucks when a Stock B9 S4 sounds better in sport vs this X3*M!!*

[TaroBaapG35]

Originally Posted by BrockDM

It seems like you have a great sense of position for this one! In for more updates

I really second the MRG studs and iSweep pads.

I sadly had to pull my MRG kit off for winter (long story; winter wheels had tiny bolt holes) and I was quickly reminded how annoying it is without studs haha. Love the look too.

The iSweep pads continue to impress me every day. Even now that it's cooling off a bit by me they bite really well once you have a little heat in them. Right out of the garage they can be somewhat soft but 5-10 mins in and they feel back to normal. I love them haha

Yea I'm about to sell my Bronze Volks today so will have some fun funds coming in, so as soon as Holiday sales start rolling I'm going to hit up MRG (Wheel switching or even cleaning is a PITA without studs). I'll probably wait on the Isweep for a bit until they're ready to change..but idk how long my OCD will be able to hold back

Originally Posted by freesole

Yes! It is painful. Especially with all the gloss black that is on these stock wheels, they show the dust right away. This X3M produces brake dust faster than any car I've had. Ended up ordering a set of bronze wheels which should hopefully hide the dust impact a bit.

The Gloss black is the worst on these wheels. So many scratches and blemishes show up quickly, and add the thick layer of brake dust. Its horrendous! Congrats on the wheels!! Bronze will look sick! Got any pics of your M? I saw your RS6 already Beautiful spec on it for sure!

[suby01]

Awesome thanks TaroBaapG35 and gapband for giving your insights. Not to thread jack but I am window shopping Audi (A6 Allroad) or (RS6 I wish) now and just from youtube the dash looked super plain. But your replies from actual owners of both made it clear they are same but a bit different.

[dmanb2b]

Originally Posted by suby01

Awesome thanks TaroBaapG35 and gapband for giving your insights. Not to thread jack but I am window shopping Audi (A6 Allroad) or (RS6 I wish) now and just from youtube the dash looked super plain. But your replies from actual owners of both made it clear they are same but a bit different.

I absolutely love the look of the RS6 Avant, sound and driving characteristics. My co-worker has one fully spec'd out, however reliability-wise, he hates it. Over 2 years it's been at the dealerships for some pretty significant repairs, including xfer case and trans. Even now little gremlins, like the outside temp display is off by approx. 12 degrees, one of the pop-up tweeters randomly gets stuck, etc.

[freesole]

Originally Posted by suby01

Awesome thanks TaroBaapG35 and gapband for giving your insights. Not to thread jack but I am window shopping Audi (A6 Allroad) or (RS6 I wish) now and just from youtube the dash looked super plain. But your replies from actual owners of both made it clear they are same but a bit different.

I love the aesthetic of the dash on the modern Audi's (had it on my S5, SQ5 and now RS6). It looks great, is clean and functions really well. No complaints from me. I also like the look of the X3M dash too though, despite the visual differences.

[TaroBaapG35]

Received Spacers & CG Precision Valve from Mike at ExtremePowerHouse;

Spacers arrived within a few days, and just received the Valve a few days ago. I went with Macht Schnell due to $$ as the FC seem a bit overpriced for my needs (...something I hope I don't regret)



Stock Fitment:
Driver Side:


Passenger Side:


Install

Due to time/weather constraints, I didn't have to time to use the QJ extension I got for my 5000SLX to do the install. Thankfully my brother brought his HF 3t Jack so we just used that; Install went pretty smoothly; Applied antisieze to both the hub and spacer and then torqued to 110ftlbs as per the instructions.

Initial Expressions

Spacers are 100% a necessity if the budget for wheels isn't baked in. I love spacers; I've ran them on every single of my vehicles and this was no exception. I've ran H&R, Amazon knockoffs (got for free when I bought my B9) and ECS tuning. Fitment is perfect. The natural camber of the fr/rr gives the stock width tires an aggressive stance depending on the angle you're viewing the car from.

Impromptu Shoot

Since this is the first "real" mod I did to the car, I took it out for a quick impromptu shoot before the weather gets messy. Haven't shot in a while, but damn was it fun! Might need to get back into this soon and pickup another lens!

Side:


Front Angle:


Gotta love the booty pic!:


Driver & Passenger:



Rear Angle:


Oh oh..
Spacers have been on for approx 200mi now, and I retorqued each lug after ~50mi of driving, so I know that's not the issue. When I hit ~85mph+ (not often and I am NOT racing on the streets) the steering wheel starts vibrating. This was not happening before the spacers so this is def either (i) an install issue on my part or (ii) the MS spacers are bad. From what I've read the MS spacers could be an issue and I've reached out to XPH and they've been great about this and even got a response from MS. Unfortunately I am out of town for a month so I won't be able to reinstall or reinspect the install so final thoughts will have to wait until then.

On to the Next

- CG Valve installation might be happening this week. Just gotta take some time and take some before vids of driving so I can document properly.

- PPF: I've also come back around to going forward with the PPF. Might as well as this paint is super soft and the front/skirts def need some protection. This will put the AA Pipe purchase on hold until Spring (unless there's a sale that pops up )

- Bimmercode: Will go through with this soon to get rid of the horrendous ASD.

[EricP3]

Did you ever solve your vibration issue? From my experience with spacers, when you set them on the hub, if they are not snug you will get some vibrations. Do you remember if any of yours were loose enough on the hub that you could rotate them with just your hand? Also curious if you have continued your mod journey! Jealous of your interior color. I'm still trying to get over having black.

[bryan03tls]

My APR SQ5 that i replace with X3MC.

[335is-dct]

Constantly reading your use of the word “wifey” is really making me cringe. Nice x3m

[TaroBaapG35]

Quick update...Buying a rental property so haven't been able to get in on the mods yet..

Sent back the CG Precision Valve controller to Xph/CG. Stopped working out of nowhere. Hopefullly they can fix/replace.

Wheel wobble issue is also resolved; Spacer wasn't tightened properly (doh!)

Plans might be changing for the car. Might not be modding it at all anymore. Thinking about switching up...We shall see..

[TaroBaapG35]

Well, interesting turn of events; Just traded the X3M in (19,2xx miles). Currently sitting in Faulkner GMC West Chester if anyone is interested. Car also has the MPS AS4 <5k miles in 265/285 sizes. Drove from NC > PA for the trade. Wonderful trip vehicle. Hate letting it go, but new job is >30mi one way mainly highways so no real chance to enjoy the car and still suffer higher gas costs as it is also our go to for all other driving. Loved the BMW, would def go back if/when they release a EV version of the X3.

Final Pics of X3 and the new whip. Love the "on/off" switch on the Tesla. Can rip it around for a bit and not have to worry about gas $ (compared to electricity).

Build quality is really good (for a Tesla). Trip up to PA cost $90 in Fuel, trip down cost $20 (only had to stop twice for 10 mins each).


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The following will be for sale soon that I took off the vehicle:

- CG Precision Valve: Default: CLOSED, ON: OPEN. Used for <5k miles after replacement from CG due to bad instructions. New location (unused bolt near right rear wheel) works well.

- MS Spacers: 12mm x2 Sets

- Sighill Wireless Charger: Fitment is 9/10 but works really well.

- Misc Amazon Accessories: Wheel Hanger Set, Jack Pad Adapter & Replica BMW 50th Anniversary