BMW 2012 320i (f30) or Amber for short

[Geek_320]

Yes, I named my car Amber (its a thing in the family) :smilebounce:

So to start off the thread properly...

I picked her up 5 months ago, what a trip it has been, with this being the first car i bought myself, previously using my brothers car, to starting my very first modifications once the MP expired

After buying from Audi Umhlanga in July this year, BMW had issues with the body condition of the car (paintwork not up to spec, the alignment of doors, some scratches on the body from use, the door edges missing paint from being opened onto other objects) - this took about 3 weeks to sort out and get BMW to sort out the current MP so that i could do the last service before expiring - jump forward to The begining of November and she goes in for that service.
After the service my coolant pipe pops off the bottle (i make nothing of this) pop the pipe back and take the car to SMG Umhlanga to sort out the pipe and have the car checked out, while there they pick up that there is a whining noise coming from the engine and my battery has to be replaced.
After some investigation the whining noise is cause of my timing chain that had to be replaced, 3 days after getting the car back, and driving back from an autopart store that was closed for the day, the car gives me a warning to take it easy as it is over heating (cue limp mode), i manage to pull over and get some assistance and call SMG to let them know what happened, they picked up the car and fixed the water pump not working after some time (this was done at SMG's cost not mine)

After getting the lady back from SMG i took a trip to Jabsport to get a start on the visual mods before the Breakfast Run in KZN.

What we done at Jabsport can be found in the introduction thread with some pictures: https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=82077&pid=1318142#pid1318142

Fast forward to saturday the 25th November and I finally manage to hunt down a Set of 18"s that work with the car:

The plan going forward will be:
Visuals:
Getting the Side skirts and back bumper (not the entire bumper just where a diffuser would be) wrapped to break the white
A front lip for the individual line bumper
Black Badges for the front, back and Rim caps

Performance:
JB4 software
Full exhaust (1 box & decat)
Downpipe
Intake
A 328i turbo

Currently whats done:
Gloss black double slot grills
Carbon fiber boot spoiler
18"s (225 front, 255 Rear) Rims wrapped in ContiContact Sport 5 for now

Thats it for this instance of my showroom thread :ty:
Will be posting Videos and more pictures as I progress with the Mods

 

[SubLoaded]

This car is HOT.

But now, for the performance side. You do not need a 328i turbo.

You need piston swap and perhaps software (cough, JB4)

 

[CK4LIFE]

raise:

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

I would not bother with a 328i Turbo.. Install a K04 and this car will Fly... :fencelook:

 

[Geek_320]

I would not bother with a 328i Turbo.. Install a K04 and this car will Fly... :fencelook:

Thanks, will look into it - not wanting too much power though , along the lines of having to replace internals and reforging here and there. Was told that the turbo bolts on that's why looking into it but if its absolutely not worth it then wont go with it

 

[Geek_320]

About a month ago I embarked on the relocation trip to Cape Town

Before that I decided to do one last thing in Durban before hitting the road and with that I got into contact with Riaad and he got hold of some vinyl to black out my badges (expressing thanks here :ty

And with that we hit the trip to Cape Town. I filled up in Crompton Road before making my way up the N2 towards Port Elizabeth. I refilled in Mthatha, the tank was halfway, before continuing towards the Eastern Cape, where we would spend the night before embarking on the final stretch to the Mother City

cue some random pictures:

The second leg of the trip started the following day we topped the tank up in Plettenberg after driving out what was left from the previous day, and after 25 hours on the road (taking into account the numerous stops for smoking and eating) and 1795 KM later we arrived in Cape Town.

Amber took 2 full tanks during the trip and still had some fuel to spare after reaching our destination.

Consumption went from 10.6 to 9.9. I started the trip in eco mode, this stopped after stopping in the Wild Coast for a smoke, but eventually got bored and switched between comfort and sport. Used sport throughout the Kier Pass (this was my favorite part of the trip) and powered through the bends (within reason :tiptoe

Majority of the Durban stretch was spent around 110Km/h - 120Km/h - an attempt to avoid cameras and random stops. The Port Elizabeth stretch saw us cruising at 120+km/h

The drive was comfortable, best long trip I've had in my experience of doing the long road. My only negative comment was the door lock indicator had a slight rattle on rough roads that would hit you constantly in the right ear.

I hit 1 big pot hole and a temp speed bump at speed (at this point I thought of the worst thing that could possibly happen and waited for something to break, but she soldiered on and gave us a good trip overall)

I have had a little bit of bad luck in scratching one of my rims, so once i get that sorted I'm planning to follow through with the initial plans of getting my hands on a exhaust & downpipe and software to compliment it all

 

[SubLoaded]

Bugs... Bugs everywhere :biglol:

 

[Geek_320]

Bugs... Bugs everywhere :biglol:

The saddest part was watching the butterflies flutter unsuspectingly infront of the car and see them moosh against the windscreen

R.I.Pieces :roflol:

 

[Riaad]

About a month ago I embarked on the relocation trip to Cape Town

Before that I decided to do one last thing in Durban before hitting the road and with that I got into contact with Riaad and he got hold of some vinyl to black out my badges (expressing thanks here :ty

Looking Good Man:thumbs:

 

[Geek_320]

Small update on recent adventures
About 1 month into relocation I manage to get this right:

Plus side is that I found Wheel Collision in Cape Town, so will be sending the rim to get refurbed after I do the use more petrol mods :fencelook:

second time on the same rim, but if that wasnt the cherry on top of the cake, due to being a little careless and not paying attention to objects placed a little higher than the car, I damaged the boot spoiler

:thumbdo: :hammerhead:

And with that I'm in search of a place to redo the spoiler and bring it back to its not chipped life, any leads will be appreciated :blowheart:

Now for the happier events, fast forward a few weeks down the line and this happens before the Car Torque Breakfast Run:

One snap from the run:

Last night my cousin and I went out to celebrate his purchase and welcoming into the Beemer life and taking a drive to Killarney for Drags

and with that we get closer to the 100k milestone

A random picture for fun :smilebounce:

Another exciting moment as I lose the Durban plates and she officially becomes a Cape Townian :smilebounce:
So for now, I'm focusing on getting Amber ready for maintenance work, planning to get the gearbox serviced along with the next due service...
After that
We take a trip to a tuning company for a before and after dyno

Then go forth and get all the small scratches fixed up

Thanks for taking the time to read, will update the thread soon
:ty:

 

[Geek_320]

Its always bitter sweet saying goodbye to something you come to enjoy, I mean Amber has given me a great journey

To reflect on recent events:
Done a breakfast run with the club and managed to snap the picture i always wanted of my car as a kid :smilebounce:

A short while later out of boredom, I decided to take a drive down the west coast seeing that it was something I never had the chance to do while living in CPT before the move to Durban, and with that we hit the 100000km mark

Fast forward a few weeks down the line, on one quiet wednesday night, for fun I put amber on the drag strip and went up against other club members, all in good fun - I lie, I lost all the runs :hammerhead:

And then to the last pictures I would take of the little 320i that introduced me to an awesome brand

Over the past 2 weeks things started piling up, my PDC started acting faulty, to where it would work fine one day, error out the next. Work on the occasion and error out. Throw the error and then start working....:thumbdo:

To add to that, I done the insurance checkup and found out my 2 front rims were bent as a result of hitting that speedbump at speed when driving down to CPT

She was due for a service that I was quoted 6k to be done at BMW and also the brakes were reaching that point where it had to be replaced all around

With that, I started looking around and took what I now call my new car last week saturday.
Today I said goodbye to the reason that I drive a BMW today, its bittersweet because you saying goodbye to the car that holds more memories but also happy because I know that I'm on to new adventures. This car has been the start of great relationships, many laughs and being called a sewing machine (calling you out @Subloaded)
The drive to Auto Atlantic was a good one, feeling nervous and excited I sat in Amber for the short 2 minutes I usually do and just looked at everything in the cabin, final thought being that I will miss this 320i and I'm sure she will give someone else a great journey.

Good bye Amber, its been an awesome journey :chef:

 

[Twinz]

I could sense the sadness in the story...farewell amber.

You write really well. raise:
This story should be moved to the home page.

 

[SubLoaded]

This car has been the start of great relationships, many laughs and being called a sewing machine (calling you out @SubLoaded)

:roflol: :roflol: :roflol:

Farewell Amber. Many good memories back in Durban :blueCry:

 

[Geek_320]

I could sense the sadness in the story...farewell amber.

You write really well. raise:
This story should be moved to the home page.

Thanks Twinz, :ty:
Amber wasn't just a machine, she was part of the family

---

This car has been the start of great relationships, many laughs and being called a sewing machine (calling you out @SubLoaded)

:roflol: :roflol: :roflol:

Farewell Amber. Many good memories back in Durban :blueCry:

:fencelook: from that day we went out to view all those other cars :hammerhead: and to think it all started with a random stop