[Gazi]

I ordered my E92 Msport 320d today!!! Can't wait... Expecting delivery in Feb! Wondering what I can do between now and pick up! I have already started looking into:

Gap insurance
Detailers / paint guard offered by dealer
Possible mod.. Performance grill , Interior CF trim , interior led lighting

Is there anything I should be looking out for before I pick up the car in feb?

I want to thank Anneeka for setting up the contact with Sytner in sheffield ... I got a good price in the end I think, Michael and Colin are great to deal with!

[AlanQS]

Make sure the GAP insurance is the "return to invoice" type. Any other is useless. Also, get a quotation from other sources for return to invoice insurance as it is a little earner for BMW dealers and they won't reduce their price until you can demonstrate that you can get much lower prices elsewhere.

As for paint guard, this is another little earner for the dealer as it involves about £6 of material (at bulk trade prices) and is applied by, shall we say, non specialists who will more than likely seal in lots of dealer inspired swirls, and small scratches (they usually polish the car with filler type polishes anyway - it hides those little imperfections for a few weeks).

Much better to get a quality sealer and wax and do the car yourself.

As for your other suggestions, entirely up to you how you want to mod your car.

Oh, and congratulations, you'll love it!

[chrislad]

well done mate, you will love it
i already dont want to give mine back incase i dont love the next one as much!

[the_rangdo]

£114 for GAP (£10k over 3 years Return to Invoice) on my 318d Touring. Dealer admitted he couldn't get anywhere close to that so didn't bother pushing.

Professional detail due in 2 weeks, not paying the £400-ish for the dealer seal & protect or whatever they call it. The last time I had it done they did a p*-poor job of prepping the car before applying, the whole paintwork felt like fine sandpaper. A happy afternoon claying sorted it out, thank God I didn't pay for the job.

[themetz]

Congrats!

Might be worth delaying registration to 1st March - should avoid an extra hit on depreciation compared to Feb registration (if you're paying!!)

What's your spec??

[Gazi]

Thanks for the heads up .. I will do some research into it!

I have only done a test drive in the manual but not the auto I went for. What do you guys have in your 320d? The car I test drove has a lot of vibration coming from the gear stick which I think contributed to a rather noisy cabin. What do you think?

I know the auto won't vibrate much as it is fixed but what about the Cabin noise? Quiet for a diesel?

[Gazi]

What gap insurance company have you guys went for?

I have hear the dealer's work is not as good but the reason Im considering it is becase the dealer's seal and protect is roughly about £300 and it "claims" to last for 3-5 years (I cant remember how long it says on the leaflet). Whilst detailer would cost about £200 for new car protect which lasts around 12 months.

I want to wait until March but that would mean I miss out on the £1500 dealer contribution and also the rise in vat...

This is the spec I got -

Mineral white with Red leather
Automatic
19" 313M
Heated seat
lumbar support
folding and auto dimming wing mirror
sun protection glass
USB
pro nav with bluetooth telematic

[the_rangdo]

Surf & Protect (with price match) for GAP.

Re the cabin noise, as I moved from a 320i initially I thought there's a lot more vibration and some more noise. After 2 weeks of driving I find the cabin reassuringly hushed, on a m-way run there's just a gentle hum in the background. Most vibration smooths away once warmed up and VPower diesel IMO makes the engine run smoother too (might just be in my head, but I'm happy )

[the_rangdo]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

As for paint guard, this is another little earner for the dealer as it involves about £6 of material (at bulk trade prices) and is applied by, shall we say, non specialists who will more than likely seal in lots of dealer inspired swirls, and small scratches (they usually polish the car with filler type polishes anyway - it hides those little imperfections for a few weeks).

This is why I'm having the detail done, did the first wash last week and spotted the swirlies in the sun (black doesn't help on this score)

[Gazi]

Originally Posted by the_rangdo

Surf & Protect (with price match) for GAP.

Re the cabin noise, as I moved from a 320i initially I thought there's a lot more vibration and some more noise. After 2 weeks of driving I find the cabin reassuringly hushed, on a m-way run there's just a gentle hum in the background. Most vibration smooths away once warmed up and VPower diesel IMO makes the engine run smoother too (might just be in my head, but I'm happy )

So I will probably get use to it? The torque and the mpg swayed me so I guess I can make do with the noise... I will run it on Vpower diesel too! Thanks!

[zedman]

Hey man nice to see another Sheffield 320d'er, here's my 2p on the products.

GAP insurance - buy it on the internet or get dealer to pricematch
Seal and Protect - please don't get this, it's potentially complete crap. You're far better off getting a good detailer themselves to give it a single stage polish and some good wax prior to delivery. If Sytner try and talk you out of it then remind them that they use an independant detailer themselves when they have a car launch, like the X3 recently.

Also an old friend of mine got the similar dealer promoted (but not S&P) stuff on a new Mini, it was meant to protect against all things and specifically bird lime. However some bird lime on her roof caused some etching on her roof which the dealer refused to pay for as ....

Dealer 'well, we only apply the stuff we don't make it. There's the supplier phone number'.

Supplier said 'well, the dealer has clearly not applied it properly, please talk to them. Oh and they didn't give you the application certificate so we cant process it further, even though you have the seperate invoice for it'.

Dealer said 'we are like a mortgage broker, we only direct the sale. It's not our product, therefore we are not liable and it's your responsibility to chase the supplier, not ours'.

BMW/Mini said 'sorry, it's a dealer issue, we can't get involved'.

So my friend got 2 fingers from the dealer, 2 more from the specialist polish company and BMW/Mini were happy for their to dealer (not Sytner) to act like a bunch of pikeys whilst flying the Mini flag. Nice.

Rant over. - moral being find a good person to do it yourself, or look on DW for the guy that does work for Sytner on occasion.

Anyway sounds like a nice spec dude, is it coupe?

[Gazi]

QUOTE=zedman;8438682]Hey man nice to see another Sheffield 320d'er, here's my 2p on the products.

GAP insurance - buy it on the internet or get dealer to pricematch
Seal and Protect - please don't get this, it's potentially complete crap. You're far better off getting a good detailer themselves to give it a single stage polish and some good wax prior to delivery. If Sytner try and talk you out of it then remind them that they use an independant detailer themselves when they have a car launch, like the X3 recently.

Anyway sounds like a nice spec dude, is it coupe?[/QUOTE]

Yeh it is a coupe. Is yours an auto?

The auto in the petrol 2L lacks the quick response I want when overtaking... what is the auto like in the diesel? Does it have the auto lag?

[zedman]

nah man mines an manual, but i'm told the auto is very well matched to the car/engine.

[kaishang]

Pic and a half, zedman

[Jeff123]

The engine is only noisy at tick-over when stopped. At motorway speeds it's almost inaudible.

The power is superb for a 2 litre car. Put it into DS mode (or just normal) floor it and before you gave had chance to look at the scenery, you are doing an illegal speed. Maybe on a track it could appear slow(ish), but on UK roads it's fine.

[Gazi]

Feb seems such a long time away ...

Thanks Jeff for the feedback ... what mpg are you getting for auto?

[Darkeeboy]

Try Car2Cover on the web - they have a good policy for GAP at very competitive prices too...

[G82Dude]

So what sort of discount did you manage?

[Gazi]

Just under 12% 5 years free servicing included too

[Jeff123]

Originally Posted by Gazi

Feb seems such a long time away ...

Thanks Jeff for the feedback ... what mpg are you getting for auto?

Highly variable. Currently c36 - urban/winter.

Max 56 - very slow run in summer.

Probably mid-40's is a long term average, but you need decent length runs or else it drops markedly.

[Gazi]

Originally Posted by Jeff123

The engine is only noisy at tick-over when stopped. At motorway speeds it's almost inaudible.

The power is superb for a 2 litre car. Put it into DS mode (or just normal) floor it and before you gave had chance to look at the scenery, you are doing an illegal speed. Maybe on a track it could appear slow(ish), but on UK roads it's fine.

Thanks to Michael in Sheffield Sytner, who dug a 320d out of the snow, so I can have a go in it! The noise inside the cabin was not as loud as the manual (prob because one was warmed up). But the automatic does go well with the diesel, as Jeff said in D or DS mode it is more than enough to over take or have some fun with it! The wait is going to be even harder now!

Has anyone heard of smart guard? you can claim to fix £500 worth of body damage for an excess £25. Can only claim £3000 in total over 3 years.

[AlanQS]

Please, please, smart guard, paint guard, anything guard! It's designed to put money in the dealer's pocket, plain and simple.

Paint guard lasting 3 to 5 years is absolute bollocks, it's a downright lie!

Go onto Detailing World and ask about these "systems". You'll soon find out that they are rotten. And the pros won't offer to seal and protect your car, they'll tell you to buy a good wax and do it yourself!