[genghisf30]

Hi Bimmerfans

First off thanks for all the amazing content you guys have been posting here. Since getting my 2012 328i in December I've at least once a day scouring for more information on which route I'd go with my own mobile.

First off, I work and live in Singapore and with the cost of owning a car here and the amazing public transport it never made sense to own a car. 6 years later I couldn't handle it anymore and bought a 2012 328i Sportline in Malaysia and am keeping it at my family's home so that I can drive it once a month when I'm there.

The car came pretty much stock apart from a front lip added on by the previous owner before he traded it up at BMW. I've no idea what brand/make it is so if anyone has a clue that would be awesome.

First thing I wanted to do was get a nice growl from the back, some rims and tints as Malaysia is quite hot. I ended up getting the Remus quad exhaust system (cold start vid below), Llumar tints and 20" OEM M Performance wheels. In 2 days I was able to take this car from stock to pretty sweet but sadly the wheels pumped the car up higher than I'd like so springs/suspension is definitely on the radar now.

Next on the agenda is:
1. Springs/Suspension - Thinking about M Performance at the moment but have seen a lot of people mention KW, H&R and Dinan. What do you guy's recommend as my BMW does have comfort and sport modes and I'd like to ensure they keep working.

2. Brakes - Braking feels a little bit slower with the heavier wheels and as I tune the engine best to go with safety first. Was thinking of the M Performance brakes.

3. Body Kit - Initially I was planning on going down the M Performance route but it feels common in Malaysia and I wanted the car to have a bit of an edge. I was thinking Aspec, Moshammer, Duke Dynamics (are they still around??) or M3. Does anyone know if it's easy to do an M3 conversion?

4. Remus Powerizer - A plug and play depending on feedback and gains. Alternatively there is a company in Singapore called Maximus Racing that does Dinan tunes on BMWs.

5. M3 digital steering - Just looks cool.

6. Vinyl wrap - Thinking of matte black or dark gray when the body kit has been installed

7. Air filter - Moshimito or Gruupe

I'd love to get some recommendations as I need to be very cautious with this car seeing that it is slightly more than 4 years old so need tried and tested parts/systems.

Looking forward to sharing more as the car develops throughout 2017. If it doesn't it means my tech company went broke haha.

Cheers

G

[wdeerfield]

car looks great but that thing on the rear trunk is going to make this thread interesting.

Love the front lip, quad exhaust and wheels. overall the car looks super clean.

[genghisf30]

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

car looks great but that thing on the rear trunk is going to make this thread interesting.

Love the front lip, quad exhaust and wheels. overall the car looks super clean.

which thing on the rear trunk?? You have my full attention. That lip thing on the top?

[Kingpin4]

It starts with "M"

[genghisf30]

Originally Posted by Kingpin4

It starts with "M"

The badge???? but why??? I guess if you're a purist....:

[.BMW.]

Nice wheels!

[mike@x-ph.com]

I do not like the M badge but exhaust sounds really good

[jmg]

If your car was M Performance I would justify the badge. The M badge is supposed to mean that BMW M division had some role in the car, whether it's tuning, suspension, brakes, etc. IMHO cosmetic upgrades alone don't justify an M badge since the M division is mainly performance oriented, and not just style oriented.

Since the M division had nothing to little to do with your car, it should not be M badged. Having said that, you have a very nice car, and false badging it with ///M, to me, tells me more about the driver than the car.

[Scopedude]

Originally Posted by jmg

If your car was M Performance I would justify the badge. The M badge is supposed to mean that BMW M division had some role in the car, whether it's tuning, suspension, brakes, etc. IMHO cosmetic upgrades alone don't justify an M badge since the M division is mainly performance oriented, and not just style oriented.

Since the M division had nothing to little to do with your car, it should not be M badged. Having said that, you have a very nice car, and false badging it with ///M, to me, tells me more about the driver than the car.

Looks like a very important matter here.

[wdeerfield]

Originally Posted by Scopedude

Looks like a very important matter here.

he's an elitist.. he has an f80... he also doesnt understand that the m badge is all over msport cars that can be just cosmetic...

[jmg]

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

he's an elitist.. he has an f80... he also doesnt understand that the m badge is all over msport cars that can be just cosmetic...

I just posted my own personal reasons for not putting an M badge on my 328i Sport. I also had a 340i M Sport and I think the M Performance badges on those are fine even though I didn't have any of those on the exterior, just the door sills.

In the end the OP can do what he wants and people can think what they want, but I wanted to let him know what some people might be thinking and their reasoning behind it. He might not be aware or even be comfortable with what he is projecting. Some people care what others think, some people don't, again, that's up to him. I'm not judging him as a person, others might. He has a nice car and for me, I would take the badge off because there is no shame in a nicely modified 328i Sport, so why pretend to be something it's not?

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Scopedude

Looks like a very important matter here.

Since the OP just got this car second hand from another enthusiast, he might not be aware of what the M badge means and how others might react to it. As you can tell from the other replies in this thread, it's a polarizing subject. There is no harm in talking about it, especially in a civilized manner.

Anyway, don't let me get you down OP!

Again, nice pickup on the car! It's certainly a nice ride and your mods have just made it better!

[genghisf30]

Hey guys. Sorry for the delay! It's good to know what the badge meant and I wasn't exactly comfortable with it but there are tons of owners here who add it on only for cosmetic reasons. Having said that I was quite keen to get rid of it when I took off the front tri-colour grill clip ons as well.

Any thoughts on the parts I will be pursuing from your experiences?

[Tommy_hf]

In europe the M-sport cars all get small M badges on the front wings as well.

[CIWS]

Originally Posted by Tommy_hf

In europe the M-sport cars all get small M badges on the front wings as well.

But they don't get full size M badges on the trunk lid.


There's a lot of owners out there who stick M badges on their cars that didn't come with them. It's their vehicle to decorate in which ever way pleases them. They have to live with it, not me.

[Tommy_hf]

Then again, that's exactly what it is, there are those who even run M tricolore kidney grilles or tow hook license plates...