[squaredphoto]

Greetings!

I've been lurking around on the F30 sub for quite some time and decided it would be a good idea to create a separate thread to document my adventure with my 2018 340i xDrive. I picked up this CPO model in the beginning of June after I was rather rudely forced to get another car.

Between 2017 and 2021, I had a pride and joy of an E91 M Sport. I tried keeping its build thread pretty up to date and it can be found here:
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1465774

The wagon had all the things I envisioned a long time ago: full 3D Design aero, M3 mirrors, Laptorr exhaust, some JDM wheels, Individual trim and more. However, I was unlucky one evening and got rear ended at a red light. The car was deemed a total loss and I was gutted. Everyone involved was safe and had to move on quick due to insurance trying to move things along.






I was trying to replace my M Sport wagon with another M Sport wagon but couldn't justify the price for a well spec'd F31 330. I test drove a few 340's and got hooked to the power band. The lack of a long roof and hatchback definitely took some time to get used to. The price tag was higher but much more palatable







I appreciate yall sticking along this far. I'll keep things hopefully organized down below. Talk to you soon!

[squaredphoto]

Mod list as of Feb 13, 2023
Interior:

• Euro light switch
• Studie AG Air Freshners
• Suntek CXP 35% tinted windows
• P3 Gauges Vent OBD2 gauge
• Rennline Magnetic Phone Mount
  

Exterior:

• Alpina Trunk Spoiler
• Autotecknic Eyelids
• iND paint matched front reflectors
• iND paint matched rear reflectors
• iND paint matched rear license plate frame
• OEM Roof Rails (off of an E90)
• OEM Bike Carrier
• OEM Blackline Taillights
• OEM M3 Trunk Lip
• OEM M3 Mirrors
• 3D Design Front Lip
  

Suspension:

• KW V1 Coilovers
• Vorshlag camber plates
• KC Design Front Strut Bar
• KC Design Rear Under Bar

Engine:

• Eventuri Intake
• Dinan Turbo Inlet
• BimmerNetwork Heat Shield
• xHP Stage 2

Wheels & Tires:

• Rays Gram light G07EX 18x9.5 +35
• Continental ExtremeContact DWS 255/40/18

Coding:

• Video in Motion
• iDrive disclaimer off
• Mini sound effects
• Mirrors fold when car is locked
• Rear fog lights
• Front fog lights on with high beam
• Front headlights US sidemarker LEDs turned off
• M Performance startup logo

Maintenance:
22048 - Purchased
24826 - KW V1, Vorshlag install
26099 - 255/40/18 Conti Extremecontact DWS put on
27800 - Oil change
32900 - Oil change
35600 - KC strut bar install, tire rotation
37300 - Oil change
38500 - Eventuri intake install
42400 - Oil change, Brake fluid change
42600 - Transfer case front output flange and seal replaced
48900 - Oil change
51000 - Cabin filter, spark plugs, F&R diff oil, transfer case oil, tire rotation
54700 - Oil change
59500 - Oil change, rear pads, rotors, wear sensor, tire rotation
63000 - New windshield
64500 - Oil change
65000 - Alignment - Camber F:-1.4 R:-1.9 Toe: F: 0 R: 1/16 in
65200 - New 255/40/18 Conti Extremecontact DWS06+
66300 - Front upper and lower control arms
67400 - Inner and Outer tie rods
68400 - xHP Stage 2
69100 - Dinan turbo inlet, BimmerNetwork heat shield


Vouch list:
Eric's Auto Lab - Maintenance, diagnostics, part installs, etc
Thalmann Alignment - Alignments
J-lign - Alignments
Glosswerks Of Chicago - Detailing, ceramic coating
Carl Darling Window Tinting - Window tint
Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists - Wheel repair
A&L Auto Body - Body work and PDR
A&E Paint And Body - Body work and paint
IND Distribution - Aftermarket parts
Future Classic - Aftermarket parts
KC Design - Aftermarket parts
Streeter Corporation - Importing parts from Japan
M Parts Worldwide - M car parts
X-PH - Aftermarket parts

[squaredphoto]

One of the first orders of business was figuring out how to transport my bikes. I have a few and putting them in the trunk isn't something very fun. I found a really cheap bolt in set of roof rails off of an E90 on Facebook Marketplace and they do the job. The curvature of the black end pieces doesn't match the roof line of the F30 but it doesn't rub. There is this really weird howling vibration between 45-55mph when the bike carrier isn't on the rails. I just keep the carrier on and then there is no weird noise besides the obvious wind noise.

Roof Rail P/N: 82 71 0 403 104

Also around this time, I got my windows tinted with the Suntek CXP tint. I went with 35% side and 20% rear window. If anyone is in IL and near Chicago, Carl's tint in McHenry is the move

[squaredphoto]

The front and rear reflectors were really bothering me so I swapped them out for the iND patched units. Fronts were a bit of a pain to replace because I didn't want to melt the paint or warp the plastic. The rears were super easy and I followed this thread to pop them out:
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=908920

I also added an AW300 matched rear license plate frame to clean everything up. I'm really considering removing the batches off the trunk

[squaredphoto]

I have a habit of getting euro taillights for all my cars. For my DC2 Integra, I had a set of the UKDM Type R tailights and rear fog light, E91 had a euro light switch and euro taillights. I'm kicking this trend off with the euro light switch I picked up from eBay. It's something different and a small detail that I enjoy. Currently trying to justify getting a set of euro taillights for a light pink turn signal lens and amber LED. It's nice to use in the rain especially when people forget how to drive...

[squaredphoto]

After some research, I decided to pull the trigger on KW V1 coilovers and Vorshlag camber plates. I've heard nothing but good things about KW and the Vorshlag camber plates seem to be the most quite between Milway and Ground Control. I had a set of GC's in the past and they loved to make a ticking sound on certain bumps and cracks in the road. I chose the V1's because this car is my daily and I don't really plan on tracking the car. I've had two different sets of adjustable shocks on my E91 and I did the initial setup and then forgot about it.

I ordered an EDC cancellation kit from KW by accident and will be selling that soon if anyone needs it.

Install was performed by Eric's Auto Lab in Schaumburg and alignment was done by Thalmann's in Northbrook.







The car drives great and perfect for what I'm trying to achieve. It's a little more firm than the stock xDrive suspension. At the current low height, I don't have an issue with bottoming out or rubbing. I am experiencing a slight vibration in the steering wheel on acceleration and I'm not sure if that's the tires, wheels or axle angle.

Toe is whatever is within OE specs. Front camber is -1.4 and rear camber is -1.9. I don't think I can get any less camber in the rear with the stock arms.

The hardware on the Vorshlag camber plates is crap. One of the four bolts that adjust the camber have already stripped their threads. If anyone is planning on rocking these, please go to your local hardware store and get some stainless SAE hardware as insurance. The camber plates themselves are solid and make no noise as long as you torque down the top nuts accordingly. I didn't and that started ticking after a few miles.

Wheel wise, I'm running 18x9.5 +35 Rays / Gram light G07EX and Continental ExtremeContact DW in 255/35/18. The tires are too short to the point that when I think I'm going 60mph, the car is actually going 55mph. I've seen a transfer case overheating error come up in Carly so I'll be ordering some 255/40/18 tires soon. If anyone would like these tires for cheap, let me know. They only have 1000mi on them.

[F30_320D_UK]

Sweet looking ride, man. Careful of those pesky transfer cases. Im on my 2nd one. Your E91 was beautiful.

[McGyv3r]

Sorry to see about your e90. Another one of my e30s got totaled a few months back, which is also the reason I've got an f30 now.

I love the ind reflectors (saw them on my cousin's f36)! I've been meaning to look for them, but never remembered when I was next to a computer.

I had euro fogs on 2 of my e30s (one early car and one late). I didn't think about it being an option, but it makes sense. The e30 required some wiring, a new switch, and replacing part of the instrument cluster. I'm stocked that the f30 is a little messing with the switch and coding!

Thanks for the head's up!

[squaredphoto]

Originally Posted by F30_320D_UK

Sweet looking ride, man. Careful of those pesky transfer cases. Im on my 2nd one. Your E91 was beautiful.

Many thanks!

Was there anything in particular that caused your first transfer case to go out? Were you able to cover it under some warranty?

[squaredphoto]

Originally Posted by McGyv3r

Sorry to see about your e90. Another one of my e30s got totaled a few months back, which is also the reason I've got an f30 now.

I love the ind reflectors (saw them on my cousin's f36)! I've been meaning to look for them, but never remembered when I was next to a computer.

I had euro fogs on 2 of my e30s (one early car and one late). I didn't think about it being an option, but it makes sense. The e30 required some wiring, a new switch, and replacing part of the instrument cluster. I'm stocked that the f30 is a little messing with the switch and coding!

Thanks for the head's up!

It seems to get easier with every generation. There were a few coding switches you had to slide to ON within Carly to get the lights to work.

[F30_320D_UK]

Originally Posted by squaredphoto

Many thanks!

Was there anything in particular that caused your first transfer case to go out? Were you able to cover it under some warranty?

No idea really, BMW doesn't give you a post mortem diagnosis. It was a bum fight between me, BMW UK and 3rd party extended warranty who should be paying for it.

My first one started showing signs of imminent failure at 27k miles and eventually replaced at 32k miles in 2018. I have a 2013 model where the guibo connecting the TC and driveshaft was aluminum. This apparently, together with it being a diesel, causes excessive vibration which shears the teeth on the output shaft.
I'm at 78k miles now and so far so good with this TC…

[Rizna]

Looks really good

[Bost123]

Looks very nice

[squaredphoto]

A while back, I got some Autotecknic eyelids and an OEM M3 trunk lip. Both were paint matched through IND.

I also picked up some slightly larger 255/40/18 Continental Extremecontact DWS and will be trying them out in the Chicago snow. All my previous cars had a dedicated Blizzak winter set so I'm curious to see how these DWS do. The stock tires that our cars come with seem to get really poor snow and ice reviews so I didn't even bother putting those back on. Unlike before, now the speedo reads accurate and the transfer case isn't throwing any errors.

I did notice that my rear driver wheel was vibrating my drivers seat pretty bad after 60mph and it turned out that the wheel barrel had a pretty significant bend do it. A local shop called Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists got it about 95% and I was super thrilled.

The car was also ceramic coated through a local shop and couldn't be happier I don't think I've washed the car since October and it's still glossy







I have a front lip in the works currently at a body shop and struggling to get any updates on it. I purchased it used from Japan and it came more damaged than expected. Thankfully it's winter time so no major rush.

Trying to pick up a P3 vent gauge to show boost and water temps. I had one previously in my E91 and loved that piece of kit especially for the problematic N52 water pumps

[dr.Vaul]

Great car

[pams44]

Very nice cars!

[squaredphoto]

Scored a great deal on a P3 vent gauge on f80post and mainly just have the screen set to coolant and sometimes to boost. It came already preinstalled in a vent which made the install super quick. Once it gets warmer, I plan on splicing some wires so that the screen dims itself automatically when the headlights turn on.

Also picked up the Rennline magnetic phone holder through Kies. Overall a pretty handy piece but the fitment between the dash and the back of the climate control panel is a bit questionable. Not sure if this is intended or not but there is now like a 3-4mm gap on the passenger side. This isn't an eyesore because I can't see it

Just got the oil changed again too to keep my interval at around 5000 mi

[dangerus_car]

Originally Posted by squaredphoto

I have a habit of getting euro taillights for all my cars. For my DC2 Integra, I had a set of the UKDM Type R tailights and rear fog light, E91 had a euro light switch and euro taillights. I'm kicking this trend off with the euro light switch I picked up from eBay. It's something different and a small detail that I enjoy. Currently trying to justify getting a set of euro taillights for a light pink turn signal lens and amber LED. It's nice to use in the rain especially when people forget how to drive...

so i m guessing you are using a USDM rear light and just buy a rear fog light switcher and it would turn on ? that means USDM rear light already have rear fog light LED built in?

[squaredphoto]

Originally Posted by crislee

so i m guessing you are using a USDM rear light and just buy a rear fog light switcher and it would turn on ? that means USDM rear light already have rear fog light LED built in?

Correct! The rear fog light in the USDM/EU/Asia cars are also used if you have the brake force display coded which flashes the rear fog light if you slam on the brakes

There's a DIY on how to make the USDM light switch do this here:
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=877278

Within Carly or Bimmercode I believe there are 2 values you need to enable to in the rear light module to be able to toggle the switch

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by squaredphoto

After some research, I decided to pull the trigger on KW V1 coilovers and Vorshlag camber plates. I've heard nothing but good things about KW and the Vorshlag camber plates seem to be the most quite between Milway and Ground Control. I had a set of GC's in the past and they loved to make a ticking sound on certain bumps and cracks in the road. I chose the V1's because this car is my daily and I don't really plan on tracking the car. I've had two different sets of adjustable shocks on my E91 and I did the initial setup and then forgot about it.

I ordered an EDC cancellation kit from KW by accident and will be selling that soon if anyone needs it.

Install was performed by Eric's Auto Lab in Schaumburg and alignment was done by Thalmann's in Northbrook.







The car drives great and perfect for what I'm trying to achieve. It's a little more firm than the stock xDrive suspension. At the current low height, I don't have an issue with bottoming out or rubbing. I am experiencing a slight vibration in the steering wheel on acceleration and I'm not sure if that's the tires, wheels or axle angle.

Toe is whatever is within OE specs. Front camber is -1.4 and rear camber is -1.9. I don't think I can get any less camber in the rear with the stock arms.

The hardware on the Vorshlag camber plates is crap. One of the four bolts that adjust the camber have already stripped their threads. If anyone is planning on rocking these, please go to your local hardware store and get some stainless SAE hardware as insurance. The camber plates themselves are solid and make no noise as long as you torque down the top nuts accordingly. I didn't and that started ticking after a few miles.

Wheel wise, I'm running 18x9.5 +35 Rays / Gram light G07EX and Continental ExtremeContact DW in 255/35/18. The tires are too short to the point that when I think I'm going 60mph, the car is actually going 55mph. I've seen a transfer case overheating error come up in Carly so I'll be ordering some 255/40/18 tires soon. If anyone would like these tires for cheap, let me know. They only have 1000mi on them.

The car looks great. Any trouble navigating parking lot on and off ramps with the lowered suspension?

[squaredphoto]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

The car looks great. Any trouble navigating parking lot on and off ramps with the lowered suspension?

Not really. I just need to take an angled approach on certain steep driveways/ramp/curbs

[mmari2]

nice car