[DaveA]

Those of you who read my thread "(Not) Taking Delivery of my 330d M Sport" will know that delivery of my new car was delayed.

Anyway, I went back to the dealer yesterday and, since my last visit, the car has been into their bodyshop to have the damage rectified.

I had a good close look over the area that's been worked on (including with an LED lamp - which really reveals the blue tinted flakes in the metallic, by the way) and, I have to say, it certainly looks like they have done a very nice job of it indeed. I don't think you'd really know, if you didn't know, if you follow my meaning..!!

I just want to give a big thumbs up to how the dealer handled this. I know the chap I dealt with was just as disappointed as I was about what happened, and he handled everything very well indeed. The test, in any of these sorts of situations, is how well somebody takes ownership of problems and gets them sorted. In this instance, there was never any doubt that he took full ownership and really got things sorted out quickly and properly. I was very impressed indeed.

So, a big "thumbs up".

So, we did the paperwork etc and an hour or so later they had my old 320d signed over, finance all sorted, free 7 days insurance set up, and I was on my way in my brand new 330d M Sport.

Here's a picture of the car:



Here's the spec:

Tanzanite Blue with 19" M Star-spoke 403M alloy wheels
Black Dakota Leather with Piano Black Interior Trim and Pearl Chrome finishers

Advanced Parking Package
Interior Comfort Package
M Sport Plus Package
Media Package - BMW Professional
Visibility Package

Enhanced Bluetooth telephone with USB & Voice Control
Windscreen with grey shade band
Ext. mirrors - folding, auto dimming
Seat heating, front
Variable sport steering
Surround-view

The colour is stunning. As others have noted, it has that ability to look different in different light and I love how it is a deep purply blue (as opposed to the Imperial Blue). Certainly, I think it's worth the extra for the Individual colour. The picture does not really do justice to the depth and complexity of the colour (I think this is due to the overcast conditions, as, in sunshine, the colour pops out more).

The reasoning behind how I arrived at this spec are outlined HERE and HERE

I drove the car the 230 miles or so back home (on probably the worst day on the roads for a long time).

First impressions are that the steering/suspension is very much more controlled (IMO) than the 320d Sport I had which (if you read my thread about the decision making process) was very good news for me. Less roll, more control, firmer. Now I have spent more time driving it, I am also certain that my decision to go for the standard M Sport suspension (as opposed to variable) was the right one. I found the "fixed" set up to be a perfectly acceptable balance over a variety of roads and surfaces. I cannot imagine my needing any softer set up, and anything significantly firmer would just be unnecessary.

The M Sport brakes have quite a nice feel to them, also. Firmer and with a less servo'd feel than the set up on my old 320d. I am also very happy with the VSS option.

I've not played with the engine's power delivery yet as I want to take it reasonably easy for the the first 1000 miles or so and run it in nicely. But I am not concerned...

The HK sound is so much better than the standard set up I had on my last car (again, one of the things I wanted to change).

Bum warmers were nice this morning..

Right, well, I know many of you like to see lots of pictures and so I will do a selection when I have cleaned the car.

Also, I have the M Performance power kit on order, so I will update on that, also, when I get it fitted.

[JohnM]

Looks totally stunning enjoy

[Alkidrew]

blue looks great but more pics please so we can see better? and the inside!

[DazC]

Glad to hear you got it all sorted to your satisfaction and the colour looks lovely.

I'm sure in the sunlight it will have a real pop to it.

Enjoy!

[Apl440i or 335d?]

Total sweetness! Enjoy!

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by Alkidrew

blue looks great but more pics please so we can see better? and the inside!

As I mentioned in the post, I'll post some more pictures when I've cleaned it..

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by DazC

Glad to hear you got it all sorted to your satisfaction and the colour looks lovely.

I'm sure in the sunlight it will have a real pop to it.

Enjoy!

Thanks, Man..

[d4springer]

Looks very nice, maybe ditch/swap out the huge tax disc holder the dealer stuck in there (probably with their advertising details in it etc..) before the glue sets. I know it sounds a bit over the top but I always remove the dealer adverts/stickers, especially any they stick in the back window (not too fussed about the numbers plates though)

[jayakrishnanv]

Congratulations on the new car...nice colour chosen and is giving the car an elegant look ...enjoy

[F30AM]

@DaveA:
Congratulations. At long last you got it.
From your picture have they not sprayed the driver's side black?
It still looks rather lovely in two tone. Much like a Rolls Royce.

[Jules6]

Looks stunning

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by F30AM

@DaveA:
Congratulations. At long last you got it. :thump:

Thanks, man..

Originally Posted by F30AM

From your picture have they not sprayed the driver's side black?
It still looks rather lovely in two tone. Much like a Rolls Royce.

Well, shhhhh, don't tell anybody, but they'll all want one..

[Arwmjc]

That colour is lovely... I'm glad the dealers done a fantastic job on your repair..

[Tengocity]

Looks fantastic.. now that I've seen more pics of the individual colours in the flesh I'm really wondering if I should have looked in to them more... configurator certainly doesn't do them justice.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by d4springer

Looks very nice, maybe ditch/swap out the huge tax disc holder the dealer stuck in there (probably with their advertising details in it etc..) before the glue sets. I know it sounds a bit over the top but I always remove the dealer adverts/stickers, especially any they stick in the back window (not too fussed about the numbers plates though)

Yeah, I see what you mean, but I'm not too fussed.. I'll have to do something next year when we go "paperless" for our road fund licence…

ps - imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.. See below..

[DaveA]

Regarding the various comments on the colour, the dealer said it was one of the first "individual" cars that they'd had and they were certainly impressed by it. Enough so to have ordered now one of their own cars in Tanzanite..

My own view is that it isn't a lot of money extra but the colour really looks different from the "norm"… I'm not knocking anybody else's choices, by the way, just kind of saying how I looked at it when choosing the spec…

I was telling them about the "Moonstone" car that had been pictured in this forum and how I thought that looked a cool colour also…

They told me about the next step up from the individual options which was a much wider colour palate to choose from. For instance, the old E30 M3 Evolution 2 colour "Macau Blue" can be ordered…

That would look good on the new M3….

[PrinceBarin]

Really pleased for you that it's sorted, I think you have shown remarkable patience!

The car looks stunning, particularly the colour. Well done sir!

Now, if you could just open the taps and little and tell us how that feels...

[d4springer]

Originally Posted by DaveA

Yeah, I see what you mean, but I'm not too fussed.. I'll have to do something next year when we go "paperless" for our road fund licence…

ps - imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.. See below..

Ah I just clicked, that will look great, especially with a bit of colour coding

[wanabe]

Tanzanite looks stunning but i am going to lease over 2 or 3 years so i can not justify the additional cost per month - shame it is not a standard colour, there is really only a very limited choice if you want M Sport.

Thinking of dropping the Adaptive suspension to keep the cost down - glad to hear you are happy with the standard setup.

Yes, more pictures would be nice!

[F30AM]

@DaveA:
You'll love sDrive. Unfortunately, you don't have Adaptive dampers. I had a terrific drive today and really, really hooned the car. What a car, what a super smooth and silky ride, fabulous road holding and handling, flat cornering even in 'comfort' mode and I was grinning like a virgin who's been de-flowered for the first time. I just love sDrive, the 8AT, the 18" wheels, the engine torque and the HK playing Wagner and Verdi. Got home on a super high and I was at ease with the world. Thank you BMW.

[JustChris]

happy ending, car looks superb

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by wanabe

Tanzanite looks stunning but i am going to lease over 2 or 3 years so i can not justify the additional cost per month - shame it is not a standard colour, there is really only a very limited choice if you want M Sport.
Thinking of dropping the Adaptive suspension to keep the cost down - glad to hear you are happy with the standard setup.
Yes, more pictures would be nice!

For me, in order of importance:
(1) 18" wheels are an absolute must
(2) Adaptive Suspension
(3.1) HK, (3.2) Pro Media
(4) Vis Pack
(5) Lumbar support
(6) Folding/heated door mirrors
(7) Heated seats
....... and so on ......

F/R Parking sensors come as standard with M Sport.