BMW 330e ordered...

[Chris1712]

Yes the Sat Nav routing is terrible, doubly so with RTTI. If it's an important journey or at a busy time just use Google Maps.

Pro Tip for other 330e owners! Turn off pre-conditioning if you're not using your car for a while!

I've been off work ill these last 3 days, so 6 pre-condition timers came and went without the car being used (still plugged in). After some of these it decided to just disable all future preconditioning (this is not reflected in the app!) so I stepped out this morning into -3c with a completely frozen car. What a pain! The timers are still listed in the app, only when you get into your ice car does the display state it's been disabled as you haven't made any journeys with the previous times.

[bmwphever]

Chris1712 said:

Pro Tip for other 330e owners! Turn off pre-conditioning if you're not using your car for a while!

I've been off work ill these last 3 days, so 6 pre-condition timers came and went without the car being used (still plugged in). After some of these it decided to just disable all future preconditioning (this is not reflected in the app!) so I stepped out this morning into -3c with a completely frozen car. What a pain! The timers are still listed in the app, only when you get into your ice car does the display state it's been disabled as you haven't made any journeys with the previous times.

I noticed that in the user manual - it's after 3 missed occurrences that it gets disabled. Anyone know what the tolerance is though? Do you have to miss by a minute or an hour? Guess it's somewhere in between...

My car's now expected at the dealer any day, so from 'departed plant' to arriving at the dealer will be just over two weeks. Now need to wait another 2 weeks until I get a chance to collect it!

[PhilWilson]

Funkydunc said:

I
Gear change question - Does anyone else have delay when changing gears using the paddles? I have to think in advance! Click paddle and then maybe a second later the gear changes, that's going up or down the box in sport or sport +. I assumed this was normal, but a colleague has the same 8 speed box in an older 3 series and they say it is instant.

I also have this experience, which makes me crazy. A manual gearshift would be several times faster and more satisfying. I basically never use the paddle shifters because the delay is infuriating. Does anyone have a crisp, instant-feeling paddle shift?

[likhan_s]

likhan_s said:

Mcpaynter said:

Just put it in manual shift.. keeps the engine running but doesn't use save mode.. will charge a bit though as you're not using the battery but mpg is better than save mode. You don't have to change gear either if you just leave it it'll continue to auto change

Good suggestion,but putting into ds mode will change the shift points if i am not mistaken. Will try anyways. Thanks

Tried that yesterday and today. The engine stays running but as suspected ds mode tends to run the car aat a higher rev point. Switcjed2 to manual mode which is better, but, manual mode seems like also very spirited driving. It doesnt want to upshift until i reach a certain speed and rpm. I thought manual means full manual control let me do what i want unless ot might cause damage.

[humpy999]

paul.flannagan said:

humpy999 said:

Have you paid the subscription for Online Entertainment? If not then you don't have the data plan to be able to use the in-car app, you need to buy the subscription through BMW it won't work with just a vanilla user account as you need the data element, I suspect. I have paid for online entertainment and it's works great!

How would i check this? Thanks

If you go into ConnectedDrive and it's listed as something you could buy then you haven't got it! Or you simply remember ticking it on the options list or you didn't,it's not standard... If you didn't choose it at some point then you don't have it.

[Funkydunc]

Thanks for the tip on putting the car in to 'manual' shift mode.

I am now getting to work averaging about 60mpg, and getting home averaging about 50mpg ( a huge improvement on the 30ish mpg I was getting before). Approximately 50/60% of battery left by the time I get to work!

However to think that I have to basically decide when to use electric or not is ridiculous, and having to use manual intervention, to put the car in manual and change gear is not good. In reality I am putting the car in to petrol mode whenever I go out of built up areas (like the nav is supposed to do?) So much for an intelligent Nav system...

Glad it is not just me who finds the manual paddle shifting a joke too. I did watch a review on Youtube where they thought the shift speed was slower than a normal 8 speed box, maybe its because of the inline engine/motor? Still completely makes the driving experience awful. Might be another one to raise on my increasing list of gripes with BMW.

Edited by Funkydunc on Friday 2nd December 11:29

[redrum_g]

PhilWilson said:

I also have this experience, which makes me crazy. A manual gearshift would be several times faster and more satisfying. I basically never use the paddle shifters because the delay is infuriating. Does anyone have a crisp, instant-feeling paddle shift?

The gear change through the paddles is definitely not quick. If you need to down shift two or three times when coming quickly into a tight corner then it then it feels like an eternity! This is the first auto ive owned and I just cant get the same feel for where i am in the rev range or how many down shifts i need for a corner when pushing on.

The gearbox in the 330e isnt the same as the on the normal 3 series. The normal 3 Series has the option for 'Sport automatic transmission' we have an 'Automatic with paddle shift' as standard. So perhaps the gear change in the Sports Auto is better.

[Funkydunc]

redrum_g said:

The gear change through the paddles is definitely not quick. If you need to down shift two or three times when coming quickly into a tight corner then it then it feels like an eternity! This is the first auto ive owned and I just cant get the same feel for where i am in the rev range or how many down shifts i need for a corner when pushing on.

The gearbox in the 330e isnt the same as the on the normal 3 series. The normal 3 Series has the option for 'Sport automatic transmission' we have an 'Automatic with paddle shift' as standard. So perhaps the gear change in the Sports Auto is better.

Yep I know what you mean. It is my first auto too, so can not compare (other than to a friends M3 with 7 speed DSG) his changes are instant and allow you to feel you are in control of the car. As you say pushing on in this car, it just does not flow, I find myself heading in to corners trying to work out when to press the paddle/will it drop to the correct gear, will it kick down mid exit of the corner etc. Completely detracts from what should be a very good car to drive with all that low down torque.

Humpy - that isn't really how you drive though pushing on. I have tried that method and 2 seconds is an eternity to wait in reality :-(

Just spoken to BMW Genius - and yes all the 330e's come with the pedestrian automatic gearbox :-(

Doing a bit of googling has come up with 1 place that will do a software upgrade for ~ £99. However a quick search of forums has come up that you can manually update it with a cable and a bit of knowledge. Of course this is all based on non 330e's! And I guess any poking around with software would invalidate warranty.

Edited by Funkydunc on Friday 2nd December 13:07

[humpy999]

If you hold the left paddle shift for a few seconds it downshifts several ratios in one go, then hold the right hand one to go back into Drive. It just saves pulling the paddle multiple times....

[Happy_Harris1431]

humpy999 said:

If you hold the left paddle shift for a few seconds it downshifts several ratios in one go, then hold the right hand one to go back into Drive. It just saves pulling the paddle multiple times....

I dont find the slight gear change delay a problem, just need to anticipate it and change a pull the paddle a second or about 500rpm, before you need the change.

I find it quite fun.

I also find 5500 is around the sweet spot to pull the paddle, for me anyway.

[msc86]

Chris1712 said:

Yes the Sat Nav routing is terrible, doubly so with RTTI. If it's an important journey or at a busy time just use Google Maps.

Pro Tip for other 330e owners! Turn off pre-conditioning if you're not using your car for a while!

I've been off work ill these last 3 days, so 6 pre-condition timers came and went without the car being used (still plugged in). After some of these it decided to just disable all future preconditioning (this is not reflected in the app!) so I stepped out this morning into -3c with a completely frozen car. What a pain! The timers are still listed in the app, only when you get into your ice car does the display state it's been disabled as you haven't made any journeys with the previous times.

My pre-conditioning never works on a Monday, starting to get really annoying now it's frosty.

It's set to come on once a day at 8:20am, I only miss this at the weekend which would only be missing 2 timers. I've tried turning it on via the remote also but it ignores that on Mondays too !

Any ideas?

[Chris1712]

msc86 said:

My pre-conditioning never works on a Monday, starting to get really annoying now it's frosty.

It's set to come on once a day at 8:20am, I only miss this at the weekend which would only be missing 2 timers. I've tried turning it on via the remote also but it ignores that on Mondays too !

Any ideas?

Only thing to do is remember to turn if off Friday night when you get home, what I've been doing.

[msc86]

Chris1712 said:

Only thing to do is remember to turn if off Friday night when you get home, what I've been doing.

Thanks, I'll give that a go

[Funkydunc]

A further update from BMW.

"The latest software update for the F30 PHEVs has seen an increase of the battery save program from 50% to 90% SoC with the July 2016 software"

So my car is showing expected behaviour with the continuous recharging in save mode :-(

If I had a vehicle we pre July software, I am not convinced I would want it updating to achieve 90%?

I am still waiting to hear back from them on Sat Nav routing issues.

Edited by Funkydunc on Monday 5th December 12:43

[Chris1712]

Funkydunc said:

A further update from BMW.

"The latest software update for the F30 PHEVs has seen an increase of the battery save program from 50% to 90% SoC with the July 2016 software"

So my car is showing expected behaviour with the continuous recharging in save mode :-(

If I had a vehicle we pre July software, I am not convinced I would want it updating to achieve 90%?

I am still waiting to hear back from them on Sat Nav routing issues.

Edited by Funkydunc on Monday 5th December 12:43

Is this available OTA or is it a dealer visit situation? Any more info / release notes?

[Funkydunc]

This is word for word the content of the email.

You would have thought it would mean every older vehicle needed updating.

"Product Marketing team got back to us in regard to the further questions that you asked.

First of all, they have requested chassis number of your vehicle in order to check what software you have within. Please email us this.

In regards to your query they have stated the following:

“The latest software update for the F30 PHEVs has seen an increase of the battery save program from 50% to 90% SoC with the July 2016 software.

So in answer, 90% is normal as it is the new target, anything above this is recuperated energy. The save function is your way of telling the car that eDrive is required at a later time. If you want optimum for the current situation then auto eDrive with ECO PRO selected.”

[spmaidment]

HELP Needed. I have a car port so rarely charge my car and only get 200 miles to a full tank of fuel. This is all town driving, does this sound right??????

[Funkydunc]

spmaidment said:

HELP Needed. I have a car port so rarely charge my car and only get 200 miles to a full tank of fuel. This is all town driving, does this sound right??????

That doesn't sound too unreasonable to be honest. It is a small fuel tank. Also the engine will routinely be recharging the battery which means you will be averaging about 20mpg !

Might be worth using the trick described in the thread above putting the car in to manual which then makes it use the engine. The downside is that you then have to change gear up manually.

[Junior Bianno]

spmaidment said:

HELP Needed. I have a car port so rarely charge my car and only get 200 miles to a full tank of fuel. This is all town driving, does this sound right??????

Sounds about right - only a 40 litre (ish) tank. Why does having a car port mean that you rarely charge your car???

[Tonycv51]

Hi first time post - got my 330e 2 weeks ago and loving it. There's a great amount of information on here but I have a couple of questions I haven't seen, though it's a long thread so apologies if they've already been asked and answered :-

Heated door mirrors - are they meant to pre condition ? Mine don't and I wish they did as In the recent cold weather I get into my nice warm car and then can't see in my door mirrors when reversing off the drive, and they seem very slow /poor at de-misting. The manual says they're on when the ignition is on. I've not noticed a difference with heated rear window on or off either

- after Initially charging with the 3 pin portable charger I've now got a Rolec 32 amp. I don't think the 3 pin unit did this but it switches off/on when the car is unlocked / locked. I assume this is normal as there's no power switch on the unit ?

- lastly, my one shortish time driving in sport mode had the thing fully sideways turning right at some traffic lights (with traction control on...). It was in the middle of the day so it wasn't icy, but could have been some oil or grease on the road, or is this what to expect if you turn at low speed under reasonably enthusiastic throttle ?