Bmw 530e ordered?

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Discussion

PrancingHorses

2,714 posts

206 months

Tuesday 21st May 2019
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Thanks buddy that is reassuring...always nice to be in a current model if renting!

Bill4San

47 posts

67 months

Friday 7th June 2019
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I'm still having problems with the Spotify App in my car. I like to listen to Spotify from my phones (Nokia 6 or Samsung Galaxy 8) and like the fact that the app displays the album cover on the iDrive screen.

However it is very rarely shown as an option when I go to the Media options and I usually have to just connect to my phone directly via Bluetooth. I can still hear the music fine, but the search options using the iDrive and the album cover art are not available.

On the rare occassion that the Spotify app is displayed and I am able to use it, I usually find that it'll play for 15-30 mins and then disconnect with the Spotify App disappearing from the connection options.

It's not a big issue, but frankly if you spend £40k-£50k on a car then the development should have been done to make sure these things work properly.

Is it just my car or have other owners experienced the same?

I'd like to know before I speak to my dealer and see what they say and find out if any updates are available to make it work.

Cheers

Stupeo

1,343 posts

192 months

Monday 17th June 2019
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My two month old 530e was stolen last week from our drive (they broke in for the keys and took my wifes car too!).

The 530e was found a few days later, in a chop shop, mostly stripped for parts. The engine was the only thing left, but the seats, dash, wheels, exhaust, motors, doors, batteries etc were all gone. Next to my car was another 530e, in black, that was totally stripped - nothing left of it.

Seems the cars were nicked to order and the gangs are doing the rounds around the North West frown

Orion917

97 posts

89 months

Monday 17th June 2019
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Bill4San said:
I'm still having problems with the Spotify App in my car. I like to listen to Spotify from my phones (Nokia 6 or Samsung Galaxy 8) and like the fact that the app displays the album cover on the iDrive screen.

However it is very rarely shown as an option when I go to the Media options and I usually have to just connect to my phone directly via Bluetooth. I can still hear the music fine, but the search options using the iDrive and the album cover art are not available.

On the rare occassion that the Spotify app is displayed and I am able to use it, I usually find that it'll play for 15-30 mins and then disconnect with the Spotify App disappearing from the connection options.

It's not a big issue, but frankly if you spend £40k-£50k on a car then the development should have been done to make sure these things work properly.

Is it just my car or have other owners experienced the same?

I'd like to know before I speak to my dealer and see what they say and find out if any updates are available to make it work.

Cheers
My 330e used to do exactly that when I was using a Samsung Galaxy S8. When I upgraded to the S9, things improved until a software update on the S9 broke it completely. Even to the point that when it connected it was in "call mode". I have changed my phone again to an S10 and currently the Spotify App works well. However, getting the app to appear in iDrive is still somewhat of a lottery. But once connected, I leave it alone and getting in the car afterwards normally yields a successful re connection. So you are not alone!

Whistle

1,393 posts

132 months

Monday 17th June 2019
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Stupeo said:
My two month old 530e was stolen last week from our drive (they broke in for the keys and took my wifes car too!).

The 530e was found a few days later, in a chop shop, mostly stripped for parts. The engine was the only thing left, but the seats, dash, wheels, exhaust, motors, doors, batteries etc were all gone. Next to my car was another 530e, in black, that was totally stripped - nothing left of it.

Seems the cars were nicked to order and the gangs are doing the rounds around the North West frown
Mine is parked on my drive overnight next to my wife’s Focus ST and I live in the northwest.
Not what I wanted to hear really.

And yes mine is now 2 months old next week.

Bill4San

47 posts

67 months

Monday 24th June 2019
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Thanks Orion.

It must be dependent on the phone software in that case. I will ask about it when I get the car serviced for the first time but I've only done 10k miles (half probably electric) and I dont think a service is due for a while yet.

jjwilde

1,904 posts

95 months

Monday 24th June 2019
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Do they have a code entry to start? My 1998 7 series had that feature. Although maybe they would just wake you up and demand the code.

Think Tesla have that. Should be on by default on all attractive cars.

That and a 'stop the car' button on the phone app.

Stupeo

1,343 posts

192 months

Tuesday 25th June 2019
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Whistle said:
Stupeo said:
My two month old 530e was stolen last week from our drive (they broke in for the keys and took my wifes car too!).

The 530e was found a few days later, in a chop shop, mostly stripped for parts. The engine was the only thing left, but the seats, dash, wheels, exhaust, motors, doors, batteries etc were all gone. Next to my car was another 530e, in black, that was totally stripped - nothing left of it.

Seems the cars were nicked to order and the gangs are doing the rounds around the North West frown
Mine is parked on my drive overnight next to my wife’s Focus ST and I live in the northwest.
Not what I wanted to hear really.

And yes mine is now 2 months old next week.
GMP just posted this of my car: https://www.facebook.com/209728135761333/posts/ove...


Casa1862

1,062 posts

164 months

Friday 12th July 2019
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Picking up this thread again, I'm considering buying a 530e but it's a private purchase, seen quite a few cars now priced at below £30k which are almost new, 68/19 plate with less than 3k miles, seems a very good buy. They are priced slightly cheaper than the same a530i for similar age/millage which is surprising as they started off more expensive.


I started looking that the 530e but now can’t decide between it and a 530i, I do 10k miles a year and commute is 25 miles round trip, occasionally I do longer trips. No problems charging as I have a drive and garage. My concern with the 530e is the long term reliability and running one out of warranty, I'll plan to keep it a while. I'm coming from a Lexus hybrid which is solidly reliable, not sure the BMW will be as reliable, anyone had issues with the 530e? Any views between 530e or 530i?


L500

597 posts

237 months

Friday 12th July 2019
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Casa1862 said:
Picking up this thread again, I'm considering buying a 530e but it's a private purchase, seen quite a few cars now priced at below £30k which are almost new, 68/19 plate with less than 3k miles, seems a very good buy. They are priced slightly cheaper than the same a530i for similar age/millage which is surprising as they started off more expensive.


I started looking that the 530e but now can’t decide between it and a 530i, I do 10k miles a year and commute is 25 miles round trip, occasionally I do longer trips. No problems charging as I have a drive and garage. My concern with the 530e is the long term reliability and running one out of warranty, I'll plan to keep it a while. I'm coming from a Lexus hybrid which is solidly reliable, not sure the BMW will be as reliable, anyone had issues with the 530e? Any views between 530e or 530i?
I've only clocked 8k in my 530e so far, but no problems with it to date. I have heard some reliability stories though, and I'm sure others well contribute. Commute wise, the car would certainly work well for you.

Casa1862

1,062 posts

164 months

Friday 12th July 2019
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L500 said:
I've only clocked 8k in my 530e so far, but no problems with it to date. I have heard some reliability stories though, and I'm sure others well contribute. Commute wise, the car would certainly work well for you.
Thanks, I'm doing some digging on reliability as I'll have it out of warranty, I'm confident in my current Lexus hybrid setup as tried and tested but not so much with the BMW.

Casa1862

1,062 posts

164 months

Friday 12th July 2019
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Quick question, if doing a long run, does the power and MPG drop off significantly if you run in ICE only?


I've read that if you recharge using the ICE then the MPG drops to about 30, if ICE only then 40 mpg is possible. Is that about right?

Whistle

1,393 posts

132 months

Friday 12th July 2019
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I have 4500 miles on mine since mid April. Over all mpg for the life of the car 49.9 mpg
Best for one tank 65mpg
Best over 150 miles 105 mpg

No problems at all so far. Always use auto e drive and sat nav.

Never force charge off the ice as mpg drops a lot.

Fast enough when needed.

Auto810graphy

1,373 posts

91 months

Friday 12th July 2019
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Have a lot of these in fleet. Our non scientific fuel consumption history implies an average of 41.2 with the 330e on 43.1mpg (these figures are obviously distorted as we can’t account for the number charging).

As for used car resale, there were a lot of these registered to rental and demo schemes so lots of late used about, and in reality they are only beneficial to company car drivers so values need to be on par with the similar petrol version.

Reliability, 530e seems better than 330e but it is a newer product. We have seen one 330e needing an out of warranty repair that would have been deemed uneconomical but was covered by BMW.

Casa1862

1,062 posts

164 months

Friday 12th July 2019
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Auto810graphy said:
Have a lot of these in fleet. Our non scientific fuel consumption history implies an average of 41.2 with the 330e on 43.1mpg (these figures are obviously distorted as we can’t account for the number charging).

As for used car resale, there were a lot of these registered to rental and demo schemes so lots of late used about, and in reality they are only beneficial to company car drivers so values need to be on par with the similar petrol version.

Reliability, 530e seems better than 330e but it is a newer product. We have seen one 330e needing an out of warranty repair that would have been deemed uneconomical but was covered by BMW.
Thanks, that’s really helpful info. I’m still unsure which would be more suitable for me, it’s a close call. I’m in no rush but only started looking more actively as the sub £30k price was less than expected for both the 530e and 530i. I’m not sure how prices will be in 3 to 4 months, what I find surprising is that a friend checked the auction sold prices and they are the same as main dealers, not sure what is going on in this market. If i wait until November I won’t need a loan so could purchase for cash, might still take a high street loan as 3% seems cheap....in which case I could buy now.

Bill4San

47 posts

67 months

Saturday 13th July 2019
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Casa1862 said:
Quick question, if doing a long run, does the power and MPG drop off significantly if you run in ICE only?


I've read that if you recharge using the ICE then the MPG drops to about 30, if ICE only then 40 mpg is possible. Is that about right?
Hi Casa,

I've only driven the 530e so cant compare to 530i. I had it new and now on 11k miles without any problems at all. It's the ideal car for a 25 mile round trip really and I suspect you'll have to fill up the (small) tank perhaps once a month even allowing for the occassional longer trip.

Those mpg figs are about right but you'll rarely use the ICE to recharge the battery so the 30mpg fig doesn't really matter. Your round trip (if charging daily overnight) should return 75-90mpg without a problem (depending on hills, dual carriageways, stops/starts, traffic, driving style, etc).

I'm not aware of problems with the battery or charging system but I'd be interested to hear from others who might know better.


Casa1862

1,062 posts

164 months

Saturday 13th July 2019
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Thanks for the info, I intend to keep the car for 10 years so warranty costs or running it out of warranty are important. I think like Lexus they warranty the hybrid setup for longer if the hybrid check is done every year.

I’m still undecided, just difficult getting a test drive in anything other than a 520d, particularly when they know it’s not a new purchase.

The sheer size of the thing is actually worrying me a bit as well, must be a tight fit for parking.

WRumbled

392 posts

226 months

Sunday 14th July 2019
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I have to confess to very rarely plugging in my 530e. It's too big for my garage, and I don't have any other off-road parking, otherwise (plus I'd need to take my personal car out of there.)

My average over 12,000 miles is showing 36.1 mpg. Local work office is a 55 mile round trip, and they haven't installed chargers there yet, either. Otherwise, it's occasional trips around the doors and longer trips when visiting other offices. I've usually a heavy foot on the motorway, too. I regularly see 45 mpg trips when I'm in less of a hurry.

As for performance, if the battery is properly flat, you get an info message saying that 'full power will be available soon', and it usually takes less than a few hundred yards for that to go off.

It's a great car. My only complaint is that I wish it were an estate. And that it would fit in the garage. (Probably 330e for me when the time comes).

jjwilde

1,904 posts

95 months

Sunday 14th July 2019
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Do the potential fuel savings not encourage you to plug it in? Or do you not really care?

WRumbled

392 posts

226 months

Sunday 14th July 2019
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jjwilde said:
Do the potential fuel savings not encourage you to plug it in? Or do you not really care?
I would need to cross a footpath at home. I've been on the lookout for a low-rise, but heavy-duty, cable protector, to no avail. The low-rise protectors I've seen don't have a big enough core, and those big enough are too bulky for me to want to put in anyones way. Either that or see about having a drainage channel fitted (not required) and run it through there.

I plug it in when I get the chance, but it just isn't convenient on my regular routes.