Advice sought, hoping to purchase a 530e

[fatvik]

Hello All,

I am after a second hand 530e and would really appreciate your help and advice please. I would prefer not to spend more than £26k, with £2k kept aside for adding a tow bar (to carry 4 bikes, for an inexplicable reason, I don't like bikes on the roof) and a proper charging point on the drive.

The bits I (think) I know, all cars will have
ISO fix at the back
Heated seats
Air con (front and back)
Parking sensors
Split folding rear seats
Sat Nav

The bits I would like are
Reversing camera
Cooled / ventilated front seats
Heated steering wheel
Dark coloured exterior, light coloured interior


Autotrader & pistonheads thankfully have quite a few cars in my budget.

My questions are
What is the benefit of the M sport varient over the standard?
Does having a sunroof add a lot of noise to the cabin?
Do 18" wheels improve the ride quality significantly over the 19"s?
Should I look at eBay and Gumtree?
Majority of the time, I am expecting to drive a 15 mile round trip, so am expecting to run battery only on 80% of my journeys. This makes me less nervous of getting a 60k ish mileage car. Is my thinking flawed please?
I am hoping to get the car serviced at a local indy, would that be possible or it being a plugin forces me to dealers only?
Anything I am missing or should take into consideration?

Thank you for your time.

FatVik
ps - I'd prefer a M5 but the point of this car, for me, is to finally be able to waft with the family in total comfort without my driving causing the them to be car sick.

[Somebody]

Can't help with all the questions but I don't think you can fit a tow bar as it would interfere with the integrity of the protection around the back as the batteries are in the boot of the car.

[fatvik]

Oh no! Thank you so much for posting.
Back to the drawing board...
FV

[survivalist]

Somebody said:

Can't help with all the questions but I don't think you can fit a tow bar as it would interfere with the integrity of the protection around the back as the batteries are in the boot of the car.

Not sure that’s correct.

A tow bar is an option extra when buying new, so I assume the oem one could be fitted later by a dealer?

Or look for a used one with that option ticked.

[Geffg]

Split folding seats aren’t standard only an option and not very common either, ventilated seats I don’t think I’ve even seen any fitted as an option when I was searching for my 5 series.

[BFleming]

survivalist said:

Somebody said:

Can't help with all the questions but I don't think you can fit a tow bar as it would interfere with the integrity of the protection around the back as the batteries are in the boot of the car.

Not sure that’s correct.

A tow bar is an option extra when buying new, so I assume the oem one could be fitted later by a dealer?

Or look for a used one with that option ticked.

The towbar is option 3AC, £855, and not available on the 530e. There are a few reasons why not according to the German forums, but essentially the car is not type approved to have a towbar.

[survivalist]

BFleming said:

survivalist said:

Somebody said:

Can't help with all the questions but I don't think you can fit a tow bar as it would interfere with the integrity of the protection around the back as the batteries are in the boot of the car.

Not sure that’s correct.

A tow bar is an option extra when buying new, so I assume the oem one could be fitted later by a dealer?

Or look for a used one with that option ticked.

The towbar is option 3AC, £855, and not available on the 530e. There are a few reasons why not according to the German forums, but essentially the car is not type approved to have a towbar.

Is it possible that it’s changed since launch? It’s listed as an option in the brochure and can be added in the BMW car configurator. There’s even one showing it as an option on the approved used search.

https://www.bmwbusinesspartnership.co.uk/media/321...

[anonymous-user]

Unless you can get the estate version, try and find one with split seats as my 335 doesn't have the folding seat option and its a pain. The ski hatch is even an option FFS.

Spend time looking for the spec you want is my advice. M Sport doesn't always give you adaptive suspension and larger brakes but they are common options.

[fatvik]

Thank you all for the replies.

I did some further checking online and tow bars can be fitted to the saloon however as many of you have said, they are not approved and therefore should not be used for actual towing. From what I have read bike racks are okay on a tow bar but I am not happy with that and I would prefer not to get an estate.
I have had a look at some of the safety videos from Thule on roof bike racks, however I still remain a bit scared of using them. My fear is the bike coming off at motorway speeds and causing injury to others

I will keep in mind what you all have said and remember to double check all the options.

Thank you again

FV

[survivalist]

fatvik said:

Thank you all for the replies.

I did some further checking online and tow bars can be fitted to the saloon however as many of you have said, they are not approved and therefore should not be used for actual towing. From what I have read bike racks are okay on a tow bar but I am not happy with that and I would prefer not to get an estate.
I have had a look at some of the safety videos from Thule on roof bike racks, however I still remain a bit scared of using them. My fear is the bike coming off at motorway speeds and causing injury to others

I will keep in mind what you all have said and remember to double check all the options.

Thank you again

FV

If it gives you any reassurance, I've been using Thule roof mounted bike carriers for 20 years and never had one come off. Absolute worst incident was one of them tipping over slightly when seeing how fast I could go around a roundabout. I was a lot younger then (and it was a company car), probably wouldn't do something like that these days.

My main fear with them is forgetting they're on there and driving into a multi-storey carpark

[BFleming]

survivalist said:

If it gives you any reassurance, I've been using Thule roof mounted bike carriers for 20 years and never had one come off. Absolute worst incident was one of them tipping over slightly when seeing how fast I could go around a roundabout. I was a lot younger then (and it was a company car), probably wouldn't do something like that these days.

My main fear with them is forgetting they're on there and driving into a multi-storey carpark

Same as this. 20 years of Thule carriers, never had an incident. You just need to check they're still tight - or put on correctly in the first place - periodically when using them.
I lent a couple of my bike carriers to a friend; he forgot the bike was on there and drove into a multi-story car part in France. One mangled bike, one mangled bike carrier, and one heavily dented roof where the carrier & bike were forced into it. The roof bars were ok mind.

[jonindorset]

I have a 2018 530D SE, rather than an E and by and large its a fantastic car. I use official BMW roof bars and Mont Blanc cycle carriers to fit bikes. Only issue I can see is trying to fit modern ultra wide tyred mountain bikes on the roof.

The M Sport will only really offer you looks over an SE and having test driven both back to back, I'd say the more compliant ride on an SE allows you to carry more speed (certainly if the M Sport doesn't have optional, expensive to fix adaptive damping). 18" wheels are plenty big enough with many tyre options and some of the designs are very attractive.

In terms of servicing, the cars have a huge number of ECUs, systems and electronic systems, even the little things going wrong will be very expensive outside warranty. My car had £3-4k work at the end of the warranty period together with its first MOT and brake fluid change.

You will get a lot of goodwill from BMW though through a good dealer and main dealer main servicing - nothing to stop you getting consumables replaced elsewhere, while still maintaining that service record.

[BFleming]

jonindorset said:

I'd say the more compliant ride on an SE allows you to carry more speed (certainly if the M Sport doesn't have optional, expensive to fix adaptive damping).

Do you mean expensive to fix-but-rarely-goes-wrong, or expensive to replace? You're probably the first person I've ever come across that has a negative view of BMW adaptive damping.

[jonindorset]

Either expensive to rebuild or replace. Probably quite academic given how few cars are equipped with adaptive dampers and likely ownership horizons.

[fatvik]

Thank you for the advice around roof racks for bikes. I don't think my bike has huge tyres and if they don't fit, I'll just change them. The cycling as a family thing is just a way of getting out and on out bikes. We went to a couple of places last year where cycling was positively encouraged (when lockdown had been temporarily lifted) and we all thought we'd definitely like to go back with our bikes.

Aside from the description in the Ad, is there a way to tell if the car has adaptive dampening please? For example, I look for a little bacon steering wheel button in the pictures to confirm that the car has an electrically heated steering wheel

Also, I think the closest I have come to finding what I like is here.. bit over the budget and not a nice blue either .... What do you guys think?

FV

Edited by fatvik on Tuesday 30th March 22:13

[survivalist]

fatvik said:

Thank you for the advice around roof racks for bikes. I don't think my bike has huge tyres and if they don't fit, I'll just change them. The cycling as a family thing is just a way of getting out and on out bikes. We went to a couple of places last year where cycling was positively encouraged (when lockdown had been temporarily lifted) and we all thought we'd definitely like to go back with our bikes.

Aside from the description in the Ad, is there a way to tell if the car has adaptive dampening please? For example, I look for a little bacon steering wheel button in the pictures to confirm that the car has an electrically heated steering wheel

Also, I think the closest I have come to finding what I like is here.. bit over the budget and not a nice blue either .... What do you guys think?

FV

Edited by fatvik on Tuesday 30th March 22:13

The states it’s Metallic Sophisto Grey. If that’s correct then the colour in the pictures is way off as I had a 5 series in that colour and it was a nice inoffensive dark grey.

[fatvik]

Thank you. I would prefer the nice blue but as long as it is not jet black or bright white, I don't mind
I had a bit of a hunt on the net and it seems that lighting really affects how that particular colour looks. So it could just be bad lighting on the dealer's part? Alternatively, they have just got the paint wrong!
FV

[survivalist]

fatvik said:

Thank you. I would prefer the nice blue but as long as it is not jet black or bright white, I don't mind
I had a bit of a hunt on the net and it seems that lighting really affects how that particular colour looks. So it could just be bad lighting on the dealer's part? Alternatively, they have just got the paint wrong!
FV

Think it's just the lighting. That said, that car is in Northern Island so may be a bit of a mission at the moment.

[BFleming]

jonindorset said:

Either expensive to rebuild or replace. Probably quite academic given how few cars are equipped with adaptive dampers and likely ownership horizons.

A lot of F10/F11's had it (mine does) as it was widely lauded by reviewers as the "if you don't tick any other option, tick this one" option. Same for the G30. Yes the shock absorbers are expensive; no they don't have a reputation for going wrong. They are certainly not something to avoid, and it's an actively sought-after option. I don't expect you to agree, but it's the reality.

[jonindorset]

I'm sure they are very good, I don't disagree. I didn't see an abundance of adaptive cars when I bought mine in 2019. The point I was actually making is that for best ride, handling, feel, feedback and performance, you either want the SE suspension or you want adaptive. The standard M Sport suspension is sufficiently hard to impede progress on 18" wheels with runflats, nevermind anything bigger. It is also possible to find an M Sport car with M Sport suspension delete too I believe, but even less common!