Friends, so my 530i, came back from its second service at 18000 km last week and I thought I will share my opinion with other members:-
There was no complaint with the car, apart from the headrest leather detailed below and it drove as new.
Total Cost:- Rs 35,000
Major work done:- Oil change, air filter .etc., regular service
I paid the bill, but after a day through the forum, I realized that the service plans have become so much cheaper now that it makes full sense to pick it up, I did not take them last year as it was the same cost for a 4 cyl Petrol vs 6 Cyl Diesel at Rs 1.25Lakhs Plus GST, but now its down to Rs83000 plus GST (Rs 1 lakh total) for the 3years/40k plan that had I taken it at Rs1 lakh, I think it would have made more sense considering I have already paid Rs 18000 for the first service so in effect almost 50% of the amount already till 18000km, it is disappointing that I was not informed of this by the service centre and when I called the next day to see If I could purchase it then and negate the balance paid, they refused stating it's all online now and that the service records have been updated with BMW India. This was the only negative part of the service apart from the as always great service I get the workshop from my trusted adviser who's been taking care of our BMW's for about a decade now.
Further problem:-
1.)The driver headrest had leather chipping off, completely unacceptable in an 1 year old car, has never happened in my 4 year old E200 or even in my older 530d F10, brought it up, the car has gone for some work (mentioned below) and he has promised to get this sorted.
2.) I have always felt the headlights on the sport line had poor throw, though attributed this to me being used to the Full LED diamond lights on my w212 which was my daily drive over the past 4 years and so never made any official observations or complaints to the service centre, however on this service, my adviser himself noticed some issue, my driver asked but didn't really understand the problem and voluntary ordered replacement lights for both front lights, the vehicle has gone today for the replacement and I am looking forward to what changes eventually happen and if the lights were actually faulty in my vehicle and not just having a poorer throw by design.
Observations:-
1.)The car drives like a gem, and I love driving it on every occasion, infact have clocked almost 20000km in an year, for the record my E did 36000 in 3 years and only 4000 in the last since I picked up the new 5, so clearly I feel like driving it everywhere.
2.)The engine responsiveness is beautiful as is the sound, however the biggest surprise is the Fuel economy, my father owned the 528i(E39) and 325i (E90) and I remember the economy's were so bad better not be mentioned, and that's why he upgraded to the 530d F10 afterwards.
However the 530i is a different machine all together, I get 8-9kmpl regularly in Delhi traffic, and on a recent trip to Agra before the service, doing comfortable legal speeds 90-120kmph, and on my return being stuck in Delhi rush hour for about 8 odd Km, I still averaged 15kmpl at the end of the 450km journey. This is similar to the 2000 Honda City 1.5 exi we had back in the day, all of us remember that car right? Especially in that heathermist colour
3.) The more time I spend with this car, the more I love it looks, the sleek, aggressive and bent front end makes it seem like its ready to pounce, the fluid side lines, Uploading few pictures to show this point. I loved the regal stance of my F10, but the G30 has completely changed that now, it's super sharp and pleasing, plus it drives the way it looks, unlike my f10 where the handling and bouncy suspension never fully matched the Engine performance available. The best part I like about the G30,is that in today's world where every new generation is getting bigger and more mainstream, the G30 seems to be going back to it's root, I know it's grown bigger on paper, but I don't know why, maybe because of the better glass area and less bulked up front end, or what reasons the experts here might suggest, it feels much more compact (tighter is the best word) from the driving seat.
Clearly my dogs prefer the GLA
Glad to say I have put off my decision top replace this with the 7 (was tempted after the deals on the prefacelifted ones) and buy something different near the end of the year, maybe a livable sports car like the 718/C43 or an SUV like the RR sport or the x6 (when it comes out), lets see and this is reserved for another thread.
Happy to answer any queries.
Best
NP