[amitoberoi]

Hi everyone.

I have been in the market for a new car and was earlier looking at the Lexus ES and Mercedes E class. Long story short, Lexus is out of contention and BMW is in. Drove the 6GT 630i today and it is so much better than driving the E class. Bigger concern for me though was the leg room and head room as the E class is fantastic in that department.

Knowing that 6 GT is bigger than E class in length I went in for the trial. The leg room and head room are pretty good in the 6GT. E class is more luxurious inside than the 6GT but driving the 6GT and E class was so different - 6GT being so much better to be in the driver's seat. I really like the 6GT.

However I have been reading in the forums that tyre bursts with the RFTs is a big issue. Can anyone shed some light on this please?

Thanks.

[vinay.sathyan]

I'm also looking into this car currently. I have the same concern too.
But looking more into the reviews, it looks like the cars were heavily used and i dont know if that was the cause. The tyre profile is definitely less so it should be a concern but need to find out how bad.

Another point, The car is 93L OTR in Bangalore (630i GT M). The BMW's owned finance's Rate of Interest is pretty high compared to Mercedes.

Also lot of features have changed since initial launch and this car is bound for upgrade in 1-2 years.

I'm yet to take a test drive, will add more updates.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by vinay.sathyan

Also lot of features have changed since initial launch and this car is bound for upgrade in 1-2 years.

I hope you've factored in that this model is being discontinued altogether by BMW. See link below.

Team BHP 6GT news

[vinay.sathyan]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I hope you've factored in that this model is being discontinued altogether by BMW. See link below.

Team BHP 6GT news

Thanks a lot @Axe77. Yes the SA did inform this. Because of that, I was planning to go with BMW 360 plan for the car. That way after 4 years I don't need to bother about the resale value of the car. I'm still in doubt.

For me, I currently have a 2019 GLC 220d. I will either go for 630GT because the feature value of the car is great or go for 2023 GLC 300. The GLC 300 is a safer choice, it is a good car and has great resale value (of course in German car terms).

[samyakmodi]

So I have been facing some issues with my BMW 630D every now and then and have been wondering - are others facing this too?

I think I had mentioned earlier the plight of the alloys cracking for no rhyme or reason inspite of babying the car around. In 87000kms so far - we have experienced 3 alloys cracking and none of the times there was any damage to the rubber wheel as such.
BMW Secure policy which I was sold with an assurance that alloys would be covered - didn't cover them, and the manufacturer doesn't think it's a manufacturing defect.
No idea who is responsible for making such fragile alloys for Indian driving conditions and then add on run flat tyres for added giggles because you will need to change them each time there is a puncture.

After recovering from the alloy fiasco - last Saturday I noticed that the car is behaving weird over bumps and is scraping the smallest of speed breakers inspite of being super slow (3-4kmph) - got down to check only to be greeted by the front suspensions going kaput. Fortunately the car is still under warranty - but for the life of me I am unable to understand what is the engineering behind the air suspensions which fail in 87000 kms.

The car has again gone to the workshop - and it would take them 8-10 working days to get the suspensions from the company.
If not entirely wrong - my car has spent over 4 months in the dealership waiting for parts in the past 4 years of ownership - again wondering - is this normal?

Total cost incurred to use the car over 4 years
8/9 lacs - insurance (never been used other than one broken mirror)
3.6 lacs - on alloy replacement (3 cracked alloys costing 1.2 each)
5.4 lacs - on tyre replacement so far.
6.5 lacs - BSI/BRI maintenance package
5 lacs - EMI paid while the car was at the service centre waiting for part replacement (4+ months)
Cost of using the car without fuel so far in 4 years - approx 29 lacs.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

So I have been facing some issues with my BMW 630D every now and then and have been wondering - are others facing this too?
..
Total cost incurred to use the car over 4 years
8/9 lacs - insurance (never been used other than one broken mirror)
3.6 lacs - on alloy replacement (3 cracked alloys costing 1.2 each)
5.4 lacs - on tyre replacement so far.
6.5 lacs - BSI/BRI maintenance package
5 lacs - EMI paid while the car was at the service centre waiting for part replacement (4+ months)
Cost of using the car without fuel so far in 4 years - approx 29 lacs.

The 29 lakh figure is astronomical by any yardstick, but given you average 20k a year in an expensive 6 cylinder German luxury sedan with a staggered 19 inch set up, the costs are par for the course. The alloys are known to go bad if they look good, that seems to be the case with all aesthetic choices. The practical option would to get an 18 inch square setup to reduce both wheel and tyre issues. 255/50R18 size will be ideal, but that means getting another set of alloys.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

Total cost incurred to use the car over 4 years
8/9 lacs - insurance (never been used other than one broken mirror)

It looks high; if there are no claims and one does check other than dealerships, this amount can be low.

3.6 lacs - on alloy replacement (3 cracked alloys costing 1.2 each)

There has to be a reason, alloys will never crack on their own. BMW does not make the alloys, and the OEM is the same for most premium manufacturers. Also, the costs of the alloys look very high to me. You should change the set this time with something from the market- BMW OE but from the market.

6.5 lacs - BSI/BRI maintenance package

BRI is a must, as you have noticed. Service packs probably should be skipped. Mandatory services are not that expensive.

5 lacs - EMI paid while the car was at the service centre waiting for part replacement (4+ months)

That's a very long time. I will say your local dealership is not dealing correctly. I had faced issues as well but the most it takes is usually 5-7 working days.

[samyakmodi]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The 29 lakh figure is astronomical by any yardstick, but given you average 20k a year in an expensive 6 cylinder German luxury sedan with a staggered 19 inch set up, the costs are par for the course. The alloys are known to go bad if they look good, that seems to be the case with all aesthetic choices. The practical option would to get an 18 inch square setup to reduce both wheel and tyre issues. 255/50R18 size will be ideal, but that means getting another set of alloys.

Have been seriously considering this option. Not entirely sure whether I would get the staggered setup with 18 inch alloys while maintaining the over all size of the tyres.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

It looks high; if there are no claims and one does check other than dealerships, this amount can be low.

There has to be a reason, alloys will never crack on their own. BMW does not make the alloys, and the OEM is the same for most premium manufacturers. Also, the costs of the alloys look very high to me. You should change the set this time with something from the market- BMW OE but from the market.

BRI is a must, as you have noticed. Service packs probably should be skipped. Mandatory services are not that expensive.

That's a very long time. I will say your local dealership is not dealing correctly. I had faced issues as well but the most it takes is usually 5-7 working days.

This year while renewing the insurance I ended up paying Rs. 1.85Lacs. With NCB and after negotiating. No one gave a lower offer than the one I got.

Alloy cracking is a complete mystery. With the car being used carefully - there has been no impact on the tyres - but only the alloys have cracked each time. My other cars also use the same road for commuting everyday and have never faced an issue of alloys cracking even once. I will go with a smaller alloy and higher profile tyres as soon as I can get my hands on them.

Sticking with BRI and extended warranty and letting go of the service pack this year onwards like you have suggested.

do pardon me for any confusion caused. The time spent in the dealership is over various issues and repairs that had to be carried out. This also includes their "diagnosis" time and uploading the reports time. All in all the time spent by the car at the dealership has been upwards of 4 months. Adding another 10 days for the air suspension this time around. The dealer ordered the part on last Monday. Received the part on last Saturday. And hopefully would be returning the car today evening. The higher turn around time is largely on procuring the spares every time.

But the question still remains - should the air suspensions throw in the towel so soon? Aren't these car's suspensions and every thingamajig tested thoroughly for millions of miles and the R&D department spends millions of dollars each day to improve their functioning, life and reliability?

[androdev]

Air suspension has rubber bellows, they tend to fail as early as within 4 years if you are unlucky. If one of the front pair fails, be prepared for the other one also to fail soon. Rear ones tend to last longer.

BMW low profile RFT tires and cast alloy wheels are not a great combination for Indian roads. Say you noticed a speed breaker too late and end up with an impact: this can potentially cause a crack in alloy without any damage to the tire. Tire damage usually points to hitting something sharp. Moving to tubeless tires, higher profile tires, good quality forged alloy wheels etc can help mitigate the issue.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

should the air suspensions throw in the towel so soon? Aren't these car's suspensions and every thingamajig tested thoroughly for millions of miles and the R&D department spends millions of dollars each day to improve their functioning, life and reliability?

It's a known issue. Ask your service advisor to replace the pump as well. Previously, they would do it on their own, but you can check the current policy.

Overseas they have covered under extended warranty. I expect BMW to be lenient here for known faults.

https://www.7post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1922358



I don't know why these fail, but Air suspension has been an issue on most cars, including the Toyota LC Prado, which has bellows in the rear. Adjustable dampers, though, work fine.

[samyakmodi]

They said that the pump (compressor) is absolutely fine. Although they have changed the front suspensions - the ride quality is quite weird now.

I do not know the technical term for it - but the front now feels like you have over inflated the tyres by good 10-12 psi.
Today when I started the car I also noticed that the front rose substantially. Seems that it was absolutely on the lowest point while sitting idle.
Something to be worried about?

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

Today when I started the car I also noticed that the front rose substantially. Seems that it was absolutely on the lowest point while sitting idle.
Something to be worried about?

Yes, typically it indicates a leak in the air suspension system - if the car was sitting at its lowest point after just a day or 2 of sitting idle, it's a serious leak - get it fixed otherwise your pump can go out because it needs to keep working constantly to try to maintain the ride height while driving.

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

Have been seriously considering this option. Not entirely sure whether I would get the staggered setup with 18 inch alloys while maintaining the over all size of the tyres.

So the staggered wheels are just an M-sport option. They have nothing to do with the 630D itself. Go ahead and custom order a nice set of flow formed 18" alloys with offset as close to the OEM wheels as you can. With a set of tubeless tyres, you'll never have a tyre related incident again on 245/50 R18 tyres.

The 630d luxury line got a square setup with 18" wheels in India. Check out this brochure which confirms that both 630D & 640D are totally fine (w.r.t driving dynamics) with even 17" tyres on 225 width tyres! Your car will require 18's to clear the massive MSport brakes though.

https://www.bmw.lt/content/dam/bmw/m..._2018_en_1.pdf

[samyakmodi]

Originally Posted by d3mon

Yes, typically it indicates a leak in the air suspension system - if the car was sitting at its lowest point after just a day or 2 of sitting idle, it's a serious leak - get it fixed otherwise your pump can go out because it needs to keep working constantly to try to maintain the ride height while driving.



So the staggered wheels are just an M-sport option. They have nothing to do with the 630D itself. Go ahead and custom order a nice set of flow formed 18" alloys with offset as close to the OEM wheels as you can. With a set of tubeless tyres, you'll never have a tyre related incident again on 245/50 R18 tyres.

The 630d luxury line got a square setup with 18" wheels in India. Check out this brochure which confirms that both 630D & 640D are totally fine (w.r.t driving dynamics) with even 17" tyres on 225 width tyres! Your car will require 18's to clear the massive MSport brakes though.

https://www.bmw.lt/content/dam/bmw/m..._2018_en_1.pdf

Well both the front suspensions were changed barely 2 weeks back. Can the new suspensions develop a leak so soon?

Yes. the luxury line 630D did come with 18". I am not entirely sure what were the exact dimensions of that tyre though.

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

Well both the front suspensions were changed barely 2 weeks back. Can the new suspensions develop a leak so soon?

Yes. the luxury line 630D did come with 18". I am not entirely sure what were the exact dimensions of that tyre though.

Yes, the reliability curve is bathtub shaped - failures usually occur very early in the lifetime, then there's a flat region of time with little failures and then failures occur towards the end of life of the components. Car drooping when idle is not expected at all - either something has failed or there's a workmanship issue from the dealer.

Luxury line had 245/50/R18 all around on the 630D.

[samyakmodi]

Originally Posted by d3mon

Yes, the reliability curve is bathtub shaped -
Luxury line had 245/50/R18 all around on the 630D.

Well looks like the reliability curve in my car is tanking completely. Past few days I noticed that the car is not completely switching off after pressing the engine stop button and opening the door (it used to earlier). The phone still remains connected, and when you receive the call the audio goes to the car - this never used to happen before and it almost made me change my phones as I thought there is some audio issue with the phones and can only be used via bluetooth now. I worked out that I have to press and hold the audio power button to switch off the car completely.

Sent the car to the service centre today only to be told that the problem has been resolved now.
They also had to recalibrate the suspension system for the car lowering while standing idle (which is normal according to them) and for the bumpy ride.
Makes me wonder was it calibrated to start with upon replacement? OR there is a bug in the software now which is making all these gremlins act up now.