BMW and M Power Owners

Chris1712 · 11 Jul 2016 at 16:59

mad_allan said:
Hi all,

After some advice regarding options if possible please?

The Mrs is dead set on the 330e M Sport for her next company car, they are pretty well specced as they are, however I am advising her to add a few bits but just want opinions from you guys if I am missing anything:

Adaptive LED Headlights - Worth it?
Comfort access system
Drvr + Pass Elec Lmbr Suprt
Heated Fron Seats
High Beam Assist
Interior comfort pack - is this worth it?
Media Pack Proffesional (comes with Business as Standard)
Surround Camera System

Any thoughts would be appreciated if anything else should be added / removed?

Thanks

Would get Radar Cruise + Privacy Glass in there ahead of heated seats / surround camera.

Dis86 · 11 Jul 2016 at 17:26

Chris1712 said:
Would get Radar Cruise + Privacy Glass in there ahead of heated seats / surround camera.

Definitely not ahead of heated seats! Could ditch things like high beam assist though.

[TW]Fox · 11 Jul 2016 at 17:37

Dis86 said:
Definitely not ahead of heated seats! Could ditch things like high beam assist though.

HBA is stunning on the 3 Series - it's inexpensive and unmissable IMHO. Though I'm fairly sure it's included with the Adaptive LED anyway?

Dis86 · 11 Jul 2016 at 17:39

[TW]Fox;29768918 said:
HBA is stunning on the 3 Series - it's inexpensive and unmissable IMHO. Though I'm fairly sure it's included with the Adaptive LED anyway?

Meh, I never use my high beams. Could just be me though!

Robbo · 11 Jul 2016 at 17:39

Is adaptive where it splits the beam? I had a 4 series with that and it was amazing at night, if not at all essential. Kept the oncoming cars in darkness with full beam on.

[TW]Fox · 11 Jul 2016 at 17:42

Dis86 said:
Meh, I never use my high beams. Could just be me though!

Robbo said:
Is adaptive where it splits the beam? I had a 4 series with that and it was amazing at night, if not at all essential. Kept the oncoming cars in darkness with full beam on.

High Beam Assist on the 3 Series or the 5 Series LCI is the beam splitting thing, yes. It's absolutely brilliant. It's one of those options that doesn't sound like its worth the bother until you experience it for yourself - when you do, you'll really, really want it.

If you've got it Dis86, use it! You'll end up using your fullbeams all the time because the system manages the light output for you. It's absolutely great.

Yet nobody knows how it works - I was in a dealer the other month and the salesman was telling somebody that it just turned full beam on and off. Which on the older cars and the pre LCI 5 Series it does, but on the newer ones its so much more.

Adaptive is simply headlights that turn with the steering wheel and cornering lights. You generally end up getting both bundled together.

Robbo · 11 Jul 2016 at 17:44

I was studying the 4 series headlights and it looks like there's a grey cover that slides over the light, or something. It's interesting technology.

Havana_UK · 11 Jul 2016 at 18:05

[TW]Fox;29768940 said:
High Beam Assist on the 3 Series or the 5 Series LCI is the beam splitting thing, yes. It's absolutely brilliant. It's one of those options that doesn't sound like its worth the bother until you experience it for yourself - when you do, you'll really, really want it.

If you've got it Dis86, use it! You'll end up using your fullbeams all the time because the system manages the light output for you. It's absolutely great.

Yet nobody knows how it works - I was in a dealer the other month and the salesman was telling somebody that it just turned full beam on and off. Which on the older cars and the pre LCI 5 Series it does, but on the newer ones its so much more.

Adaptive is simply headlights that turn with the steering wheel and cornering lights. You generally end up getting both bundled together.

I think HBA only does that with the adaptive LEDs though, not Xenons. With Xenons it only switches automatically between high and low beam.

One the 1 series, even with adaptive LEDs it only switches between high & low beam as well. The giveaway is in the price of the option. ~£1600 for adaptive LEDs that do the beam splitting thing. If it's not that expensive all it will do is switch between dipped and full beam.

[TW]Fox · 11 Jul 2016 at 18:16

Havana_UK said:
I think HBA only does that with the adaptive LEDs though, not Xenons. With Xenons it only switches automatically between high and low beam.

This is categorically not true. This is the accepted convention - and even sales staff will tell you this - but it is not true. IMHO the inability of anyone to explain what this system does is the reason why so few cars are specced with it.

If it's not that expensive all it will do is switch between dipped and full beam.

Nope.

I was convinced too, so you can imagine my surprise the first time I experienced it doing it..

Havana_UK · 11 Jul 2016 at 18:38

[TW]Fox;29769088 said:
This is categorically not true. This is the accepted convention - and even sales staff will tell you this - but it is not true. IMHO the inability of anyone to explain what this system does is the reason why so few cars are specced with it.

Nope.

I was convinced too, so you can imagine my surprise the first time I experienced it doing it..

Hmmmm, I've misunderstood it then. Will have to go try an F30 without adaptive LEDs but with HBA. I know that with the "Adaptive" bit the Xenons beam distribution is altered depending upon speed as well, but I was certain that the really clever beam splitting tech was only possible with the Adaptive LEDs.

[TW]Fox · 11 Jul 2016 at 18:54

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2vmWggpbbM

Real world with Xenons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7YzMtJnUlI

Havana_UK · 11 Jul 2016 at 19:32

[TW]Fox;29769263 said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2vmWggpbbM

Real world with Xenons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7YzMtJnUlI

Nice, I won't be so hung up on going LED for my next car then, though I do like the LED headlights in my M135i a lot

chris_87 · 11 Jul 2016 at 19:32

HBA with Xenons is as Fox describes.

Source: my F30 with HBA

Robi · 11 Jul 2016 at 23:04

Best insurer or broker to speak to regarding M cars in general?

BananaDunka · 11 Jul 2016 at 23:13

Shop around? Various "specialist" insurers out there, but most get the usual poor customer service feedback on forums and the like.

I personally use Elephant, been with them for years and they seem to always provide the best quote after haggling post-renewal letter arrival and comparison site mash-up. Plus their customer service has always been good for me as well as the ease of use of their online portal to access my documentation.

chroniclard · 12 Jul 2016 at 08:02

Just get old, sorts your insurance out really well.

Marvin · 12 Jul 2016 at 21:00

Speaking of insurance/Elephant, just sorted my insurance out for the first full 12 months with the M5. Renewal from Elephant came through at over £1,700 (I got annual quotes from Elephant when switching from the Z4 (which was ~£750 for the year) for about £1,000), although I'd already started the usual mainstream players process of checking the comparison sites. Best quote was about £1,100 but with a compulsory excess of £800 plus my £250 voluntary.

So I decided to call some of the specialist performance/modified brokers who I'd much prefer to be with TBH, and have gone with Sky Insurance (advertise/sponsor events in Evo mag, nothing to do with BSkyB) at £912. Pretty happy with this for a 24 year old with a 3 year old write-off fault claim and a 400PS M5. Particularly as IPT rose from 6% to 9.5% in the last year. Includes like-for-like cover on modifications too. They, like many, want you to have experience with powerful/RWD cars before, so probably not the best first insurance choice, but worth a call otherwise - they know their stuff too.

Housey · 12 Jul 2016 at 21:03

Havana_UK said:
Nice, I won't be so hung up on going LED for my next car then, though I do like the LED headlights in my M135i a lot

I have LED lights on my R8 and they are not a patch on the Xenons I had on my 530D and I really miss the 'around the corner bendy stuff' the BMW's had. Frankly from what I had read LED's were life changing, but that has not been my experience at all. Mind you, my LED indicators are very funky

[TW]Fox · 12 Jul 2016 at 21:13

It certainly seems that the jump from Xenon to LED is nothing at all like the jump from Halogen to Xenon. LED seems more about power saving and flexibility with beam in cars with Matrix-style tech rather than additional light output.

BananaDunka · 12 Jul 2016 at 21:13

Marvin said:
Speaking of insurance/Elephant, just sorted my insurance out for the first full 12 months with the M5. Renewal from Elephant came through at over £1,700 (I got annual quotes from Elephant when switching from the Z4 (which was ~£750 for the year) for about £1,000), although I'd already started the usual mainstream players process of checking the comparison sites. Best quote was about £1,100 but with a compulsory excess of £800 plus my £250 voluntary.

So I decided to call some of the specialist performance/modified brokers who I'd much prefer to be with TBH, and have gone with Sky Insurance (advertise/sponsor events in Evo mag, nothing to do with BSkyB) at £912. Pretty happy with this for a 24 year old with a 3 year old write-off fault claim and a 400PS M5. Particularly as IPT rose from 6% to 9.5% in the last year. Includes like-for-like cover on modifications too. They, like many, want you to have experience with powerful/RWD cars before, so probably not the best first insurance choice, but worth a call otherwise - they know their stuff too.

£1700!!

My insurance went up after being rear ended last year. Even though I was told it would be unaffected, it's the usual excuses of inflation, lots of claims throughout the country driving premiums up etc etc. Insurers are generally scum in this regard.

My premium is £760 for the year with that in mind. When I phoned Sky insurance last renewal, they simply couldn't beat Elephant. Perhaps I'll give them another go next renewal, as I'll have owned the car a full renewal cycle then, maybe they'll offer something better.

[TW]Fox;29774134 said:
It certainly seems that the jump from Xenon to LED is nothing at all like the jump from Halogen to Xenon. LED seems more about power saving and flexibility with beam in cars with Matrix-style tech rather than additional light output.

I very much doubt light output will change much at all over the next few generations either. Xenon light output is perfectly adequate and will illuminate with a wall of light for great distances depending on the beam angle that has been set for the projector. LED is indeed all about efficiency and beam splitting with intelligent high beam usage that doesn't dazzle oncoming traffic and stuff like that which BMW now use.