frensham

I've just taken delvery of a lovely 530d M Sport on Carbon Black with Leather and a reasonable amount of options. I've got a question which I was wondering if anyone can give me their views/comments.

Basically, the front lights have a setting known as Auto (turn knob left one click). A small green light goes on and then the lights go on outside. The idea is that these lights are suppose to automatically go on and off. I've found they always stay on even in bright sunlight. My dealer tells me its simply the sensitivity of the lamps. Another guy at the dealership says all 56 plate 530's are meant to have lights stay on.

Is this right ?. Are they suppose to turn off?.

On another note, I do about 33 miles each way from home to work and back again. about 5 of these miles is "town/village" type, the rest is motorway ( the dreaded m25) so I end up doing typically 40-50-60 and sometimes 70 mph. So far on its first tank of fuel I've got 31.6mpg.

Can anyone give me an idea of what they are getting.

Cheers

Frensham.

Iceman

The lights have a sensor which switches them on and off. This sensor can be adjusted in three steps by the dealer.
If they are allways on, they might be programmed as Daylight Running Lights. There should be a check box in the settings menu to turn them on or off.

frensham

Cheers ICEMAN, I'll have a look.

colejl

Is it manual of auto? Either way I'd expect that sort of journey to return better than 31.6mpg... Are you calculating that figure or trusting the fuel computer? The computer may not be callibrated correctly - have a search on this site there's a way to adjust...

Either way the engine is still new and tight and should improve. I found using 'good quality' diesel (not supermarket) helps too but experiment! I'm using BP Ultimate at the moment...

frensham

Hi Colejl

Its an Auto and at the mo its got whatever fuel the dealer put in it, I'm going to fill up using ultimate. I am using the fuel computer.

Will let you know how i get on.

Cheers.

Darron.Lowe

I drive a 525d auto and generally get 36-38mpg. I would expect to get better that you do on that sort of journey but it just depends on your driving style and conditions (btw, the 530d is moreeconomical than the 525 on an auto box...). If you drive agressivly (typical UK driving where you do not let anyone infront) it will be lower as the car contantly changes gear. Try a more relaxed driving style if this is the case.



Also, do check the imperial vs Metric option on the onboard computer as it could be set wrong.



Lastly, there is indeed an option to have them as daytime running lights (which i prefer) and suspect that it is set to on.



Have a good fiddle with the idrive settings and see what else there is to change.



Have fun!

colejl

Definitely do a manual check for the accuracy. Fill her to the brim, reset trip, do the miles and fill back to the brim for an accurate measure of the gallons used. Then do the calc for mpg... See how accurate the computer is and then do the adjust if necessary. (A dealer won't help you here - you'll have to use this forum for the 'hack')

The auto-box has quite an impact on the diesels around town but I would also suggest putting her in manual mode on the motorways and learn the shift points. Mine never shifts into 6th early enough in auto mode! (TIP: If you're in manual mode and push and hold the stick it will shift as EARLY as possible for that gear, you should be able to hit 6th around 50mph)

I wouldn't worry so much about the Ultimate straight away, let the engine loosen up and then do some back-to-back comparisons. It may be psychological but I think it runs smoother and quieter with the Ultimate...

Darron.Lowe

Agree on the manual mode however i now use the throttle to do the same as i didn't buy a manual for a reason!



To use the throttle to change geat simply lift off and back on carefully causing it to drop a gear... Once you get used to it you can make it change with no noticable change in speed from engine braking.

speuk

Hi Frensham,

Welcome, what colour leather do you go for?

Simon

colejl

Yeah, that usually works too! Trouble is the 'box has to second-guess what you want... If it did shift really early some people may not like it as it affects the responsiveness/acceleration. The lower-gear gives you that edge but it you're on an 'economy-drive' you have to 'assist' the system... It's just a case of learning it's characteristics!