[gangzoom]

My sister in law is looking for a car that can do 50 miles a day into Bristol. She doesn't want diesel or a pure EV with a budget up to £17K used, and a used 330e seems to fit the bill.

My last ownership experience with a 335i was hardly one to remember with leaking coolant, breaking HPFP, turbo rattles, iDrive system going kaput etc.......

Are the 330es just as unreliable?? I don't want to get the blame for recommending a lemon

[Sasquartch]

I dont think the 330e is unreliable, most people I know that have had them say the real world economy is no better than a regular 320i

However for getting round ULEZ requirements or BIK I'd say they were a good bet

If you dont have BIK considerations and dont drive into a LEZ city I'd say a regular 320/330 is a better idea

[gangzoom]

It will be 50 miles a day round trip into Bristol so a diesel is 100% no no given the 2021 ban. There is already a charger at her house, so I think we will be able to do at least 25% of the trip on electric, the average MPG on Fulley appears to be 45mpg+ which isn't too bad.

Alternative for similar price is a CT200H, which given we own a IS300H I know the CT200H will return 50mpg+ all day long without having to faff with a plug, plus Lexus reliability to fall back on. But she like the BMW brand more than Lexus.

[jenshb]

Make sure it comes with a warranty. One of my colleagues had a 66-plate 330e and he loved it. His commute is around 20 miles one way and has opportunities for charging at work, so hardly ever used the combusion engine, and took him three months before he had to fill the tank. However, the on board charger broke down and had to be replaced - at a cost of £1200 IIRC... Luckily, that was all covered under warranty.

[Mattyk]

I’ve done 90k over the last 5 years in a 335d and a 435d, neither has been a problem

As all cars, excepting jlr, you do get some issues sometimes, but most are ok

Jlr being the inverse

I don’t know of anyone at work with an issue with their Bmw, or Audi, lots of 330e and 530e’s

(All jags have been handed back with electrical faults, blown turbo etc)

[un1eash]

Old boss went from an IS300h to a 330e and hated it. Real world mpg on long trips wasn't great. It's on my shortlist next though as my commute is going to be 13 miles.

[Tengocity]

I had a F30 330e for over 3 years and 80000 miles with few issues of note. Less than my 335d actually. I averaged 44mpg over the lifetime of the car, and making use of charging overnight at home.

[swanseahammer]

Have had mine 12 months. Very happy with it. Previously had a 330d. Obviously the e doesn't have the same levels of performance but is no slouch. Real world electric only range is substantially less than claimed but overall equivalent economy I've found much better than my 330d and even my 320d Efficient Dynamics. Charge it every day I have a charging point at home- costs approx £1 per day for electricity. No reliability issues.

[smorg99]

As above. Had mine for approx 12 months coming from a 330d xDrive.
No issues whatsoever since I've had it. Still under AUC but will extend warranty just for peace of mind.
My longest commute is approx 28 miles round trip but most of the week I hardly use any petrol as they are approx 15-16 miles trips. This time of year I get around 11-12 miles on electric.
Occasional longer journeys on the weekend and have been down to Cornwall and still get very good economy.
Since I've had it my average is 78 MPG.
Plan is to keep it for another year and then possibly look into a G21 330e as I really think it's all the car I need.

[Somebloke]

I have one since September 2017 from new. Can get to work (15 miles) on a charge if weather is favourable (ie not cold and wet). Potter about locally at weekends on electric only.

Only problem so far was a faulty on board charging control unit (KLE) that was fixed under warranty.

My advice is to buy one with as high spec as possible. Folding rear seats are a must.

[gangzoom]

Thanks for the feedback, but she's going for a Lexus CT200H. A few Ks cheaper than a similar age 330e but less miles, its the reliability of our IS which has won her over I think.

[jcdub]

Originally Posted by Somebloke

I have one since September 2017 from new. Can get to work (15 miles) on a charge if weather is favourable (ie not cold and wet). Potter about locally at weekends on electric only.

Only problem so far was a faulty on board charging control unit (KLE) that was fixed under warranty.

My advice is to buy one with as high spec as possible. Folding rear seats are a must.

What were the symptoms of the KLE unit failing? I've a 2017 330e and the engine regularly starts while driving along on batteries on light throttle. I can see the electric power meter on the dash increase to 4 bars, then the engine kicks into life. Thats with a steady throttle pedal with no load on a flat road surface. I've had it in with the dealer but the said there was no faults to be found. It's fustrating at this stage

[smorg99]

Originally Posted by jcdub

What were the symptoms of the KLE unit failing? I've a 2017 330e and the engine regularly starts while driving along on batteries on light throttle. I can see the electric power meter on the dash increase to 4 bars, then the engine kicks into life. Thats with a steady throttle pedal with no load on a flat road surface. I've had it in with the dealer but the said there was no faults to be found. It's fustrating at this stage

What you describe there is normal behavior once the battery is depleted.

On mine, once it gets to around 11% that's when the ICE kicks in. If I'm very gentle on the throttle on a flat road then it may go back to EV but as soon as I press the throttle a little harder then the engine will kick in.

When this happens, what kind of charge do you have in the batteries?

[jcdub]

Originally Posted by smorg99

What you describe there is normal behavior once the battery is depleted.

On mine, once it gets to around 11% that's when the ICE kicks in. If I'm very gentle on the throttle on a flat road then it may go back to EV but as soon as I press the throttle a little harder then the engine will kick in.

When this happens, what kind of charge do you have in the batteries?

I get that behaviour when I've just unplugged the car from the charger and drive down the road and the batteries are over 90%.. I complained to BMW a couple of times, but they fob me off as there's no fault showing.

[AlRex]

The only problem I had with mine was when I pressed the button to de pressurise the fuel tank when you fill up came up as an error quite a lot of the time and said didn’t release the fuel cap to be opened.

Came and went away though and sold the car before I got it fixed and every time I booked it in the fault went away...... apparently was a fairly common problem although not a major issue.

[jcdub]

Originally Posted by AlRex

The only problem I had with mine was when I pressed the button to de pressurise the fuel tank when you fill up came up as an error quite a lot of the time and said didn’t release the fuel cap to be opened.

Came and went away though and sold the car before I got it fixed and every time I booked it in the fault went away...... apparently was a fairly common problem although not a major issue.

I had that exact same fault. The could see the fault had registered numerous times and changed out the sensor under warranty.

[smorg99]

Originally Posted by jcdub

I get that behaviour when I've just unplugged the car from the charger and drive down the road and the batteries are over 90%.. I complained to BMW a couple of times, but they fob me off as there's no fault showing.

That's not right at all. What happens if you put the car into electric only mode - same thing?

I'd keep complaining or take it to another dealer. Still under warranty?

[jcdub]

Originally Posted by smorg99

That's not right at all. What happens if you put the car into electric only mode - same thing?

I'd keep complaining or take it to another dealer. Still under warranty?

If I keep it electric only I don't have the engine starting randomly. If I catch seeing the battery bars increasing I can lift off the throttle and that stops the engine from starting. But as soon as I touch throttle again it comes back up to 4 bars within a few seconds. If I catch doing the same thing another once or twice. It will behave as normal and stay in the batteries.

[Somebloke]

Originally Posted by jcdub

What were the symptoms of the KLE unit failing?

Simple - the car wouldn't charge. "Unable to charge, Service request" came up on the iDrive.

Originally Posted by jcdub

Thats with a steady throttle pedal with no load on a flat road surface. I've had it in with the dealer but the said there was no faults to be found. It's fustrating at this stage

I've seen the engine kick in recently below 50 mph on flat roads with a decent charge as well on auto eDrive. It has to do with the computer logic and ambient temperature. If it bother you that much then put in in max e-drive mode?

[jcdub]

Originally Posted by Somebloke

Simple - the car wouldn't charge. "Unable to charge, Service request" came up on the iDrive.



I've seen the engine kick in recently below 50 mph on flat roads with a decent charge as well on auto eDrive. It has to do with the computer logic and ambient temperature. If it bother you that much then put in in max e-drive mode?

That what I tend to do now most of the time. Although since I've flashed the car with MG Flasher I've being using the petrol engine a bit more lol

[G50]

For those cars that are charged every night, and use electric power a lot, with the engine kicking in only now and again, I wonder what the longer term reliability will be like considering the engine rarely gets warmed up to temp?

[sohail92]

always wondered how reliable the 330e is too, seems great on paper but can imagine if something goes wrong it would be costly.