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BMW 5-Series Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • kirbydog99kirbydog99 Member Posts: 1
    I got the Sirius installed in my 2005 5 series. I have noticed that although there is no delay in the music coming up when changing stations/channels, the display information of the song is usually delayed 3-5 seconds after changing channels. Does anyone else have this issue or does your music information come up immediately as the song begins to play after changing channels?

    Also, is there any way of seeing what songs are playing in the other stations while listening to a particular station? Right now, I only see the name of the stations, but not the names of the songs being played on the other channels.
  • mch2mch2 Member Posts: 36
    I have a 2003 530i. Recently the alarm has been randomly going off, sometimes for less than a minute and sometimes for almost 30 minutes before shutting off by itself. The problem has occured at work (a co-worker of mine who owns an Audi says when he armed his car my alarm went off even though there was no one anywhere near the car) and at home when the car is sitting in the garage. Has anyone else had this problem?
  • don22don22 Member Posts: 1
    Two weeks ago I bought a used 545i after having it inspected and carfax reported. Since owning the car its been at the service center 6 of the 11 days. Seems to be mostly computer problems with the instrument panel. Has anyone else experienced these problems or did I stumble upon a lemon? Thanks.
  • shamrock1shamrock1 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 530i and am on my third battery. The dealer has been telling me it is just a bad cell and is replacing the battery. I am a little suspicious on the second go round, particularly when that battery lasted less than a year. Is anyone aware of any electrical issues with the 530 that may be draining the batteries?
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    Has the dealer checked the current draw after the computers have gone to sleep? Three batteries in four years is a bit excessive; my 1995 3er and 1997 5er still have their original batteries.
  • sfjudokasfjudoka Member Posts: 1
    Hello, I have a 1999 528. For the past couple of months, especially in the mornings, my car has been stalling. I would turn on the car to let it warm up, then after a few minutes, the engine would turn off by itself or when I shift the car to drive then the engine would turn off. I would have to turn on the car again each time and then it would be fine. Sometimes the battery/traction warning lights would come on as well but would not show up when I restart the car.

    Anyone else with this problem?

    I never had this problem with other non-BMW cars starting up in the mornings.
  • shamrock1shamrock1 Member Posts: 2
    They say they checked to see if there was any draw on the battery but couldn't find anything. I definitely agree that three batteries is excessive and getting two bum batteries seems to be a bit of a strech as well. I think something is not quite right and I don't have a lot of confidence in this dealer's service department.
  • bimmerchick05bimmerchick05 Member Posts: 1
    i have a bmw 535i and when i stop or put it in gear the clutch sticks and i have to put my foot under it for it to get back up. do you know what causes that?
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    535i? How old is this car?

    My guess is your hydraulic clutch hoses are collapsing from age.. Or possibly the slave cylinder...

    IOW, major clutch work..

    regards,
    kyfdx

    p.s. just spotted it... 1990.. Could be anything, but those are my best guesses.

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  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    As a point of reference, I seem to recall that there was an E39 535i with a 3.5 liter V8 as recently as 2002 or even 2003, just not in North America.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    It is in her bio... 1990 model..

    Probably the cheapest solution is to buy shoes with the left toe reinforced, for pulling up that clutch with your foot.. ;)

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  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Ahhh, got it. Now we are all on the same page. ;-)

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • cmybimmergocmybimmergo Member Posts: 265
    You guys have to read the fine print. It's an 86...she said the years didn't go down that far.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Sheez! I hadn't even gotten to her bio yet and I'd already screwed it up again. My bad! :blush:

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • 530ir1150r530ir1150r Member Posts: 263
    I was looking at the German BMW web site a few days ago and they still make 535s gas and diesel. Also the BMW Groupe web site has a web cam always on the new delivery center. I think welt or something like that is what you need to find.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200
    Jeez... even when I'm right, I'm wrong... :surprise:

    The older it is, the more I think I'm right, though.. I'm not all that familiar with the E28, but I'm betting on collapsed rubber lines in the hydraulic clutch system..

    (pretty confident for a guy that got his socket set from Big Lots).

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • jlbljlbl Member Posts: 1,333
    bimmerchick05,

    This may sound naive, but I think you should first check if the floor mat is catching/holding the clutch. Just in case. ;)

    Best regards,

    José
  • cmybimmergocmybimmergo Member Posts: 265
    Oh no, it's never naive to rule out the horse before looking for the zebra.
  • cassidymcassidym Member Posts: 108
    Sounds like you got a lemon. Is it an 04 or 05? I was going to buy a 2004 545 but my Service writer talked me into waiting till the 2005's came out. Said there were problems with the software in the 04 just like there were software problems with the first year of the new 7-Series.

    Anyway, I got an 05 545 and it has run flawlessly and I've put close to 12,000 miles on it since November

    My Service writer told me that BMW was reloading the software on the 04's
  • manillamanilla Member Posts: 3
  • manillamanilla Member Posts: 3
    Will be picking up my new 06 530i............anyone know of any problems that I should look for. I am a first time BMW owner.
  • printmorprintmor Member Posts: 3
    anyone ever hear of front sway bar bushings going at 68,000 miles?? The dealer is telling me I need new bushings, they should last longer than that, I do mostly highway driving. Any one have any info??
  • jlbljlbl Member Posts: 1,333
    I think there is no problem to expectantly wait for… everything should be just OK.

    Read the instruction manual when playing quietly with iDrive with the car stopped.

    You should broke in the engine as close to the recommended rpm limit as possible. Spent a little time driving in low regime, though. In doing all that, you should not keep the engine at a constant rpm regime for too long. The best is to go playfully up and down with the gears—without falling into an obsessive sate of mind.

    Relax yourself and enjoy!

    José
  • e39_touringe39_touring Member Posts: 13
    Did you complain to the dealer about a front-end problem? Sway bar bushings should last a long time. Failure is usually accompanied by squeaking/creaking or clunking noise in the front end when going over bumps.


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  • e39_touringe39_touring Member Posts: 13
    It's probably too late, but if you can, check the date code on the battery. Some dealers have these things sitting on the shelf forever...

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  • e39_touringe39_touring Member Posts: 13
    Does the idle 'hunt' a bit when you first start it when it's cold outside? If so, this could be a problem with the VANOS solenoid (vanos is bmw's variable valve timing). This is a fairly common problem with this motor.

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  • printmorprintmor Member Posts: 3
    yes, I complained, and they said the "wearable" parts in the front end were not covered by the cpo warrantee. I agree the bushings shouldn't go so soon. I also called the regional BMW rep and complained. I think I was just yessed off the phone. I doubt that anyone will do anything for me. I'm also going to get a second opinion from a private mechanic. Don't know what else I can do.
  • jasjas Member Posts: 115
    There is always problems with s/w - especially the first year.

    I got a 04-545i (July 04 build) just because I did not want to wait. I had a s/w upgrade in November for blue tooth and to correct some ECM problems, although I did not notice anything.

    BMW is constantly upgrading the s/w, which if you are having problems, the should upgrade for you
  • abmwguyabmwguy Member Posts: 15
    Bookmark | Reply | E-mail Msg

    I have ordered a 06 530i and I checked the status and it inidcated that it is in an "In Transit" status. Does anyone know the average time a car is "In Transit and how long it stays at the Vehicle Processing Center............and then on to the dealer?

    Where are the Vehicle Processing Center's?

    I am a first time BMW owner.

    Thanks
  • 95525nj95525nj Member Posts: 1
    I apologize for not having a response to this posting but I have a question regarding
    a 1995 BMW 525i and I can't seem to find a forum relating to it. Does anybody
    know of a problem with the gas tank where it seems to deflate like a balloon which
    in turns smashes the sending unit. It happened once, and I replaced the sending
    unit. About a year later, it has now happened again!!!! Any ideas?? My mechanic
    doesn't seem to know with the exception of replacing the tank & the sending unit.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Hmmm, alright, first a disclaimer: I've never had the chance to play around with your vintage of 5er. That said, I have a theory...

    Factoid #1) Mother Nature provides us with something around 14.9 pounds per square inch of air pressure at sea level.

    Factoid #2) If you remove sufficient fuel and vapor pressure from a fuel tank of any construction, Mother Nature will cause said fuel tank to "git all stove in lookin"

    Factoid #3) The fuel pumps of every fuel injection system that I've seen on any BMW that I've looked at since the days of the old Bosch-K Jetronic (1970s) has had enough verve to pump a tank quite dry, regardless of how much the outer walls of the tank are fighting against the pump.

    If you put all of that together, and then add in a clogged tank vent, you will get a collapsed tank. Period, full stop, the end.

    Regarding your car, my guess is that it is an ODB-I type of emission system, which if I'm not mistaken means that you are supposed to have a vented fuel filler cap. Assuming that this is correct (and your mechanic should be able to easily verify where the vent is), then I'd start by replacing the fuel cap. If I’m wrong, then replace the plumbing that fills the tank with fresh air as the fuel is consumed

    One other thing comes to mind; I've heard that if you "Milk" you tank so full that you can see the fuel up in the filler neck, that the fuel itself can interfere with the tank vent, and cause it to collapse. Among other reasons, this is a great argument for filling your tank only to the point where the pump clicks off, then hang it up and don't milk any more fuel into the car.

    I hope some of this helps.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    What Shipo said. You problem is a textbook symptom of a fault in the fuel tank venting system. Any competent mechanic should know that. If your mechanic is stumped by such a simple problem you need to find a mechanic that actually knows what he/she is doing. Local CCA members should have some good leads.
  • adareadare Member Posts: 6
    I am the proud Australian owner of a very low miles 530i. Can anyone shed some light on the following? From day one temp guage was up to mid range reading (straight North/south) within 120 seconds. Odd?? Recently, it now travels much more slowly to that position, say 4mins at city street speed but does not fall back a fraction which in other cars suggests that the thermostat has just correctly opened.
    Should I be concerned? Is it a quick/easy (plug in to the ?) thermostat check for the dealer? Appreciate any advice, thanks
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Your temperature gauge isn't really a temperature gauge. It is a needle that is controlled by a computer that sort of approximates how a temperature gauge should work under normal operating conditions, and once the engine is in the proper "Operating Range", it will show "Due North", and only "Due North". Back when BMW was getting bad auxiliary cooling fans, the owners of the affected cars would see the gauge reading as normal one moment, and then the very next moment, the engine would overheat and the gauge would peg itself all of the way to the right.

    FWIW, this isn't just a BMW issue; I've seen it on virtually every late model car I've driven that still has a temperature gauge. My bet is that it is another one of those wonderful mandated bits that are part of the ODB-II specification. :mad: Is it any wonder why BMW finally dropped the temperature gauge all together for the new E90?

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • adareadare Member Posts: 6
    Thanks for that, appreciated! 2 things, forgive the Australian for asking, what is ODB-II? Is there any need to check operation of thermostat?
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    ODB-II??? Sorry, my bad. I should have said OBD-II, which stands for On Board Diagnostics Version 2.

    OBD-II started showing up on all cars sold in America in the mid 1990s, and it is supposed to provide a universal service, diagnostic and error code interface for all manufacturers' cars. There are lots of sites on the web that go into fairly good detail about the system, here is one: http://www.obdii.com

    As for your thermostat, no, I don't see any reason to test it.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • adareadare Member Posts: 6
    Again, thank you for your reply. I look forward to speaking with you on other areas of interest in due course, regards, Adare
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    The temperature gauge first became a glorified idiot light on the E34 Fives. My friend Mark Calabrese took ED of one in 1989 and we couldn't figure out why the gauge never budged off center. Ditto for my E36. I don't think it has anything to do with OBD-II. Rather, it's a way to pacify inept drivers who worry that the temp needle moves around too much. And this idiocy is a growing trend; my 1999 Wrangler still has accurate gauges but sometime after 2001 D-C switched them over to idiot light mode. Including the oil pressure gauge!
    BMW explained the absence of a temp gauge in the E90 at the world press introduction. They claimed that they analyzed the longevity of engines used in BMW police cars in Germany and found that it doesn't hurt to hammer them from a cold start, so that's their story and they're sticking to it. Calabrese and I think that BMW should just go ahead and make the jump to a "glass cockpit", which would give each driver the ability to customize the IP display. Gearheads could have digital or graphic readouts of everything they wanted while poseurs and the clueless could just request a speedometer-and maybe a multi color flashing "DUB" symbol... ;)
  • davis177davis177 Member Posts: 5
    I just got my 2005 525 yesterday. While going through the Bluetooth hook up, the sales assistant could not figure out how to down load the phone book. My phone reads it self paired to BMW64802, and the car showed it self paired to Nokia 6820. They brought over a tech and he said my phone would not work with the car since it was not an approved phone. I walked away with my tail between my legs, since this was one of the features that I had to have to purchase a specific vehicle, but the deal was done at that point.
    When I was driving the car home I made a call, and all of a sudden it worked, and to try this out again, I made another call and it worked again, how cool was this.
    When I got home I tried to show my wife this cool feature I had been talking about for the last several months, and now it does not work. The phone still shows itself paired to the car, but the car does not show itself paired to the phone.
    Any solutions, before I go out and am forced to buy a new phone?
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    While waiting for a 5-series owner to respond, you might find this topic interesting/helpful.

    Bluetooth Technology
  • car_rmcar_rm Member Posts: 47
    What I have found with my approved Motorola phone is that when I go into the communication menu, my phone book from the phone is does not show. By pushing the iDrive knob down into the dial pad and then back up again, the letter selections for the phone book appear. The faster way to access my phone book was to customize one of the buttons to bring up the phone book.

    If that doesn't work, the cost of a new phone will be peanuts compared to the joy of driving the car!
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Hmmm, interesting. Both our 1998 and our 2003 Dodge Caravans suffer from "Centered Needleitis". The only time I ever saw either of them off center (other than a cold start that is) was when we had the 1998 loaded to the gills climbing an extremely steep mountain with a hair-pin curve every quarter of a mile. One instant the needle was centered, the next, it was pegged to the right. Uh-oh!

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • bmw2001nzbmw2001nz Member Posts: 2
    Hello there, it seems you know a lot about bmw cars. we have a bmw530i 2001 used car, bought today, done 32500kms. When accelerating to apr. 110 k, there is an increase engine sound, sort of low brrrrrm that resonance with small amount of tremble of the steering wheel and the rest of the car. If I take the foot of the gas peddle all is quiet again. Are you able to diagnose what that might be and what should be done to fix it? Thanks, Dieke
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Ohhh, that's a tough one. Hmmm, from the sounds of it, it sounds like you have something in the car that is setting up a harmonic resonance, like maybe the exhaust system. A couple of questions:

    1) Has the car ever been in an accident?
    2) Does the car have the complete factory exhaust system fully intact?

    If I understood what you were describing correctly, your car develops this harmonic while passing through 110 kph threshold while under full acceleration.

    3) Does the harmonic occur later, at a higher speed if you are already doing 110 before you depress the throttle?
    4) Does the harmonic dissappear at some arbitrary higher speed, say 175 or 200 kph?

    If I think of any more questions, I'll post them as they occur to me. ;-)

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • bmw2001nzbmw2001nz Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for your quick reply Shipo.

    No accidents and all factory systems fully intact, according to seller from the caryard(not a BMW dealer, but Singaporian car dealer). It is a Singapore import, germany made car. And it has been serviced by a bmw workshop with a tick on oil services. Still if you think it is worth doing we can have it checked out by another bmw workshop.

    We did some more driving this morning and can be a bit more specific i hope:

    the harmonic occurs while slow accelerating from 104 and 115 k, not a hard foot on pad el, and when speed limit exceeding 110/115 it results in the reducing/disappearing of the sound.

    When fast accelerating( full accelerating, maybe) between say 100 and 140 k, no harmonic was noticed. Further today less resonance, not in steering wheel. Only the different brrrrrm noise from the engine.

    We tried doing slow accelerating and keeping the speed range from about 105-110/115 with revolution panel at about 2.2-2.5 l/mins, which brings out the noise and small vibration comes with it.

    It did not occur during any other speed/accelerating interval. Hope this give bit more information for this issue.
    Looking forward to your response, thanks, dieke
  • cassidymcassidym Member Posts: 108
    This is very sound advice. I have a 2005 545i six-speed and bought an approved Motorola to use with it. At first, I couldn't get it to pair up so I drove over to the dealer and the salesman said he could get it working. He couldn't. So he got at tech who fiddled with it for a while but couldn't get it to work properly. Finally, I chased them both out of the car and figured it out on my own. When I pair the phone, it takes about 4 minutes for the phonebook to download. Once that's done, it works gerat and is a joy to use on the road. The voice command makes calling very effortless.

    So, moral of the story, buy an approved phone.
  • chgolatin2chgolatin2 Member Posts: 1
    I just recently purchase my 5 series, 98 model. Would like to replace the cassette deck into a single cd player instead of opting for the trunk cd changer option. Where besides the dealer can I find the item that I am looking for???

    Also, looking to replace all factory speakers. Any recommendations?

    Finally, where in the Chicago, Illinois area can I find a certified, reputable bmw service mechanic, of course, besides the dealer option?

    Thanks to all for the help!
  • krautsledkrautsled Member Posts: 1
    I would be interested to hear if anyone relpied to your alarm inquiry. I am trouble shooting the same problem with my 99' 528 and may just disable the alarm rather than lose anymore friends....
  • adareadare Member Posts: 6
    I would be interested in thoughts on Comfort seats and whether they are something to be seriously considered as a replacement for the standard front seats in a 2001 530 (Australia)?
    Am delighted with the 20 thousand kilometres car, but believe that the standard seats are not supportive, particularly under the thighs. Are there readers out there who have experienced both types of seat? Are there improvements that can be made? :surprise: I am 6 foot tall. Comment appreciated!
  • e39_touringe39_touring Member Posts: 13
    Does the shuddering go away if you put the car in neutral (coast down from 140 to 100 or so)?

    It could be a failing driveshaft center bearing. This will usually make a shudder felt through the whole car upon accelleration at certain speeds.

    Tom

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