Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Thx.
regards,
kyfdx
Host-Prices Paid Forums
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
I checked Tirerack.com, and they only recommend V-rated and above.... And, in that category, only Kumho offered an H-rated tire in that size...
Do some research on Tirerack.com first.... before you take their recommendation... and... anything that says M+S on the sidewall is an all-season tire..
regards,
kyfdx
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
Did you ever get an answer to the High Battery Drain message. I've had my 530xi for a week and the message shows up each morning, but disappears after the car is restarted. I took it to the dealer and they said it's a computer error and I should wait for new software? They said the battery was fully charged??
Regards
Thanks!
Best Regards,
Shipo
Jim
My experience is identical to yours, which I guess is reassuring in a way! I get the High Battery Drain message every morning when I start the car, and it does not come back if you re-start it during the day. Then, like an old friend, it is back the next morning! This leads me to believe that they haven't really fixed the problem, but the dealership gave me the same story as yours -- they are waiting for updated software to be able to clear out the message and that the battery is not really draining out.
Otherwise, this car is fantastic! Cheers.
Just had radiator & clutch fan replaced. However temp gauge remains in the center. You mentioned I need to keep my eyes on the gauge. Should I be concerned. Phamton beeping is the timer every hour going off. I'll read how to turn off. Need advise. I like to drive on performace, I think I drive pretty well at that. However I'm not used to RWD. The turning is different and as you know the car is heavy. Any suggestions when turning other then power through it. I can feel the back end coming around. Am I over steering. My son says it's easier to go sideways with RWD then FWD.
Have a great week. Thanks again for your help.
Oh next week we are going with our church to New Orleans to help.
Wisdom
Okay, to your question---the miles are too high for the price. $7,500 would be plenty. I personally wouldn't give more than $6,500 for it.
Goodyear F1s were much quieter, but only lasted 17,000 miles.
Also- I was under the impression that the 4yr/50K Full Maintenance that comes with the car included oil changes, fluids, etc., but another post complained of paying $149 for an oil change on a 2004 5 Series. Aren't these included in the Full Maintenance plan? Also, what is the interval for changing oil in a BMW?
Thanks!
jbuchanan
Coolant is replaced every 4 years. I know BMW will not cover anything 1 day early, it may or may not be included.
After reading about issues in this forum, I'm reconsidering my purchase (530xi).
Sport package run flat tires need replaced after 12K, or you must deal with loud road noise
Battery Drain issues w/ iDrive
Eating 1 quart of oil every 1,000 miles
Satellite Radio problems
Electronic issues... anything else?
I'm looking for reassurance here from owners that have owned an 06 5 Series and have NOT had major issues or headaches that keeps them going to the dealership every week. For $50K+ I don't want to become best friends with the dealer and his repair shop. Thx.
If maintenance is an issue, reconsider both 4 wheel drive and the sport package. Four wheel drive for most people is additional cost, weight and complexity for little if any benefit. The sport package on an x model is wheels, run flat tires and cosmetics. Add after purchase with the tire of your choice. Suspension upgrades are a part of the 2 wheel drive sports package. The optional suspension package increases tire wear on the insides and some tires have an outside, Michelin Pilot Sport PS 2s, and others, Goodyear Eagle F1s, rotate in 1 direction and need to be remounted if switched from side to side. Tires get noisy when wearing down except for Michelin Pilot Sport Primacys. They just get noisy.
I don't think it's that the shops WANT to see you a new driveshaft---you can't even buy a u-joint for it although you can match one up, but installling it is a real pain. BMW makes it as hard as possible to install a single u-joint.
The engine appears to idle too high at various times. Whether the engine is cold or warm, air co. on or off, the idle arbitrarily goes up. When this happens, it causes some minor issues in drive quality- especially when driving in stop n go traffic.
The brakes are so touchy so as to cause the car to jerk to a halt. If you try and ease on the brakes slowly, the car doesn't stop completely. Consequently, you have apply extra pressure on the brakes which stops the car cold. It's almost like there is no happy medium. It's great for needing to stop quickly, but when you are in stop and go traffic it's irritating.
Thoughts?
I purchased a new 2006 530xi Manual Transmission with Navigation, Logic7, HUD, etc. in July this year. I have had one problem that was fixed during the first week -- my iDrive screen was too dim and needed to be replaced. And I am still getting the "High Battery Drain" error message that most others are getting but there is no functional problem with the car. They say that it is a software problem that is failing to reset the error message correctly and are waiting for a software update.
Apart from the above two things, the car has been problem free over the past 2000 miles or so. Needless to say, I was initially disappointed by the above but it was taken care of quickly and I am loving and enjoying the car now. I love the manual transmission, and the car just seems to get better and better to drive as it ages (like a fine wine?!).
My advice as a first-time BMW owner who was not prejudiced (I had owned Japanese cars before) and who does value reliability and quality: go for it!! Hopefully you will not have the teething problems I did, and the overall experience more than makes up for it. Everything is working perfectly right now (even bluetooth, uploading my address book) and I am hoping it stays that way.
jbuchanan
I've actually done one myself, successfully, but never again--it really wasn't worth the hassle.
jbuchanan
Have you ever tried to actually put a cup in the cup holder?
Premium sound system is OK, but if you paid for it you are not allowed to get an IPOD connection or satellite radio because of the navigation system. RDS also can not be hooked up for the same reason. Hard to believe that Yugo and Ford can figure out how to make all this work, but BMW can not.
I-drive (who designed this thing?) reboots itself on the full moon and first quarter, every other month (actually more frequently than that, but I was trying to be funny.) BMW response, "It needs to reboot itself!" Gee, why didn't I think of that as the technical reason I lose all my addresses and radio stations?
Warm re-starting can be a challenge. Three times I was told the car was not programmed for the 6 speed transmission and that was the cause. I guess three times, they didn't fix it!
Cannot keep rims on the car! That's what the dealer tells me. Again, Sport wheels with run-flats. Dealer has tried to resell me new rims at least 3 times saying they are bent. So much for "No maintenance fees for the first 3 years" Not!
Seriously, the four best features about my 545 6-speed: headlights are truly outstanding; heated steering wheel is the best; Heads-up display is great; Only 2 years left on my lease.
By then Audi will have brought back the RS-6 and I'll go back to them.
Good luck!
BMW NA Customer Relations
We did this the second time but it did not help. I read in the latest edition of Bimmer that this could be related to the hydraulic valves. They indicated it was irritating but not in need of repair. Should I have it checked out or just continue as if it is normal?
This same edition also noted that this particular engine and transmission were prone to problems - anyone taken one over 150k yet?
Yes the cupholders are not very good. You want great cup holders, buy an Accura.
I have Sirius radio and it works fine. Ditto NAV
Yes iDrive is counterintuitive but, after a couple of weeks, you don't even think about it; it becomes automatic.
Love the Park Distance Control. I got this on impulse and now could not live without it. Ditto the heads up display.
Got the heated seats and steering wheel. Works very well.
I ran snow tires this past winter and was very impressed with how well the car handled. My previous car was an '86 325eS and that thing was a pig in the snow but BMW engineers have done a great job balancing the 5 Series. Traction Assist and DSC are big helps too.
I got the sports package and, after banging a few curbs early on, have really come to like the active steering. Very useful in garages and for parallel parking.
The engineering and handling are magnificent. Plenty of power when you need it yet well behaved at normal speeds. And I'm getting 18 to 19 MPG city and close to 30 MPG on trips.
I've never owned a smoother, more responsive car. If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.
The Independent BMW reseller I bought the car from delivered it with 30F/30R. I find the
handling and tire wear to be excellent using these settings. Anybody have any input, experience or advice?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Thanks!
Personally, I ran more like 33/35 in my 530i SP.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I remember you had a E39. What tire pressure did you use? I have a 2002 530i and the factory recommended 33/41 psi seems (and feels) high.
tfc
Does anyone follow the factory recommenation?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
"My passenger side window will go up and down on its own"
With the start key on, you should open the window and then keep the opening key pressed for at least 5 seconds after the window is fully opened. Then, do the opposite. Then, open and close the window, once each, as usual. All this should reset the memory of the window engine. You also may ask the dealer to replace the window engine while under warranty.
"What about a rattle on the left of the driver side, somewhere in the dash?"
With regards to that, I am not fully sure. I figure it is the noise made by the mechanism that assists the steering. If so, you may hear that noise but bigger when you are out of the stopped car and close to the hood while turnign the steering wheel.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
José