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BMW 7-Series Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I'm not sure that "getting the flagship model right" is strictly BMWs problem, and as far resale value is concerned, all the high end models suffer extreme depreciation. So I don't think you're going to be able to avoid all these issues by jumping from one company's flagship to another's. Lexus makes a pretty slick car--if you're jumpy over reliability and resale, that's the way to go then. Sounds like your best shot. The 7 Series is, IMO, all about the driving experience. So, are you going to marry the librarian or the ballerina?
  • cartalk8cartalk8 Member Posts: 6
    Hey x5fan10. Care to share what you paid for the '07 750 Li? Looking at one now with a little less mileage. Thanks in advance!
  • x5fan10x5fan10 Member Posts: 19
    sure.
    i paid 41k for a CPO.
    I think depending on how long the car has been on the lots i think one can push the price even lower! it was advertised for 48k
    good luck.
    let me know if i can be of anymore help
  • slammy420slammy420 Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2000 BMW 740i. Alot of smoke comes out of the muffler when i start the car but no smoke when its running. Just when it starts. But when i restart after 5 to 10 mins or an hr the smoke doesnt come out. Im planning to sell this one and get a 2000 BMW convertible. How can i stop it? Is there any Fluids i can use to Stop it?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Might be a defective oil separator, which is an elaborate German idea of a PCV valve. It's about a 3.5 hour job if that's the culprit. Only other thing I can think of is bad valve stem seals or worn valve guides (high miles engine?) and that would cost more to fix than the separator.

    No, sorry there is no fluid, additive, pill, device or chemical that stops oil burning.
  • msnlnmsnln Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2007
    I had same problem in 2007 when my warranty ran out on my 2002 745i, not so much for maintenance but for extended warranty. My concern was major problems like engine or transmission having problems and causing repair bills in thousands but since you probably have CPO extended warranty, you will not have to worry about that for some time.

    As for $2747 for maintenance package, it seems bit excessive. BMW 7 series needs oil change every 15K miles and brakes should last at least 35K miles. So, basically you are looking at spending $500 per year and $1500 every two years, if driven at least 15K miles/year. So for two years, your maintenance cost comes to $2500 at your dealer quote for two oil changes and brake repair. Besides, every time I had taken my car in for maintenance service, I had dealer always tells me I need extra "repairs" that usually come to more than $1K that are not covered under the warranty.

    However, you do not need to go to the dealership for these services. you need to find a reputable mechanic who will do these services. I recently had rear brakes installed for $120 -- $50 for the pads, $20 for the sensors and $50 labor. Had I replaced rotors it would have been extra $130 for price of rotor but I returned the rotors because old rotors looked sparkling new and mechanic told me rotor replacement was not needed. I would change brakes on other cars myself but it's sometimes pain to take off rear wheels on these cars so I did not want to bother.

    As for oil change, there is local shop that will do oil change on my car for $90. if I bring in the oil and filter, labor charge is $30. Go to pelicanparts.com and buy BMW oem filters and Mobil 1 oil. BMW holds 8.5 quarts of oil and I don't want to have to deal with disposal of 2+ gal jugs of oil.

    So, my cost for your maintenance is $300 (or $430 with rotors). Where do I find these guys, you ask? I ask around friends, neighbors and search the web. I then go talk to the mechanics to see if they really know what they are talking about. When I talk to them, I tell them I can do these myself but do not want to be inconvenienced and they will not screw around with you. You'd be surprised how many incompetent mechanics but that is another story. BTW, I do all maintenance on my other cars - Toyota Highlander and Honda Accord. So basically, if you want peace of mind but don't mind getting ripped off, then go for the dealership service but in the long run, you would be so much better off finding a mechanic you can trust.
  • msnlnmsnln Member Posts: 2
    Microfilters is fancy name for a cabin filter and it is two minute replacement job. The part itself costs around $30.

    This link shows how it's done and reset the computer:

    http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260208

    http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=296557
  • slammy420slammy420 Member Posts: 4
    I have talked with a machanic and they said it might be the head gasket. It might cost from 750 to 1200 to fix it. But my concern is that whether the head gasket actually causes this problem? What is PCV valve? What should i do? The car runs excellent but this smoke is drivin me nuts,
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well I wouldn't let them do that until they tested positively for a head gasket.

    If the smoke is BLUE, then they are on the wrong track---if it's white, like steam, then they might be right.

    The PCV is Positive Crankcase Ventilation, a kind of sucking device that removes fumes from your engine and reburns them. If it's plugged, your engine builds up a lot of crankcase pressure and could force oil past rings or valve stem seals.
  • slammy420slammy420 Member Posts: 4
    Yes it is BLUE/WHITE AND THICK. Stays in the AIR!!!! and it has a sweet smell. No SMOG like smell. I Dont know how to explain that. How do you Fix the PCV?
    By the way my check coolant signal is always coming on. I just filled it up a month ago and again it came up. I was reading about the head gasket and it was saying that if the Coolant is low, the head gasket gets ruined. So i was wondering whether it started from there. Do you know any Extended warranty company which is actually a really good one and not a scam? Thank you for helping me out.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well they can easily test for a bad head gasket or a clogged PCV. There doesn't have to be any guess work here. Not sure, but I think your car is too old for extended warranties. I haven't had much experience with them, other than that these are not warranties of course, they are insurance policies, with lots of exclusions possible. They are betting your car doesn't break and you are betting it does. They decide the size of the bet, and you know they've done their homework.
  • blnewtoblnewto Member Posts: 146
    Just about every aftermarket warranty has a giant list of exclusions and the almighty "warranty doesn't cover parts that fail due to overheating". Good luck trying to prove your transmission or motor wasn't overheating when it failed.
    Even if by chance you can prove it they have ways to wait you out and more lawyers than you :(
  • bmwandmebmwandme Member Posts: 1
    slips into 3rd gear right after car starts moving and stay on 3rd gear all the time. gear letter display on dashboard disappears. dashboard gives message" transmission program"
  • mss9mss9 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 07 750LI - the mfrs warranty expires in November 2010; any suggestions on companies that offer extended warranty up to 100k miles current mileage is 29k
  • txbmwdrivertxbmwdriver Member Posts: 2
    My 2009 750 has 13,800 miles. To date, I've added 5 quarts of oil. At my last service, the dealer said BMW spec is that the car could use up to a quart every 1,500 miles. I've never added oil to a car between service.

    I've also noticed that my car sometimes has difficulty starting. It either takes a while or just times out and stops. Is anyone else having these issues?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well if this were a Hyundai I might say "let's see how it goes" but on a car of this price category, I find it unacceptable. Have the dealer check for a defective oil separator (fancy German PCV valve). Also play a little game of role reversal on him. Tell him that you are the dealer, and that he has just bought a $70000 car that uses 5 quarts of oil in 13,000 miles. Then tell him it's perfectly okay and ask him how he feels about that answer.
  • txbmwdrivertxbmwdriver Member Posts: 2
    Great idea; unfortunately, it's $95,000.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Even MORE irritating. Hopefully, the oil separator is the culprit here.
  • c5boic5boi Member Posts: 4
    You definitely want to have the codes checked. The rough running symptom could be anything from bad gas to a fouled plug (possible leaking valve cover gaskets -they leak into the plug wells This occurs between 60k and 100k, depending on how hot the car runs and climate), or as simple as a MAF sensor going bad. Before doing any major work, have a good independent shop clean the MAF sensor wire..takes about 10 minutes. If the symptoms (and check engine light )go away and then return, replace this (150.00 from autopartswarehouse.com for genuine Bosch part that the dealer wants 375.00 for) . A bad MAF sensor can throw out erroneous codes that indicate overly lean mixture from leaking intake manifold gaskets. As far as the Power steering, it is controlled through the "servotronic" unit, that regulates the amount of assist pressure relative to speed (faster, less assist and slower, more assist). The speed sensor is related to the ABS control module (General Module). When this isnt working it will throw a code from to the OBD unit. A good possibilty is that if you had an ignition hiccup as noted above, the General Module could have cut off power to the Sevrotronic Solenoid. When this part goes bad. gets clogged with filings etc, it will fail to engage fully at lower speeds or at all. Most 740's will experience this at above 100k miles. REPLACE THIS FIRST BEFORE DOING ANY STEERING BOX OR PUMP REPAIRS; its 125.00 from autopartswarehouse.com and about 1 hr to install.
  • c5boic5boi Member Posts: 4
    Bavarian Auto Recycling...on the web
  • c5boic5boi Member Posts: 4
    see E38.org for instructions on the reset sequence...a battery disconnect is also worth a try and will not hurt anything
  • c5boic5boi Member Posts: 4
    Its your FRONT CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS..all of the E38's develop this...the vibrations diminish as the tire warm up, but it will only get worse. You can get an entire front end kit from FCP Groton for about 270.00 you will be happy after getting the repair done....about 700.00 labor at an independent mechanic.
  • sysadb420sysadb420 Member Posts: 12
    I've got a 98 740i. I've developed a power drain from something lately, where if I let it sit a week without starting/driving I have to charge the battery. The battery is fine, it fully charges, and is 8 months old. I've taken to avoid locking it to save power, and that seemed to work for awhile (or at least I got 2-3 weeks before the battery lost too much power to start). But now the interval has shortened to a week as I mentioned. I'm pretty confidant it's not the trunk light as that goes off automatically after a period of time when the trunk is open.

    What I noticed the other day is that the transmission selector diode on the console stays lit when the car is in park and turned off. I'm thinking that shouldn't be the case. Any ideas or does this ring a bell?
  • toy4hertoy4her Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 535 i that did exactly the same thing -- It was the alternator. The battery kept dying, I would recharge it, finally bought a new one since the service center said I had a bad cell -- that worked for about 3 weeks -- then the same thing started happening again -- It was not until the car died completely, overheated because the fan motor would not work that we discovered the alternator was bad. Replaced that and its been working great ever since.

    We also thought about the trunk light, the alarm system, and did notice the transmission selector light stayed on when the car was parked and turned off -- The transmission selector light stopped doing that once the alternator was replaced.....so look at the alternator
  • kqpham3kqpham3 Member Posts: 1
    Ask for 19,500 68K miles, clean title, excellent condition. How has 2005 model been holding up? Thank you for input.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    People seem to love 'em, although the automotive press had beaten up on them for styling and for overly complicated and confusing interior controls. I have read that the power brake booster can be problematic and, of course, as with any German car, play with every electrical knob and switch at least 2-3X before you buy it. A pre-purchase inspection would also be a good idea, since most maintenance and replacement items on this car are not cheap....so if say it needed brakes all 'round, or 4 new tires, that's a bit of cash.
  • jscholderjscholder Member Posts: 24
    Recently tried to replace left front upper control arm and ran into trouble with alignment of long screw into bushing when re-installing. When tightening the screw it would not line up with the second hole. It would keep moving the bushing housing and the screw would not go through. Is there an order in which you replace the arm? I tried to use a wedge to adust but didn't work. Any suggestions how to get it lined up? Does the steering wheel need to be positioned just right? Could I limp down to the mechanic and have them do it. (3 miles slow speed)?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hard to say what's going on here without being there. No way you can drive it...flatbed it if you have to. The repair manual I have doesn't specify any particular tricks but you know BMW---there may be a special tool that holds things just right.
  • hedugithedugit Member Posts: 1
    why would my Active Roll Stabilization light be coming on and off sometimes?
    My drivers side Restraint System Fault light just came on what would be the problem?
    Also my left low beam malfunction light came on and my husband bought new light and still doesnt work?
  • 740iwhitehorse740iwhitehorse Member Posts: 1
    I've recently purchased a 2001 740i with only 32K miles on it. I now have 34K. Car looks and rides like a dream. One odd thing happened a few days ago, I started it after being parked for 20mins, to have a burning smell, white smoke to come in through the vents, (smelled to me like burning plastic or electronics) looked out at the hood and saw smoke coming from out the grill. I left it running popped the hood to see a small amount of smoke coming from the passenger side of the engine compartment. Engine didn't idle funny, gauges never change, and no warning indicators alluded to any problems. Took a day to get the smell completely out the car. It never done it again. I've put another 300 miles on it since with no issue. I took the cover off the entire fuse compartment, everything looks fine. Has anyone ever experience this? Can someone speculate to this occurrence?
  • porionporion Member Posts: 2
    I hope this post benefits someone interested in getting a 7 Series.
    If you want a money pit of a car that constantly tugs at your wallet - get this car. If you want a high end car that is less costly to maintain --you might want to consider the following..

    We purchased a 2006 750Li around 3 years ago CPO from the local dealership, we paid around 5-7K more at a BMW Houston North /dealer for CPO - The car in Nov 2008 went for 45K and had 35K miles. Black-on-black.

    There is no doubt that the ride is phenomenal. The car weighs as much as a house.
    Friends, and acquaintances will treat you different in a high end car likes this (A8,500S, LS460,Inf 56, etc). I've been called sir more times than not in part due to this car. Heck some of the time depending on your personality, and propensity to self reflect-- to this car can affect your mood. Now these are all good things except...

    1) around 8 months and 9,000 miles on the car, it needed a new set of tires. That is right, this car is so heavy that it can run through tires in around 10-15K miles.
    2) The BMW dealerships seem to consider maintenance even on CPO a revenue center, within a year a regularly scheduled maintenance came out to around $400.
    3) Brakes were around $2,000 - normal wear and tear.
    4) then came the second set of tires - $960
    5) There are a few other repair items including a water pump, each time the cost was never lower than $600.
    6) CPO warranty never paid for any of this wear/tear items...
    7) The CPO warranty was basically worthless to us.
    6) Fast forward to 2 months ago, not even 3 years of ownership.. We found that when the transmission got hot, it did some weird things. We attempted to get it fixed by someone other than the BMW-dealer (reputable - not sure now) for $1850. The mechanic could not fix it, the problem persisted and I was out $1850.
    7) These are the items I can remember. There are more.

    That's it, I threw my hand up and sold the thing -->Wholesale..

    Would things have been different had I purchased a 2006 LS430. No Doubt, 100%.
    I would still have the car and it would not have cost me 20% of what I paid to maintain the 750Li.

    Buy the 7 Series Brand new and drive it til the original warranty wears out. CPO is a marketing.

    If you still want a 7 series after this.. Only know that I wish someone would have told me this before I bought my 7 Series. :lemon:
  • aguywhowriteaguywhowrite Member Posts: 5
    I don't know. I've been pretty satisfied with my 98 750i, although I know its a pretty different car.
    No way will this car compare to a Japanese car for mile after mile durability. If you have a big commute--no way.
    German engineering is overrated. There, I've said it.
    My dealer isn't bad. Wife spent $5
  • aguywhowriteaguywhowrite Member Posts: 5
    I don't know. I've been pretty satisfied with my 98 750i, although I know its a pretty different car.
    No way will this car compare to a Japanese car for mile after mile durability. If you have a big commute--no way. If you have modest annual mileage, a desire for luxury transportation for a low overall cost, its fine. The massive massive five year depreciation on this car makes this a reasonable purchase. Mine cost $12K when it was seven years old, down from 100K new.
    German engineering is overrated. There, I've said it.
    My dealer isn't bad. Wife spent $500 replacing windshield wipers at dealer on Mercury Marquis. Tune up cost $800 and manifold replacement cost $2000.My BMW guy is probably better than that. Get familiar with the various BMW forums. Those guys are major gearheads and they know exactly how to maintain the car for the most economic price.
    I use Kumho Platinum tires I got from Tirerack. Can't remember the price, but it was perfectly fair.
    Yes, it is a vault. I LOVED having my teenage daughter drive this car.
  • sysadb420sysadb420 Member Posts: 12
    Porion - CPO doesn't cover service but covers repairs such as the water pump you mentioned. Why were you paying >$600 for "repairs"? CPO also should cover the transmission, so is the CPO expired?

    If your car had summer tires they wear fast - just replace them with a longer-wear type.
  • momentum28momentum28 Member Posts: 2
    I have heard many rumors that owning a 750LI in general will cost you tons of money due to all the maintenance that is needed. One problem that I've heard of many times is "electrical" issues, especially with the 750LI's.

    Just curious to know if anyone has experienced an electrical issues with a 2009 BMW 750LI CPO? Are these issues covered in an extended warranty contract?

    Thanks,!
  • sysadb420sysadb420 Member Posts: 12
    Momentum - are you looking at an extended warranty or a CPO car that comes with one? Assuming you are more concerned about the price of repairs versus service costs, most extended plans outside of CPO have several levels of coverage. I priced a few out as I recently bought a 2008, and electrical components may be covered completely, partly, or not at all depending on the plan. Not surprisingly, the plans with the most complete coverage cost more. For example, the plan from the BMW dealer only covered the NAV and audio system if you bought the most inclusive plan.

    You need to read the complete coverage of the plan before deciding which plan, if any, is worth the money. Some of the plans might specify what they *don't* cover, which is helpful. Most plans offer coverage levels labeled with names like "silver", "gold" and "platinum", with ascending prices, of course.

    If you buy the CPO car examine the coverage (in print) to make sure you know what you're getting. A 7-series has a LOT of electrical components and is complex, so on the average you're more likely to have electrical issues sometime compared to, say, a simpler car such as a Toyota Yaris or similar car with less electrical components. That doesn't mean you'll necessarily have a lot of problems, but the possibility is greater.
  • sysadb420sysadb420 Member Posts: 12
    I'm beginning to have a few on my 2008 750i. It's still in warranty but before I take it to the dealer I'd like to ask if anyone else has seen this "behavior" on others so I might possibly save time with multiple trips and trial-and-error diagnosing there.

    For the first few months I've owned it no issues, but recently I noticed in the mornings that the soft-close doors weren't working. And at the same time the CD changer had reverted to the FM radio tuner when I started the car, even though I had turned it off the previous day with the changer engaged. (It's in a garage so I ruled out temperature) Once I started the car the soft-close doors worked fine. The problem is intermittent, but this AM the interior lights were ALL off when I opened the door, the soft-close feature didn't work, and the radio had reset again. When I saw the lights not working I thought the battery might be dead, but the car started fine.

    And oh by the way, I've had a problem with the driver's window not moving down. At first I thought it was the switch or maybe the motor, but after about 5 episodes of this I think I managed to get it working AFTER moving one of the other windows first, so I suspect some system the window may be tied to.

    My car appears to be more confused than me. Any observations?
  • jscholderjscholder Member Posts: 24
    follow-up: took to Indy and it took 3 guys to align the bolt and push through. Maybe an aberration? thanks for the reply.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Are you the original owner? I've heard of this kind of problem when a car was in a previous accident. The unibody gets every so slightly torqued.
  • jscholderjscholder Member Posts: 24
    You are right about the accident on front passenger side as it may have caused the unibody problem. Good catch.
  • jscholderjscholder Member Posts: 24
    2001 740i with recent new ignition coils, fuel filter, plugs, BG44K fuel system cleaner, and CPS sensors about 2 years ago. Checked for air pressure leaks on hoses, and lower small hose from the MAF boot on right side of boot was split at the connection point. I put duct tape around it to see if it would help before replacing. Problem still there. Could this cause my rough idle after starting and warming up car to where initial high idle of 1000 rpms returns down to 600 rpm and then fluctuates from 600 to 650 and car front shakes alittle? What is on the other side of this small hose that it connects to?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well if you have had one vacuum leaks there could be others, so yeah, vacuum leaks create all kinds of air/fuel mixture issues.
  • jscholderjscholder Member Posts: 24
    Could you tell me where the other end of the connection goes from that MAF small hose? I could send a picture if you're not sure what I'm referring to... thanks.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    No, not without a car in front of me. Have you pulled any trouble codes?
  • jscholderjscholder Member Posts: 24
    trouble codes have all the markings of a vacume leak; misfires, CPS, and maybe one other; I have noted a web posting on your site that had a similar problem with same codes and they leaned towards a vacume leak. I sprayed brake cleaner on MAF fitting and it did seem to change the idle speed, that is why I was wondering if you knew the purpose of the 2 connections off the right side of the MAF as you are facing it. I've been to two Indys already and trying to avoid going back to them or to a third as I've already gone through plugs, ignition coils (my call) fuel injector cleaner, and I am skeptical that its a CPS problem. Is there a way to attach a picture to my post?">
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited February 2012
    Yes, but the photo has to be hosted, and have a URL. We can't upload directly from your computer's hard drive. But if you post the photo on Photobucket or Tinypic or any of the free photo hosting sites, then you do this:

    Capture the URL of your photo

    then, in the "post a messsage" box, click on the blue tab at the bottom marked URL---then paste in the URL of your photo, and then click on URL once again to close the script.

    Your photo should appear.
  • kj8861kj8861 Member Posts: 1
    Mr. Shiftright,

    I have 1998 740IL and I've had all of the problems above, plus the radio and horn went out. The steering wheel is telescoping while driving and the interior lights come on and off while driving. I understand it's the General Control Unit. There's supposed to be a recall, but I don't know where to find that infomation.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Ah well, there's a list of electrical failure TSBs on this car as long as my arm, but none that I can find that have ALL your symptoms.

    But here is the NHSTA site for searching for Technical Service Bulletins---maybe there's something in there to give you a clue.

    Search for TSBs
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    It worked. I've had 3 excellent Lexus LSes, 02, 05, 09. Not a wimper out of any of them. But, my buddy let me drive his 2011 7 Series yesterday, and WOW! Was I impressed!! The cameras, the features, the comfort, the vault like quiet, the feather like smoothness, and most of all, the DRIVE. Unbelievable! Now I get it, what the big whoop is about BMW.

    HOWEVER, your post has given me pause - even great pause, because I have had friends who have told me never again, a BMW. Figured they were nervous nellies, but perhaps not.

    Incidently, my buddy is turning his 2011 back under the Lemon Law Buyback because of electrical glitches they can't seem to fix. Guess that should be my first sign, and your message my final sign. Thanks for the info. My Lexus drives like warm wallpaper paste, but it does it every day without complaint. And I like that.
  • jscholderjscholder Member Posts: 24
    The service engine codes for this problem are the following: misfires on 50-57 with the exception of 56. 114-thermostat control connector/sensor. Pigtail received excessive heat and melted a connection. 140-? 28, 29, 64

    MAF sensor, Cam Pos. Sensor, checked for vacum leaks and found none. Spark plugs are not stock; when originally changed out with "stock" plugs, these stock plugs were not tightened down allegedly and stock plugs were fouled as a result so assumption was that the problem might be in the fouled plugs and they were replaced with new platinum plugs. Will the previous "fouled" plugs be worth putting back in? Can a bad control module cause all these codes and symptoms; I've had a frequent intermittent case of the ABS, Brake and DSC lights come on and disable my odometer, speedometer, and create some loss of power steering capability. I replaced driver side rear speed sensor to no avail. CPS sensors on both driver and passenger sides were replaced about a year ago. Drivers side is showing error code. Should I replace anyway?
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