BMW 5-Series Maintenance and Repair

seloo

Thank you for your reply,

I checked the tools, that is not the problem.

It sounds more like it is coming from the door latches or the rear shade.

Depending on the road or bumps, the sound comes from both sides of the car.

I am sure this is a problem with other BMWs, please turn down your radios and listen.

Any thoughts?

shipo

My car is as quiet as a tomb, however, I don't have the shades. I'd take a look-see there first.

Best Regards,
Shipo

mtjohn

I have a 2001 530i SP that I bought CPO last spring. Absolutely love the car. When I purchased it, I heard several rattles coming from the door areas (I also have the sun shades). Turns out that applying Gummiphlege (you can get it at BMW dealer) to all of the door seals completely solved the problem. I was surprised that the rubber-on-rubber contact could sound like a rattle. Applying this to all of your seals it is a good idea as it will keep your seals soft, flexible and in good condition. It can also greatly reduce door "rattles". My car is very quiet and rock solid now.

Good luck.

-John

seloo

John,

I hope it is that easy. The car is due a service soon, so I will give the problem to the dealer.

Thanks

mtjohn

One other thing that I did was to wrap two thin winds of regular electrical tape around each door latch "post". You wont notice it visually and it won't change the dynamics of the door opening/closing but it will remove metal on metal contact that can produce rattles.
-John

mtjohn

I too am now experiencing the increased noise and vibration from my ContiSport Contact 2s after 13K mi. At certain low speeds it sounds like I have knobby tires. I drive the car hard about once a week on the twisties (I live on the side of Mt. Tamalpais in Mill Valley, CA which gives me ample opportunity). When I push the car to higher speeds & harder cornering I do not notice any increased noise or vibration. I agree wtih the emerging consensus that more frequent, harder cornering is necessary to balance out the aggressive suspension set up and tire dynamics. There is a cost/benefit to all things automotive and I think that the folks at BMW were visualizing frequent hard cornering at higher average speeds when setting up the sport package.
-John

riez

mtjohn... My '98 540i6 had same thing happen about 10K into a set of Yokohama's. I replaced them with a set of ContiSportContact 2s.

Is always a good thing to do a periodic 4-wheel alignment to ensure your entire suspension set up is within specifications. The inside of the rear tires tend to wear due to camber/castor issues. Just the way many BMWs are, esp. if they have staggered wheels (like my old 540i6). And do pay close attention to tire pressure.

mtjohn

Riez-
I figure that I will spring for new skins around 18K or so and will have a full alignment done then. The noise and vibration is not too bad and only occurs around 25-30 MPH. I really like the performance and look of the Contis and will probably go with them again.
-John

jfgp05

I have a 530i 2001 with 45000 miles on it. The car is 2 years and 7 months old. I was recently told that the brake fluid needs to be replaced (it's supposed to be done every 2 years). I also found out that it is part of the Inspection II process.

Here's my question. Would this brake fluid replacement be covered under the free maintenance schedule (15000 and 30000)? Since I tool my car in last summer (close to its 2 year anniversary) for the 30000 maintenance, shouldn't they have told me about flushing and replacing the brake fluid?

Thanks!

div2

All of the information regarding maintenance is contained in your warranty booklet. I am curious as to why you refer to 15000 and 30000 mile service intervals. New BMWs require an Oil Service at @15 miles, Inspection I at @30K, another Oil Service at @45K and the comprehensive Inspection II at around 60K. Situations like yours are exactly why I recommend that ALL neophyte BMW owners review the warranty booklet as well as the owners manual. The brake fluid flush is NOT included in the list of procedures performed in an Inspection II; the flush is performed every two years(using DOT4 fluid only) regardless of mileage. Yes, it is covered under the BMW free maintenance plan, but few-if any-dealers will perform a free service before it is due.

riez

div2 is absolutely right. You, the buyer, have to read YOUR owner's manual and learn what is the required service schedule. BMWs must have their brake fluid changed every two years, regardless of mileage. Change the oil at least once a year, regardless of mileage. Forget if coolant flush is every three years. Thinking O2 sensor is every 100,000 miles. All this and more is in the owner's manual.

And of course, do the oil services, Sch. Is, and Sch. IIs as indicated by your service interval.

jfgp05

So, the bottom line is that flushing the break fkuid IS included in the free maintenance. That's all I needed to know.

Yes, I did read the manual but nowhere did I specifically read that flushing the break fluid was part of the free maintenance.

Perhaps we should tell BMW to be clearer in their manuals (which I have heard many complaints from other BMW users).

Thanks again.

karl18

I have replaced my outside temp sensor twice on my 97 540i and still am having problems. Any ideas from fellow owners?

Of course, after the first time I took it to the BMW dealer in Novemeber and everything was fine as they couldn't find anything wrong. I hadn't got 5 miles down the road when it registered 66 degrees in when it was no more than 40 outside. I decided to wait until spring to replace it and now today got it back from my independent mechanic with a reading of -40. I called the dealer to make another appt. and he said possibly the wiring to the sensor was cut (?? it was acting 15-20 degrees hot, but never anything below zero).

I can put my head out the window and be within 15 degrees by guessing, but having paid what I did for the car, I want it to be right.

rcs525i

I've got a 94 525i with 97k miles on it. The vehicle is in excellent condition. However, I just starting getting a shake on the front when driving around 40 mph or so and then applying the breaks. The steering wheel shakes for a few seconds and then the problem clears. The problem is not constant, not sure if it is a wheel out of balance, breaks or something else. I would appreciate any advice.
Thanks,
RC

karmikan

There are a couple of possibilities. Warped rotors or loose/worn lower control arm bushings. I've also heard that rotating tires can sometimes cure this problem.
I'd start with the cheapest possibility first - rotate your tires. Then check out or have a mechanic check out your front suspension components, if all looks ok replace your rotors and pads. Don't machine your rotors, it just weakens them and leads to more warping.
Good luck, let us know how everything works out.

rcs525i

Thanks for the words of wisdom karmikan! I am going to rotate the tires and give the rotors a look over tomorrow. If it is the control arm bushings, it would be covered on my extended warranty. Thanks again!

rcs525i

Karmikan - while rotating the tires today, I found a little play on the driver side front wheel. Maybe a loose control arm or something. The rotors and brakes are still in good shape. Any other suggestions or comments are appreciated. Thanks RC!

redlion5

I have a '98 540i with ~ 80,000 miles - it is in excellent shape and I love the car. My extended warranty will be up in a few months and I'm worried about future maintenance costs - particularly with all the electronics. What kind of costs going forward can be expected? Is it time to buy a new (or newer) one?

riez

redlion5... If you keep it, please let us know what happens in future to your maintenance costs.

I had the same concern as you but chickened out. I sold my '98 540i6 when she had about 80,000 miles.

Key to long-term ownership is preventative maintenance and good driving habits. Find a good independent shop that works on BMWs. Go over and above the BMW maintenance schedule. (Hopefully you have been doing things like changing the brake and coolant on schedule. Plus changing differential and transmission fluids. Etc.)

Roundel (BMW CCA) and Bimmer magazines have had some good technical articles on keeping E39 540i's around for the long haul.

karmikan

Unlikely that you could tell if rotors are warped by looking at them, you'd need a dial gauge.

Difficult to diagnose the play in a wheel over the Internet but you might have found the source of the problem. You mentioned that you have an extended warranty so have your dealer check it out.

Good luck

div2

I'd bet dollars to donuts that your shimmy is due to worn control arm bushings. It's a chronic 5er problem feom the E28 to the E39.

asiu28

My 2004 530i showed a "Passenger Restraint System Fault". Service Center fixed once, but come back again. Called Service Advisor and was told not to worry. BMWUSA is aware of the problem and issued Service Measure B72 203 03, dated 12/19/2003. The Service Measure instructed not to replace any parts and a fix will be available shortly. This was back in January, and no fix available yet. Anyone has same problem? Need HELP. Thanks.

duracellguy

I have a three week old 2004 530i and today the driver side door would not latch closed. Then the same thing happened to the passenger side, but the rear doors worked fine. I tried fiddling with the mechanism you can see and that didnt help. After driving it a short distance it did eventually latch. Is this mechanism something you lube or is it electrical? I am still trying to come up to speed with all the features this car has. I will take it by the dealer tomorrow, but was curious what I could learn from this website. SInce it works now it will probably be fine when I take it in and they will think I am crazy...thanks

cmr530i

Your experience sounds just like mine. My car would shake hard during braking at low speeds. The shaking would come and go so the dealer could not duplicate it and found nothing wrong. Not long afterwards, the camshaft sensor went out. I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but since the repair I have not experienced the shaking again.

jbf5

I recently installed the BMW ULF bluetooth kit in my 530i. It's exceedingly cool, but I'm having some trouble with the dashboard phonebook feature.

I previously used a Sony T616 phone, and when contact names were transferred into the car kit address book, the contact name would include whether the number was a work phone, home phone or mobile. Having now switched to a Motorola V600 phone, each contact is now designated "TEL" rather than "(W)" "(H)" or "(M)".
 
It's not so good to be looking at the phone number while driving trying to guess whether it's a mobile, home or office. Anyone know how to fix this?
 
Many thanks.
 
J

lovemyclk

What model year is your 530i? I'm considering this option for my 2003 530i. Thanks!

jbf5

My 530i is a 2003 also. It's a great option and the installation isn't difficult. If only I could get the directory to work right . . .

lovemyclk

Thanks. My local dealer in Atlanta is Global. Guess they may have the kits needed to support Bluetooth. Better get ready for a wallet-thinning price, I suppose...

jbf5

Before you put your wallet on Atkins or South Beach at the dealer, you might check out Circle BMW(www.circlebmw.com/parts/blue/blue.htm). They can ship you the kit, including do-it-yourself instructions for what I'd guess is a whole lot less than your local dealer will charge.

The installation is pretty simple if you're a little mechanically-minded and there are some great resources on the web that walk you through the process (with pictures).

lovemyclk

Just the insight I was looking for! Thanks...

Have you had any concerns with Bluetooth regarding security, etc.? A friend indicated this could be a weakness of BT, as it is supposedly simple to "eavesdrop" on communications. Said there is a new protocol in the making to accomplish the benefits of bluetooth without the possibility of security breaches. How am I to know ;-/ ?

jbf5

My understanding is that Bluetooth has some encryption built in, and also spreads packets across different frequencies so they're hard to intercept. I think the signals also only travel 10 meters or so, which means they're tough to intercept on the highway (maybe less so if you're stopped in traffic). When I'm not in the car, I turn off the Bluetooth in my phone in public places -- apparently BT phones can be hacked by someone with another BT device if they are close enough for long enough.

rcs525i

94 525i tranny leak. How and where do I check the tranny fluid?

dstompkins

'04 545 passenger airbag doesn't work (light stays on) when anyone under 110# sits in the seat. Local dealer says its a "known problem" but no fixes are available (or coming). It appears this may be a problem with every '04 5 series? Any thoughts/similar problems B4 I return the car and buy a car in which my wife can actually sit.

div2

Put wifey on a Krispy Kreme/Milkshake diet.

cassidym

Talked to my service writer yesterday and he says the 2004 5-series has almost as many problems as the 2002 7-series did. When I pressed him on this, he reported that most the trouble is in the software in the various on-board computers and how they interface with each other. Said it takes hours to download the fixes and lots of tinkering to get it working correctly. Presumably, BMW is debugging the software but he had no idea when this would be complete. He said he's wait till the 2005's came out before he bought one.

He did mention the faulty airbag indicator was one of the problems the software bug causes and I thought I understood him to say there was a fix but that it requires they reload the software (an eight hour job)

nkwazi2

I was thinking of putting in the bluetooth in my 03 525i. Is it really easy to install the kit on your own?
How much does it cost? You/someone mentioned that there are resources available ont he web that give detailed instructions.

Do you have the web site?
Thanks in advance.

jbf5

Nkwazi2,

The link below is the best site I found for the install. It's for a 3 Series, but most of the information is applicable. The kit contains install instructions for the 5 Series.

http://golilm.com/DIY/Bluetooth/

Check Circle BMW for the kit price.

http://www.circlebmw.com/parts/blue/blue.htm

I did the installation in about an hour. The most difficult part was figuring out which of two wire connectors in the trunk was the right one. Mostly the installation involves clicking existing wire connectors in the car into sockets on some new parts that you install in the trunk, headliner and center console.

I also installed the XM Direct kit awhile back and now have XM Satellite radio in the car. The XM Direct install was a little more challenging, but still only an afternoon's work. The satellite radio integrates with the existing audio system and steering wheel controls. Between that and the Bluetooth, commuting in heavy traffic has become a lot less painful.

Good luck with it.

J

mch2

Does anyone have any recommended products and/or methods for removing stubborn brake dust. I have a 2003 530i with stock wheels, which I can get clean for the most part but there are several groups of black spots that I have been unable to remove.

div2

Try Eagle One "A2Z"; it's good stuff.

yelenik

I took 2001 525iTWagon for warranty on the Nav as it was showing out or area on the bottom left after the blower motor was repaired. They had not reconnected the GPS antenna. I picked the car up and the nav is working properly as far as mapping goes now. However, now when its time for the lady to give directions the radio mutes, but the ladies voice cannot be heard. I have tried adjusting the navigation volume and the numbers go up and down and the stereo mutes and no lady voice. I can't get a straight answer out of the dealer other than that its the codes in the computer, oh no its the connections, oh no the connections and program are okay the tech line at BMW says to replace the navigation computer. Being that the mute is working and the instructions come up visually, I wonder if its still not connections not module. Any ideas as to what went wrong? It had been working fine.

mch2

Thanks div2, that did the trick.

jjohnjohn

Hello everyone, I need your help concerning my 1998 528i Manual with 74,000 miles. I have noticed that when I am ALREADY in first gear with the clutch released and the car moving a few feet my engine seems to 'cut off' or stall for about half a second and continues on. It seems as if a person driving a manual for the first time - the feeling of stalling when a smooth shift is not made into gear. I don't have problems with shifting-driven manual for many many years. I really need some advice or comments why my car is having this problem. What really kills me is that it only happens one or two times in a week or maybe two weeks. I don't want to take it to the shop b/c I am CERTAIN the problem will not occur at the shop because it is so uncommon and unpredictable. I have recently noticed that it is having a subtle engine stalling problems shifting in higher gears, but it is mainly with first gear. The experience can get very maddening. It is as if your moving and then someone SLAMS the brakes, car putters for a few seconds and takes off again. Please help. Could it be the clutch going bad? How much would that cost to replace? Or fuel injection problems? etc. Any advice or suggestions much appreciated....BTW, does down shifting at high speeds to slow down ruin or wear out the clutch faster - I read this in a recent article. Thanks again everyone. - john

karmikan

Using your clutch to slow down definitely increases wear. I've always taken the approach that brakes are cheaper to replace than clutches so I brake then downshift when I need to accelerate again.

Your stalling problem sounds pretty maddening because it's so intermittent. It could be any number of things but you could get some clues:

- if your revs go down when the car almost stalls, it's engine-related. If your revs go up, it's probably the clutch

- it sounds as if the problem happens when your engine is under load. It might be your fuel pump starting to go, does the problem happen more often in hot weather? Fuel pumps can sometimes go intermittent in warm weather when they're starting to fail.

- you might have an electrical problem such as a failing throttle position sensor/cam sensor/crank sensor.

- does your check engine light come on? You might want to have your fault codes read and see if something comes up. This would be a logical first step.

Sorry this is all a bit vague but you're probably going to have to get more info before you can find the problem. Good luck.

bpease

I bought a 98 528i in Oct. It had 75000 miles on it- certified w/ 6 month 100000 mile warranty. In the past 3 weeks we've had to have the fuel sending unit and the "brain" (DSA? computer chip) replaced. Anybody know of any other surprises that may occur? We're a little nervous, as the warranty is about to expire!
Thanks!

riez

bpease... I sympathize. I bought my former '98 540i6 CPO in 2001 when she had 52,000 miles. But I sold her off last October, 2003, at about 80,000 miles when she had 6 months left on CPO warranty. I didn't want to gamble having her without a warranty nor did I want to gamble trying to sell her when she had no warranty.

The 5 Series is a pretty complex car. Lots can go wrong. It was introduced in CY '96 as a MY '97. The '98s had some bugs worked out but not like the final E39s in MY '03.

Hope you pored over the service records when you bought it to ensure all the maintenance was done (e.g., brake fluid has to be changed every 2 years, etc.). There are also some items at 100K (e.g., Oxygen sensor).

nobmw

I have a 1995 525i and now that it is in its "later years", I find myself spending so much money on maintenance. Looking up the blue book value of 9,000, I've just spent 3500 fixing the damn thing. I thought BMW's were known for their "getting better with age", well, this is one unhappy customer who will NEVER by a BMW again.

shipo

Hmmm, I fail to understand how $3,500 of maintenance for a 10 year old car with who knows how many miles on it is an unusual thing, regardless of the marque. Consider this, my neighbor has a 1999 Accord with a four banger and a five-speed manual and about 100K miles on the clock. It currently needs over $2,000 just to repair the exhaust system and fix one sensor (apparently a very pricy part only available from Honda). Even so, I’ve never heard him complain that he will never buy another Honda.

Maybe it's just me, however, I just assume that at some point, ALL cars will require some substantial maintenance at some point. Yes, no?

Best Regards,
Shipo

nobmw

the car has 87,000 miles on it and is only worth so much; my complaint is also about warrantly service. For example, I understand the 4yr deal but did you know that there is only a 6 yr warranty on paint. I've jsut recently moved to New Orleans and the paint on the hood and trunk is coming off. So, my once luxary car is now a pimp mobile (HA!) I am going to buy a Jetta and do you know what the dealer told me what the trade in value was: 2200!!!!!!!!!!! I just looked at him and laughed b/c I spent 45K on it and any it was funny.

shipo

First off, I wouldn't confuse a low-ball dealer trade-in number with what your car is really worth. As far as I can tell, there are no 1995 525i vehicles anywhere in the country worth only $2,200. That is, unless the car is thoroughly thrashed and bashed. Assuming that your car had decent paint it should be worth around $7,000 as a trade-in, and maybe as much as $10,000 if you sold it yourself.

Regarding your paint, I cannot say that I've seen too many BMWs (if any at all) of a mid 1990s vintage with bad paint, which begs the following questions to be asked:

1) What has your cars’ exterior been exposed to?
2) How was your cars’ exterior maintained?

The long and short of all of this is that I have yet to hear a valid reason from you as to why you are so anti-BMW. The fact remains, cars get old and they need repairs, including paint.

Best Regards,
Shipo

nobmw

Dear Shipo,
   I thought the same thing about the paint. Do you think it could be a defect? I don't have interior parking and there may be acid rain here!! it is so weird. I'm really not that anti-BMW, i've just had a bad week with service, etc.