BMW 5-Series Maintenance and Repair

Mr_Shiftright

76K on a clutch is okay...it should be maybe 100K but as you say, all cars are different and how we drive is different and if you had a glazed flywheel from overheating I suspect your clutch had been slipping for some time without your knowledge. You might have saved yourself a flywheel at any rate but really, who knows. If you want a short shifter, then you are probably a driving enthusiast and the clutch disk is, after all, considered a normal wear item, like brake pads. My point of view about my own car's clutch is that I have to pay for my fun sooner or later.

div2

My wife's 1997 528iA has over 128K on the clock and we also plan on keeping it for some time to come; it is still tight and rattle free, uses no oil, averages 21 mpg in suburban driving, and-best of all-it's paid for. As for your clutch longevity, does your car still have the infamous Clutch Delay Valve? If so, that's probably the cause of the short life span.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that pest...he may indeed have that on his car...

lefty3

How do you like your car now? We are going to get our 2006 525xi this weekend.

Lefty3

ny540i6

Yeah, it still has that "innovation". I am going to remove it. My only decision is around doing a clean removal, or whether I want to install one of the "dummy" (visually identical, but bored out) valves that are available.

cmybimmergo

Let me know what you decide (and if you don't mind, your rationale for your choice). I plan to remove mine too, eventually, but I have been waiting until I got some resolution for an intermittent problem I have had with the transmission kicking out of second gear every once in a great while. Since it started while the car was under original warranty, and they replaced the buffer stop also under warranty, I am reluctant to make any changes that they could hold against me if I have to bring it in again for this problem. Problem is it occurs so infrequently, and of course no one including me is able to reproduce it...so how are they supposed to fix it?

totalsystm

During the last few days my 2004 545(i6) has been sending messages of a flat tire. Checked pressure, all OK.
No flat tire!

Car has sport wheels, run-flats and all other available options (I'm saying that since learning the hard way that BMWs have many qwirks when certain option packages are combined!)

Is there a way to know which wheel is reporting flat? After re-setting the computer it goes away, only to return a few trips or next day later. Really don't want to go to the dealer if possible. Thanks in advance.

bdr127

I'm not sure about the system in the 545i, but most systems will set off the tire pressure monitor with a 30% change of PSI. (Some will even report <10% change). The monitor will not only report a flat, but even a fluctuation (up or down). So it wouldn't require a huge loss of air in order to set off the monitor.

ny540i6

It might be the computer, not the tire. Had this issue show up on Ms. California's '05 530. Turned out that it was not the tire or the pressure sensor at all, but bad code. Just a thought.

mastoras

I recently purchased a 97 528i 5 speed with 93k and would like to start changing my own oil,what type should I use (brand and weight)? Winter here gets down to maybe 15 degrees summer about 100.I am considering possibly synthetic,any thoughts? What does BMW use?
Thanks.

div2

First off, the numbers on a bottle of oil refer to the viscosity-not "weight". The "W" in an oil specification refers to "Winter". As for your car, I would certainly use a synthetic oil. I'd change it when the SI Indicator calls for it-about every 8500 miles-and I'd use a BMW filter ONLY. As for specific oils, I'd suggest either Mobil 1 15W-50 or 0W-40. I'd lean toward the 15W-50 grade if your engine sees high(over 4500) RPMs at high ambient temperatures on a frequent basis. My wife uses a 528iA as her suburban commuter sled, so I run Shell Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40 in it, primarily because of the robust additive package. It's a versatile oil that I purchase for a very reasonable price; I also use the stuff in my 1996 Speed Triple and the Wally World price for a four gallon jug is a bit less than $15.

bumbie

Does anyone know of the best way to go about selling some alloy wheels and tires from a 525i, maybe 200 miles on them?? I know eBay or the classified, but wondering if there was a specific BMW buyer to sell to. Thanks

bdr127

They'll sell on eBay.

Mr_Shiftright

Sorry but you can't offer anything for sale in these forums. This is against the "solicitation" rule of the Member Agreement (which nobody reads--LOL!).

eBay is really your best bet like it or not. Or try your local "craigslist.org".

car_rm

Arturas,

It is an across the board auto manufacturer issue. My '05 530i needed a new windshield after 4 months. When I took it in for new glass, the shop was able to show me the thickness difference used today vs. older cars. It's all about weight and cost savings

sl_scottsdale

New to the site and 1st time owner of a BMW..2001 525i purchased earlier this year with 19k miles. The original warranty is ending this month then coverage will shift to the CPO, is there anything I should do or have checked out that may not be covered under the CPO warranty?

I recently had a schedule 1 service at 28k when the tech. indicated that my belts were cracking, I checked and did not see any cracks, how long should the belts last?

cpanag

consigr, you still having this issue? I have an 03 540i auto and was experiencing something similar. Dont have the severe knock but the trans issue tends to be similar. Obviously most pronounced when I floor it, but thats rare.

totalsystm

Thanks for your reply. The computer was right, but sport wheels are sooo bad! After the tire finally went to 0 lbs and local service could not find a problem, I went to BMW. Of course they found a small crack in the rim. Covered by warrantee you might ask (13000 miles)? Certainly not. The wheel had a small dent in another location (Hey, it's New York and we have potholes.) Therefore... with $520 less in my pocket and a new wheel on my car, I drove home from the dealer.

FYI everyone, even with 38 pounds of air, small potholes kill BMW sport wheels (and yes, you should also have winter tires on different wheels.)

Good luck to us all and Happy Thanksgiving!

jmcmbz

I've had a 2006 525i for one-week. It's a non-sport pkg model but would like to increase the handling and stability. The OEM all-season conti's are really squishy and imprecise. Was considering Michelin PS2's or I can get a great deal on Bridgestone RE750's. Both of these would be the "optional plus zero" size of 245 45 17. Any comments or suggestions?

PS: In less than a week I have a nasty chip on my windshield that should not be this bad. I believe the posts about the thinner / lighter glass are onto something.

lazzarich

I read an interesting article yesterday about nitrogen in lieu of air. Seems it is more resistant to leakage and also pressure fluctuations due to temperature. This may be the way to go with run flats. It must be pure nitrogen though, not contaminated with regular air! Not sure where it is easily available either.

I won't be doing it anytime soon in my 2000 540i with standard tyres.

blazerbeam

We just got a used 1998 528i with 70k miles on it. The car runs great. It has one problem - and i dont know if it is a big one. The coolant temperature needle just keeps fluctuating on some days - from the mid to the red zone and back and back to red zone again. And, on some days its just fine and dandy at the mid zone. Have checked the coolant level and everything there looks good. It has actually become a very irritating problem and we have scheduled an appointment at the local BMW dealer ( i would hate to go to the dealer though). We are skeptical to even drive the car with these temp fluctuations issues happening.

Any ideas on whats going on...please provide me feedback. is the engine really heating up as shown by the coolant temp needle or is it an electrical issue with the thermostat. Any feedback/sharing of similar experiences will be appreciated.

bdr127

There have been a few mentions of thermostats on these forums among BMW owners... Do a search on message text for "thermostat BMW" and you'll find a bunch of hits.

bbs1

My 1998 528i is having a similar issue but to add if my headlights are on at this time my brake lights also go on.

Let me know what you find.

andys120

That's odd, temp gauges in most cars now are glorified idiot lights in that they use "piezometric" circuits that cause them to point straight to the midrange if they are anywhere within normal range.
BMW is no exception (in fact the E90 has no temp gauge!). I have the same car and the gauge once warmed up never budges from the middle even on really hot days.

I'm guessing it's an electrical short or
ground problem in the gauge or the sensor but have it checked out, it's not normal.

emcoals

52k miles and this "snapping" noise in roof occurs over road joints/bumps, etc. above my head between sunroof and door edge of roof. Anyone have this problem?

Also, a few light "pixels" going out in message area of instrument panel. Dealer said could replace whole panel for about $700.00. Any other suggestions out there? Thanks.

div2

BMW NA has been picking up the cost of the display; you should only have to pay for the labor.

glaker

The passenger seat in my 2003 E-39 rocks slightly from front to rear. While I had the car in for service, I asked the dealer to take a look at it. He confirms that it rocks, but that there does not appear to be any problem with the seat mounts. He went so far as to go out on the lot and sit in 3 other E-39s and, guess what, the seats in all of them rocked. He has offered to order a new seat and have it installed. It&#146;s enough of an annoyance that I&#146;m thinking about saying &#147;yes&#148; to the offer. I did ask him to check with BMW to see if there is a solution that the dealership doesn&#146;t know about. Does anyone have any ideas or recommendations?

jb_shin

Neither my 02 530i with comfort seats nor the 03 M5 sports seats rock in any way. I'd say definitely have the seat mount and the seat checked out.

jjohnjohn

Hello everyone. I am have 1998 528 and about 8 months ago, my keyless entry function stopped working. Does anyone know why and how to go about fixing it? My brother changed the battery but still does not work. Help. Thank you.

andrewcap

Good day all,
Looking at a '99 528iT that has 77K, but looks in good condition. I've heard that the suspension on the 5 series had some problems due to its number of parts(too many), but was corrected around '99, '00, or around there. Does anyone know about the suspension getting loose because it has too many parts? I appreciate the advice. Cheers, Andrew

div2

If you take too long to change the batteries in the key the remote will lose its memory and the key will have to be re-initialized to the car. The procedure is explained in the owners manual.

div2

In over 128K miles the only suspension work my 1997 5er needed were front struts and a couple of tie rod ends. Some cars have had a problem with a front end shimmy at speed, and the cause is almost always the control arm bushing.

larrynguyen

I purchased this car in July, now it's 6,000 miles. In Oct the engine oil warning light went off. I added 1 quart of oil. This week, 1 month later, the engine oil warning light went off again, telling the oil level is below minimum and to add 1 quart of oil. I took it to the dealer, the service advisor said it is normal because the engine still tries to break in. Just add the oil until probably 20,000 miles. What is really wrong? Did any one experience this problem?

Mr_Shiftright

Ask your dealer to help you start an "oil consumption test". You can't know you have a problem until you know exactly how much oil the engine is consuming.

If the engine uses one quart of oil every 3,000 miles or so, that's fine, nothing wrong. But if it uses a quart a month, that sounds like a problem.

The thing is, with you adding oil randomly you don't really know how much the engine is using. So you need to start fresh, keep a record and follow BMW's instructions on how to conduct an oil consumption test.

These records and your efforts will be rewarded if a large warranty claim has to be made later on.

george94

My low oil light went off initially when I bought my car after about 8 month of ownership. I was told that the 3.0 engine does consume some oil and to check it ocassionally. Since then I bought a couple of bottles of BMW motor oil and before I do any long drive I always check the oil level myself. I have the car since April 03 and I used 2 1/2 bottles of oil on my own besides the dealer regular refills and schedule stops. I hope it helps. So far, the car has been absolute pleasure and blast to drive (I have SP & 5 spd), w/o any mechanical problems to speak of. Good luck

godfather9

2 questions-

Just bought a 525i, premium, sport, navi. 320 miles, and sometimes when I am at a complete stop the car will jerk back and forth a few times. I saw a few posts before this that were simialr, but it doesn't actually lunge forward, just rccks, almost like you are parked on a bridge while an 18 wheeler comes by.
2nd- we parked the car in the garage over 3 hours ago and the engine is extremly hot. Seems like a long time to cool off. I am going to contact the dealer ASAP but I was wondering if anyone had any input here. Thanks in advance

div2

How many miles per quart? I've never owned a BMW that didn't consume oil. My 528i was always about a quart low at the 8000 mile mark. My 318ti uses a quart every 2000-3500 miles, depending upon whether I'm just cruising or thrashing the whee out of it.

andys120

2nd- we parked the car in the garage over 3 hours ago and the engine is extremely hot. Seems like a long time to cool off. I am going to contact the dealer ASAP but I was wondering if anyone had any input here. Thanks in advance

I wouldn't worry. The motor in my '00 E39 warms up quickly and cools down slowly. That's good as most engine wear takes place when a cold motor is started until it is fully warmed.

george94

The miles seem to be on par with yours. In my case I don't do a lot of long drives so I assume the oil use has something to do with the car not getting to its optimum temp. My daily ride to work is house - train station - ~ 2 miles. I am one of these drivers looking forward to weekend drives...

willyt

Those symptoms appear to me to be the beginning of transmission problems. Same things started happening to me with my '97 528 at around 109K. On one cold morning it would not shift out of second gear going to work. Coming home it would not shift out of third. I replaced the transmission for $3800. I needed the car ASAP. If I had more time and another car available, I would have gone to a transmission specialist to have it repaired for probably $1500. People told me afterwards that BMWs are notorious for auto transmissions failing around 100K miles. I never heard any such warnings before buying, but after it happens, it's suddenly a well known fact. Then why hasn't BMW corrected the situation.

div2

People told me afterwards that BMWs are notorious for auto transmissions failing around 100K miles

My 1997 528i had 130K on it when I sold it and the transmission shifted as new. Did you change the ATF before 100K miles? On another E39 board there are several cars with over 170K and still on their original autobox.

rhmass

I experienced similar "jerking" back and forth motion of the car at complete stop as well as the car's seeming tendency to lurch ahead at times. At 1000 miles I took the car back to the dealer and explained the symptoms. They downloaded new software for the transmission and engine management system. I have not experienced any problem since. While my car is a 06 330i, I think the engine management system is the same as that for the 5er. Just be mindful that when the software was updated, it erased all the previous settings in the car such as bluetooth phone connection and the eqalizer settings for the car sound system. All these including the tire pressure sensors need to be reiniated.

cmybimmergo

Twice in the past week or so, as I have backed out of my garage, the warning for the trunk lid has come on. Sure enough, when I checked, it was unlatched (but not flipped up). But I didn't press the key, and I have been keeping the lock in the horizontal position. This has never happened before now. My usual routine is to turn off the engine, remove the key, and walk into the house holding the key ring and not the key (I have set off the alarm too many times by accidentally pressing the key). I then hang the keyring on its hook by the door, and it remains there until the next time I need it, when I again hold the keyring until I get into the car.

There was a post about this last year (#1455). Was there any resolution to that?

andys120

I don't think there was any definite resolution
but I can tell you from experience that it is too easy to press one of the buttons on the key/remote accidentally.

Perhaps combining the key and remote wasn't such a god idea.

jccasey

I had the same problem with my 2005 545i manual. My dealer told me it was "gear rattle" that they used to resolve it with a more viscous transmission fluid but now are prohibited from doing so for warranty reasons. It was really annoying and should not occur on a $65,000 car. It seemed it was worst when pushing the clutch in while in 1st gear at 2k RPMs or higher. I also had a serious problem with my engine -- BMW replaced the entire engine at 1,600 miles! Not to mention the complete failure of my audio system as well. I complained and complained and finally got my car replaced.

jccasey

I just picked up a new 550i (replacement for my 6-month-old 545i that had a defective engine and many other problems) and noticed that the auto tranny seems sluggish at lower speeds. Not an issue when it is in sport shifting mode, but in normal auto mode it seems reluctant to downshift at lower speeds. Has anyone noticed this on a 550 or 545? I fear that I may just be cursed when it comes to BMWs....

dklaiss

I own a 1999 528ia and had the car in the shop last week to replace a power steering hose the dealer said was leaking a month earlier. After I drove it for one day I started experiencing small "jolts" when accelerating from medium speed to a higher speed. If I press lightly on the gas this doesn't happen, it just seems to happen when I need to give it a little more juice to get the speed up. My first dreadful thought is the transmission. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? It is at the dealer this morning and on first check they said they cannot find anything wrong. I told them to go back and look again.

Mr_Shiftright

Sounds like an ignition "miss"...bad plug wire, etc. When you press hard on the gas you are "loading" the ignition system whereas an easy pedal wouldn't perhaps cause a misfire (requires less voltage).

rpuckett

Here is my problem. I took my 1998 528i to the dealer for an inspection (just purchased). The dealer said I had a cracked head which I did verify. I purchased a rebuilt head from Ken Baker Originals (Marion, SC). The head I purchased came with the valves, tower, lifters, etc. However, the tower caps were not installed on the head I purchased. I took the head to the dealer who installed the head without inspecting the head first. It turns out that the head that I purchased had a different size springs and lifters, therefore, my caps would not fit. Here is my problem!!! Ken Baker originals says it is the correct head and parts for a 1998 528i and will not supply reimbursement for any labor and gasket to install the second head that they supplied to the dealer that was different then the first. The dealer says their not at fault either. I believe they both are responsible. How do I prove what car the first head came from? The only information that I have is the diameter of the lifter. My origianal head had lifters with a diameter of 42mm. The first head supplied by Ken Barker Originals had a diameter of 44 mm. Can any one lead me in the right direction to determine the size of the lifters in any given head? Help

Mr_Shiftright

it should have casting numbers that should identify it.

You could also ask Barker which BMW engine takes a 44 mm, he should know.