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Comments
My Lexus was in the shop six times in the first ten months. Anyone can get a lemon.
BTW: Toyota has had many, many more recalls than BMW in the past year.
June 30 - to dealer without appointment gave me Chevy Malibu for a day. I need SZL steering angle sensor. I took my car while part on order - no date certain. They said it was safe to drive.
Couple days later, Stiff steering at slower speeds. Took car back on condition they gave me BMW loaner. Week later took car back in and they gave me 2006 X5. Week later traded for 2004 745i loaner
July 28 - Picked up repaired car. Dealer (purchased car there) offered me free lifetime Sirius subscription and Upgrade to DVD (mine was old after a month of ownership)
Expect to wait for repair for at least a month and noone to know when the part will come in. DEMAND a BMW loaner and free goodies. You paid for it.
Got my car 3/30/06 at Tischer BMW, Silver Spring.
Not official word, obviously, but I don;t knwo why he'd tell me this otherwise
Thank-You.
The car is indeed "drivable" after the sensor failure, however, this sensor communicates with DTS, so in addition to degraded steering response (certainly a safety issue), car's performance in slippery conditions will be degraded as well (another safety issue).
Thanx,
The above having been said, rain sensing wipers DO NOT come on automatically when it rains. Why? Well, think about the following scenario:
You're driving along on the first sunny day in quite some time and your car is seriously in need of a bath. You spy a car wash along your route and in you go. Said car wash is one of those where you stay in the car with the engine running as you pass through. The instant the water starts spraying on your windshield and the brushes start washing, your wipers kick on, get snagged in the brushes and then get ripped off of your car. Unfortunately the wiper arm is still attached to the brush and it continues to rotate and move its way down the length of your car, denting and scaring it as it goes. Not a good thing.
The way the rain-sensing wiper system works is that each time the car is started, the wipers are inactive (even if they've been left in intermittent mode), and as such, require you to "tickle" them to get them started. Once so tickled, they will continue to wipe as necessary for the duration of that trip.
Regarding the operation of the HVAC system, your best bet would be to sign up for BMW's "Owner's Circle" on the BMW-USA web site. Once there you can download a manual for your car.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I greatly appreciate the prompt and helpful response. I will look into downloading the manual.
Many thanks,
Bookedup.
By the way - when was your car produced? Mine has an April '06 production date.
If you have a problem with your car, your local dealer should be more than happy to fix it - dealers get paid by the manufacturer. You may have to wait longer for the loaner though.
The rep don't even call to provide me with the status and I have to call & left messages (only 3x so far and still haven't heard back from him). I am a reasonable customer, and I understand parts back ordering related issues, etc... but this is ridiculous that they don't call you back - where is the basic customer service?????
I am frustrated and need advice on effective actions.
your dealership should have a "customer service manager" who can help. At my dealership, this person has a desk in the same building as the service advisors.
Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Rob
Da, do I feel studid. I tried it and it certainly worked. Thanks so much for the prompt and helpful response.
Rob
In any case, it should not affect when your part comes in. My understanding is that it done by VIN, so the part should be fairly specific to your car. Maybe some VINs take longer to get?
Rob
I'm considering the same upgrade on my 2003 530SP, so let us know how things work out.
You're correct, the adjusting arm(s) is/are broken. However, they can be replaced; this site as well as this one should answer most of your questions.
I am fast approaching my end of warranty for 530i (50k miles). BMW dealer is offering for $1200. There are other companies on the internet which are giving extended warranty. Please advise on which one to choose.
Thanks in advance,
Viz
The BMW extended warranty for a 5-series is around $2700.. I'd question what he is offering for $1200.
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oil changes
Wind wiper blades
brakes, including rotors,pads
scheduled service inspections
belts
engine air filters
brake fluid service.
Infact I would be keeping this vehicale for another 8k miles only.
How is warrantydirect.com?
If I were only keeping the car for 8K more miles, I would take my chances.
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Hmmm....I am also leaning towards taking chances but what are the components that are usually replaced between 50k and 60k miles? I am curious so that I can think about return on investment. So scared of these BMW repairs!
Ideally, nothing should fail during that time frame.
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Does anybody know where I can get the weatherstripping other than the dealer?
The car has 50,151 miles just out of warranty.
Thanks
At most you may be looking at a water pump- at which time you might as well fit a new thermostat and housing. The job is a fairly simple DIY procedure,but a good independent BMW tech using OEM parts shouldn't charge over $300.
So scared of these BMW repairs!
Relax! Most of the "horribly expensive BMW repair" stories are spread by people who heard that his best friend's sister's college roommate knew a guy who had a dentist who told him that it cost him $3000 to change the oil on his 318i. And there ARE some dealers and independents who grossly overcharge their customers. Having said all that, there are good dealers and independents out there who charge fair prices and offer a CCA discount.
Finally, I ran a 1997 528iA to over 130K miles and my service and repair costs averaged @$90 per month. We only sold it was because my wife wanted an X3. I needed to keep my US built Wrangler for political reasons- otherwise I would have claimed the 5er for my commuter sled . The good news is that I no longer need to keep the Jeep so I'm looking at a 1999 540i six speed
How did you verify that?
Does anybody know where I can get the weatherstripping other than the dealer?
Why? With a CCA discount the OEM weatherstrip isn't THAT expensive.
The car has 50,151 miles just out of warranty.
Have you asked the dealer if they would address the problem? Good dealers will often cover an out of warranty repair as a goodwill item.
link
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
You made me relax! Thank you!!
Right now I am at 49,900 and few weeks ago I ran into thermostat issue. It is fixed now. You were correct.
I will keep mine till end of lease - next April and then get X3. Let me know your thoughts on x3.
I have been noticing ( occasionaly) that when I start my car in the morning, it vibrates for atleast 2 minutes and then its ok. The vibration is noticeable and it happens when its cold out there. Any thoughts?
Regards,
Viz.
Occasionally when I have the radio or CD on, a static sound will start. In the beginning, I could barely hear the static, and then the volume of the static would increase steadily. In about 5 minutes or so, it would become so loud that I wouldn't be able to hear anything but the static.
It happened only once or twice in the first year I had the car, but lately it has been happening about once every two weeks (I drive the cars 3 times a week or so).
I took the car to my dealer, and of course they said they couldn't fix a problem that I couldn't duplicate in front of them (thus the "singing frog").
Has anyone had the same problem? Or does anyone have any idea what's hiding under the hood of my 530i?
Any opinions or solutions will be greatly appreciated.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93