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Thanks for the response.
He said that it's often the "blower resistor" that is the culprit. The easiest way to tell if that's the problem is to put something very light (like a feather or something) in front of the vents when you leave the car. Then observe the car after it is off. If the feather moves, then the blower's still going, and that's what's draining the battery.
Just wanted to pass this along, FWIW.
Can you say "bug"?
Kraig N.
At the BMW dealer, I asked dealer to negotiate with the MFG rep. My positions are
1. All major services are done at BMW dealer, all repair/service papers (a thick stack) are presented to the dealer. No service skipped.
2. A loyal customer, previously owned BMW, wife also has a new BMW.
3. Had Accura Legend for 8 years over 120K miles, no mechanical progblem at all. Paid a premium for a top quality product and do not expect such a major mechanical break down. Want BMW to take care the repair.
The word back is BMW will cover 25% of the total repair cost. I talked with some friends, they think BMW should pick up the whole thing, expecially when the shaft is covered inside of the transmission box, no other drive train repair was done previously. But the dealer refuse to do any further negotiation.
Anyone had related experience? What should I do besides agrees to picking up 75% of the repair? Thanks for your assistance.
//leo
Thanks.
My SAV is under warranty and I am getting a lot of run arounds for Vibration, Moon roof problems.
Onlu mechanical problem I had under 20,000 miles is ABS, ALL wheel Drive system and Hydraulic suspension went down all at same time.
Dealer replaced the Suspension.
NAV system went down. Delaer rewired the line and replaced the system.
In terms of Vibration, they play dumb.
I had to repeatedly visit the dealer 3 times for them to admit there is a problem with Moon roof and 5 visits later problem has gotten worse from rattle and squeaks to leak, yeap leaky moon roof. Sales Manager states that rattles and squeaks are known problem and I do not understand why it took 3 visits to admit there is a problem.
looks like BMW of NA is riding too high to value our business. They want to push customers away and the persistent customers get their problems looked at but there is no gurantee it will be fixed.
My personal finding is Certified techs are no better then pop mom shop G-monkey.
For those who are in need to replace their 255-55R18 tires on X5 4.4i with sports package go with Yoko Geolander G052.
They are good in all weather condition and drive much better then stock B-Stone Turanza.
Make sure Balancing is done right.
On scale of 1-10 Yoko are 9.5 ( deducting .5 for balancing issue) and B-Stone Turanzas are 3.5.
BMW Prospects: Stop if you are thinking of Buying X5 or any BMW vehicles, they might be great in handling but will fail you over and over in reliability and service.
Final word from my dealer is that BMW cares less if you have 1 or million problems.
BMW is too busy doind ADs and propoganda on how good their vehicles are. Truth is they can't even come close to Lexus quality, reliability and value.
Its been a total waste of my money and time, I wish I never bought this crap and had stuck to Lexus.
15 trips and counting... do I need to say any more?
Cephus, I hope your problem is resolved by now.
Next time you buy any new vehicle stick to Geico, they have Mechanical coverage costs about 25 / premium with 250 deductible.
This repair would have been covered by GEICO.
Please note: I am not associated with BMW, Lexus or GEICO.
I am just an Unfortunate BMW owner.
-Deep
You still have time take full advnatage and make sure get everything in writing on the owrk order no codes or gibbrish words.
Refer to your local or state Lemon law.
I wish I knew this piece of info in time.
I am stuck with a Lemon.
BMW sucks!
I'd appreciate any advice!
Thanks!
Kelly Warren
According to the dealership (BMW of Dallas) every time that the pads are changed the rotors must also be changed. No exceptions. According to the service rep (Beth) the pads are designed to wear down into the metal of the rotors such that by the time the pads need to be changed, the metal surfaces of the rotors are damaged (by design) and thus the rotors themselves must also be replaced. To me this sounds like a load of cr-p. However, not having any experience w/ BMW in the last 16 years I am not 100% sure that this is not true. Let me restate again what I have been told: even if the rotors look good, they must still be replaced. I asked "what if I change the pads before they have damaged the rotors" and was told "no, the rotors will always have to be replaced because the pads by design are intended to cut into the surface of the rotors and you will never, ever have a rotor that does not need to be replaced after the car has undergone sufficient breaking to wear through the pads."
Let me also let you know that it was not me that dropped off the car but rather my elderly mom. I only found out that this work had been done after she phoned me this morning to say that the X5 was in the shop. I called BMW of Dallas after the fact and spoke with the service rep after the was done.
Now, to repeat my question for anyone with expertise in BMW brakes:
Do the rotors always need to be replaced when the pads or replaced or have I been fed a load of cr-p?
Thanks,
Kelly Warren
I have the 2006 X5 4.4 for about 6 months now.
Does anyone know why the 1st gear not accelerating at it top speed? When I at a fully stop, then step on gas, seems not moving well. But after about 3 seconds, it runs well on 2nd gear and on.
Is it the problem with the 1st gear? or it needs a new updated firmware?
Thanks
William
BMW advised this is not covered under extended warranty; curious what you paid to have the water leak corrected?
Thanks
Any thoughts on what BMW is doing to fix these problems? As an example Cadillac washes and vacuums my wifes car when she brings it in for routine maintenance. VOB did none of this and left trash(temp floor mats and plastic on the seat) in the car. The Cadillac dealer has teams that a customer is assigned to(same as BMW). But if there is a line of 5 people for a team another team member takes the customer. BMW Service reps were more interested in discussing the NBA game the prior evening.
It took me 55 minutes to get in and out of the service department that was not very busy...
Kelly Warren
I use a BMW (trickle) Charger which plugs into the 110v wall outlet and the 12v socket in the dash. After three winters of use, I have never had a dead battery and it always starts the first time in the sprine. I highly recommend this charger which I purchased from my BMW dealer. It has an easy to understand interface - if the light is green all is well.
I am glad to report that my experience with both vehicles has been excellent - the 530 has had no problems whatsoever, and with the X-5 (75k miles) overall problems have been minimal, and mostly under warranty.
I am going out to look at a 2006 X-5 replacement today.
The BMW service department at my local Dealer here in Utica, NY, "Don's Ford/BMW", has been excellent. The sales people are great as well.
Yes, it is true that BMW rotors must be replaced/changed when changing the pads. This is because the rotors do not have enough material to be "turned" as they used to be years ago, due to tight tolerances.
Other issues may be warping of the rotors if they are not turned correctly or the effect of heat (during braking)over time.
In general, I question whether rotors could be manufactured "thicker" initially to allow turning when the pads need replacing.
I am not sure whether this is a ploy to (1) sell more rotors, (2) because there is a actual bonafide reason, or (3) there isn't enough money in turning rotors, (4) it has become an environmental/health issue for the shop technicians doing the "turning" of rotors.
I suspect that it may be a little of each.
One thing to consider in all of this is that cost is only an issue for BMW vehicles that are "Out of Warranty" - this is a "covered" charge for "In Warranty."
Hope that this answers your question.
My advise: Ask what else they are changing/servicing for $285. If they tell you that it is only for oil and a filter, go elsewhere.
Hope this help.
Hello All
I am new to these boards, but have enjoyed reading many of your posts. I recently purchased (2 weeks ago) a new BMW X5 4.4i (2006). I love the car, HOWEVER, I am concerned about the gas mileage I am getting with it. On the window sticker it shows the mileage as "16 / 22", however every time I fill up (24 gallons of premium petrol) I am only able to drive 290ish miles, before the yellow fuel tank indicator light goes on. I drive for maybe 10 miles, then refuel, (it takes another 24 gallons) and the same thing happens.
I live in Los Angeles, and at least half of the miles I drive are on the freeway with a average speed of 65 - 70 MPH. I know I should be getting at LEAST a good 450 miles per fillup, and I don't know what I should do.
I am spending oodles of $$$ every 4 days putting fuel in the car, and I feel that BMW has not truthfully disclosed this car's fuel efficiency. If I would have known that I was going to get 13 miles per gallon I would have not bought the V8, and would have settled for the V6.
Can someone please tell me what my options are, and what I should do? Shall I go to the dealership, and if so, what should I say? No joke, this care is costing me a lot of money.
Any help would be appreciated,
Sanjab
I copied one of your posts to the X3 & X5:MPG - Real World Numbers" discussion. Be sure to check it out to find what others are getting.
tidester, host
I am going to plan for the worst and hope for the best. However, if I have to replace the engine (3.0 L), what can I expect to pay for this at the BMW dealership. I live in the Detroit area and may consider have the engine rebuilt (if necessary) at an independent shop. As far as vehicle re-sale is concerned, would it be better to have a brand new out-of-the-box factory engine installed from the dealership, or a have my engine rebuilt, for less money, at an independent shop??? When I sell (who knows when now) will somebody be more likely to pay more money for an x5 with a new dealer installed engine as opposed to something rebuilt??? Help!!!
Maybe the engine isn't totally trashed, that's possible too. Sometimes things like broken water pumps make a hell of a racket.
"The water pump bearing failed causing the belts to break and wrap around the crankshaft pulley, hence the clunking sound. The lack of coolant in the reservoir (vapor causes the jugs to fail) Replaced the coolant water pump. Coolant Jug (reservoir), the A/C belt, Alternator belt and the plastic fan which was damaged during the ordeal."
Total cost: $917.17 Not fun, but not as bad as I thought. Thanks again for your help!!
Two more questions...
1)What are your thoughts on using "mid-grade" gasoline versus the recommended "premium"? 2) The dealership charges $100 (maybe $110) for an "Oil Service" appointment. They record the service appointment on BMW's computer network so that the car service history is shown as consistent. I know that I can get an synthetic oil change for $55 at a national chain (non-BMW) maintainance shop. Is is worth trying to save $50 at the national chain, or do the BMW dealerships add that much more value (expertise/knowledge of the vehicle) for their higher price? PS: If I'm only paying the $55 at the national chain, I will probably be more likely to have the oil changed every 8,000-10,000 miles instead of the 15,000 mile BMW recommendation.
Also when we turn off the engine, the air con fan will run on its own on and off for an hour ! can anyone help me out ? i am very confused.....
thanks!
As for oil changes...while you are in warranty, I would definitely go to the dealer. If the chain store screws something up, the BMW dealer has a loop hole for denying your warranty claims...$50 bucks on a $10,000 engine seems not worth the risk to me. There are better ways to save $$ by avoiding the dealer, like buying tires or batteries, etc.
I have two options:
- Purchase extended warranty : Who would you recommend I go through and what would it cost?
- Trade in/sell vehicle and obtain a lease on a X5.
It is my wife's vehicle and she would like a new X5 however I'm not sure what it would cost me. I reside in Naperville, Illinois.
Any thoughts or recommendations?