2008 BMW 5 Series

ENGINE MALFUNCTION! REDUCED POWER WAS THE MESSAGE I RECEIVED ON MY DASH DISPLAY. I TOOK PHOTOS OF THE DISPLAYED MESSAGE. CAR WENT FROM 65 MPH DOWN TO 18 MPH IN A MATTER OF SECONDS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE OF THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. HAD TO CHUG AND LURCH OVER THREE LANES OF SPEEDING TRAFFIC TO GET TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I'VE ALREADY HAD THE FUEL PUMP REPLACED BY BMW RECALL (A RECALL THAT I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED BY BMW THAT THE RECALL EXISTED). APPARENTLY THE FUEL PUMP RECALL WAS NOT ALL OF THE PROBLEM AS THIS SAME ENGINE MALFUNCTION STILL OCCURS AND THE CAR STILL BEHAVES THE SAME AS BEFORE THE FUEL PUMP RECALL. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER THE VERY NEXT DAY. HE CLEARED A CODE IN MY ONBOARD COMPUTER AND DID NOTHING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM WITH MY BMW 535XI WAGON IS GOING TO GET SOMEONE IN MY FAMILY KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. I'VE READ MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ONLINE FROM BLOGGERS REGARDING THIS SAME PROBLEM. WHY IS BMW NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM. AT THE TIME THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED THE DEALER ALSO REPROGRAMMED MY CAR'S ONBOARD COMPUTER AND CHECKED THE FUEL IN THE TANK WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE DEALER APPEARED TO BE FINE. *TR

OUR 2008 BMW 528I HAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM IN WHICH THE VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF CHARGING THE BATTERY IF THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN SHORT DISTANCES OR MULTIPLE STOPS. THIS CAUSES THE BATTERY TO RUN DOWN AND THE VEHICLE TO BECOME INOPERATIVE. THE VEHICLE WILL STOP AND NOT START. AFTER FOUR (4) TRIPS TO THE DEALER (TRUCKED TWICE) THE DEALER HAS DETERMINED THAT IT IS AN OPERATOR PROBLEM AND THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE PLUGGED INTO AND ELECTRICAL BATTERY CHARGER WHEN NOT IN USE. ADDITIONALLY, THEY INDICATED THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN DAILY FOR DRIVES OF MORE THAN 20 MILES TO HOPEFULLY CHARGE THE BATTERY. THE ISSUE HAS US IN FEAR OF THE VEHICLE STALLING IN TRAFFIC AND CREATING A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

CAR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, REDUCED POWER ON DASH, AND SLUGGISH. TOWED CAR TO DEALER, REPLACED SPARK PLUGS AND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, TOOK TO DEALER, NEEDED PRESSURE SENSOR. THIS HAS OCCURRED 4 TIMES NOW, DEALER STATES THIS IS ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE, AND HAVE I WOULD HAVE TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN WHENEVER THIS OCCURRED, NO LOANER CAR AVAILABLE. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS OCCURS. *TR

MY BMW 535XI STARTED HAVING FUEL PUMP ISSUES STARTING AROUND 14 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE, AT 12,000 MILES. THE FIRST TIME IT WENT INTO SAFETY MODE, CASING IT TO SLOW DOWN TO A SNAILS PACE. A NEW FUEL PUMP WAS INSTALLED. THE SECOND TIME IT WOULD NOT START IN A PARKING LOT AFTER TURNING IT OFF FOR 10 MINUTES AFTER A 20 MINUTE DRIVE. I CALLED ROAD SIDE ASSIST AND THEY SENT A TECHNICIAN WHO WAS ABLE TO GET IT STARTED. HE TOLD ME TO TAKE TO THE DEALER BUT IT SHOULD BE FINE TO DRIVE HOME. I LEFT THE LOT AND WITHIN 3 MINUTES IT COMPLETELY SEIZED AND LOST ALL POWER WHILE ACCELERATING IN THE LEFT LANE. MY 11 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND I WERE IN THE CAR. I AM THANKFUL WE SURVIVED. I CALLED THE TECHNICIAN BACK AND HE CONVINCED ME TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH HIM FOLLOWING TO THE DEALER (APPROX 3 MILES). WHEN I COMPLAINED TO BMW THEY DID NOT SHOWED NO CONCERN THAT WE WERE PUT IN HARMS WAY. IN THIS INSTANCE THE FUEL TEMPERATURE SENSOR/PRESSURE SENSOR HAD A PERMANENT FAILURE. AT 19,000 MILES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AND I TOOK IT IN TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY SUSPECTED THE FUEL PUMP BUT COULD NOT REPLICATE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, SO CORPORATE WOULD NOT ALLOW REPLACEMENT. AGAIN AT 20,370 MILE, CHECK ENGINE PLUS "COLD START NOT RUNNING ON ALL CYLINDERS" NO ACTION BECAUSE NOT TRIPPING CORPORATE SPECIFICATIONS. AT, 21,092, HIGH PRESSURE PUMP PERMANENT MALFUNCTION. ENGINE WAS FLOODED WITH FUEL. FIVE DAYS AND 100 MILES LATER, THE ENGINE FLOODED AGAIN. THIS TIME THE FUEL INJECTOR WAS LEAKING AND ALL THE SPARK PLUGS WERE SOAKED WITH GAS AND HALF WERE NOT WORKING. AT THAT TIME (NOV. 2010) I ASKED BMW TO TAKE THE CAR BACK. BMW AGREED TO A "TRADE ASSIST" THAT WILL COST US AN ADDITIONAL $33,000 TO BE GET A NEW CAR. WE DO NO UNDERSTAND HOW AFTER ALMOST KILLING US WE CANNOT GET OUT OF THIS CAR WITHOUT SPENDING MORE MONEY. WE REFUSE TO SELL OUR PROBLEM TO SOMEONE ELSE. *TR

VEHICLE IS 2008 BMW 535XI WAGON. BLOCKED SUNROOF DRAINS MEANT THAT WATER DRAINED INTO THE VEHICLE, GATHERING IN THE TRUNK WHERE THE ELECTRONICS SIT. CAR HAD MULTIPLE ENGINE FAILURES AND WARNINGS OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE, ELECTRICAL FAILURE, SUNROOF ERROR AND TPM FAILURE. CAUSE PER BMW WAS BLOCKAGE OF REAR SUNROOF DRAIN. THIS IS A COMMON FAULT CAUSED BY POOR DESIGN OF THE SUNROOF DRAINS (TOO NARROW AND PRONE TO BLOCKING). A RECALL ON THE SEDAN 5 SERIES MOVES THE ELECTRONICS TO A HIGHER POSITION IN THE VEHICLE TO PREVENT THE ELECTRONICS DAMAGE BUT BMW STATE THERE IS NO SIMILAR MOVE POSSIBLE FOR THE WAGON., ALSO IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM BEFORE IT OCCURS AND BMW HAS NO SUGGESTED SERVICE STEPS T P[REVENT OCCURRENCE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS ITS VERY DANGEROUS AND V EXPENSIVE TO REMEDIATE. BMW OCCASIONALLY COVERS A GOODWILL REPAIR BUT WON'T COVER UNDER WARRANTY. ADVICE FROM BMW IS NOT PARK THE VEHICLE UNDER TREES! DEALER INDICATES WHEN THIS RE-OCCURS BMW WILL NOT COVER THE COST AGAIN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI (NA). WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE ENGINE BEGAN SMOKING. THE DEALER MADE THREE ATTEMPTS TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED BUT IT CRACKED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED BY THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,100. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 22,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER WITH AN EXTENSIVE REDUCTION IN POWER. THE CONTACT CONTINUED WITH CAUTION AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR, SPARK PLUGS AND PERFORMED AN OIL CHANGE. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES IN WHICH THERE WERE NO RESOLUTIONS. THE HIGH PRESSURE PUMP WAS REPLACED ON A DIFFERENT OCCASION. IN ADDITION, WHEN ENCOUNTERING A BUMP IN THE ROAD AND DOWN-SHIFTING FROM THIRD TO SECOND GEAR, AN ABNORMAL CLICKING NOISE WOULD OCCUR. RECENTLY, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 45,000. UPDATED 01/28/11 *BF UPDATED 02/07/11

PURCHASED A 2008 BMW 535I IN JUNE 2008. VEHICLE HAS 30,000 MILES ON IT. ABOUT SIX MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, STARTED TO HAVE THE "ENGINE MALFUNCTION/REDUCED POWER" LIGHT COME ON ABOUT EVERY THREE MONTHS. TWO MONTHS AGO, THE SAME THING HAPPENED BUT THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AT A STOP LIGHT. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED AND THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. HAD THE VEHICLE BACK FOR APPROX TWO WEEKS AND SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED. THEY REPLACE SOME FUEL INJECTORS AND SPARK PLUGS. HAD THE VEHICLE BACK APPROX 3 WEEKS. HAPPENED AGAIN. LUCKILY STILL NOT ON THE FREEWAY. DROVE THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALER. THEY REPLACED MORE FUEL INJECTORS. HAD THE VEHICLE BACK A WEEK AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF ON THE FREEWAY IN TRAFFIC IN LOS ANGELES GOING 65 MPH AND ALMOST WAS IN A MAJOR TRAFFICE ACCIDENT. CALLED THE DEALER TODAY (SATURDAY) AND THE SERVICE DEPT IS NOT IN ON WEEKENDS. SALES MANAGER SAID "TAKE THE VEHICLE SOMEWHERE ELSE" AND "IT WON'T AFFECT US IF SOMEONE IS KILLED OR INJURED AND A LAWSUIT IS FILED". AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT THIS POINT.