2008 BMW 535I

DRIVING AT 30MPH,ENGINES POWER SUDDENLY REDUCED,ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT COMES ON . TOOK THE CAR TO BMW FREMONT, THEY FOUND THE INTAKE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSORS FAULTY.THEY REPLACED CAMSHAFT SENSORS,PULSE GENERATOR,O-RING AND TORQUE SCREW.AS ADVISED BY THE SERVICE AGENT HAD TO DO AN OIL, OILFILTER CHANGE AND FUEL INJECTION SERVICE TO PREVENT DEFAULT ON THE WARRANTY OF PARTS PUT IN. AS THE CAR WAS OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD(EVEN THOUGH IT HAS A VERY LOW MILEAGE OF 18760) SO HAD TO PAY $1235 OUT OF POCKET. AT 19350MILES THE SIMILAR ISSUE CAME UP, TOOK IT BACK TO BMW FREMONT, THEY FOUND FAULTS STORED IN DME,2A7C VARIABLE CAMSHAFT TIMING CONTROL INTAKE COLD START 1 TIME NOT CURRENTLY PRESENT,CLEARED FAULTS AND CUSTOMER TO MONITOR. *TR

DROVE CAR FOR APPX 1 MILE. STOPPED FOR 10MINS AT A STORE. WHEN I STARTED IT BACK UP, A FAN WAS LOUDER THAN USUAL. I THEN RECIEVED A HIGH HEAT WARNING TELLING ME TO DRIVE MODERATELY OR RISK OVER HEATING. AFTER A FEW MORE MILES, I RECIEVED A WARNING TO STOP THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT AND NOT TO OPEN THE HOOD FOR RISK OF BURNS. THE VEHICLE SLOWED TO A CRAWL. LUCKILY I WAS A FEW BLOCKS FROM HOME. NEXT MORNING I TOOK IT TO A NON-BMW SERVICE CENTER WHO SAID THAT THE WATER PUMP MALFUNCTIONED ($950). THERE WAS A RECALL FOR CERTAIN 2008 MODELS FOR THE WATER PUMP. I CONFIRMED WITH BMW THAT THIS MODEL WAS NOT INCLUDED. BASED ON SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE, I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE OUTSIDE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE COOLANT WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TAIL LIGHT WIRES HAD FAILED AND WERE COMPLETELY BURNED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBERS: 13V407000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) AND 12E029000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN EITHER OF THE RECALLS. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR INDICATED AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION AND WITHIN SECONDS THE MESSAGE CHANGED TO ENGINE OVERHEATING AND THAT ENGINE IS OPERATING AT REDUCED OUTPUT. IT ALSO ADVISED TO STOP THE CAR IMMEDIATELY AND CALL THE NEAREST BMW DEALER. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A BMW DEALER AND THEY IDENTIFIED ISSUE AS A FAILED WATERPUMP. THE WATER PUMP WAS REPLACED FOR ABOUT $1,400. 3 MONTHS LATER, A SIMILAR ISSUE OCCURRED WHERE ENGINE WAS HAVING ISSUES AND THE MESSAGE SAID THAT THE ENGINE IS OPERATING AT REDUCED SPEED BUT THAT IT IS SAFE TO CONTINUE. TOOK THE CAR BACK TO DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUES; BUT JUST TO BE SAFE (WHATEVER THAT MEANS) THEY REPROGRAMMED THE BATTERY AND THE BILL WAS $126. AGAIN, WITH NO SPECIFIC ISSUE IDENTIFIED OR RESOLVED. *TR

I JUST HAD TO HAVE MY WATER PUMP AND THERMOSTAT REPLACED ON MY 2008 535I. I WAS TOLD THAT IT HAPPENS SO OFTEN, THEY KEEP THE PART ON THE SHELF! ARE THERE REALLY NO RECALLS ON THIS PROBLEM?? ALSO, MY RIGHT TAIL LIGHT SHORTED OUT. I ASKED THE SHOP WHY...HE SAID THIS ALSO HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. THE WIRES FRY! NOT COOL.I REALLY THINK SOMEONE NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS. WHEN I WAS TOLD THEY REPLACE THEM ALL OF THE TIME, I WAS SHOCKED. THAT COST ME $1102.62 TO FIX. THE GUY WHO TOWED ME SAID HE MAKES SEVERAL TRIPS A WEEK FOR PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

DRIVING MY DAD TO ER FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCY AND DRIVING WITHIN SPEED LIMIT. CAR BEGINS TO SLOW DOWN ON OWN. COULD NOT GO MORE THAN 5MPH WHEN CAR SHUT DOWN AND STATED ENGINE OVERHEATED. WE WERE STALLED ON BUSY HIGHWAY. ONCE ABLE TO GET SOMEONE TO TRANSPORT MY FATHER TO ER, HAD TO GET CAR TOWED. WATER PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED FOR NO FAULT OF MINE. MY SISTER ALSO HAS BMW 2008 3 SERIES AND SAME THING HAPPENED TO HER YESTERDAY---STRANDED ON SIDE OF ROAD--WATER PUMP HAD TO BE CHANGED. TOW TRUCK DRIVER STATED HE IS TOWING BMW'S ALL THE TIME WITH MALFUNCTIONING WATER PUMPS. THIS REALLY NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO BEFORE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS TO STRANDED DRIVERS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL PANEL [SPEEDOMETER, RADIO, DISPLAY SCREEN, ETC.] BEGIN TO CLICK ON/OFF EACH TIME REAPPEARING WITH APPEARED TO BE EVERYTHING BUT ENGLISH. SOON TO FOLLOW, I RECEIVED A WARNING LIGHT INDICATING "ENGINE OVERHEATED", "ENGINE POWER WAS BEING REDUCED", AND "TO STOP THE VEHICLE" WHEN POSSIBLE. UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND COULD NOT IMMEDIATELY PULL OFF TO THE SHOULDER. THE VEHICLE DIDN'T TRAVEL VERY FAR BEFORE COMPLETE ENGINE POWER WAS LOST DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF "FIRE RISK" AS INDICATED ON THE PANEL. *TR