Rudy

Yup, nothing new at all. One thing is for sure, this board had a lot to do with that bulletin coming out. We were first to complain about the noisy Dunlop issue back when BMW claimed they hadn't heard any complaints about it. I personally called BMW NA three or four times to go on record that I wasn't happy with the tire roar and I know many others here did the same. Finally, BMW began to offer a 50% reimbursement for new tires. Someone else on this forum demanded 100% reimbursement and got it. From there, we all asked for 100% and ended up getting it on a case-by-case (PUMA) basis. Finally, after so many people learned about the replacement process, BMW ended up issuing a service bulletin to streamline the process of getting the replacements.

I actually like my Dunlops as long as they're new and quiet. I also like getting free new ones when they get noisy. Here's to hoping I can get one more free set before lease end...

jet190rs

how many miles does it usually take for a set of dunlops to get noisy?

EBMCS03

somes reported as little as 7K miles some about 12K some 14K? mine are at 10K and i dont hear anything! I want free tires!!!!!!!

I'm wonder if it has to do with how well people keep up with the tire prssure.. Mines checked like every 2 weeks and is never off by more than 1-2 lbs. I run a little... a few lbs higher than recommeded...

Uk525i

When I contacted BMW UK about this very issue, they denied all knowledge of there being a known problem.
They told me to take it up with Dunlop. I thought BMW were a global brand, obviously give better customer service in USA than here in UK! Very poor show from BMW UK. I guess they assume UK owners are blissfully unaware of this problem, which is not the case here. They are taking us for a ride!.
I hope they read E60.net & do the right thing. A lot of UK owners will remember this when it is time to change cars, there are other brands that may give a better service than this.

needforspeed

In the UK legally BMW have to 'stand behind' the product they sell. You have no contract with Dunlop and therefore the take it up with them approach is complete rubbish.

As this isn't a warranty issue the 'sale of goods act' is your best bet.

If you buy goods from a trader, The Sale of Goods Act says they must be:

of satisfactory quality - which means the product you buy should be reasonably reliable.

fit for purpose - which means it should perform the function you bought it to do.

as described - means it should be exactly what the trader told you it was.

The BMW memo for North America is carefully worded so as not to say that there is a fault with the tyres. It also suggests an arrangement whereby Dunlop have offered to go beyond their warranty with BMW to replace these tyres, but clearly they have only offered this in the USA.

The only options for UK drivers then are to:

1. Throw themselves on Dunlop's mercy (who I feel are very unlikely to explain why they have put in place the arrangements in the USA).

2. Get expert evidence that the tyres are not fit for purpose.

3. Push BMW UK to explain WHY the American arrangement has been made and WHY is should not be made in the UK.

Bigcgar

Guy's:

I had mine replaced at 9000 miles. I pulled the service bulletin off of this web site (great resource) and showed it to the service director at my dealer in Colorado. They replaced all 4 tires with no questions asked and at no cost to me. I now have 4 brand new tires although still the Dunlops, they seem to be runing much better. I had a fair amount of pulling to the right, with the old tires and din't have any alignment issues.. I don't know why.

Nova Invicta

European Law is slow to change with consumer rights but a lawyer friend of mine said that like the US a class action would be the best way to challenge both BMW & Dunlop. The European courts would take a very dim view if they believed a double standard was knowingly being adopted by both parties. Like stated elsewhere BMW would be the lead party to take on as they sell the goods(actually it would be the dealer as they legally sold the car).
BMW themselves are not creating good publicity as this is a widely publicized issue and one that is not going away. It would be interesting given the minimum tread depth in Europe if a counter action against both for knowingly selling faulty products that lead to a fatal accident. With the huge profits BMW are making they can obviously employ the most expensive legal team to defend any action.

Pistol_Pete

Yea I agree because my Dunlops are horrid at high speeds...at first i thought it was the alignment, so I took it to the dealer but no problems. Even the master mechanic, who I hope to become friends with, drove it and didnt feel any pull or noise. Long story short i have 4800 miles on the car when i start hearing noises soon(aside from the ones in my head ) I will be a bit more stern about having them change the tires, since they deemed it unnecessary to do it now. Who knows maybe the newer batch of tires they're putting on are better.

anyone else changed them and noticed less pull?

UUronL

I recently hit 9000 miles and I think they might be getting a little noisier. Not sure though. Mine don't pull, but I'm pretty good about keeping the inflation even and correct.