mclc26

I finally got rid of my E39 540 Sport 6 speed this week...Too many problems and too many trips on a flat bed to the dealer(3 times in past 2 weeks!) brought me to the realization that it's time for a new one. So I worked out a deal with my BMW dealer to take me out of the 540 and put me into the 545 6 speed sport. I'm sure they were tired of the complaints from us on the 540 and wanted it to end just as badly as we did. So, I put a deposit on a 2005 Silver/Grey 545 sport 6 speed on Monday and I was told I could come by Wednesday to pick it up as it was being transferred from another dealership. I figured that the kinks would be worked out on the 2nd model year of the new E60, so I wouldn't encounter all the problems usually found on the first model year of a new car introduction.

Well, sure enough, I go to the dealer Wednesday night to pick up the car and I'm told that the car isn't ready yet because when they started it, it wasn't idling steady...I signed all the paperwork(after the dealer placated me by giving my wife and I a free shopping spree in their accessory boutique) and paid for the car. I actually got to visit my car in the hospital(aka the service bay) and it looked awesome..Told that I could pick up the car on Thursday, after the 'technician' will fix the idling issue, I went home that night disappointed but still excited to get in the new car the following day.

Thursday afternoon I call the dealer to find out what time I should come pick up the car. Lo and behold, I was told that the idling problem stemmed from a bad throttle body that had to be replaced. They told me they were ordering the part to be sent overnight and I could pick up the car on Friday.

Friday comes and once again I call to find out the time I should pick up the car. I speak to the dealership's General Manager who tells me that they have to order the throttle body from Germany to be made specifically for my car as it must be a VIN specific part for the car. They were actually going to pull a throttle body from another 545 in the lot and put it on mine, but for some strange reason they said that it wouldn't work-it has to be a VIN specific part to match the car. Has anyone ever heard of that. So, he tells me the part should be here and installed in 8 days ...Knowing that I would be an unhappy customer, the General Manager offered me his car to take(545 sport auto) until mine was ready and he would redate the paperwork for when I would actually take delivery of my car.

So needless to say, I remain disappointed that the car already has to be serviced before I even took delivery of it. Why wasn't a problem like this discovered before it left the factory? Is this 'VIN specific' thing true or BS? Doesn't BMW test its cars for before they send them out? Anyone else encounter this type of problem?

BTW, the only upside to this situation is that I get to 'practice' on the manager's car and explore all the new features and test the limits of the car before I get mine...

tcumbo

Welcome aboard mclc26!!!!!

You'll find that the board members here remain happy with their e60's no matter how much servicing they need!!

Once you get your car, you'll see what we mean... I hope soon!

300TTto545

Sucks. I know how you feel. I spent my first 16 days of ownership practicing on a dealer loaner. But in their defense, I think there are a lot of potential problems in the 1st 3 months or so of ownership but that doesn't curse the car. I still count on lemon laws as the final protection. I just don't know what else I would get....

andy545

Know how you feel...
Since you have another 545i to check out in the mean time, patience, until they get it right with your car.

mclc26

As to not leave it off on a bad note...I must say that I truly loved my E39 540 Sport and my E36 M3 before that...I thought that BMW really had topped themselves with those cars. That is until I drove home in the 545 sport loaner last night. All I can say is..WOW! What an incredible machine!! The engine has really nice linear acceleration and feels much quicker than the E39, especially for an automatic. I loved all the features of the I-Drive and the ability to customize so many aspects of the car through it...I literally had a smile from ear to ear last night after driving this thing. Kudos to BMW for such a great engineering job! Once the bugs are worked out of it, it will be an amazing car.

Counting down the days until mine is ready to be picked up from the dealer (7 days left)...If the automatic is this much fun, I cannot wait to drive mine with the 6 speed!

Rudy

Welcome and congratulations on your car.

I know it's frustrating to go through all the paperwork, etc. and then not be able to take your baby home. Don't sweat it. Before you know it, you'll be driving your car and, as you've experienced with the loaner, you'll quickly forget the events of this week. The car is incredible!

Also, it is true that many parts are coded to the car using the VIN. Many dealers are a little clueless about these cars since they're so new so it may look like your dealer is feeding you BS but in this case, they're probably not.

One thing's for sure, hang around here a bit and you'll know more about your car than the dealer in short time!

Good luck!!

Tuga

I think that this kind of problems isn't acceptable at all!

It's ridiculous that the customer is going for the car and they found out that the car isn't working properly, it's a new car not an used one.
How about trying the cars before they leave factory?
How about having spare parts available for every kind of trouble possible ?
Here in Europe it's hard to wait 2-3 days for a spare part but waiting 8 days for a spare part coming from the factory that's just NOT possible to accept.

Something is wrong, we aren't talking about ford fiesta's, renault clio's, peugeot 206's, Yugo's ........

We are talking about a lot of money to pay for a car that isn't supposed to have problems at all.

I'm getting ful of this s--- !

mehall2

Mclc26,

After about 2 weeks of ownership of our 2004 545i, it leaves my wife stranded on the road, not able to idle at all. I limp it home and call BMW. They send out a flat bed, take it in to the shop.

It is fixed within 24 hours. It was a defective installation of the intake elbow. It didn't seal to the intake manifold and was allowing air to pass behind the maf.

Yours sounds more serious, but similiar in some ways.

The funny thing about the 545 is with Valvetronic, you do NOT have a throttle body on the car. At least in a conventional sense. There is not an intake butterfly at all. The valves do the adjusting in leiu of the throttle body.

So I would be really curious what they are ordering from Germany. Keep us informed.

BTW, once you get this little thing done, you will LOVE the car. It is awesome and worth the aggravation, occasionally.

Regards,

Mike H

545i2b

Since my 545i was delivered, it has spent a total of 24 days sitting in the dealer's repair shop waiting for parts (electronic parts) to be delivered. And even now, there are three electronic items that aren't working, but I have to, you guessed it, wait for the parts to be delivered from Germany. The car is awesome to drive....when it's working. Overall, it has been a really disappointing experience.

mclc26

I agree with you Tuga, they should test the cars before they leave the factory. The problem with my car was discovered when the salesperson was bringing it to the front of the dealership to have it waiting for my arrival. He said that the car wasn't idling steady - something that should have been discovered on a test drive by the factory before it even left to go to the dealer.

The reason we put up with this stuff is the driving experience you get from the car. Unfortunately this the sacrifice that we sometimes have to make. Many of my friends own pricier cars (Ferraris, Lambos, etc.) and the problems they encounter are absurd relative to the price of those cars. I ask them why they put up with it and the answer is "Take it for a drive, you will understand..."

All in all, I am happy that the dealership I used has great customer service. I got a lot of nice goodies from them for the hassle and a 545 sport to play with while mine is awaiting the repair.