How has your 545 been for you overall? Any major issues with it? I just bought a CPO on April 25th with 39k and have had it in the shop for 12 days with hope to get it back tommorow. Steering rack got replaced, DSC sensor replaced, and In dash CD replaced to name a few. I finally went to the dealer today to visit the service department and spoke with the salesmen that sold me the car. My salesman told me something interesting today. Apparently if the dealer has title of the car and something needs to be fixed it is charged back to the dealer, but if someone like myself takes ownership of the car it no longer is cost to the dealership but BMW of North America. Is anyone else familar with this? Would this not give dealerships motivation to wait to fix things?

On a side note I did get the number to BMW customer service and will be calling tomorrow about my issue. Hopefully something will come of this. I only hope that issues like this will not arise again and that after I get my car back I can look forward to worry free driving as I want to enjoy my first BMW not regret it.

 

Congratulations on your purchase. I purchased my 2004 545i about a year ago with 27k miles. Aside from a dead battery and a defective steering column (it made noises) when it automatically goes up and down when you start/stop the car, I've had no issues (knock on wood). The dealer replaced it as a "goodwill". I'm sorry to hear about the issues you've had; good luck!

 

Congrats on your purchase. I purchased mine in Jan. with 48k mi. I had similar problems with mrfva, but other than that nothing. Very nice car! GL with the repairs.

 

Did you check the sevice history of the car before you bought it??

I'm a very firm believer in luxury cars that if its been a shop whore from day one it will be for you too. I learned the hard way once and since then I always check service records in detail and since then I've had little to no issues with various luxury cars. Really seems like when your dealing with cars like ours and other high end cars that if you start seeing issues after issues your best bet is get it fixed, sell it, and get a different one. It will save you time and money in the long run. There is a reason why everyone says never own one without a warranty. They can suck you dry in a year if its a shop whore.

P.S.: Your question on who picks up the bill. I was always under the impression that work done under warranty was that all parts are picked up BMW and labor is billed out to BMW at a very reduce rate. Though I'm sure someone on here has the inside info. on it. (It was this way when I sold cars years ago, but I know even then tweaks to the program were made through the years)

 

I've had my '04 545 for 6 months now, bought CPO (and I reviewed the service records prior to purchase). Since then, it has made 4 trips to the shop for the well known passenger airbag sensor issue, it spent a week in the shop to get a new clutch to try to stop the creaking (but it still hasn't fixed it), and I have had the door sills/seals replaced due to creaking there too.

To be honest, however, even with all these trips to the dealer, I cannot complain about it, because my dealer picks up and drops off my car from my work, and they leave me nice loaners like a brand new X5 or a 535. The squeaks and noises may be annoying, but the car runs smoothly, and that is what is most important. I'm still really glad that I bought my car.

Sorry to hear about your luck.

 

i bought mine 3 months ago with 37k on it.

small issues like brake sensors and the passenger airbag sensor but nothing big and nothing that my dealer didn't handle quickly.

still hunting down small rattles that didn't seem to bother the previous owner. but that's no big deal.

can't wait to start with some mods.

i love this car!!!

 

No, major problems at all. Infact, they have been so minor that I forgot what they where.
I picked mine up last year with 48K miles it has 62k now.

 

Brought mine as a cpo a year ago. Had 32K and now has 42K. Not a daily driver so I think thats what caused the dead battery. Other than that I'm still in love. I researched them for over a year and turned away quite a few that didn't meet my standards, even though at times I questioned if I was doing the right thing. In the end I think I got the best car for the money.

 

Sounds like you've got a great SA. I'd be lucky to get a BMW when I bring my car in for service, much less my dealer picking up and dropping off my car. The best thing that's ever happened to me was a "goodwill" on a 1.5k service.

 

Got mine on November 07. I got it from a dealer auction and its not a CPO. So far a dead battery, replaced a thermostat. Nothing after those 2 issues and I hope I don't hear that knocking noise from the engine. From reading this forum, it sounds costly.