EBMCS03

See if BMW would just use a normal gear lever from a honda civic you would have had 0 problems... and we wonder why a honda is more reliable... it doesnt have any of these fancy SAT or 7 speed SMGIII hydraulic clutches that can be programmed 80 different ways to shift

sixcard

My 550i was delivered in July 07, and now has 25,000 miles on the ODO.

Short tire life is a concern. Originals are still on the front but the rears were replaced at 22,000.

I consider the issue of battery charge vs. ?driving profile? a problem.

Both of the above are, IMO, design issues and perhaps not a problem. I guess we do need a better definition of a problem.

One other problem regardless of how we define a problem. My coolant was lost on two occasions and ended with replacement of the reservoir.

sixcard

sdg1871

If I am not mistaken, the sport automatic transmission (SAT) is a conventional 6 speed automatic transmission with a torque converter (and no fancy clutch unlike SMG) that shares all of its internal components with the Steptronic. The differentiation between SAT and Steptronic is that SAT has a different software program, a different looking shifter and steering wheel shift paddles.

I actually love the LCI auto shifter. It looks very different and operates different than the more conventional auto shifter in the pre LCI 550 but it is so much easier to shift manually because it is so much ligther and smaller. I recently got the old style auto shifter in a 335i loaner and hated the shifter -- so big and more difficult to shift manually than the LCI auto shifter.

calpalmer

That's how I would have intended you to answer, Rudy; problem = scheduled diagnosis and repair. Sorry I didn't do a better job with the definitions, but this isn't intended to replace CR, JDP, or anyone else's more scientific polls. Given the level of sophistication and complexity (and hence risk of malfunction or disappointment), these limited results do support your comment about reliability. Borderline amazing, I think. Check out some of the Merc or Lexus forums as a benchmark!

Thanks,

Cal

porsche911targa

It's amazing how reliable these cars are, considering how much more sophisticated electronics they carry than, say, a Honda or a Toyota. To me squeaking and rattles are really not mechanical problems. To me a mechanical problem is when you're stranded somewhere. Thanks in part to all the sensors, most of us get ample warning of when something is going bad and get the problem rectified before it becomes a real problem. The unfortunate thing about having all these sensors is that the sensors themselves sometime need to be replaced giving the appearance that our cars are not of the same quality than, say, a Honda or a Toyota. This is the price we pay for reliability and just plain joy of driving.

calpalmer

The other comment I'd make as I thought about Rudy's post is more a question -- long-term (e.g., 10+ years) reliability. I think that is the measure separating truly great cars from the general trend in auto manufacturing (and buyer behavior) of planned obsolescence. In that Rudy and I both opted for "most" of the options on these cars, I have frequently wondered how many of them will still be functioning properly after 10 years.... time will tell for those of us who keep our vehicles for a while. BMW's "free" maintenance with all the "lifetime" components and fluids illustrates that most of us (a) lease and (b) turn over our rides after 3-5 years... That is helping all the manufacturers redifne "lifetime" big time.

Anyway, I'll keep the options working as long as I can afford the replacement/repair bills. And then, we'll have a 550i-alumni resurvey and see what the reliability measure seems to be.

Thanks guys,

Cal

Rudy

In Pennsylvania, we have a required safety inspection that takes place annually. Last year, I had my inspection sometime around May or June of 2008. After that inspection, because of the way the expirations of the stickers work, my expiration date ended up being July 31, 2009. This year, I was really busy and just couldn't find the time to schedule an appointment for the new inspection (as well as some CBS dictated servicing like an oil change, brake fluid change, etc.) until September. (Luckily, I flew under the radar of law enforcement and didn't get any tickets for driving with an expired inspection.)

When I showed up at the dealership, my service technician joked with me that he thought I died! I told him the car is so reliable that I think it is really Japanese!! Anyway, that's like 15 months without a visit to the dealership.

The car is very reliable, in my opinion. The problem with those JD Power rankings, etc. is that they don't define a problem the same way we are. They're probably getting people responding about every little "problem" they've experienced which may be simple things like "anti-trap" resets, etc. Again, my experience with Honda was much worse and some of the software glitches I found had no fix. The service guys there looked like I was from Mars when I asked them if there was any software updates to fix some of these things...

richard313

The most annoying one I have currently is the power steering growl/noise. Happens ones in a while when I'm making a sharper turn at rolling speeds, IE: reverse parking.

dammit.

EBMCS03

I didnt say SAT was SMG. those were two completely different examples

1. Electronic Shifter
2. Tranmission

Two different examples I was giving to say why a Honda is more reliable, things are more simple.

darkboyz68

i brought mine to the dealer cuz i had a squeaky break at slow speed, not really bad, so they went ahead and replaced the sensors and put on new break pads. pretty good experience so far !