Fireplace

Hi Ed, may I know what's wrong with your 545 that till today has yet to sort out?

Edlee

The engine shakes at idle. Can feel the car rocking from your backside and knees. When I told the then trainer, Shahjahan about it when my car was hardly a week old, he brushed it aside. He said that the ECU was learning my way of driving and getting acclimatised; how intelligent. Then it started jerking when in reverse; it was so bad that the I felt like I was on horseback. Then I read about a certain problem with 545s made between Aug and Nov 2004 and that certain parts in the engine had to be changed. I told the servicemen at PML about this, but they brushed this aside as instructions for the American market only. I have been sending the ride in so many times that I have lost count. They always do the same thing; adjust tappet clearance and upgrade software.

When I got my M6, I told PML to take the 545 in and get it sorted out once and for all. Time was not a factor. Guess what? Got the car back within 2 days. I was told that it was a small problem of high idling revs and that my revs had been adjusted downwards and the shaking prob shd not happen again. Well, PML forgot that our cars are intelligent. The ECU probably detected that as a fault and readjusted the idling revs and the rocking came back.

I have since written to PML and my sales person telling them to take the car back for repairs and not to return it till it is 100% sorted out. The car is now at PML with Torsten and another German rep looking at it. Now its just wait and see; if its sorted, then fine. If its not, pls do not respond to my advert when you see it in the Straits Times. However, I'm quietly confident it shd get sorted out this time.

So, 1628, what do you think? Even you, a doctor, cannot afford the time I have devoted these past two years to sending the car into PML for diagnosis and wrong prescriptions. Its been two years and countless visits. Do you think I have the right to feel frustrated now? Can you call that the Ultimate Driving Machine? Maybe you can, because its ultimately driving me up the wall!!! When we send in our car for repair (not under warranty) dristributor workshops normally factor in man hours, etc. How do you factor in my patience and man hours driving the car in and out of PML?

Well, I still believe that PML will deliver; they normally do when the last straw is drawn. If they don't then its goodbye to my fine friends at the E60 forum because I will not be driving one anymore. I would rather be driving an 82K Korean car smiling at you and waving at you when you pass me because I know, somewhere down the road, I'd be passing you seeing you cursing and swearing on your mobile phone, car immobilised at the side of the road!!!

Olivin530i

Hi Stranger,

Long time no see. Before the current 20.02, my ride's last CIP was 18.xx. I think it is definitely not software related as 20.02 did not solve the problem

oomph

edlee, you have valid points, I empathize with you and now wished I had seen before I decided. Til then it was hearsay - but you are a real Bimmer enthusiast... shame on PML, and whoever is at BMW and is ignoring.

i suppose the "$82K Korean car" is there to make a point only.... I don't think you'd sacrifice a quality drive (even in SGP).... nevertheless there's still vw, audi that are increasingly developing great cars to drive (albeit still FWD).

perhaps there are also other ways - e.g. contacting BMW AG directly, lobbying for a 2nd distributor and service center, push CASE to introduce a LEMON LAW or Servicing promise standards....or even an anti-trust law - which I'm certain its the single distributorship that is allowing some PML Directors to push for supernormal profits at the expense of the customer.

I'm sure that this forum itself will vouch for your case, including many guys from BMW-SG.com.

(edited for grammar)

lmk

first of all, i doubt ALL mechanics are well trained or managers are even trained in BMW in Germany.
secondly, alot of cases are taken for granted that the customers are not well informed and educated in terms of the products.
thirdly, profits always come first, so PML will cut costs wherever possible.
Lastly, despite all these complaints, people will still buy because they are selling BMW!

therefore, we either walk away or choose to continue to drive a BMW that is under serviced by PML.

totoseow

Ed, hearing your problems make me feel sad and lucky. my E60 has never given me major issues like you guys have. I only had jammed cup holders, rear window failure...nothing else. and i probably have more mods than all of you add together. fact is my car has been fine from day 1. it also has been to performance only to do warranty claims on those parts mentioned. otherwise, i hv been using outside workshops for my oil change etc. i cant be bothered with those CIP upgrades since i am running on DMS.

maybe at ur next oil change u can try this....motul double ester oil. very expensive oil...built for motor racing. but offers 2 layers of ester to protect engine. same 10-40. will cost about 250 for ur 6 pots.

ur engine will most likely cease to vibrate. not sure if it will help edlee's big issue, but definitely quiet idling for others.

anyway i just dynoed by car.... guess what? 267.8bhp at the wheel. on paper its was 299hp.

lmk

Toto,

there is a diff between on the wheel rated and engine output power. which is in most cases, 10% diff.

Fireplace

Ed, I can feel your sheer frustrations and disappointment at the same time.

Personally, I love BMW for its performance and the joy of driving. My current car is performing great, and the only frustration is the quality of fittings and other "non" core problems that irritates me. I used to be bothered by mild rattling sounds from the seats or door but not anymore. I get rattling and squeaking noice when go over uneven slope from the dash board, perhaps because the dash is packed with IDrive monitor and HUD. Whatever it is, I cant be bothered anymore.

The hissing sound I get from the gear is another matter, which is audible to my sensitive ear at cruising 60k/h. To me, i feel it is a flaw. I have not driven a car (which I have driven many including BMWs over my last 20 years) with such characteristic noise as claimed by PML.

At the end of the day, I have to accept what they say. But even if truly it is inherent, PML needs to accept that the customer is irritated and frustrated by it, and all it takes is for them to offer alternative solution to appease the customer. It's really a case by case basis. Some customers are more particular than others, and they have to go with the situation.

I will be impressed if they come back and recognize my issue, and offer to thoroughly sound proof the affected area to mask out the hissing noise. Seriously, it is probably more cost effective for them to try sound proof (a few hundred bucks) than try take up more mechanic time (labor $) to fix something that they have no idea what to do. That would be what I called good recovery effort. What really upset me is they considered the case close and tell me to learn to bear with it and accept the status quo attitude.

See, business school always teach "customer is always right". To me, I am in a service industry. Customer may not be always right but they always have the final say, and they always win. That's my opinion.

Maybe my letter to PML is harsh given the emotional attachement. Funny thing was, Dennis called and told me my email was blocked as Spam mail..hahahaha. I might revise the tone a little and hope that they can come back with a solution and that they go the extra mile to please the customers, even though the problem is "inherant". That would score them very well in service recovery effort. That's what they should do if they want to be leader in the industry.

Oh well....
Having said that, lmk maybe right, profits may get in the way of going the extra mile in service.

nuvi360

yo,


oops.i thought my initial post sing the same tune!

i share your disappointments and frustration.

i have had my fair share of bad experiences and poor service.

just that i rather live with the minor flaws and not waste my time sending the car for rectification.(i have gotten to that point and tolerance level)

i also choose to stick with BMW, just that i have no choice when it come to servicing and warranty.

i believe every make and company has its flaws.

individual expectation and judgement all differ.analogy ie expecting less when buying a cheaper car.

getting a hassle free car is purely on luck.


i strongily believe pml mechanics are not trained enough to handle the new technonlogy. i was talking to a 4yr pml mechanic and he knew very liitle about a 320i notto mention an e60.



life is short and unpredictable as we all know.so move on.


so whats the plan to malacca? what time and show of hands whos going and enjoy our ride lah!!!

nuvi360

yo fire,

have you tried the sprint booster yet.