dlight

Hey carolbob,

I bought my first BMW, a 2006 550i M-Sport in January 2009. It was a leased vehicle turned in in December of 2008. It had 67240km on it then and it now has 127000 km on the clock. I live in western Canada and we have driven all the way to the Gulf of Mexico annd then to the Atlantic Ocean and back. A 12000km road trip! I commute over 80km a day and have had very little trouble. The car has never left me stranded anywhere and any issues have been minor and attended to quickly and efficiently by the local Dealer. I had the upper & lower control arms replaced under original warranty and a blower motor under extended warranty. I have a couple of issues with seals (noisy sunroof & torn front drivers door seal) and will get these attended to soon. All other issues have been service related like oil changes, brakes and such are all mileage-related. Except for wheels; I broke both of my rears (style 172s) and had to replace them. I am still thrilled with the vehicle; it's performance, comfort, handling and overall appeal are outstanding. I plan to do another major road trip this summer and have absolutely no hesitation in just hopping in and taking off!

pjinca

Don't get disheartened, the number of your issues are not common. I bought my 2005 CPO in 2007 with 16K miles on it, 40k miles later I have not had any major issues. Regular maintenance and the driver's door power window motor is the only thing that has needed replacing (anti-trap problem). Other than that the car has been trouble free (now that I have said that I expect the doors to fall off when I unlock them later) - knocks on wood. Good luck and hopefully your car is sorted and runs like a champ for the rest of the time you own her.

KREED_550i

My 06 CPO has been good to me, other than the battery issue. But then again, the battery was 4+ years old.

vkhong

2004 E60 CPO, 76,000 miles, purchased in mid-2007

At various times over three years of my ownership:

Warranty:
PROGMAN/CIPS update (fixed LED eyebrows)
CD player (due to scratched faceplate!)
window motor
MPM (micro power module)
oil separator replacement (insulated version)
valve cover gasket replacement (dealer installed customer-provided spark plugs while they were at it)
battery

Non-warranty:
CDV delete
radiator hose
clutch disc assembly
water pump (at my request)
MP3 / iPod retrofit

Various mods: LED interior, rear license, angel eyes, Borla catback, full BMW M Techic body kit.

I believe car to be fully debugged and I expect it to run strong as my daily driver for two more years or more. I did a 1,400 mile round trip to The Tail of the Dragon with no issue - will not hesitate to run to the Dragon again.

BTW, a big thank you to the new car buyers who make the BMW CPO program possible.

-Mike-

in two years of ownership of 06 CPO, 40k miles

-Dead battery, covered under warranty
-bad sensor of some sort triggering a check engine light, covered under warranty
-Brake job, rotors/pads/sensors, out of pocket


I discount the brakes and battery as normal maintenance items, which leaves the bad sensor as my only real mechanical problem.

higher

Last 3-4 years become obvious that BMW is letting the bean-counters run the show. When you build cars so close to a price point, component failure is inevitable.

The BMW 'premium brand' is just that a 'premium brand' not a premium car anymore. Quality control on these vehicles is not different to Ford, GM etc.

Brand = a company's ability to charge a premium for it's prodcuts or services based on the percieved brand value.

Therefore, BMW components, build quality = same as any other manufacturer. Brand value = higher cost to purchase based on percieved value of brand.

In this world of price competition and shareholder value, we should learn to accept this broken aspect of this economic model (all economic models has broken elements). It was after all invented by in the US following the second world war which meant the end of the British Empire and the start of American imperialism / consumerism. Nothing wrong with that, because it's mean access to consumer goods and technology at much lower prices, but also set us up for the biggest financial crisis in world history.

Anyway - that's my two cents worth.

NYC530XI

To the OP, I can feel your pain.

I come from owning only Japanese cars. I have had an 85 Maxima, 97 Acura CL 3.0, 98 Accord V6 Coupe, 2004 Maxima, and a 2007 Murano. All of these cars served me well. The only repair issue I had with ANY of these cars was a broken power steering reservoir on the 85 Maxima, which was covered under RECALL 13 years after the recall at no cost to me in 1998 (car had 261,000 miles mind you). Thats it. 11 years of driving and one non-maintanence repair. Talk about reliability..

However, these cars were all missing something. They were missing a "connection" between the car and the road. These cars are all very generic to drive. I found that connection with BMW.

My 530xi has been no easy ride so far. I have gone to the dealer 6 times in 8 months, for various problems. Right now as we speak the Squeaky door seals, and a recurring SOS malfunction are being addressed. Also, 2 more pieces of peeling trim are being replaced while its there. Because of the factory warranty/maintanence, my outlay thus far has been $0.00.

However, with BMW at my dealer, I get a fresh 2010 to drive whenever a repair is being made. So I don't mind it too much. Plus, when I give back the little 328xi or X3 they give me for a loaner, it makes me realize what an incredible machine the E60 is.

Any higher end car in my opinion will have some sort of quirks. Seem inevitable to me with all of the modules/electronics in modern day cars.

I still love my E60 though, at the end of the day

willbishop

carolbob

I ended up having to replace the electric radiator fan. I hope I don?t have another lemon on my hand, I traded in my 2005 Acura TSX for the 5. In 2009, I put 7K into the Acura as it just literally started falling apart. I live in the desert and wonder if my car is more susceptible to breaking down than those in colder areas? I know it?s harder on tires and batteries. I?m already concerned that my car may become a constant headache (lemon) am I being premature?

russdx

had mine for a year not one fault (that i dint cause LOL)