I felt ANGER towards my car and BMW
07-24-2009, 08:53 PM
#22
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i didnt think you actually liked yoru steering wheel like that.
07-25-2009, 05:56 AM
#23
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Location: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
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My Ride: 2010 535i M Sport 6MT
Model Year: 2010
Back to topic...
With your key (not spare key or other driver's key) in the ignition, turn to position 1.
- Test the personalization memory function. Press the M button on side of seat. It should light up. Press the button again to turn the light off.
- Turn key to position 2 (no need to start engine), turn off any exterior lights, A/C. radio, etc to prevent battery drain.
- Use the tilt button to move the steering wheel tilt through the full range of up-down motion one time. Leave steering wheel in preferred tilt position.
- Regarding the passenger side mirror, set to the desired position.
- Ensure your seat is in the preferred position.
- Store your current settings using the buttons on the side of your seat. These settings will be saved in the key in the ignition.
Turn key to 0 position and steering wheel should tilt up.
Lock and unlock with remote key (passenger side mirror should not have moved).
Get in car, move passenger side mirror a little.
Lock and unlock with remote key (passenger side mirror should return to set position).
With your key (not spare key or other driver's key) in the ignition, turn to position 1.
- Test the personalization memory function. Press the M button on side of seat. It should light up. Press the button again to turn the light off.
- Turn key to position 2 (no need to start engine), turn off any exterior lights, A/C. radio, etc to prevent battery drain.
- Use the tilt button to move the steering wheel tilt through the full range of up-down motion one time. Leave steering wheel in preferred tilt position.
- Regarding the passenger side mirror, set to the desired position.
- Ensure your seat is in the preferred position.
- Store your current settings using the buttons on the side of your seat. These settings will be saved in the key in the ignition.
Turn key to 0 position and steering wheel should tilt up.
Lock and unlock with remote key (passenger side mirror should not have moved).
Get in car, move passenger side mirror a little.
Lock and unlock with remote key (passenger side mirror should return to set position).
07-25-2009, 06:34 AM
#26
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My Ride: 05' 545i
[quote name='craigm1841' date='Jul 24 2009, 09:29 PM' post='953635']
Last night it gave me trouble starting, it cranked longer then usual before starting. no big deal, did it once. but today, after getting out of orientation at school (yes, i am going back to college) i got in the car and the telescoping steering wheel didnt work and the wheel was stuck in "tractor trailer" position. it bothered me, but when i looked over to back out of my spot, i noticed my Passenger side mirror was way out of adjustment.. AGAIN. seems my passenger side mirror is ALWAYS out of adjustment, and my i drive screen never came on. I turned the car off and back on, the idrive booted fine, but the steering wheel was still out of whack. and i am tired of my brakes squeaking, and i am tired of my tranny slam.
WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH BMW?
it is the price we pay (justified or not) to drive this machine. My e46 was a hassle in regards to repairs and on going electrical/mechanical issues - e60 so far has been reliable but i am fully anticipating issues to arise once the mileage gets higher. I had a gs430 and the Lex was hella reliable and also unbelievably painful to drive, even in "sport mode" (what does Lexus know about sport) my blood pressure would rise because i did not go back to BMW. There is only one option for a car in this price range.
Last night it gave me trouble starting, it cranked longer then usual before starting. no big deal, did it once. but today, after getting out of orientation at school (yes, i am going back to college) i got in the car and the telescoping steering wheel didnt work and the wheel was stuck in "tractor trailer" position. it bothered me, but when i looked over to back out of my spot, i noticed my Passenger side mirror was way out of adjustment.. AGAIN. seems my passenger side mirror is ALWAYS out of adjustment, and my i drive screen never came on. I turned the car off and back on, the idrive booted fine, but the steering wheel was still out of whack. and i am tired of my brakes squeaking, and i am tired of my tranny slam.
WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH BMW?
it is the price we pay (justified or not) to drive this machine. My e46 was a hassle in regards to repairs and on going electrical/mechanical issues - e60 so far has been reliable but i am fully anticipating issues to arise once the mileage gets higher. I had a gs430 and the Lex was hella reliable and also unbelievably painful to drive, even in "sport mode" (what does Lexus know about sport) my blood pressure would rise because i did not go back to BMW. There is only one option for a car in this price range.
07-25-2009, 07:10 AM
#27
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If are cars had no problems..Techs and SA would not exist....Ive owned and own every german brand car(Audi,BMW,MB,Porsche) My benz and porsche had no probs in the 4yrs I owned it from new . BMW i only had it for a few months now hardly drive it but so far no probs. I feel you on the frustration went through it with my Audi only had it for a yr and I traded it in for a porsche cayenne S and was one of my best decision making moves when it came to cars. Porsche engineering is amazing. The suv handles and drives like a sports car.
07-25-2009, 07:23 AM
#28
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My Ride: 2008 BMW 550i
2006 BMW X3
My '08 550i has been mostly reliable in the 1 1/2 years of ownership. The only issue has been an alternator/battery problem. That was a surprise to me but my SA said alternators are a common E60 problem.
Regarding the OP's problems, a weak battery/alternator can lead to flakiness in starting and odd things not working right. Now that I drive the Z4 a lot, the 550i sits for up to a week and seems to have slow starts at times. Maybe it needs time on the battery tender that I used during the alternator issues.
Make a list, schedule a service appointment to allow them time to fix the issues, and discuss things higher up the chain if they remain unresolved.
PS: Squeaking brakes are a possibility with the high-perf pads that BMW uses (as compared to a Civic). But they shouldn't squeal as a general rule. Heavy inconsistent braking can set it off, as well as getting them wet and doing hard braking. You could try a mild bedding in proceedure (4-6 near stops, see Zeckhausen Racing) or getting a shop to try anti-squeal. As the pads get near needing replaced, its more prevalent. If the squeal is bad, it might take new pads to fix. It shouldn't take new rotors unless there is a lot of vibration during braking as well.
PPS: I found a really good way to clean the rotors to help with squeals and brake vibrations. Wash the car and wet down the rotors real good on the final wheel rinse. Let the car sit over night. A fine rust builds up that you can hear when you first drive off in the morning. Bed in the brakes now. The fine rust adds abrasion that cleans the rotors and pads quite well without damaging them.
Regarding the OP's problems, a weak battery/alternator can lead to flakiness in starting and odd things not working right. Now that I drive the Z4 a lot, the 550i sits for up to a week and seems to have slow starts at times. Maybe it needs time on the battery tender that I used during the alternator issues.
Make a list, schedule a service appointment to allow them time to fix the issues, and discuss things higher up the chain if they remain unresolved.
PS: Squeaking brakes are a possibility with the high-perf pads that BMW uses (as compared to a Civic). But they shouldn't squeal as a general rule. Heavy inconsistent braking can set it off, as well as getting them wet and doing hard braking. You could try a mild bedding in proceedure (4-6 near stops, see Zeckhausen Racing) or getting a shop to try anti-squeal. As the pads get near needing replaced, its more prevalent. If the squeal is bad, it might take new pads to fix. It shouldn't take new rotors unless there is a lot of vibration during braking as well.
PPS: I found a really good way to clean the rotors to help with squeals and brake vibrations. Wash the car and wet down the rotors real good on the final wheel rinse. Let the car sit over night. A fine rust builds up that you can hear when you first drive off in the morning. Bed in the brakes now. The fine rust adds abrasion that cleans the rotors and pads quite well without damaging them.
07-25-2009, 07:29 AM
#29
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Location: Originally from Koeln, Deutschland. Enjoying it in Bonita Springs, Florida Now :)
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Craig, I feel your pain.
I've had my transmission replaced, my steering column replaced, my AC compressor replaced, my rear window actuator replaced, thermostat replaced, I had VANOS oil leak, diff. oil leak, valve cover oil leak, coolant leak, and a whole lot of other crap. All under warranty thank god.
Yea I get kinda pissed, because my car only has 35k miles.
But then again, there is no better feeling when you are driving speedy in your BMW. No other car has that perfect driving style.
I've had my transmission replaced, my steering column replaced, my AC compressor replaced, my rear window actuator replaced, thermostat replaced, I had VANOS oil leak, diff. oil leak, valve cover oil leak, coolant leak, and a whole lot of other crap. All under warranty thank god.
Yea I get kinda pissed, because my car only has 35k miles.
But then again, there is no better feeling when you are driving speedy in your BMW. No other car has that perfect driving style.
07-25-2009, 07:44 AM
#30
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My Ride: 2006 530i Sport
Silver Gray - Black Leather - Anthracite Maple
Manual Transmission
Premium Audio
Cold Weather Package
Rear sunshade
Sirius Radio
Autobahnd Roadblock (3M) film kit
Sorry to hear that the new guys are having such bad luck... The JD Powers quality ratings seem to agree though. My car is from the height of the quality for BMW (based on JD ratings), and I have never had any issues. I hope BMW gets things sorted out.
Mine was a 2005 build (March). In 2005, BMW was third with 95 defects per 100 cars with an industry average of 118. The rankings were:
Lexus (81)
Jaguar (88)
BMW (95)
Buick (100)
Cadillac (104)
Mercedes-Benz (104)
Toyota (105)
Audi (106)
Infiniti (109)
HUMMER (110)
The very next year (2006) BMW jumped to 142 defects per 100. The industry average was 124.
In 2008, BMW had 126 defects per 100.
This is from the 2009 JD Quality report:
Mine was a 2005 build (March). In 2005, BMW was third with 95 defects per 100 cars with an industry average of 118. The rankings were:
Lexus (81)
Jaguar (88)
BMW (95)
Buick (100)
Cadillac (104)
Mercedes-Benz (104)
Toyota (105)
Audi (106)
Infiniti (109)
HUMMER (110)
The very next year (2006) BMW jumped to 142 defects per 100. The industry average was 124.
In 2008, BMW had 126 defects per 100.
This is from the 2009 JD Quality report:
