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Issues with a 2005 545i

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Old 01-20-2008, 03:48 AM
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Hi Everyone,

I purchased a certified pre-owned 2005 545 about two weeks agi. The car's interior and exterior look great. However, I have encountered a couple of issues that I am not sure if I should worry about.

A few days after taking delivery of the car, the service engine light came on. Instead of taking the car to dealership where I purchased it, I took it to another BMW dealership (closer to my house) to have it fixed. I also asked them to check what was causing a slight vibration in the steering wheel. After a few days, the service center called me and indicated that the repair needed to be done at the dealership where I purchased the car since a repair claim for the issue was opened there (BMW warranty protocol?). Additionally, they indicated that the vibration in the steering wheel was caused by three bent wheels noting that the two front wheels had a slight bent while one of the rear wheels had a significant bent. They were surprised that these issues along with a headliner issue were not addressed during the certification process.

I picked up the car and took it to the dealership where I had purchased it. I told them of the issues and what the service center in the other dealership indicated was causing the vibration in the steering wheel. Their intial reaction was there is no way that the vibration was being caused by the bent wheels. They didn't think the wheels were bent. Regardless, they said they would check it out. While a couple of days later, the car was ready and I went to pick it up. They said the service enging light was due to a leaky air hose and that they had to chimy the steering wheel (?) which corrected the slight vibration.

As I was driving off, I noticed a light whistling/whining noise coming from the engine compartment. You can only hear it from inside the vehicle regardless of whether the A/C is on or off. I turned around and took the car back to the service center. After hearing the noise (which was not there prior to their work), the service manager indicated that the noise was normal and that he was not going to accept the car.

Although the sound is not very noticable, I don't think it's normal. Is there anything I can do? Also, when I got home I checked the oil. The dipstick indicated the oil level was near the minimum level. I would have thought that when the vehicle was going through the certification process, that they would change/top off the oil in the car. Additionally, the oil has bits of residue. I am not sure if this is normal? Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and sorry for the long post! Hoping these "issues" can get resolved so I can enjoy may car!
Old 01-20-2008, 03:55 AM
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Hi there and welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear about your issues.

I have a 2004 545i and have never experienced the whistling sound from the engine compartment. As far as certification process goes, AFAIK the process is handled by individual dealers. It sounds to me that whichever dealer CPO'ed the car wasn't as thorough as they should've been. What's the car's history? Have you tried getting a repair history from BMW?
Old 01-20-2008, 04:34 AM
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Originally Posted by mrfva' post='520255' date='Jan 20 2008, 07:55 AM
Hi there and welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear about your issues.

I have a 2004 545i and have never experienced the whistling sound from the engine compartment. As far as certification process goes, AFAIK the process is handled by individual dealers. It sounds to me that whichever dealer CPO'ed the car wasn't as thorough as they should've been. What's the car's history? Have you tried getting a repair history from BMW?
I don't have the repair history. But, will request it. Thanks for the suggestionn.
Old 01-20-2008, 04:41 AM
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Originally Posted by wardaah' post='520260' date='Jan 20 2008, 08:34 AM
I don't have the repair history. But, will request it. Thanks for the suggestionn.
I'd suggest you notify BMWNA as soon as possible to involve them.
Because neither dealer sounds very good based on what you said in your post.
Old 01-20-2008, 05:27 AM
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Welcome to a great forum for BMW Owners and Enthusiasts. The knowledge and expertise here is amazing.

I would write two letters. One to the dealership where you bought the car and one to BMW Customer Service by fax. I would express concerns about this being a Certified Pre-Owned BMW. You relied on that certification when you purchased the car. You paid more to get that certification. I had a 545 and it never whistled from the engine compartment. The oil should not have bits of residue. Insist that the issues be addressed including the bits of oil residue. Ask for an oil change at the dealers expense. It is easy to have a tire shop check the wheels to see if they are bent. The wheels are expensive and are relatively fragile. If a wheel is severely bent out of factory specs, I would ask that it be replaced. Also the car should be checked to see that it is aligned properly. If you have active steering, the alignment is for all four wheels and is expensive. Bent wheels and and/or improper alignment will chew up the tires quicker than normal. I would have someone check this promptly because the dealership from whom you bought the car will claim that you hit chuck holes and it was fine when they sold it to you. You will get better service from the dealership by writing objective letters. The 545 is a great car and it is a lot fun to drive.

Correcting a steering wheel vibration by shimmying the steering sounds bogus to me. It is probably a wheel or alignment problem or both.
Old 01-21-2008, 11:08 AM
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Hi Wardaah!


The funny thing is that I was told the same thing (3 wheels bent) when I satted the same thing as You did. I am going to have my wheels checked at the dealership that I work for. By the way. Do You have a sport package?
Old 01-21-2008, 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by pharding' post='520266' date='Jan 20 2008, 09:27 AM
Welcome to a great forum for BMW Owners and Enthusiasts. The knowledge and expertise here is amazing.

I would write two letters. One to the dealership where you bought the car and one to BMW Customer Service by fax. I would express concerns about this being a Certified Pre-Owned BMW. You relied on that certification when you purchased the car. You paid more to get that certification. I had a 545 and it never whistled from the engine compartment. The oil should not have bits of residue. Insist that the issues be addressed including the bits of oil residue. Ask for an oil change at the dealers expense. It is easy to have a tire shop check the wheels to see if they are bent. The wheels are expensive and are relatively fragile. If a wheel is severely bent out of factory specs, I would ask that it be replaced. Also the car should be checked to see that it is aligned properly. If you have active steering, the alignment is for all four wheels and is expensive. Bent wheels and and/or improper alignment will chew up the tires quicker than normal. I would have someone check this promptly because the dealership from whom you bought the car will claim that you hit chuck holes and it was fine when they sold it to you. You will get better service from the dealership by writing objective letters. The 545 is a great car and it is a lot fun to drive.

Correcting a steering wheel vibration by shimmying the steering sounds bogus to me. It is probably a wheel or alignment problem or both.
I agree with pharding's advice...

Welcome to the forums and good luck with getting your issues resolved!
Old 01-21-2008, 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted by rafichicago' post='520806' date='Jan 21 2008, 03:08 PM
Hi Wardaah!


The funny thing is that I was told the same thing (3 wheels bent) when I satted the same thing as You did. I am going to have my wheels checked at the dealership that I work for. By the way. Do You have a sport package?
I do have the sports package. I sent a letter today to both BMW and the general manager of the dealership where I purchased the vehicle. I also just test drove a 2005 545i at CarMax. I did not hear any whistling/whining sounds. So, there is definitely something wrong with my car. I wonder if the dealersip's refusal to fix my problem again, this would be the third time, would constitute the vehicle as a "lemon"??

I just want my car fixed so I can enjoy it....it shouldn't be this complicated...

Thanks everyone for the posts...
Old 01-21-2008, 04:07 PM
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welcome to the Forum. I myself don't really believe in this CPO warranty, it adds sooooooooo much money to the price of the car and its NOT even close to covering the Small issues which compound into alot of money for repair, it only addresses MAJOR malfunctions! Def get a BMW service history and also run a carfax and autocheck on the car to see if anything has happened to it before! i know you already own it, but just do these things
Old 01-21-2008, 04:10 PM
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Originally Posted by wardaah' post='520254' date='Jan 20 2008, 05:48 AM
As I was driving off, I noticed a light whistling/whining noise coming from the engine compartment. You can only hear it from inside the vehicle regardless of whether the A/C is on or off.
Try listening to the engine with the hood open and the engine idling. If it is definitely coming from the engine compartment, try unscrewing the oil cap and pulling it up slightly. You will be releasing some of the vacuum in doing so. See if the noise stops. I had this exact issue. The dealer fixed it for me right there, 5 minutes. Something about a relief valve.


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