Stephen F

Hi We have a 2004 E61 530D auto with 40K miles - posted on here as more people look at the E60 section

We bought the car last month privately, noticed when i bought it that it cranked over a bit slow but put this down to a discharged battery from lack of use by the last owner.

Really like the car but it has a few common issues that are being looked at when it goes into the dealer on the 21st for a service

Panoramic roof jamming, door seal creaking, delay in response when pulling away and poor economy (28mpg combined) Only gets 30 on a steady motorway run when reset! and yes it is set to UK mpg - Our old e39 530D got 34.5 over 4 yrs and over 40mpg on a run

The car has service inclusive and BMW warranty so hopefully only the ?100 warranty excess to pay

Slow cranking has worsened so checked the battery and found a non BMW replacement had been fitted ( last owner said he had replaced it after 6 months being parked up while he was out of country)

Anyway bought a new battery from BMW on Thursday, still cranked slowly but thought maybe the new battery needed to recharge after being stood in the dealer warehouse

All electrical functions worked fine and active steering was reset as per manual and memory functions reprogrammed for seats etc without problems

My wife used the car on Friday and arrived home saying it was now really struggling to start and it would not lock with the key remote.

I tried the spare key and it eventually locked but would now not unlock with either remote.

The key in the lock still worked but the alarm now went off when the door was opened.

Eventually got the spare remote to work again but now the all the memory functions were being activated - seat, steering wheel, mirrors, stereo, climate were all changing to settings never used by us.

We have never had the key memory functions activated so found this very odd.

The normal key remote now worked intermittently but also set all the memory functions to some very odd settings - drivers seat fully forward at max height!

Car is now really struggling to start cranking really slowly and for an extended time but battery seems fine with no dimming of lights all electrical items working fine.



Just wondered if anybody out there has experienced similar issues so I can tell the dealer likely solutions before they say 'we can't find a problem' as it is bound to behave itself when i take it in

My wife now does not want to use it for fear of getting stranded when out with our baby son

Regards

Stephen

advancedlogic

There may be a faulty/poor ground somewhere, or a faulty micro power control module. If its the latter, the car won't sleep and will draw power at high rates. The dealership is your best bet, especially since warranty coverage exists. Keep us posted!

USSwede

Hello,
I'm in Sweden and with very similar problems to yours. Our E61 with Panorama roof doesn't shut completely. The driver's side rear moon roof is open and I can't get it shut. I don't dear hammer away even with my hand to force it down either. There's a reset function I've tried a few times (keep pressing the tilt function while the engine is running until both roofs to a complete open and shut (takes about 90 seconds). This will overrun most automatic stops (so don't put any hands up there while doing this) and also show error messages if something is wrong (mine said that it was jammed). Trying to get BMW to look at this problem now in the middle of July is not easy. My first chance is in August due to holidays (Stockholm, Sweden).
Also, the doors are cranking, I thought it was because there was silicon on the rubber lining around the doors but it must be something else. Remains unsolved. Also, the memory for the seats will go into some myserious reset modes and it is a gamble to press the two memory buttons on the driver's seat as this can result in a "midget" setting as the seat moves as close to the steering wheel as possible---resulting in pain to both knees as I am 6'3" (194 cm).
I owned a Toyota before and it never gave me any problems whatsoever...but I will never go back to a dull and non-responsive SUV again as this handles a lot better and I guess I can live with a few minor set-backs. I'll return here when I have visited my dealer. Wish me luck.

smarty156

I have a 2004 E61 530D and that was cranking slowly just after I first got it. Took it back to supplying BMW dealer and as soon as I mentioned the problem the service guy said "That'll be the starter motor". Common problem for that age car. They replaced the starter motor under warranty and it was fine.

USSwede

Wow!
Back from the dealership with a totally replaced panoramic roof. Cost of 32000 SEK (about USD 4000, but can't be compared due to 25% VAT and high employment costs). Now the roof functions like new and I try to get value for money by driving with it open whenever it doesn't rain. My wife thinks it is noisy so she wants it completely shut (including the inner lining which cuts down windnoise but shuts out all light. I guess she compares to the cost of shopping and thinks of what sort of outfit she has missed out on. Ha ha.
Anyway, I love the car and I miss it today again as it is in for a frontal paintjob (due to chips in the paint from small stones), I got a loaner in the form of a Jaguar X-type. Oh my god what a piece of XXXX. It's a Ford Mondeo dressed up with uncomfortable leather seats. I tried to peel away the Jaguar emblem on the steering wheel to see if it said "Ford Mondeo" underneath...
I want my BMW back.