I purchased a 2008 528i about 5 months ago and am having a lot of problems with it in/out of the shop already. I really thought the I6 would be the ideal engine for me, but now since it is not meeting the reliability standards I expected, I am considering getting the faster and potentially less reliable engine. Either the 535i or the 550i. I am not sure which until I test drive both. This is not a question of which one I should get though.

My salesman is telling me he would buy the car back for 25k, so for the 5 months I have owned it, I am really losing 5k (I know some of this is depreciation I cannot recoup, but total is a 5k loss). Is that a pretty good deal?

I am having a hard time seeing how much I am really losing here, and don't really want to make a trade if it's a deal where I am losing a lot of money. Any help is appreciated.

 

Wow, $1k per month lost in depreciation? and you're a repeat customer? Seems like they are not being very fair..

Just out of curiousity, what were the problems you've been having with your 528i causing it to be in and out of the shop so much?
"I am considering getting the faster and potentially less reliable engine"... not sure this is the solution to your problems...

 

The camshaft had a sensor go bad, and it has caused a domino affect on the valvetrain. I am unsure of all the specific problems that resulted, I apologize. While it is under warranty and currently is fixed, I don't have much left on the factory warranty and question how helpful they are going to be when all of this falls under the CPO warranty. My train of thought was that if they gave me enough back on my current car, trading up is not a bad option. So right now I am not even entertaining it, just looking into what it would really cost me.

I honestly don't know if the 5k means they are trying to screw me. As far as the consideration of a less reliable engine, I was mostly being sarcastic. I know the HPFP issues make the N54 unreliable, but the V8 on the 550 doesn't have much of a bad reputation. It's just that the I6 has always been touted as one of the most reliable engines ever built by BMW and that is why I got it. Right now it sure doesn't seem to be true though.

 

Or maybe it's time for M5

 

considering getting the faster and potentially less reliable engine. Either the 535i or the 550i

 

I see you're a newbee to the forum ... a few questions to start ... Are you new to BMW too? Did you buy the car from a BMW dealer or elsewhere? Did you thoroughly review the warranty and service history before purchase? How many miles when you bought the car? Now?

The car is under the manufacturer's warranty for now. If you are dealing with a BMW store you should contact BMWNA. The 528 is one of the most reliable e60's. But you could have gotten one that was problematic or abused by the previous owner.

 

+1. bmw 4yr/50k miles should still be in play. take it to a bmw dealership and have it checked out because the n52 is honestly a really good engine