2008 BMW 5 Series

PURCHASED NEW 535I 8/22/08. WITH LESS THAN 400 MILE, RECEIVED ENGINE MALFUNCTION-POWER REDUCED WARNING WHILE DRIVING AT INTERSTATE SPEED. LIMPED TO DEALER, WHO HAD CAR FOR 4.5 DAYS. 1ST QUESTION: WHAT TYPE OF FUEL? SHELL. RESPONSE: MAY HAVE TO MUCH ETHANOL. SERVICE FOUND AN ENGINE MIS-FIRE CODE; REPLACED INJECTOR AND SWAPPED COILS TO VALIDATE INJ. REPLACEMENT. 2ND OCCURRENCE AT 3200 MILES, AGAIN AT HI-WAY SPEEDS. MIS-FIRE CODE AGAIN FOUND BY DEALER SERVICE. INJECTORS WERE "SWAPPED"; I'M NOT SURE TO WHAT END. THE CAR WAS ALSO "REPROGRAMMED".I GET THE IMPRESSION THAT SERVICE PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS TRULY CAUSING THE PROBLEM. OR ELSE THAT THEY ARE TRYING NOT TO COMMIT. NOW HAVE APPROX. 4100 MILES W/O ANY RECURRENCE. APPARENTLY THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IS NOT JUST WITH THE 5 SERIES, BUT THE 3 SERIES ALSO, BOTH TYPES WITH THE N54 TURBO CHARGED 3 LITER ENGINE. FIRST FIXES INVOLVED THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, NOW THEY ARE APPEAR TO BE SWAPPING/REPLACING INJECTORS AND REPROGRAMMING THE ECU. IT IS ALSO A COMMON POINT OF DISCUSSION IN ON-LINE BMW FORUMS WHEN SEARCHED UNDER ENGINE MALFUNCTION. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 BMW 535I WITH SPORT PACKAGE AND PREMIUM PACKAGE. I HAVE HAD AN "ENGINE MALFUNCTION/REDUCING HORSEPOWER" ISSUE WITH THIS CAR 3 TIMES SINCE PURCHASING IT IN AUGUST 2008. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WITHIN 3 WEEKS OF DELIVERY AND ONLY 600 MILES. THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED ABOUT A MONTH LATER WITH APPROX 1500 MILES; AND THE THIRD INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 11/3/08 WITH APPROXIMATELY 2200 MILES. BMW SAYS EACH TIME THAT IT'S A MISFIRE IN ONE OF THE CYLINDERS - BUT THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. SO EACH TIME THEY RESET THE COMPUTER AND SEND ME AWAY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I DRIVE ON CALIFORNIA FREEWAYS MOST OF THE TIME AND WHEN THIS ENGINE MALFUNCTION OCCURS, THE CAR STARTS "LIMPING" AND MISSING AND I HAVE TO SLOW AND PULL TO THE SIDE OF BUSY, BUSY FREEWAYS THAT ARE VERY DANGEROUS. BIMMERFEST FORUM SHOWS THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF OWNERS OF THE BMW 535I HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM - BUT BMW WILL NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE...... EACH TIME THE PROBLEM OCCURS, THE BMW DEALER ASKS ME WHAT KIND OF GAS I'M USING - AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN 91 OCTANE. THEN THEY ASK ME WHAT BRAND - WHICH IS CHEVRON, THOUGH I DIDN'T REALIZE THE BRAND OF GAS WOULD BE A PROBLEM IN MODERN DAY CARS. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO BE OCCURRING ON THE CALIFORNIA FREEWAY SYSTEM, NOT TO MENTION ANY FREEWAY SYSTEM GIVEN THE SPEEDS AT WHICH PEOPLE DRIVE AND THE DANGER OF POWER LOSS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND HAVING TO PULL OVER ON VERY SMALL SHOULDERS WHERE OTHER CARS PASS AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED WITHIN ONLY A FOOT OR TWO OF MY CAR WHEN THE ENGINE MALFUNCTIONS. *TR

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS IN JULY AND BROUGHT IT TO DEALER AND COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. SECOND TIME I HAD CAR TOWED AND SAID IT WAS FAULTY IGNITION COIL. REPLACED AND SEEMS OK NOW, BUT EVERY SO OFTEN IT RUNS ROUGH FOR A FEW MOMENT. *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW BMW 535I ON MAY 26, 2008 AND ON AUG 8, 2008 WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AT 70 MILES AND HOUR THE CAR STARTED WAS SHAKING AS IF RUNNING ON 3 CYLINDERS. THERE WAS A MESSAGE FROM THE CAR STATING ENGINE MALFUNCTION REDUCED POWER! I WAITED 3 HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK AND AFTER A FEW DAYS I RECEIVED A CALL FROM RICHMOND BMW STATING I NEEDED A NEW HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. I SAID FINE AND THEN RECEIVED A CALL THE NEXT DAY SAYING MY CAR WAS READY. WHEN I PICKED IT UP THEY DIDN'T REPAIR ANYTHING THEY SAID THEY WERE TOLD BY MUNICH TO JUST RESET THE LIGHT AND CLAIM ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS!! ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5TH WHILE TRYING TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION I WAS ALMOST T-BONED WHEN MY CAR AGAIN LOST POWER. THEN ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6TH THE ENGINE LOST POWER AGAIN AND SAME MESSAGE POPPED UP ON THE IDRIVE SCREEN. WHEN I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTION WAS A "HIGH PROFILE" PART IN MUNICH AND THEREFORE THEY WERE TOLD TO JUST RESET THE LIGHT TO SEE IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM OUTRAGED THAT BMW PUT MY FAMILY IN SUCH DANGER SO AS TO NOT HAVE TO REPLACE HIGH PROFILE PARTS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE WHAT IS GOING ON WITH BMW THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT COMES ON WITHOUT NOTICE OR WARNING POWER JUST IS GONE. I HAVE ASKED BMW TO REFUND MY MONEY BUT THEY HAVE HAD MY CAR SINCE SEPTEMBER 6TH AND I AM GETTING NOTHING BUT THE RUN AROUND. *TR