2008 BMW 535I

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR INDICATED AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION AND WITHIN SECONDS THE MESSAGE CHANGED TO ENGINE OVERHEATING AND THAT ENGINE IS OPERATING AT REDUCED OUTPUT. IT ALSO ADVISED TO STOP THE CAR IMMEDIATELY AND CALL THE NEAREST BMW DEALER. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A BMW DEALER AND THEY IDENTIFIED ISSUE AS A FAILED WATERPUMP. THE WATER PUMP WAS REPLACED FOR ABOUT $1,400. 3 MONTHS LATER, A SIMILAR ISSUE OCCURRED WHERE ENGINE WAS HAVING ISSUES AND THE MESSAGE SAID THAT THE ENGINE IS OPERATING AT REDUCED SPEED BUT THAT IT IS SAFE TO CONTINUE. TOOK THE CAR BACK TO DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUES; BUT JUST TO BE SAFE (WHATEVER THAT MEANS) THEY REPROGRAMMED THE BATTERY AND THE BILL WAS $126. AGAIN, WITH NO SPECIFIC ISSUE IDENTIFIED OR RESOLVED. *TR

I JUST HAD TO HAVE MY WATER PUMP AND THERMOSTAT REPLACED ON MY 2008 535I. I WAS TOLD THAT IT HAPPENS SO OFTEN, THEY KEEP THE PART ON THE SHELF! ARE THERE REALLY NO RECALLS ON THIS PROBLEM?? ALSO, MY RIGHT TAIL LIGHT SHORTED OUT. I ASKED THE SHOP WHY...HE SAID THIS ALSO HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. THE WIRES FRY! NOT COOL.I REALLY THINK SOMEONE NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS. WHEN I WAS TOLD THEY REPLACE THEM ALL OF THE TIME, I WAS SHOCKED. THAT COST ME $1102.62 TO FIX. THE GUY WHO TOWED ME SAID HE MAKES SEVERAL TRIPS A WEEK FOR PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING HOME ON THE HIGHWAY MY ENGINE OVERHEATED VERY QUICKLY. IT WENT INTO SERIOUS LIMP MODE AND SLOWED DOWN TO UNDER 30MPH IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A WIDE FREEWAY. I LET IT COOL FOR OVER 20 MINUTES, AND IT OVERHEATED WITHIN 1 MINUTE OF TURNING IT BACK ON. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND HE DETERMINED THE WATER PUMP HAD FAILED. I STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND IT TURNS OUT TO BE A VERY COMMON ISSUE. I READ MANY MANY COMPLAINTS OF PEOPLE HAVING ELECTRICAL WATER PUMP FAILURES BEFORE 75,000 MILES. WITHOUT A WATER PUMP YOU MUST HAVE THE CAR TOWED AND ITS A VERY EXPENSIVE FIX. BMW/MINI HAVE HAD MANY CARS WITH PROBLEMATIC WATER PUMPS IN THE PAST AND THEY NEVER DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO RESULT IN A RECALL. *TR

DRIVING MY DAD TO ER FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCY AND DRIVING WITHIN SPEED LIMIT. CAR BEGINS TO SLOW DOWN ON OWN. COULD NOT GO MORE THAN 5MPH WHEN CAR SHUT DOWN AND STATED ENGINE OVERHEATED. WE WERE STALLED ON BUSY HIGHWAY. ONCE ABLE TO GET SOMEONE TO TRANSPORT MY FATHER TO ER, HAD TO GET CAR TOWED. WATER PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED FOR NO FAULT OF MINE. MY SISTER ALSO HAS BMW 2008 3 SERIES AND SAME THING HAPPENED TO HER YESTERDAY---STRANDED ON SIDE OF ROAD--WATER PUMP HAD TO BE CHANGED. TOW TRUCK DRIVER STATED HE IS TOWING BMW'S ALL THE TIME WITH MALFUNCTIONING WATER PUMPS. THIS REALLY NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO BEFORE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS TO STRANDED DRIVERS. *TR

AIR BAG SENSOR MAT IN THE PASSEBGER SEAT IS CRACKED. THEREFOR THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN A CRASH. ACCORDING TO MY RESEARCH THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN BMW E60 SEDANS. THERE HAS BEEN A PREVIOUS RECALL TO BMW'S IN EARLIER YEARS. WHY IS IT NOT A RECALL NOW? OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF THE SAFETY SYSTEM AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

2008 535I POWER STEERING PUMP AT 49,560 MILES. I FLUID DRIPPING (BROWNISH-REDDISH) ON MY GARAGE FLOOR AND LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND NOTICED LEAK DEVELOPED UNDER THE CAR ENGINE LEFT SIDE, SIPPED THRU THE UNDER CARRIAGE COVER PLATE. I CONTACTED BMW DEALERSHIP, SET UP APPOINTMENT FOR SERVICE ANALYSIS. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE REP AND HIS MASTER MECHANIC THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY VISIBLE LEAKAGE AND COULD BE "JUST FROM ANOTHER VEHICLE PARKED ON THE SPOT BEFORE AND JUST "TOP OFF ALL FLUIDS". I INSISTED THAT THE DRIPS WAS ON MY GARAGE CLEAN FLOOR AND UN-SATISFIED WITH THE ANSWER. I TOLD THE SERVICE REP THAT I WILL E-MAIL HIM A PICTURE I TOOK OF THE CARS UNDER CARRIAGE SHOWING THE FLUID DRIPPING. AFTER AN HOUR, HE CALLED AND ADMITTED THAT THE PICTURE HELP THEM TO "TROUBLE-SHOOT" AND THEY UN-INSTALL THE UNDER CARRIAGE COVER PLATE AND FOUND A LEAK ON THE POWER STEERING PUMP (PART COST $1,250.00 NOT INCLUDING LABOR, $1,630.00 TOTAL) AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. FORTUNATELY IT'S ALL COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED TOTAL LOSS OF VEHICLE AND CAUSE ACCIDENT OR EVEN LIVES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED LOUD POPPING NOISES, SIMILAR TO THE SOUND OF A GUN SHOT. THE CONTACT PROCEEDED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND THE GLASS FROM THE SUNROOF BEGAN TO SHATTER, FALLING OVER HIM WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT MOVED OFF THE ROADWAY AND CONFIRMED THAT THE SUNROOF SHATTERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THE FOLLOWING DAY AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT SOMETHING MUST HAVE STRUCK THE SUNROOF TO CAUSE THE GLASS TO SHATTER. THE CONTACT WAS PERSISTENT THAT NOTHING HAD STRUCK THE SUNROOF AND LATER WHILE PERFORMING RESEARCH, HE DISCOVERED THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THE EXACT SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL HAD ALSO ENCOUNTERED THE SUNROOF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 36,500.

RIGHT REAR BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE INDICATOR ON DASH BOARD TURNED ON. INSPECTING THE LIGHT BULBS, ALL SEEMED TO BE IN WORKING CONDITION. FUSES WERE ALSO GOOD. FOUND THE GROUND WIRE PIN AND SOCKET ON THE BULB HOLDER BURNED OUT PRETTY SEVERELY. PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE INTERMITTENT AS THE INDICATOR WOULD TURN ON AND OFF BEFORE EVENTUALLY STAYING ON PERMANENTLY. ALSO, INDICATOR WOULD SHOW TURN SIGNAL FAILURE AT FIRST, THEN BRAKE LIGHT, THEN RIGHT BACK UP LIGHT, THEN ALL THREE. EVENTUALLY IT SETTLED IN ON BRAKE LIGHT ONLY. POTENTIAL FOR ACCIDENTS RELATED TO TURN SIGNALS NOT WORKING AND WARNING OTHER DRIVERS OF BRAKING AND/OR TURNING. ALSO POTENTIAL FOR AN ELECTRICAL FIRE BEGINNING IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE CLOSE TO WHERE THE FUEL FILLER CAP IS LOCATED. CHECKING ONLINE FORUMS FOR A REPAIR, IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM, AND THE SUBJECT OF AN EARLIER RECALL ON OTHER BMW MODELS. *TR