2000 BMW 740IL

THE INFORMATION PANEL IN FRONT OF THE STERING COLUMN IN THE DASH IS SO PIXALATED THE INFORMATION SUCH AS THE ODOMETER AND OTHER NECESSARY SAFETY INFORMATION IS UNREADABLE. THE DEALER WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AS A CERTIFIED BMW, 18 MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE IN 2004 THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 60,000 MILES AT THE TIME (NOW 75,000 MILES), SAID IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $1500 TO $2000 TO REPLACE AND IT WAS OUR RESPONSIBILITY. WE HAVE LIVED WITH IT FOR SOME YEARS NOW AND TRY TO AVOID DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN USED SPARINGLY BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. THERE WAS NO CONDITION THAT WE KNOW OF THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM. ONLY HEARSAY, BUT THE BMW SERVICE PERSON TOLD US THAT THIS HAPPENS SOMETIME AND THEY COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY. WE KNOW THAT THERE WERE OTHERS WITH THE SOME PROBLEM BUT OF COURSE THE DEALER WOULD NOT SAY IN THEIR PROTECTIVE CONVERSATION. I DO NOT BLAME THEM BUT I DO BLAME THEM, THE DEALER, AND BMW FOR NOT GIVING THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT AND FULL DIDCLOSURE THAT IT WAS NOT NORMAL AND WAS A DEFECT. THANKS TO A NEIGHBOR I LEARNED OF THIS SITE. I HOPE PEOPLE BUYING A NEW BMW EXTENDS THEIR WARRENTY TO INCLUDE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.

I HAVE A 2000 BMW 740IL THAT IS VERY HARD TO READ FROM THE DASH BOARD OR THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. I CANNOT READ THE EXACT MILEAGE ON THE CAR, OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION THAT COMES TO THE SCREEN BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS FIX SINCE IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. ANY IDEA OF WHAT TO DO FROM THIS POINT WILL BE OF GREAT HELP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 740IL. THE CONTACT WAS BRAKING FROM APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES LOCKED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RELEASE THE BRAKES AND PROCEED. SEVERAL DAYS LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT WITHOUT THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, HE AS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND REPLACED THE ABS UNIT. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED IN REGARDS TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,240 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 119,000.

THE PROBLEM AREAS OF MISSING PIXELS ARE PRIMARILY LOCATED IN THE DRIVER'S INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THAT DISPLAYS ODOMETER & TRIP ODOMETER, OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE , AND CHECK CONTROL DISPLAY, SUCH AS WARNINGS/PARKING BRAKE/COOLANT TEMPERATURE /LEVEL/ KEY & SEAT BELT REMINDER, ETC. BMWS HAVE BEEN EVALUATING CASE BY CASE BASIS ON THOSE WHO KNEW WHERE TO COMPLAIN IN BMW ON THIS PROBLEM AND ON WHO COULD GET SERVICE. IT WAS THEIR DISCRETION OF HOW MUCH THEY WOULD COVER TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DISPLAY BASED ON NON-SENSE CRITERIA , IF YOU'RE THE ORIGINAL OWNER OR NOT, IF YOU OWN OTHER BMW, WHERE YOU PURCHASED YOUR VEHICLE, ETC. THE MAIN PROBLEM, IN MOST CASES, I COULD NOT TELL WHAT WAS THE EXACT ODOMETER OR OTHER WARNING MESSAGES BECAUSE ALL THE PIXELS WERE MISSING DUE TO LOOSE/FAULTY INTERNAL WIRING OF THE DRIVER' S INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DISPLAY. BMW HAD FIXED A LOT OF THESE PIXEL PROBLEMS, BUT MANY OTHER PEOPLE WERE POORLY INFORMED OF WHAT THEY COULD DO. THERE WERE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF CONSUMER WHO HAD VOICED THEIR CONCERN TO BMW DIRECTLY RELATED TO THESE PIXEL PROBLEMS, BUT BMW STILL CONTINUED TO SUPPLY AND INSTALL THE SAME (T DEFECTIVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DISPLAY. BMW SHOULD BE MANDATED TO MAKE A PERMANENT FIX ON THESE PIXEL PROBLEMS AND MANDATE THEM TO PAY FOR ALL THE COST , PARTS AND LABOR, TO REPAIR/REPLACE A DEFECTIVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *AK

I AM WRITING REGARDING MY 2000 BMW 740IL. FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS), DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC), AND BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATE AT RANDOM INTERVALS. THIS INDICATES THAT THE DYNAMIC STABILITY AND ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEMS ARE NO LONGER WORKING. THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A CONSISTENT REASON FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. I HAVE DRIVEN 50 MILES ON POTHOLE-FILLED, RAIN-SLICKED HIGHWAYS AND THE LIGHTS HAVE REMAINED OFF. ON THE OTHER HAND, I HAVE STARTED THE CAR IN MY GARAGE, STEPPED BACK IN THE HOUSE TO GET SOMETHING, AND COME BACK OUT TO FIND THE LIGHTS ON. TYPICALLY, I'M JUST DRIVING STRAIGHT DOWN A LEVEL ROAD AND NOT TOUCHING THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN THE LIGHTS COME ON. THERE ARE LOTS OF THEORIES AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENS. I HAVE RULED OUT TIRES BECAUSE I RECENTLY INSTALLED FOUR NEW TIRES ALL THE SAME, ALL PROPERLY INFLATED AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. I PURCHASED A NEW BATTERY, BUT THAT DIDN'T HELP. I HAD THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CHECKED, BUT IT WAS OK. MY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO IS BMW FACTORY- TRAINED, CLEANED ALL ABS SENSORS, BUT THAT DIDN'T HELP. WE GOT A FAULT CODE TO REPLACE THE RIGHT REAR SENSOR, WHICH WE DID, BUT STILL GOT THE FAULT CODE AFTER INSTALLING A NEW SENSOR. THERE WERE NO OTHER FAULT CODES. THE INFORMATION ABOVE WAS PROVIDED TO BMW NORTH AMERICA, BUT THEY REFUSED TO INSPECT OR REPAIR THE CAR UNLESS I PAID THEM. MY RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THE ABS MODULE BECOMES DEFECTIVE QUITE FREQUENTLY ON BMWS. THERE ARE HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS, OF REPORTS OF THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET. IT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THE SYSTEM REVERTS TO NORMAL OPERATION, THEN SUDDENLY FAILS WITHOUT WARNING. IN LIGHT OF NHTSA'S RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF ELECTRONIC STABILITY SYSTEMS, I URGE YOU TO ORDER BMW TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PARTS ON ALL VEHICLES WITH THIS PROBLEM AT NO COST TO THE OWNER. THANK YOU.

TWO DAYS AFTER PURCHASING A 2000 BMW 740IL WITH 45,000 MILES ON IT FROM A FRIEND, I LEFT MY DRIVEWAY AND ACTIVATED THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEATED SEAT. AFTER DRIVING SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS, I BEGAN TO SMELL SMOKE. I STOPPED THE VEHICLE TO TRY TO DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. MY WIFE WAS FOLLOWING IN ANOTHER VEHICLE AND PULLED ALONG SIDE ME. I ROLLED DOWN THE WINDOW AND WIFE SAID "THERE IS SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE WINDOW!". I TURNED OFF THE SEAT AND OPENED THE DOOR AND LOOKED AT THE SEAT. THERE WAS A BURNT SPOT APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF A DIME HIGH ON THE OUTBOARD BOLSTER OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT. I TOUCHED THE SPOT AND IT WAS EXTREMELY HOT TO THE TOUCH. MY ONE AND A HALF YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS STRAPPED IN HER CAR SEAT IN THE BACK. BEFORE EXITING THE VEHICLE, I UNLOCKED ALL THE DOORS IN CASE I HAD TO GO AROUND AND PULL HER FROM THE CAR. AFTER TURNING OFF THE SEAT, THE FIRE STOPPED. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ON SEVERAL BMW E38 WEBSITES AND HAVE FOUND SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS OCCURRENCE. ONE INDIVIDUAL SAID THAT A SERVICE BULLETIN HAD BEEN SENT TO BMW DEALERS TO ALERT THEM OF THIS PROBLEM IN SEVERAL LINES OF BMW CARS, INCLUDING SOME NEWER MODELS. FORTUNATELY, I HAD NOT YET UTILIZED THE AUXILIARY CLIMATE CONTROL TIMER FUNCTION THAT ALLOWS THE OWNER TO HAVE THE CAR TURN ON IT'S HEATED SEATS AND STEERING WHEEL AT A PRE-SET TIME BEFORE THE OWNER ENTERS THE CAR. SEEING HOW QUICKLY THE SEAT CAUGHT FIRE, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IF THIS FUNCTION HAD BEEN USED, IT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A CATASTROPHIC VEHICLE FIRE THAT COULD HAVE CONSUMED THE SEAT, SINCE PRESUMABLY THE OWNER WOULD BE INSIDE THE HOME OR OFFICE AND COULD NOT WITNESS THE FIRE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SIDEWALL AT THE BEAD HAS CRACKED. THE CRACK IS 10" LONG. THE CRACK IS BEHIND THE BEAD ON THE WHEEL WHICH CAUSED THE TIRE TO LOSE AIR QUICKLY CAUSING THE LEFT REAR TIRE TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THE TIRE FAILED. THE DEALERSHIP OFFERED 30% OFF OF A NEW TIRE. THE MANUFACTURER OF THE TIRE IS MICHELIN. THE TIRE LINE/SIZE IS: 25545ZR18.

I PURCHASED A 2000, BMW 740IL ON APRIL 5, 2005. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 65,000 MILES. SINCE THAT TIME, I HAVE HAD TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER FOR COOLANT SYSTEM FAILURE 4 TIMES. EACH TIME THE MONITORING SYSTEM INDICATED LOW COOLANT. THE FIRST 2 TIME, THE ENGIN HAD PLENTY OF FLUID. THE THIRD TIME IT WAS SUGGESTED BY THE DEALER THAT THE SENSOR MAY NEED REPLACING. IT WAS REPLACED ON MAY 2, 2005. ON MAY 7, THE ENGIN MONITORING SYSTEM INDICATED ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE COOLANT LEVEL. AFTER THE CAR WAS PARKED, COOLANT BEGAN TO LEAK ONTO THE GROUND. CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER FOR FURTHER REPAIRS. IMOGENE F. CLARKE