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      02-18-2012, 10:32 PM   #16
M3 worshipper
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Drives: 09 Silverstone M3 & 11 535i GT
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Yuba City, CA

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Exclamation Serious 5 GT design flaw

Quote:
Originally Posted by Uriah View Post
I'm on the fence for a 535xi GT and wanted to hear from some of you owners what you wish you knew before you bought..

Anything from annoying little features/problems/issues through to big ones.

Also pleasant surprises and such...

Nothing worse than buyers remorse...

(also under consideration new X3, Q5, A6 - I know.. not really comparable.... The GT is way outside my $ comfort zone).

Thx!
My wife just had a 1/2 gallon of milk spill into the trunk last week. It leaked down outside a rear liner, then into the central compartment/well.
The next AM, I got into the garaged auto, to find that the rear self-levelling electronics had shorted out (turns out I'd fried the ECU, which just happens to be there, along with the pump, neither of which is sealed from fluids). This cost me $575 to replace, @ my cost.
It turns out that others have this ECU placed in the same location, also unsealed.
I got this for a family/travel vehicle just under a year ago. Safety & BMW's reputation for quality have always been the sales clincher for me, now for over 32 years. But this design blunder has made me rethink the company's stance on this.
Imagine if the suspension had essentially "failed" @ speed (70 mph here, let alone over 140 mph on the autobahn). I've gone to the dealer, but likely, not only will my costs for service not be renumerated, but the design will not be changed, either: after all, other models, including the X5 (?) have the same design.
This situation should be triggering a major recall, at least in the US.
I was going to trade my 09 M3 for an upcoming M5, but likely its design is the same.
This will likely be my last BMW (80 320i, 84 533i + 318is, 94 M3, 04 M3, & my current).
Maybe Audi is still a responsible company making safe, yet powerful & fun to drive vehicles for a decent price.
Bottom line: don't buy a new GT--I've got one for sale, though.
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