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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Engine Malfunction
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      12-31-2010, 10:34 PM   #1
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Engine Malfunction

Hi All,
Took delivery 7/26/10. Obeyed the break-in rules obsessively and am an all-around fairly conservative driver.
8,400 miles and Car "bings" and says "Engine Malfunction: Reduced Power. Engine restart not possible after stop. Drive directly to the nearest BMW Service Center or stop safely and call BMW Assist."
I obeyed it and drove straight there. The advisor was doubtful and told me it was probably just a problem with the remote control. He shut it off, and found out that the car was not lying...restart was not possible.
This was Thursday morning, and in the normal BMW shroud of secrecy i've been told very little, and that a motor related to the cam shaft was likely the issue and the part would be here Tuesday and they would want to keep it to drive for a few days after that.
An entire week? I don't have a good feeling. Anyone else heard of/experienced this?
Thanks.
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      01-01-2011, 02:16 PM   #2
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Sorry to hear the trouble, but the good thing is we can rely on your experience if we ever see the sort of message. Thanks for sharing.
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      01-09-2011, 05:58 PM   #3
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Update

10 days later and I don't have my car back.
They got the Cam Shaft Motor last Tuesday, but they then needed to order new gaskets...?
On Wedensday the car was "done but needed software updates"...
Thursday they were back to "putting it together"...???
Friday morning Cam shaft motor was now installed but not properly adjusting the timing, so they have to order the "sister part"... which truns out to be the shaft itself...

As next Tuesday (now estimated return) will be 12 days of run-around, I raised the roof at the dealership.
The shop foreman now admits this is an issue they had never seen and struggled with since the motor is very new to them. They enlisted the help of a BMW engineer and were finally told that "BMW now aknowldeges a problem with this assembly and its fault tolerance."

I wish the best for all of you, but this sounds as if they are beginning to see a trend...

I am most pissed at the idea of my 5-month old engine in pieces for a major overhual... It won't have the same magic for me now, as I'll be worried what will be next and granny the car.

I told them, however, that the next "sister part" they order better be the rest of the car in the likes of a new one...

Good Luck
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      01-09-2011, 06:32 PM   #4
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This is the problem with purchasing first year cars with equipment that your dealer has never seen before. Many of us are having the grinding/vibration issues and our cars are being used to experiment while trying to find a fix. Let's hope that your problem is a rare ocurrence that will be resolved to your satisfaction and not another major fault with this new model.

I would ask the Service Manager for a detailed list and description of everything that is being done to the car - in DETAIL including all parts repaired and/or replaced, you might need this later on if other issues come up and you are considering using the lemon law.
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      01-10-2011, 07:12 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SD535 View Post
The advisor was doubtful and told me it was probably just a problem with the remote control. He shut it off, and found out that the car was not lying...restart was not possible.
BWAAAAAAaaaaaaahahahahahaha! What a dummy. The SA, not you. You I feel sorry for.

Best of luck to you. I had similar issues with my E34, problems that they'd never seen before, and I got to know the service manager on a first name basis.

I'd wager that aside from the moron who thinks that reduced engine power is due to the remote, the technicians are working hard and trying to fix your car as best they can. I know it hurts to have your new car in pieces, but a cool head will give you the best results. Hopefully you have a nice loaner in the meantime.

I think I put about 2300 miles on the service loaner for one of my service visits on the E34...
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      01-11-2011, 11:45 PM   #6
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Another Update

Got my car back today. Feelin' good, ready to put it all behind... maybe 13 days wasn't all that bad.

25 miles later I got: "Engine Malfunction: Reduced Power. Engine Re-start not possible... Drive immediately to BMW..."

[censored]

I am not blaming anyone. The guys at dealer are all great people, and no doubt their first experience with this... But let them learn and experiment with it... and then sell it.

My expectations for the 2011 car I purchased with a $5000 down payment a few months ago and $800 a month since were that: 1.) I would have gotten to drive it in 2011, and 2.) At 8,000 miles it should not have had more major engine repair than an episode of overhaulin'.

Am I being an unreasonable customer?
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      01-13-2011, 08:32 AM   #7
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Doesn't it sounds like HPFP issues found on N54 motor? I would be pissed and (at least) expect a "fair" trade in amount for other model. Else, hello Benz
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      01-13-2011, 09:49 AM   #8
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I think you shound trade it to them for a great price against something else, the "new Car syndrome" has long gone for you now.
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      01-13-2011, 11:11 AM   #9
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Is this a N55 issue?
My question is how does the car know there is something wrong with it (not being able to restart) yet the people who made the car do not know how to fix it?
So is there anything actually wrong with it, or is something wrong with the error detection system?
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      01-13-2011, 12:52 PM   #10
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Grimlock...
Well, this time my sales guy turned it off, and it did not start again. I do not know if this confirms there is something actually wrong with it or if the "error detection system" you mention has some sort of safeguard that prevents starting until the code is cleared.

You can assume it is not the cam shaft assembly again (if it ever was), since I'm not sure how a brand new one could break after 25 miles.

No word from dealer since Tuesday. Snowstorm may be a factor...
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      01-13-2011, 02:16 PM   #11
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Keep your fingers crossed that it happens once again. Also be sure to keep records of how many days it's been in the shop all together.

Then lemon it.

You'll get those numbers of days reduced from any payments you've been making and a deal from BMWUSA to get out of the car and into another.

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=ocatermi..._law&csid=Eoca
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      01-18-2011, 09:10 AM   #12
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Oh man my car is having the same issue!

8600 miles
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      01-18-2011, 09:21 AM   #13
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Exclamation

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottz5 View Post
Oh man my car is having the same issue!

8600 miles
Looks like the new 535i engine has some design problems, this could be costly to BMW.
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      01-18-2011, 10:42 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnbmw6 View Post
Looks like the new 535i engine has some design problems, this could be costly to BMW.
Time to go over to the '3' forum and start reading up on N54/N55/HPFP
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      01-18-2011, 02:06 PM   #15
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I'd like for some 535i owners that has driven around or more than 8400 miles and has not had this problem to post here, just to balance things up. This thread makes me nervous. :/
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      01-18-2011, 02:26 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grimlock View Post
Time to go over to the '3' forum and start reading up on N54/N55/HPFP
I'm one of those guys. By the time I sold my E92 (3 series coupe) with the N54 my resale value had really gotten whacked. I once counted myself among the lucky because I never had the HPFP problem... until around 22K miles. Then it routinely went into "limp home" mode, but that was curable with a restart (AKA reboot). Too bad BMW decided to prevent us from driving the car when this problem occurs with the N55.

This is discouraging to read. Still... two people out of hundreds (thousands?) on this forum having this problem is not statistically significant.

Still waiting for an update on the fix from the OP.

BTW, lemon laws vary from state to state, and often it's not just having the same problem 3 times, but can also be number of days the car is in the shop. Bad weather may help you out there.

You are much more likely to get a goodwill buyback from BMW than you are to win a lemon law case. The downside of the buyback is that they will often require you to buy another BMW as part of the deal. That said, don't fool yourself into thinking that Mercedes is any better...
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      01-19-2011, 06:59 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bamsha View Post
I'd like for some 535i owners that has driven around or more than 8400 miles and has not had this problem to post here, just to balance things up. This thread makes me nervous. :/
They replaced old software with a new version and I got the car back last night. I drove the car 50 miles and it seems fine. I hope thats all it was but I am still a little nervous.

My car has been perfect other than this issue.
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      01-19-2011, 07:01 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scottz5 View Post
They replaced old software with a new version and I got the car back last night. I drove the car 50 miles and it seems fine. I hope thats all it was but I am still a little nervous.

My car has been perfect other than this issue.
Thanks i appreciate that. As I might buy my car in the UK I'd hate to get that problem in a foreign country on my way home.
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      01-19-2011, 02:18 PM   #19
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This sounds like the gas tank level sensor RECALL issue. I took my 550 in and they took care of it, although I was not having any false readings.
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      01-19-2011, 04:07 PM   #20
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You all are luckier than I was. I only got to drive GT#1 700 miles back in 12/09. GT#2 is now at 14,400 miles with no issues - knocking on wood.
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      01-19-2011, 04:20 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LuvMyE92 View Post

BTW, lemon laws vary from state to state, and often it's not just having the same problem 3 times, but can also be number of days the car is in the shop. Bad weather may help you out there.
The OP is from MA. The link I sent him is from the MA Dept of Consumer Affairs government website. "A repair is attempted 3 or more times for the same substantial defect."
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      01-19-2011, 07:10 PM   #22
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Had a high pressure fuel pump changed on my F10 2011 535xi today. Had a Drivetrain malfunction light & took it in to see what was going on. Car feels fine now. October 2010 delivery. Just a heads up.
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