[jamier9]

I have been waiting for this, finally get to collect my 523i F10 on 4th March.

Needless to say I'm all excited, new toy to play with!!

Its a Friday and weekend is around the corner, can't wait to drive this baby around.

I take a few hours off work and head down to the BMW showroom here in Singapore, its been raining for a few hours but has stopped....Wonderful!!

I reach there at around 5pm and 2 of my friends tag along.

Get there and meet my sales guy who brings me to the handover room where the car is parked. Beautiful!!!

Get through all the paperwork, followed by the car orientation.

We finally get done by 6pm.

My friends and me drive to a place near my home for some dinner. My home is only 10km from the showroom.

Enjoying every minute of the short drive.

We finish dinner and I drive home(just about 1km away) at around 7.45pm.

I did not tell my wife I'm buying a new car, thought I would suprise her. Call her and ask her to come to the carpark. Needless to say she is surprised and of course loves the car.

She asks me if we can go for a quick drive, of course I said!!

So we get in and we drive out at around 8.10pm.

We reach the first traffic light which is about 2km away, red light so I stop.

As soon as I stop, the engine DIES!!!

Try re-starting but engine is not turning over!! Call my sales guy and he tells me to get out, lock the doors and then unlock them again. Do this and try starting the engine but nothing is happening.

It is now 8.18pm, I have had the car for less than 3 hours and not more than 15km on it!!

My wife walks back home, how embarrasing!!

Service technician arrives at the scene at around 9.15pm and can't figure out the problem, says they will have to tow it back and have a look at it on Monday.

My sales guy arrives at the scene at 9.20pm with another loaner F10 523i, have to take my hat off to him for great customer service.

Not how I planned this day.

[guji]

Wow! I am sorry... that's really bad...especially after you paid equivalent USD $1xx,xxx in Asia.

I am glad the salesman came out at night to take care of your problem and got you a same model loaner car.

[jamier9]

Originally Posted by guji

Wow! I am sorry... that's really bad...especially after you paid equivalent USD $1xx,xxx in Asia.

I am glad the salesman came out at night to take care of your problem and got you a same model loaner car.

Yup, almost USD$200K for this 523i.

Weird thing was that I was not pissed off, I half expected something like this to happen but not so fast though.

It was nobody's fault except the plant that manufactured it!!

The salesman was actually suprised that I was still joking around with them and not fuming mad.

Luck of the draw I suppose.

[EdM5]

I feel sorry for you dude. That is tough luck.

[listerone]

Hope your problem is fixed quickly and easily.I had a similar problem with an Infiniti I had a few years ago and,fortunately,it was the only problem I ever had with it for 6 years.Hopefully your problem will prove to be the same kind of thing.

But a little off-topic....having been to Singapore (and Hong Kong) myself and having seen *many* very expensive cars in both places I just can't understand why anyone would spend $200,000 (US) on a car in a country/"region" that is so small that it takes 30 minutes to drive from one end to the other.From Singapore one can certainly drive into Malayasia and from Hong Kong one can drive into China but having seen a bit of Malayasia (and Indonesia) as well *I* certainly wouldn't want to drive a $200,000 car in either country.

Sorry for going off topic.Hope you'll share some quick thoughts on the subject.

[SpawneyGet]

Originally Posted by jamier9

Yup, almost USD$200K for this 523i.

Wowowowow... That's a lot of dollars for a 523i. Is it because of tax system over there? How does it work???

[guji]

Originally Posted by SpawneyGet

Wowowowow... That's a lot of dollars for a 523i. Is it because of tax system over there? How does it work???

I've been to some dealerships in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Malaysia.

The tax for imported cars (especially European cars) is generally 200%+ and goes even higher based on your engine size. In Hong Kong, if I remember correctly, 550i is nearly TRIPLE the price of a 523i.

I saw this M-B SLS AMG with a price tag of nearly USD $700,000. LOL!

[SpawneyGet]

Originally Posted by guji

I've been to some dealerships in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Malaysia.

The tax for imported cars (especially European cars) is generally 200%+ and goes even higher based on your engine size. In Hong Kong, if I remember correctly, 550i is nearly TRIPLE the price of a 523i.

I saw this M-B SLS AMG with a price tag of nearly USD $700,000. LOL!

Wow again! (and thanks for explanation)

So one must be very well off to be able to own a big Merc or a Beamer.

China and Malaysia has their own automaker, but Singapore (and Hong Kong if you differentiate her from Mainland China) has no OEM there. Can't be to protect local industry for Singapore and Hong Kong. Is it purely to limit the number of cars on the road? Congestion, pollution...?

[gatoman39]

My guess is the battery. Let us know what they find, please.

[jamier9]

Originally Posted by listerone

Hope your problem is fixed quickly and easily.I had a similar problem with an Infiniti I had a few years ago and,fortunately,it was the only problem I ever had with it for 6 years.Hopefully your problem will prove to be the same kind of thing.

But a little off-topic....having been to Singapore (and Hong Kong) myself and having seen *many* very expensive cars in both places I just can't understand why anyone would spend $200,000 (US) on a car in a country/"region" that is so small that it takes 30 minutes to drive from one end to the other.From Singapore one can certainly drive into Malayasia and from Hong Kong one can drive into China but having seen a bit of Malayasia (and Indonesia) as well *I* certainly wouldn't want to drive a $200,000 car in either country.

Sorry for going off topic.Hope you'll share some quick thoughts on the subject.

Yes, hope that the problem is quickly solved as well.

I know it does not make sense to spend so much money on a car in a place like Singapore, have to agree with you on this.

However, I feel buying a car sometimes is very emotional. Even in places like the US or UK, buying a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry will still bring you to your destination safely and comfortable.

The reason why you pay more for a BMW is to enjoy a better driving experience even though it serves the same function as a Honda or Camry.

So I suppose those living in Singapore or Hong Kong want to have this better driving experience just like anybody else despite our limited driving space and super expensive cars.

[jamier9]

Originally Posted by SpawneyGet

Wowowowow... That's a lot of dollars for a 523i. Is it because of tax system over there? How does it work???

Yes, because of our tax system and some other things that we have to pay for.

I started a thread highlighting the prices here in Singapore.If you like, you can visit the link below:-

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=492336

[jamier9]

Originally Posted by SpawneyGet

Wow again! (and thanks for explanation)

So one must be very well off to be able to own a big Merc or a Beamer.

China and Malaysia has their own automaker, but Singapore (and Hong Kong if you differentiate her from Mainland China) has no OEM there. Can't be to protect local industry for Singapore and Hong Kong. Is it purely to limit the number of cars on the road? Congestion, pollution...?

Main explanation given for the high tax and other stuff that make cars so expensive is to control the vehicle population and pollution given that Singapore is so very small.

[jamier9]

Originally Posted by gatoman39

My guess is the battery. Let us know what they find, please.

Will update you'll as soon as I hear back from BMW Singapore.

I'm not a technical person but from what sound I heard yesterday when trying to restart the car after it stalled it sounded like the battery was still strong.

When I pushed the Start button, I could hear the engine trying to crank up but it just was not turning over.

One thing I failed to mentioned, the engine stalled right after I pressed the Auto HD button when I was at a standstill at the traffic light.

[stickypaws]

Wow. That's a sad story.

It's like hearing about a little kid getting his first puppy and having it run away that night.

[grimlock]

your car was so expensive, when it found out how much it cost, it just couldn't live with itself so it decided to die right there

well at least your dealer gives you good treatment, they treat you like shit here and you still can because we figure what a 'deal' we're getting.. and the cars work

anyways, hope its just a little speed bump and you're back enjoying your ferrari-priced bmw

[jamier9]

Originally Posted by grimlock

your car was so expensive, when it found out how much it cost, it just couldn't live with itself so it decided to die right there

well at least your dealer gives you good treatment, they treat you like shit here and you still can because we figure what a 'deal' we're getting.. and the cars work

anyways, hope its just a little speed bump and you're back enjoying your ferrari-priced bmw

LOL!!

I figure its got to be an electronic problem rather then a mechanical one...this F10's have so much of electronics that it just blows your mind!!

[grimlock]

The salesman was probably a bit concerned you had such a cool reaction, thought maybe you are the volcano +glock type when your tolerance level has been reached.

But how did you buy a car (that costs as much as a house) without your wife knowing?

Maybe your car got only the latter half of the 'Start Stop' function..

[BestManWins]

Hi Jamier9, sorry to hear about your most unfortunate problem. I'm glad the sales guy managed to get a loaner at that hour - I take my hat off to you for maintaining your cool in such a situation.

It is most strange that the engine decides to fail after pressing the Auto Hold button, as even if it did short a circuitry, the fuse would give way without affecting the engine. My suspicion would be the fuel delivery.

I was surprised that when I collected my ride, PML did not give fuel vouchers to fill up the tank like they used to, perhaps the tank was empty? And it shouldn't be the fuel pump as the HPFP issue only affects the 535.

Please let us know what PML has found to cause the stall.

[jamier9]

Originally Posted by grimlock

The salesman was probably a bit concerned you had such a cool reaction, thought maybe you are the volcano +glock type when your tolerance level has been reached.

But how did you buy a car (that costs as much as a house) without your wife knowing?

Maybe your car got only the latter half of the 'Start Stop' function..

Volcano won't erupt so easily unless they tell me something like "It's a normal problem" which I heard is a pretty standard reply from them. Till then prefer to let them do their job and me mine(making money to pay for the car).

As to how I can buy car this expensive without letting my wife know, well many of my friends have asked me the same question. The dynamics in my family is a little different, my wife is a housewife who is pretty bad with finances...so for everybody's sake I control 'everything' when it comes to managing finances, so basically she does not know anything about it.

[jamier9]

Originally Posted by BestManWins

Hi Jamier9, sorry to hear about your most unfortunate problem. I'm glad the sales guy managed to get a loaner at that hour - I take my hat off to you for maintaining your cool in such a situation.

It is most strange that the engine decides to fail after pressing the Auto Hold button, as even if it did short a circuitry, the fuse would give way without affecting the engine. My suspicion would be the fuel delivery.

I was surprised that when I collected my ride, PML did not give fuel vouchers to fill up the tank like they used to, perhaps the tank was empty? And it shouldn't be the fuel pump as the HPFP issue only affects the 535.

Please let us know what PML has found to cause the stall.

Just as I was about to reply to your post, BMW(PML) called.

Apparently something known as the 'power distribution module' was faulty. Apparently this is a component that distributes electrical voltage to the entire car.

It needs to be replaced and will take 2 weeks to arrive!! Have these people not heard of FEDEX!!

I told them that they should be looking at other alternatives like taking the required component from another F10 that has not be bought or delivered yet because BMW Singapore orders their cars in bulk without pre-selling them first. The guy said he will look into this.

If anybody can tell me if this 'power distribution module' is transferable from one car to another...that would be great.

This is because I already anticipate they are going to tell me it cannot be removed from another car as it maybe tied in to that car's specific on board computer system.

[CAPSGOD]

200k For A 523i! How Does The Dealer Stay In Business

[jamier9]

Originally Posted by CAPSGOD

200k For A 523i! How Does The Dealer Stay In Business

Simple, ONE and ONLY authorised BMW dealer in Singapore!!