[John1111]

Yes, I picked up my new car yesterday and did not have a great experience. The car was special ordered back in February - saphire black with a bunch of options bringing up the MSRP to $65,575. It's hard to believe that the dealer screwed up my order. This is the second time this dealer screwed up one of my orders. The first time was 3 years ago when I ordered my 2008 535. I had ordered black and the car came in in Monaco Blue. I ended up taking the blue with some significant givebacks.

This time I had ordered the interior to be black dakota leather with light wood trim. The car came in with dark wood trim. And of course the dealer didn't realize there was a mistake until the salesman showed me the car and I pointed it out to him. He immediately said they would make it up to me and offered an extra set of floor mats - yeah right! I don't want to say what they gave me to accept the car but it was much, much more than a set of floor mats. In any event it was a real disappointment as I would have much preferred to get the car I ordered.

The next thing I see is that there is a noticeable ding on the rear trunk lid. It was painted over with touchup paint. I find it disturbing that I saw it and they didn't tell me about it. When I pointed it out I was told that they didn't know about it and that it must have happened in transit and was repaired in transit. At this point they only thing I've done about this is to ask for a letter from the dealership confirming that the car was delivered to me with this ding in it and that I was the one who discovered it. I'm open to suggestions on this one.

The next thing that happens is when I am driving the car home the 10inch navigation/i drive screen goes dark. Now I can't turn on the radio, navigation or anything else controlled by the i drive. Over the last day or so the idrive sometimes works and sometimes the screen just goes dark in the middle of driving and the idrive and anthing controlled by it no longer works. I have an appointment tomorrow with service and a loaner car -something not expected with a new car.

Probably my biggest disappointment, however, is driving the new car. I was coming off a 3 year lease of my 2008 535xi which, in terms of handling and driving, was the best car I ever had. Compared to the light, nimble handling of the 2008, the new car feels like I'm driving a boat. Yes, the car is very smooth and quiet but it doesn't drive anything like the 2008 535. To me it feels more like a Lexus or big American car like a Cadilac. Also the multi-contour seats on the 2008 had more adjustments and therefore are better than the multi-contour seats on the new car. On the plus side, it is a beautiful looking car - far superior in looks to the 2008.

Overall, however, I am disappointed. I hope that over time I will start to like the car more. I think that will be the case.

[ghueser]

I sincerely hope it works out for you and can understand your frustration and decision. But I have to ask why did you accept the car? There is absolutely no excuse for a srewup like this. I also ordered the light wood trim and when doing so, the General Manager came out and made absolutely sure that was what I wanted, then re-confirmed it by showing me the BMW order printout with all the features and options. (I was the first at the dealer to order light wood for a black interior.......best choice I made.)

On top of the screen going out..............I would suggest you call BMW directly and get this resolved by getting a new car on order and having the dealer make some form of arrangement for your transportation needs in case you are left in the cold for another 6 weeks. You payed (we all did) way too much to come away with something you did not order. Good luck.

[gatoman39]

I think I would have walked away from this. I wouldn't take delivery of a car with a ding in it.

[Bimmer535xi]

Sorry to hear about your disappointment.

As to the handling and ride I would definitely disagree with you. I traded my 2008 535xi in and took delivery of my 2011 535xi (October 2010 build) in November. It was produced the first week of Xi production so did not have a chance to drive and Xi before I took delivery.

I did not even though my car listed out at $63,000 order the sport package or any handling or performance features. My 2088 had the sport package. I did order the comfort seats.

As to handling I thought I liked my 2002 530i best. I had a 2006 530i not Xi, and then the 2008 535xi. While I was not disappointed with the ride and handling of either, after bought them, I still felt I liked the 2002 530i best.
When I test drove a demo 2011 non Xi before I ordered my 535xi I was definitely disappointed with the steering and handling, particularly the on center vagueness and the too light feel. I then drive an Audi A6 which seemed identical. The MB 350 deemed a bit better in this regard but I didn’t otherwise like the MB.

So I went ahead a bought the 535xi and hoped I would just get use to the steering feel. Wow was I happy when I picked up the car. The steering feel was significantly improved in every way including the issue of the on center vagueness.

I was told this was for two reasons. Starting with either Sept or Oct production the steering mechanism was reprogrammed with new software and the X Drive cars did not have electric steering assist. Whatever the reason I was thrilled.
What I didn’t like however was I did not like the way the car downshifted while in traffic compared to my 2008 535xi. However within two or three weeks however either the car adapted to me or I have learned how to drive the car or a little of both.
I did recently have an opportunity to drive a 2003 BMW 530i (or late 2002) with only $40,000 miles on it and while it was as I remembered, when I got back in my 2011 535xi, I was still very happy I got the 2011 535xi.
It does not look or feel like a big car in anyway like a Lexus or Cadillac like you describe. It definitely does not even fell like a 2011 7 series.
I would have definitely taken delivery of the car with the ding. My dealers repair center could easily taken care if it perfectly. As to the dark wood mistake can’t say, that was your call.

I am not upset about the Comfort Seats I ordered because I got them for the tilt forward at the top and the seat extenders. I never really used the side seat bolster function on my 2008 535xi.

[Touring]

Cancel it. You cant accept this.

[SpawneyGet]

Poor effort by the dealer.

Mistakes do happen but what matters is how one handles them. Even the best effort wouldn't make up for those sort of cock ups but floor mats!

My delivery was delayed and I had to leave and come back for it after 3 hours and to make up for it my dealer got me to come back in a few days when I was empty so that he could fill it up for me for free. Don't laugh yet. It's $2s a litre here. More than $150 (£92) it was.

[Dom]

Sorry to hear about your problems. It's not good enough that what should have been a very enjoyable experience for you was ruined. You should formally reject this car now and demand the car you ordered - without any damage and with the correct spec. The dealer should provide you with a suitable car until it arrives.

[delvek]

Sorry to hear about your disappointment, I can fully understand, I returned my 1st F10. I will say though, the F10 is the best car I have owned to date, the new March 2011 build I have handles incredibly.

[LuvMyE92]

I'm very sorry to hear of your troubles and I wish you the best of luck.

That said, you have no one to blame but yourself for accepting the wrong car. In the first place you should have reviewed and verified the order that was placed. You can also review the specs of the car on the BMW web site as its being built and that would have been another opportunity to catch the mistake. In the second place, if it wasn't what you wanted then you shouldn't have accepted it. In the third place, you shouldn't have accepted the car with the poorly repaired damage. You should have made them fix it to your satisfaction before accepting (and paying for) the car.

If it's only been a day or two, so you might want to call your SA and tell him/her that nothing is as promised and you were wrong to accept the car and you want out of it and they need to order the correct car. The worst thing they can say is no, right? Don't be afraid to escalate your concerns to the general manager. The salesman won't want to lose his sale for this month's quota and will fight you.

I think the i-drive is a little flaky. Mine never goes out while driving, but it has on occasion refused to start up (takes maybe 3 minutes) or remains dark until I perform a function with the controller. When its dark like that, none of the presets work. It's a BMW, so I'm used to that kind of flaky stuff.

Keep us posted.

[krackers]

I would of never signed!

[Alessandro]

did you not testdrive the car prior placing the order?

[KRUZNM3]

I would have walked away...

[John1111]

Thanks to all for your comments. The paperwork and all documents were signed and completed prior to my sitting in the car and seeing that the car had the dark wood interior instead of the light wood that I ordered. Prior to doing any paperwork, I did look at the car with my salesman in front of the dealer showroom but only from the exterior (and it looked beautiful).

I accepted the car with the dark wood because the dealership made it up to me by offerring me some significant freebees (far beyond floor mats) that made it worth my while. Someone mentioned that it was my fault in that I should have checked the BMW website while the car was being built and I would have caught the error then. I know I could have and probably should have, but I didn't. I didn't think there would be any errors as the salesman knew about the problem I had with my 2008 order and assured me there would be no mistakes on this order. Also I just wasn't interested in tracking where my car was in the production line as I had ordered it way in advance (2.5 months) and knew it would be in prior to the end of my current lease.

I actually didn't discover the ding until right after I got home with the car from the dealership and was dusting some spring pollen off the car. When I dropped the car off this morning at the dealer to fix the idrive, I asked them to take care of the ding also. I'll see what it looks like when I pick it up.

Regarding the way the car drives, maybe I just have to get used to it. I did test drive the car (before I ordered) and at that time I didn't like the drive nearly as much as the 2008. However, prior to the test drive, my heart was set on getting this car because:
1) I loved the looks of the redesigned car; 2) I felt my 2008 535xi was the best car I ever had; 3) I had looked at Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar and didn't like any of them (compared to the BMW); and 4) I had actually extended my 2 year lease on the 2008 another year with the express purpose of gettting the redesigned 535xi.

Again, in my opinion, I don't like the drive and handling of the new car nearly as much as the 2008. I hope my opinion changes over time as I've only driven the car about 50 miles but, right now, if asked, I would say the car drives more like a Lexus than the BMW that I was used to.

[gatoman39]

John, is this another lease? If this is the case, I think it would be more palpable with the understanding that the vehicle is essentially a rental. I have bought and leased many cars in my life and the ones that i've leased have always received less attention.

[delvek]

The F10 is like a Burger King Whopper, its built YOUR way. With that said, what options did you purchase in the handling category?

[John1111]

I did lease the car, not purchase, but I don't believe it should or does make any difference in terms of how you are treated by the dealership. The options I got with the car are:

Black Sapphire Metallic
Black Dakota Leather
Cold weather package
Drive assist package
premium package
sport package
comfort access key
head-up display
navigation
park distance
rear-view camera

I did not get the M sport package or the dynamic handling package but I didn't have any of these types of options on my 2008 535 and it handled great anyway. I'm pretty easy with driving a car so I didn't think I needed any special handling packages. My 2008 felt light and nimble and you could really feel the road. To me, in my humble opinion and in the short time I have driven this car, it feels heavy, smooth & quiet -- similar to what I imagine a Lexus or similar large car feels like.

[AlexK]

What dealer was it? One of the OpenRoad ones (seeing that you're from NJ)?

[gatoman39]

Originally Posted by John1111

I did lease the car, not purchase, but I don't believe it should or does make any difference in terms of how you are treated by the dealership.

It shouldn't at all. But it's a small consolidation.

Originally Posted by John1111

To me, in my humble opinion and in the short time I have driven this car, it feels heavy, smooth & quiet -- similar to what I imagine a Lexus or similar large car feels like.

This feels nothing like a Lexus. I am a current LS owner and have driven nearly every car that Lexus makes. If you think this car has vague light steering, get into a GS and you'll think, wow, Buick. Don't even get me started on the front drivers like the ES or the RX. You could steer those with your breath.

[rexus300]

Actually, I love the way my 2006 Lexus GS steering feels as compared to the BMW 535xi I have now. The 5 is an excellent car but feels more isolated than my GS and the steering is so-so. The GS was fun to drive and I had it spec with 18 inch optional wheels and a tighter steering alignment that made it feel so sporty and had great composure on the highways than my 2011 BMW 535 does. However, I switched out the rfts on my BMW 535xi and the car feels as good despite the hydraulic steering feeling less direct than my GS that I had before it even with a heavier feeling to it.

[delvek]

I remain baffled ...

[dave70]

This incarnation of the 5 series is much heavier so I think that DHP helps it feel more BMW and less MB, or worse, Lexus. I had a 2008 535 xi without sport or DHP (not even sure DHP was an option) and it was fine, but also weighed about 400-500 lbs less. My wife had the Lexus RX 400 - man I hated that suv.

[LACSTER]

Originally Posted by gatoman39

I think I would have walked away from this. I wouldn't take delivery of a car with a ding in it.

I 2nd that notion to that dealer