2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
 

2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum F10 Problems (Did I get a lemon?!?)
Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      01-13-2014, 01:25 PM   #1
Eric
Private
18
Rep
61
Posts

Drives: Numerous
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: MN/FL

iTrader: (0)

F10 Problems (Did I get a lemon?!?)

I have owned my CPO 2011 535i X-Drive for 5 weeks. The dealer has had it for 2 1/2 of those weeks with a myriad of problems.

-Steering wheel column makes a faint "grinding" or "crunching" sound when it is turned. It happens in both directions. They have replaced a "clock spring" and some type of position switch. Its still making the noise after two visits.

-At idle in gear the car occasionally "chugs" and seems to oscilate in RPM. If you let your foot off the gas it makes a "lunging" motion. The dealer says they cannot reproduce the problem so nothing has been done.

-HVAC "Whistling" noise at certain blower settings. They have done software updates, parts changes, and taken the whole system apart and put it back together. It's still making the exact same noise.

-Wind noise "whistle" not related to the HVAC. It's at highway speeds (above 65mph) and seems to come from the lower center of the windshield. Also has been looked at twice and this time they told me that its "normal" wind noise. I've had many German cars and I've never had a wind noise such as this??

-The Bluetooth sometimes has a hard time finding/pairing with my iPhone 5. Once paired, I also have issues switching between streaming music and a phone call. If I'm streaming Bluetooth audio and a call comes in, it sometimes gets hung up in this endless loop of play/pause with my music. It also breaks the steering wheel controls when a call comes in. They have done software updates and it has not improved

-The battery has been replaced twice in 4 months. Once when the car was certified at the dealer, and now once when the car would not start for me after sitting for 4 days. This seems like a big deal to me and I don't know why the battery keeps going bad.

-3 of the 4 wheels were bent and the snow tires I installed would not balance. The dealer has replaced 2 of the rims that were bent badly.

-I have had the low coolant warning come on and needed to add a significant amount of coolant. Ive been assured that these cars "use coolant" and not to be concerned. I've never had to add coolant as a consumable in any vehicle I've ever owned.

-The headlight washer on the passenger side sticks out. They say it's fixed but I haven't had the opportunity to test it since I got the car back.

-A person previously purchased the car from the dealer, but returned it two days later after having issues. The dealer says it was related to a check engine light, but I wonder what other issues the person had. I was the second sucker to buy this car from this dealer.

The dealer has now offered to trade the car back in on a different vehicle due to all the problems. Im hesitant because I've already paid to register and get tags. I've put snow tires on it. I've paid to update the NAV to 2014 data. I'm going to lose all the transfer fees, and also the financing terms all got worse on the 1st of the year.

I don't even know if I want another BMW after all this... Id like to run as far as I can and I cant believe the poor build quality. I've been an Audi driver for over a decade with several models and have not had as many issues in that time as I have in the last 5 weeks with this bimmer.

Anyone have any suggestions what I should do? Thanks in advance.

Last edited by Eric; 01-13-2014 at 01:56 PM..
Appreciate 0
      01-13-2014, 01:42 PM   #2
DriveWFO
Private First Class
DriveWFO's Avatar
46
Rep
108
Posts

Drives: F10, F15
Join Date: May 2011
Location: PA

iTrader: (2)

Many folks on here have CPO 2011 F10s and haven't had a single problem (including myself). IMO, I would take them up on trading for a different car...def sounds like that one is a lemon.
Appreciate 0
      01-13-2014, 02:13 PM   #3
The X Men
Colonel
99
Rep
2,323
Posts

Drives: 2013 X3 35i
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: MA

iTrader: (0)

If they offer to give you another car, take them up on it. If they offer cash, even better. Is there a used car lemon law in Minnesota, I would look into it, you might be able to get all your fees back.
Appreciate 0
      01-13-2014, 03:10 PM   #4
kube
Private First Class
15
Rep
121
Posts

Drives: 2014 535d xDrive MSport
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: East Fishkill, NY

iTrader: (0)

Turned in my leased 2011 535iX in mid-November with about 60k miles on it and the car never missed a beat nor was in for service other than oil changes. I think you have a lemon and would take the dealer up on their offer -- but ask them to foot the bill to transfer any plates or re-register. And if they decline, send a nice letter to BMW Customer Relations with documentation and see what happens. But if you're having this many problems already, I wouldn't wait to see what else goes wrong.
__________________
Current: 2014 BMW 535d xDrive MSport | Dark Graphite | Black l Dark Wood | Loaded
Current: 2018 BMW X3 30i | 2014 MINI Cooper S | 2007 VW Jetta 2.5
Retired: 2015 X3 28i | 2011 BMW 535i xDrive MSport | 2008 BMW 535ix | 2005 BMW X5 4.4i | 2002 BMW X5 4.4i | 1986 BMW 325e (275k miles) | 1983 BMW 320i
Appreciate 0
      01-13-2014, 04:33 PM   #5
ezmaass
Lieutenant Colonel
ezmaass's Avatar
United_States
370
Rep
1,698
Posts

Drives: '17 650xi GC / '15 Audi R8 V10
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: CT

iTrader: (0)

Dude, if the dealer is offering to give you a trade, DO IT. In my experience, the dealer won't go to these types of extremes unless they agree in principle that there's an over-arching problem. The number (and type) of problems you've described above (aside from perhaps some bent rims) seem pretty atypical. The dying battery, lunging transmission, grinding steering, whistling window and HVAC, etc - these can be pretty expensive to fix if they persist after your CPO period expires.

As others have said, many have owned 2011's with no problem... but something seems off here, especially with the guy who bought and returned the car within two days - HIGHLY suspicious to me. I would write off the money you've put into it and move on. As they say, no sense in throwing good money after bad. Something seems terribly wrong here.
__________________
2017 BMW 650xi Gran Coupe | MSport | Exec Package | Driver Assist Plus | ACC Stop & Go | Adaptive Drive | B&O | Night Vision | Cold Weather | Active Seats
2015 Audi R8 V10 | Brilliant Red on Black | S-Tronic | Carbon Sideblades | Carbon Trim | Full Leather | Sport Exhaust | Illuminated Doorsills | I-Pod | Contrast Stitching
Previous: '14 550xi, '07 335i, '01 325i
Appreciate 0
      01-13-2014, 08:04 PM   #6
Luminor513
Major
Luminor513's Avatar
1243
Rep
1,492
Posts

Drives: 2020 G07 x40i BSM/Blk Merino
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: South Florida

iTrader: (0)

Definitely take the dealer up on their offer.
__________________
2020 G07 x40i BSM/Blk Merino
2022 Audi E-tron S Mythos Blk/Blk Valcona
Appreciate 0
      01-14-2014, 10:24 AM   #7
bake
Colonel
bake's Avatar
United_States
602
Rep
2,188
Posts

Drives: 2011 F10, 2013 E93
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: New York

iTrader: (9)

I also agree. Let it go and pick up another.
__________________
Bake
2011 Alpine White on Black 535i M-Sport
2013 Space Gray on Fox Red M3 Vert
Appreciate 0
      01-14-2014, 03:04 PM   #8
DriveWFO
Private First Class
DriveWFO's Avatar
46
Rep
108
Posts

Drives: F10, F15
Join Date: May 2011
Location: PA

iTrader: (2)

Did you decide to return/trade your car?
Appreciate 0
      01-14-2014, 03:27 PM   #9
Piers
Captain
United Kingdom
36
Rep
619
Posts

Drives: 2017 F10 535d M-Sport
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Sussex, UK

iTrader: (0)

Time to trade in, you have a lemon
__________________
2017 F10 535d MSport Auto - Mineral Grey - Oyster leather - 19" 351M's - Pro Media - Enhanced bluetooth - MSport rear spoiler - Sun protection glass - Harman Kardon Hifi - Multi Function Display - Ambient Lighting - Folding mirrors - Sunroof - LED adaptive headlights
Appreciate 0
      01-14-2014, 05:38 PM   #10
Eric
Private
18
Rep
61
Posts

Drives: Numerous
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: MN/FL

iTrader: (0)

I brought the car back to the dealer yesterday and test drove another 2011. That car also had the HVAC whistle, as well as a crunchy steering wheel...

Made me think Im complaining about normal characteristics so I decided to take my car back home.

Maybe its just me?
Appreciate 0
      01-14-2014, 07:45 PM   #11
ezmaass
Lieutenant Colonel
ezmaass's Avatar
United_States
370
Rep
1,698
Posts

Drives: '17 650xi GC / '15 Audi R8 V10
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: CT

iTrader: (0)

Seems odd to me. I've had BMWs for several years and never had crunchy steering or HVAC whistles... The F10 has been no exception. I think you'd be wise to trade the car. Maybe get a 2012? Those don't sound like typical issues regardless of the year, though.
Appreciate 0
      01-14-2014, 07:49 PM   #12
ezmaass
Lieutenant Colonel
ezmaass's Avatar
United_States
370
Rep
1,698
Posts

Drives: '17 650xi GC / '15 Audi R8 V10
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: CT

iTrader: (0)

FWIW... I've heard of windshield replacements gone bad where the windshield isn't set right and causes a whistle at higher speeds. Likewise, in the e90 there were problems where water could get in from the bad windshield set and corrode the HVAC blower motors, which could cause squeaking or whistling - essentially the fix was to repair the windshield install and replace the blower motors. This shouldn't be "normal" though. The car should be pretty dead quiet... It's a premium German sedan.
Appreciate 0
      01-14-2014, 09:23 PM   #13
RickyB
Private First Class
RickyB's Avatar
30
Rep
155
Posts

Drives: DGM 550i
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Sacramento

iTrader: (0)

Before taking the dealer up on their offer I would find out the Lemon laws in your state. Call a lemon law lawyer and start from there. If you win your "case", you can recoup most of the money you have invested so far. I had to do this with my E60 because of constant transmission problems that could not be fixed. I had the car for over two years and was only out a couple thousand dollars from what I had spent initially. Including tax.
__________________
DGM 550i
Appreciate 0
      01-14-2014, 10:10 PM   #14
BossBeamer
Private
5
Rep
98
Posts

Drives: 2011
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Mi

iTrader: (0)

What is the production date on your car? Check the decal/sticker when you open the drivers side door it should be down to the right.
Appreciate 0
      01-15-2014, 05:44 AM   #15
Sjoerd
Private First Class
Sjoerd's Avatar
Netherlands
19
Rep
131
Posts

Drives: MY18 G11 750i, MY13 911S x51m7
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Holland

iTrader: (0)

My F10 (my2010) 535i M/6 was also a lemon (or monday morning car as we call it here); dealer bought it back eventually.
__________________
Current: MY18 G11 750i (daily), MY14 Porsche 991 S (x51, m/7) (fun), MY17 Mini Clubman JCW All4 (GF)
Retired: MY14 F10 535d, MY11 F11 530d (temp), MY10 F10 535i, MY87 BMW E30 325i (fun), MY74 BMW E3 2500 (fun) (and more..)
Appreciate 0
      01-15-2014, 01:31 PM   #16
RickyB
Private First Class
RickyB's Avatar
30
Rep
155
Posts

Drives: DGM 550i
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Sacramento

iTrader: (0)

http://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/c...ncarlaws_1.asp
__________________
DGM 550i
Appreciate 0
      01-16-2014, 03:55 PM   #17
BossBeamer
Private
5
Rep
98
Posts

Drives: 2011
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Mi

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric View Post
I have owned my CPO 2011 535i X-Drive for 5 weeks. The dealer has had it for 2 1/2 of those weeks with a myriad of problems.

-Steering wheel column makes a faint "grinding" or "crunching" sound when it is turned. It happens in both directions. They have replaced a "clock spring" and some type of position switch. Its still making the noise after two visits.

-At idle in gear the car occasionally "chugs" and seems to oscilate in RPM. If you let your foot off the gas it makes a "lunging" motion. The dealer says they cannot reproduce the problem so nothing has been done.

-HVAC "Whistling" noise at certain blower settings. They have done software updates, parts changes, and taken the whole system apart and put it back together. It's still making the exact same noise.

-Wind noise "whistle" not related to the HVAC. It's at highway speeds (above 65mph) and seems to come from the lower center of the windshield. Also has been looked at twice and this time they told me that its "normal" wind noise. I've had many German cars and I've never had a wind noise such as this??

-The Bluetooth sometimes has a hard time finding/pairing with my iPhone 5. Once paired, I also have issues switching between streaming music and a phone call. If I'm streaming Bluetooth audio and a call comes in, it sometimes gets hung up in this endless loop of play/pause with my music. It also breaks the steering wheel controls when a call comes in. They have done software updates and it has not improved

-The battery has been replaced twice in 4 months. Once when the car was certified at the dealer, and now once when the car would not start for me after sitting for 4 days. This seems like a big deal to me and I don't know why the battery keeps going bad.

-3 of the 4 wheels were bent and the snow tires I installed would not balance. The dealer has replaced 2 of the rims that were bent badly.

-I have had the low coolant warning come on and needed to add a significant amount of coolant. Ive been assured that these cars "use coolant" and not to be concerned. I've never had to add coolant as a consumable in any vehicle I've ever owned.

-The headlight washer on the passenger side sticks out. They say it's fixed but I haven't had the opportunity to test it since I got the car back.

-A person previously purchased the car from the dealer, but returned it two days later after having issues. The dealer says it was related to a check engine light, but I wonder what other issues the person had. I was the second sucker to buy this car from this dealer.

The dealer has now offered to trade the car back in on a different vehicle due to all the problems. Im hesitant because I've already paid to register and get tags. I've put snow tires on it. I've paid to update the NAV to 2014 data. I'm going to lose all the transfer fees, and also the financing terms all got worse on the 1st of the year.

I don't even know if I want another BMW after all this... Id like to run as far as I can and I cant believe the poor build quality. I've been an Audi driver for over a decade with several models and have not had as many issues in that time as I have in the last 5 weeks with this bimmer.

Anyone have any suggestions what I should do? Thanks in advance.

WHATS YOUR BUILD DATE SIR?
Appreciate 0
      01-18-2014, 12:38 AM   #18
j3o3t3
Private First Class
j3o3t3's Avatar
131
Rep
185
Posts

Drives: 2023 M5 Competition
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: San Diego

iTrader: (0)

get rid of it FAST, move on ...
__________________
2023 M5 Competition: Marina Bay Blue l Silverstone Merino Leather l Type 789 Rims l Executive Package l Acquired 12/30/2022

Prior BMW's 2011 550iMSport, 2008 5501MSport,
2005 5451, 1993 325iS
Appreciate 0
      01-18-2014, 08:46 AM   #19
DocOct
Private First Class
Canada
56
Rep
187
Posts

Drives: G05 X5 - F15 X5
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Canada

iTrader: (1)

Trade that car back as fast as you can drive -or tow- it back to the dealer. Only five weeks. Think of what else can happen in a few years.
Appreciate 0
      01-18-2014, 10:01 AM   #20
misterbeemer
First Lieutenant
40
Rep
309
Posts

Drives: E92, E46 M3, E39 M5, 750Li
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: USA

iTrader: (0)

Get rid of that junk as soon as possible and get yourself a more reliable car that isn't in the dealership half the time. Check your lemon laws.

Here are a couple interesting videos on why not buy a Mercedes (or any used or high mileage expensive cars):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV9rJwEOCus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGE6roEThig
Appreciate 0
      01-18-2014, 08:36 PM   #21
Eric
Private
18
Rep
61
Posts

Drives: Numerous
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: MN/FL

iTrader: (0)

Problem solved

Thanks everyone for your input.

For the record... the lemon was built 8/2010
Attached Images
     
Appreciate 0
      01-18-2014, 08:45 PM   #22
BMWrules7
Lieutenant Colonel
306
Rep
1,684
Posts

Drives: 2015, 740 LdX, Alpine White
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Boston Area

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by RickyB
Before taking the dealer up on their offer I would find out the Lemon laws in your state. Call a lemon law lawyer and start from there. If you win your "case", you can recoup most of the money you have invested so far. I had to do this with my E60 because of constant transmission problems that could not be fixed. I had the car for over two years and was only out a couple thousand dollars from what I had spent initially. Including tax.
Lemon lawyer is completely unnecessary with bmw.

If the car is a lemon bmw will get you out if it unless you are a complete ahole pita.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:43 AM.




5post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST