[phatchuck]

Excited to have my first BMW - 2011 535i xDrive - Drove it for barely a week and yesterday I get the 'Drivetrain malfunction' error message. Turn the car off and it's gone but the check engine light is on and it's running a little rough. Since I still have a 90 day Drivetrain warranty I bring it to the dealer. They tell me It's either a wiring issue (like a critter ate some wires) or an injector problem. They also mention of it's a wiring issue it's technically not a drivetrain issue and I'll have to pay to fix it. Shop is closed tomorrow (Sunday) and apparently state law prevents them from giving loaner cars. So now I have no car for the rest of the weekend and will have to carpool with my wife on Monday.

Is this my rude awakening to BMW ownership? I was always a Jeep person and rarely had to go through stuff like this.

[BurrNinja]

Originally Posted by phatchuck

Excited to have my first BMW - 2011 535i xDrive - Drove it for barely a week and yesterday I get the 'Drivetrain malfunction' error message. Turn the car off and it's gone but the check engine light is on and it's running a little rough. Since I still have a 90 day Drivetrain warranty I bring it to the dealer. They tell me It's either a wiring issue (like a critter ate some wires) or an injector problem. They also mention of it's a wiring issue it's technically not a drivetrain issue and I'll have to pay to fix it. Shop is closed tomorrow (Sunday) and apparently state law prevents them from giving loaner cars. So now I have no car for the rest of the weekend and will have to carpool with my wife on Monday.

Is this my rude awakening to BMW ownership? I was always a Jeep person and rarely had to go through stuff like this.

Usually depends, my car was purchased sat for awhile before I got it. They had to repair wiring in the front bumper cause critters chew in my case it was caught before I purchased. Bmw should not be at fault, its all within the areas they sit at. Mice and such burrow in the bay to keep warm. You did not make a terrible choice maybe just bad luck it happened after purchase. Also im within 6k miles ownership and problems so far I have the same year 535 xdrive.

[phatchuck]

Originally Posted by BurrNinja

Usually depends, my car was purchased sat for awhile before I got it. They had to repair wiring in the front bumper cause critters chew in my case it was caught before I purchased. Bmw should not be at fault, its all within the areas they sit at. Mice and such burrow in the bay to keep warm. You did not make a terrible choice maybe just bad luck it happened after purchase. Also im within 6k miles ownership and problems so far I have the same year 535 xdrive.

Originally Posted by BurrNinja

Usually depends, my car was purchased sat for awhile before I got it. They had to repair wiring in the front bumper cause critters chew in my case it was caught before I purchased. Bmw should not be at fault, its all within the areas they sit at. Mice and such burrow in the bay to keep warm. You did not make a terrible choice maybe just bad luck it happened after purchase. Also im within 6k miles ownership and problems so far I have the same year 535 xdrive.

I almost freaked out after getting that error, but after searching these forums I realized it's probably a relatively minor issue of plugs, coils or injectors. If it is a wiring issue, they have to find where the problem is. Hoping if that's the case it won't take hours of labor to find it and fix it. Don't really trust this dealer because it's not a BMW dealer. Only took it there because of the warranty. But they do have one BMW mechanic there which is a good thing.

[windowmaker]

Sucks that happened to you with your car. You could expect the same with any used car since hey - someone got rid of it for a reason, whether it was due to issues with the car, financial reasons, they just got bored with it, or they were moving somewhere. That's the tax for buying a used car (granted I've never bought a new car in my life).

Now that you're in this position just face the reality based on the mileage of the car and assume the worse side (hoping the car wasn't abused), that some maintenance items weren't done like spark plugs, air filter, fluids etc. Try to cover the basics and assess the typical failure items for the mileage and maybe you'll be able to resolve through this process. If not, prepare to fork up a percentage of the price paid and look back if you got a "good deal" on the car. If your repair costs end up getting you to a point where you're essentially breaking even relative to the effective retail price of the car for the mileage, then you're better off. If not, sorry dude but that's the gamble since you can expect the german brands to degrade a bit faster relative to mileage compared to some asian and possibly domestic counterparts.

[TTG]

I hope you did your research and did a good PPI before buying a 1st year production car.

It is so common for people get a "good deal" on these cars only start battling all sorts of problems shortly after purchase as windowmaker stated. There usually is a very good reason why they were traded in then most likely auctioned off.

If you were to buy this car from a BMW dealer, I am pretty certain, you would be in a loaner car now and they would of most likely fixed the issue.

Most of us would not consider owning these cars without a warranty unless you personally know how to work on them or have a very good relationship with an indy.

GL with the repairs and keep us posted

[phatchuck]

Originally Posted by TTG

I hope you did your research and did a good PPI before buying a 1st year production car.

It is so common for people get a "good deal" on these cars only start battling all sorts of problems shortly after purchase as windowmaker stated. There usually is a very good reason why they were traded in then most likely auctioned off.

If you were to buy this car from a BMW dealer, I am pretty certain, you would be in a loaner car now and they would of most likely fixed the issue.

Most of us would not consider owning these cars without a warranty unless you personally know how to work on them or have a very good relationship with an indy.

GL with the repairs and keep us posted

Buying any 8 year old car, you have to expect to put money into it for sure. I had been shopping for a 5 series for months. ,One of the reasons I did get this model (ideally was looking for a 2014 or 2015) was the good deal I got, knowing that repairs could possibly be needed in the relatively near future. I just wasn't expecting it to happen a week in. Even if I do have to pay for these repairs, I'm still way ahead. 93K on it but a total cherry that was very well maintained inside and out.

[lsturbointeg]

just a week and a error code already? hope the dealer takes care of you

[sison550]

Originally Posted by phatchuck

Is this my rude awakening to BMW ownership? I was always a Jeep person and rarely had to go through stuff like this.

I too came from Jeep. Used to have the 2009 and 2015 SRT Jeeps, loved those things.

I now have a 12' 550i xDrive getting currently getting valve seals repaired at the dealer and I share the same sentiment above.

the car drives like a dream... when it's not in the shop. Luckily the dealer here in NJ gave me an X2 loaner which I've been using for week 2 now.

[DannyD87]

Hey, sorry you're having issues already! I just purchased my 2013 550 and keep getting the low battery warning almost every time I shut the car off.

By any chance did you take the car to Automaster?

[lsturbointeg]

when I first bought my car I gonna say I had at least 3 recalls within the first 2 years of ownership

[phatchuck]

Originally Posted by TTG

I hope you did your research and did a good PPI before buying a 1st year production car.

It is so common for people get a "good deal" on these cars only start battling all sorts of problems shortly after purchase as windowmaker stated. There usually is a very good reason why they were traded in then most likely auctioned off.

If you were to buy this car from a BMW dealer, I am pretty certain, you would be in a loaner car now and they would of most likely fixed the issue.

Most of us would not consider owning these cars without a warranty unless you personally know how to work on them or have a very good relationship with an indy.

GL with the repairs and keep us posted

Update - very long story short - the dealer basically lied to me and gave me the runaround for a week. Just picked it up today. Dropped it off last Saturday, picked it up today (Saturday). They diagnosed a carbon buildup in the DI valves. (took until Wednesday to figure that out) They eventually cleaned them out with some sort of chemical treatment, not walnut shells. So I have a 90 drivetrain warranty and they are trying to tell me that carbon buildup is not covered, despite the fact that the car was misfiring on two cylinders and throwing an error code. If that's not a drivetrain issue, I don't know what is. They are claiming since it was not due to a part failing, it's not covered. I called BS because I drove the car for only 300 miles and had it about 9 days. So their 'deal' for me to be nice is to split the cost and charge me $202. Needless to say, I have been raising a stink all week long while they figured out what to do. It was finally ready last night and I picked it up today, not paying them a cent. It is supposedly being brought to the District Manager on Monday who will make a decision and call me on Monday to tell me if I need to pay them not. So am I in the wrong for not wanting to pay for this, or are they just the scumbags that I think they are?

On a side note, they gave me the car with a new inspection sticker from them, and two days after I brought it home I realize the washer fluid pump is dead. Paid my local guy $190 to fix it, assuming the dealer wouldn't want to cover it. I'm pretty sure a car here in the NE should not pass inspection if you can't properly clean your windshield. I probably could have raised a stink about that too, but I did let them know about it today. That's what I get for being a nice guy.

On a positive note, the engine is running smoother.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by phatchuck

...They diagnosed a carbon buildup in the DI valves. (took until Wednesday to figure that out) They eventually cleaned them out with some sort of chemical treatment, not walnut shells. So I have a 90 drivetrain warranty and they are trying to tell me that carbon buildup is not covered, despite the fact that the car was misfiring on two cylinders and throwing an error code. If that's not a drivetrain issue, I don't know what is. They are claiming since it was not due to a part failing, it's not covered....

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they are probably right. A drivetrain warranty is for FAILED parts, not what could be considered routine maintenance (valve cleaning).

[phatchuck]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they are probably right. A drivetrain warranty is for FAILED parts, not what could be considered routine maintenance (valve cleaning).

You definitely may be right that it's not covered. But based on the circumstances of being lied to and dicked around, they need to make this right.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by phatchuck

You definitely may be right that it's not covered. But based on the circumstances of being lied to and dicked around, they need to make this right.

I reread your initial post. What exactly did they lie about? If I read it correctly, they gave you a "we think" diagnosis prior to an actual. After a proper diagnosis it wasn't what they thought but something else (happens all the time). I never ask for a "what could it be" pre-diagnostic guess. I do ask for ballpark costs, though I never hold them to it as once they do a proper diagnostic things may very will change.

Did their "repair" fix your issue? Is the car running well now with no CEL?

[AWF10M5]

welcome to bmw

[phatchuck]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

I reread your initial post. What exactly did they lie about? If I read it correctly, they gave you a "we think" diagnosis prior to an actual. After a proper diagnosis it wasn't what they thought but something else (happens all the time). I never ask for a "what could it be" pre-diagnostic guess. I do ask for ballpark costs, though I never hold them to it as once they do a proper diagnostic things may very will change.

Did their "repair" fix your issue? Is the car running well now with no CEL?

Well, they lied to me about several things. They claimed someone was working on it for two days and 'troubleshooting', only to find out by another employee that their one BMW guy was not at work for those two days. This is after I expressed to them that I would have alternate transportation issues since they didn't give me a loaner. Then, the manger tells me that they will fix it but I have to cover the warranty deductible. He basically made it up because it doesn't exist. After I questioned him on it, he switched gears and said that the y were doing me a favor and splitting the cost with me.

It's a dealership that is notorious for bad service, but they do sell cars at fair prices. They only reason I brought it there was that I expected them to honor their warranty.

I took it for a nice run today and it is much smoother than before. It also has less of the bucking in second gear that I have read is a common issue with these models. I was impressed how it drove today. What do you mean by 'CEL'?

[lgreenlee]

Have a look at your insurance. Rodents are typically covered by comprehensive insurance. So long as your comprehensive deductible is not too high, they might be able to help pay for the issue.