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BMW 5-Series Maintenance and Repair

2734 messages,  Last post on Mar 25, 2013 at 4:00 PM

You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW 5 Series, Electrical, Engine, Sedan, Wagon

    
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Messages Page 104 of 274

#1029 of 2734 designman by div2

Jan 17, 2005 (9:13 am)

As you know, the 6ers have heavily contoured rear seats that look as if they were lifted straight from a Gemini Command Module. Our first-and only-child came along and it was a royal hassle to try and fit a rear-facing child seat into the back seat. I decided to find an E28 M5 and put the M6 up for sale. It sold two days after the ad in the chapter newsletter came out. The buyer later sold it to an originality freak who reinstalled the horrible TRX tire/wheel package and(I think)reinstalled the cat and removed the Dinan chip, thereby losing almost 50 bhp. While all this was going on I was having a devil of a time finding a decent M5. I was still looking when a friend of mine at Fields BMW in Chicago told me that she had a production spot for a 318ti Club Sport. I was able to order one to my exact specifications(limited slip, Premium Sound, no sunroof), and the rest is history. Like your Boxster S, I never get tired of driving the Club Sport. It may not have retina-detaching acceleration but I find I can burn down a twisting two lane at a very brisk rate. It also doesn't hurt that service and repair costs have averaged less than $30/month for the nearly ten years I've owned the little bobtail. That said, I have always planned to get another M car- now I've about decided that that I'm going to assemble a collection of pre-1990 Motorsport cars- E12 M535i(Euro), M1, E28 M535i(Euro), E28 M5, M635i/M6, and an E30 M3. The reason I love the M1 is that it is a true exotic with a legitimate competition pedigree. And, after talking with other M1 owners, I've found that servicing and repair costs are not much more than those of a 930-and MUCH less than a Ferrari or Lambo(I almost bought an Espada once-luckily I dodged THAT bullet).

#1030 of 2734 pranch by pranch

Jan 17, 2005 (5:21 pm)

The dealership still says they can't get their service rep. to return their call. I guess they must have taken off for the holiday. Tomorrow I go to the dealership and do not leave till I talk to the owner. Either I get my car fixed or my money back. This car parked in front of the dealership with a poster of a big lemon on it ought to be real cute.

#1031 of 2734 I-Drive Default Page by jas

Jan 18, 2005 (6:03 pm)

I have found the I-Drive system fairly easy to use and beneficial, despite all of the bad reviews. The only thing I was thinking of the other day is that it powers up with the annoying warning page (liability issue I am sure), when it occurred to me that it would be really nice if you could configure the default power-up page. Or if it powered up with the last active page it would save me 5 seconds of button pushes each time I fire up the car to get to the radio.
 
Of course BMW does not have this feature built in, but I thought if enough people raised hell, they may improve on it and release a s/w upgrade (long shot)
 
All I-drive customers, email BMW at CustomerRelationsbmwusa.com

#1032 of 2734 I-drive.... by gold233790

Jan 19, 2005 (9:45 am)

I don't mind the deafault page. It's there on almost every brand, by the way. I'm sure it is a liability issue, but it's a relatively weak one. It wouldn't hold up in a court, though there are other arguments they could use that would hold much more water.
 
Anyway, it doesn't bother me, and I love the I-drive. I might feel differently if I didn't have NAV and voice activation, but I will never know.
 
By the way, the voice activation on the E60 530 is superior to almost every other vehicle I've driven- including Acura TL's and RL's, who are known for their "tech superiority" these days.

#1033 of 2734 Re: intermittent electrical problems [rgrossman] by swright

Jan 19, 2005 (2:22 pm)

Replying to: rgrossman (Dec 28, 2004 3:57 pm)
Hello
 
I am from the UK and would be grateful if you could let me know if you have solved the problem with your car. I have had the same problems as you. First of all got a new battery, then changed the battery as thought that could be faulty, was told by mechanic that it was my alternator, have had this done and my car is still unable to start of a morning due to the battery being drained.

#1034 of 2734 Re: intermittent electrical problems [swright] by sad owner 525i

Jan 19, 2005 (2:49 pm)

Replying to: swright (Jan 19, 2005 2:22 pm)
Interesting- is your automobile a 2005 5 series? I am still continuing to take mine into the dealership for time #5 now to try and correct this high battery drain. They have replaced the battery, the alternator, worked with PUMA (the engineering group) and nothing has worked and no one has an idea what is causing it. Have started to escalate the issue to the corporate level(BMW North America) in hopes that possibly there is a replacement car in my future if the 5th service visit does not yield any favorable results or that some other poor BMW owner has experienced the same problems, but someone found a resolution. I guess I am lucky in that my car has started even when the error message is on and the message always goes away when I start it up later in the day.

#1035 of 2734 Re: intermittent electrical problems [swright] by jas

Jan 19, 2005 (3:12 pm)

Replying to: swright (Jan 19, 2005 2:22 pm)
Just a questions to ask your service people, although I would think this would be an obvious area to look at. In the early days of computers on vehicles, the residual drain of the computer, although small, would add up over time and drain the battery. Back in the 80's, the shelf life of Cadillac's was 1-2 weeks.
 
With more and more computer systems, they started adding smart relay systems so that after a time period, the battery is disconnected from most of the drain.
 
Maybe worth asking the question as this would seem an obvious area of concern for a high battery drain condition (kind of like when your trunk light would stay on in the old days).

#1036 of 2734 iDrive by bartalk2

Jan 20, 2005 (12:18 pm)

This has probably been answered before, but on the 5 series, can you adjust the radio & CD and adjust heat/vent/ac without going through idrive?

#1037 of 2734 540i/545i 6-speed Manual Improvement by jas

Jan 20, 2005 (12:53 pm)

FYI:
 
Not sure if any of you V-8 6-speed manual owners have noticed the difficulty with getting smooth shifts at times or smooth clutch releases in parking situations. This is not the first manual I have owned, but I have noticed at low speed stops and if driving with the other people in the car, that it is sometimes an effort to achieve smooth clutch transitions.
 
From a past posting regarding brakes, someone turned me on to Zeckhausen Racing www.zeckhausen.com
 
He has discovered this annomoly on certain BMW's which is caused by the Clutch Lock Valve or what he calls a Clutch Delay Valve (CDV). This is a valve that delays the release of the clutch and is only on certain BMW's. So, everytime you release the clutch, it actually causes it to slip and makes it more difficult to get a precise clutch release. I guess the reason behind it is to avoid drivetrain shock should you pop the clutch without enouph power to break the wheels free. It is on the 540/545 but is not on the E39 M5 - go figure.
 
He sells a modified CDV (approx. $35.00) which has the valving removed. You really need a hoist to install it, but it is only a 1/2-1 hour job. If your car is under warranty, don't take it to BMW directly, find a good independent BMW mechanic.
 
I just had one put in and the feel is great. I was scared of doing it myself on a brand new car. I think all the adverse effects are positive (smoother shifts and better clutch life). The only downside is if you regularly pop the clutch without enouph power you are going to put more strain on your drivetrain.

#1038 of 2734 Re: 540i/545i 6-speed Manual Improvement [jas] by kyfdx HOST

Jan 20, 2005 (12:58 pm)

Replying to: jas (Jan 20, 2005 12:53 pm)
This is a popular modification with 330 ZHP owners... Haven't heard of anyone having problems afterward, but not sure of the effect on your warranty, if you were to have transmission/clutch problems later...
 
They all report being very happy with the mod.

Messages Page 104 of 274

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