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Sedans BMW 5-Series BMW 5-Series Maintenance and Repair
2416 messages, Last post on Nov 24, 2009 at 8:41 AM
You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
I had the CEL switch on in The Blue Max, my '00 528iA. They checked the codes and it came back as a fault in the Evaporative Emissions System. They checked it out at the indie shop I go to and found that rodents had eaten away at the hoses connecting the gas tank to the charcoal canister, cost to repair (mostly labor  $90/hr)=$190. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I had to replace rodent damage to a previous car when they chewed on the A/C wiring ($700!) in the fender and have taken several anti-rodent measures including D-Con packs and moth (camphor) cakes under the hood. I don't mind those chipmunks running a Club Med for rodents on my property but this *&# has got to stop.  Any ideas.  
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Replying to: andys120 (Jun 05, 2009 7:14 am) As for discouraging the little buggers, I think trapping them or that sticky paper stuff might decrease the surplus population. But an all out cure? Probably not possible unless you rodent-proof your garage, which isn't easy unless it's all concrete.
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jun 05, 2009 8:26 am) We have a couple of outdoor cats and we have had zero rodent problems since they arrived. |
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I have 2002 530i stick and my alarm is going off on its own i had this problem with many cars i owned don't know why me. I dont think i have aftermarket alarm im sure its factory unit. Did anyone have any similar problems liek me.
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Replying to: galama (Jun 09, 2009 7:18 am) I've had similar problems w my E39 and other cars. They occurred because the motion detectors are VERY sensitive and can be triggered by falling leaves or even a gut of wind especially if the sunroof is left open. If you don't believe me try dropping a pencil thru the open sunroof after locking the doors. The cure is simple, the motion detector can be disabled by a second push of the lock button (after the first push to lock the doors) on the remote. |
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after switching off my '00 528iA. I called my Indie Bimmer techs, without seeing it they guess it's probably the tumblers in the lock which can be replaced. Anybody ever have this problem on any car? |
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Replying to: totalsystm (Nov 19, 2005 7:31 am) After reading all of the threads on many websites about BMW’s problems with these rims and run-flat tires, it became quite clear what the problem is. The rims were designed too weak to take the impact of normal on-road driving. The problem is exacerbated by the run-flat tires, which are very hard and have strong sidewalls resulting in too much of the normal road force from small bumps being transmitted to the rim rather then absorbing some of the shock in the tire. Confirming the hundreds of comments on reliable Internet sites about the faulty rims and too hard run-flat tires is the reviews of Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Run Flat tires on cites from every supplier of these tires. In general, the comments conclude that the combination of weak 18-inch rims and 245/R40/18 Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Run Flat tires (original equipment) was a very bad mistake by BMW. One comment, similar to most, says: “These tires are terrible! Harsh ride, noisy and prone to impact bubble in the side walls from hitting small potholes. . . I am going to switch to non run flats . . . What was BMW thinking when [they] picked these tires?” [http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/readReviewsTire.do?postalCodeSelected=90291&ra- =%2Ftires%2Fbridgestone%2Fsize%2FviewProductResults&pc=25428&ar=40&rd=18&cs=245]- We asked the Service Manager at Santa Monica BMW to replace the rims under warranty. Not only was he rude, but he was uninterested in any discussion about comments on many websites about the defective rims. It seemed apparent to me that he had been through this problem all too often before and did not want to deal with it again. I then called BMW NA Customer Service. They were very nice, but totally useless. After four phone calls and escalation to a customer service supervisor, I began to understand the way it works. Customer Service has no authority whatsoever, all they could do was call the Service Manager at the dealership and get the same answer you had already had gotten. They seem to be in business of playing “good guy” to take the heat off of the Service Manager by providing the same answer as if it came from an independent, higher authority at BMW, which it does not. Not willing to accept the result, I contacted the Director of Parts and Service at Santa Monica BMW, and told him of our displeasure with how his Service Manager had handled the problem, and asked him to involve BMW NA regional “team” to evaluate the problem and try to get some help. To his credit, he seemed very professional and appeared to want to help. He clearly understood the problem . . . you should be able to drive a BMW on normal streets and not have the rims break. Next day, he got a response from BMW regional team . . . “they would not participate” . . . meaning they would not cover it under the warranty or assist the dealer in any way. My next step is to contact the General Manager of BMW Santa Monica and alert him to the problem. We certainly won’t be buying any more cars at Santa Monica BMW so he loses a loyal customer because the service folks won’t handle this problem. No response from the GM of Santa Monica BMW after two calls. Next step is a letter to the CEO of BMW North America, and a compliant with U.S. DOT about the situation with these failing rim/tire combination. Perhaps DOT will investigate. |
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I have a BMW 528 with nearly 180K on it. It has recently started to make funny noises when turning. The noise only happens when it's cold, once the car worms up it stops. There are some vibrations along with the noise, but the car steers OK. Could this be a belt? I've had the car serviced, and the mechanic could not repeat the problem - but said every checked out fine. Any ideas what this might be?
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When I got my brand new BMW 535 2006 model from a dealer, the "front" car didn't have a place to hang the license plate. The dealer told me "if the front car doesn't have the place to hold the license plate, then it doesn't require by law. If the car does have the place to hold the license plate in the front, then the law requires to have the front license plate." Recently I got a ticket at SFO, I told the policeman the same thing, however he still gave me the ticket because missing the front license plate. At that time, I pointed out many luxury cars (mercedes, BMW and more) at SFO and they didn't have the front license plate because no front license plate holder. The policeman got confused but he doesn't want to recall the ticket. What is a CA law about the front license plate requirement? If there is no exception, then how can I contact BMW to handle this issue? because their design. If the BMW dealer told me about the front license plate for my car is true, then where should I get the statement or something to show it to the police in case the policeman stop me again in the future. Thanks in advances. |
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Replying to: pham (Jul 21, 2009 10:31 am) If the cop had been in a good mood, he would have given you a "fix-it" ticket rather than a traffic violation. Maybe your dealer should pay the fine for bad advice. I suspect this is just part of the revenue-gathering going on now. This type of ticket has long been the "sucker punch" for motorists parked in public places. |
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