X5 at the dealer for the last 2 weeks (and perhaps a week longer) [UPDATE BELOW]

[atl_lex77]

i have a 3.0si e70 and have had mine in 4 times for the clunk in the undercarriage. i've driven a 4.8i and an x3 3.0si and both have no sounds when going over speed bumps/potholes. today the dealer let me drive another e70 3.0si, a 2008 model, and it had some clunking while going over bumps. therefore, the claim was that the 4.8i will not have the clunk noise b/c the engine is heavier. the x3 did not have the clunk b/c it has a different suspension system.

since the other 3.0si e70 made the noise i'm at a loss. this is so frustrating and irritating but at this point i'm going to take it up with BMW NA customer service b/c i believe that the dealer has done all they can.

they never mentioned the exhaust. is there any way i can personally determine if this is what's causing it? on mine it sounds like it's something else, but i'd like to rule this out. i always suspected that maybe it could've also been the drive shaft.

thanks, and good luck.

Originally Posted by X5Boston

Well,

Got the usual spate of "Technician Cannot Reproduce" messages. One of the "fixes" was so off the mark I'm surprised they worked on the correct vehicle.

To sum things up:
- 2 recall items which included a brake cap replacement and one related to a possible defective line of some type
- Squeak in the rear was caused by a cargo cover. That is on order.
- In-dash CD player turning on at random is "normal"
- Front vented seat noised caused by defective fan which was replaced
- Software up to date so the transmission issue is considered "cannot reproduce"
- Loose exhaust caused by "defective suspension part" in the front which was replaced. Of course within 5 minutes of leaving the dealer, I went over a pothole and got the familiar "THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP" of a loose exhaust hitting the bottom of the vehicle.
- The seat heater issue is considered "normal and working as designed" which is BS. All the technician did was plug the car in and "found no fault codes" which means he didn't even sit in the seat. Of course this weekend, I turned on the seat heater and did the same exact thing. Works for 5 minutes and then stops warming the seat. All the light stay on and I can even change the settings in the iDrive. No matter how I try to turn the seats on of off, they never heat up again. The only fix is to shutdown the engine for 5 minutes and then restart.

New Issue:
- Whatever they did to fix the seat now broke the active seat. The seat only works for 1 - 2 minutes at a time before shutting itself off. Every 5th attempt at turning it on doesn't even cause the LED light in the button to indicate the seats are working.

I have a funny feeling the dealer is trying to work outside of BMW to fix things. I've been told to bring it in but it will "not be in the computer." They will provide me with a "loaner" but it will be a non-BMW and be from the local rental agency. All in all, this sounds kinda fishy to me.

Do they know something I don't? I checked into local lemon law requirements for personal amusement and it appears that I technically meet the guidelines. My vehicle has been out of service for 12 service days (as indicated by the days the dealer service department is working) within the first 12 months of owner ship. If this issue is not logged, then technically they can claim I was never there. Plus as far as BMW NA is concerned, everything was "fixed" the first time.

I know another BMW dealer did that to me once. They claimed "all service" was performed. On the drive home, the hood wouldn't latch even though it was "greased," I had to put 2 quarts of oil in even though the oil was "checked and topped off." and 2 tires were at 27PSI even though all tires were "32 PSI" That was another one of those "Bring it in and don't have them do a write up" incidents.

[X5Boston]

Sorry to hear that you are getting the runaround as well. The reason the sound is so familiar is because both my E53s were rear ended and both times the hangers that held the exhaust were broken. I drove them home each time and until I could get it to the body shop, there was the deep sound of metal hitting metal when going over bumps.

The sound on mine comes from the area under the vehicle near the driver's seat and center storage compartment. If you check out the YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN6sCmPb4bE)
around 1:11, the area will be dead center in the video. Its actually funny that mine is also a Space Gray w/ the 19" rims.

Many times the pothole needs to be just right to reproduce the noise. Mine is most pronounced on shallow holes and washboard roads. My brother who used to work in the parts department of a dealer tells me all technicians are the same. They get paid by the job and those that take time to diagnose or are "unprofitable" are simply ignored.

Good luck with your 3.0si.

Originally Posted by atl_lex77

i have a 3.0si e70 and have had mine in 4 times for the clunk in the undercarriage. i've driven a 4.8i and an x3 3.0si and both have no sounds when going over speed bumps/potholes. today the dealer let me drive another e70 3.0si, a 2008 model, and it had some clunking while going over bumps. therefore, the claim was that the 4.8i will not have the clunk noise b/c the engine is heavier. the x3 did not have the clunk b/c it has a different suspension system.

since the other 3.0si e70 made the noise i'm at a loss. this is so frustrating and irritating but at this point i'm going to take it up with BMW NA customer service b/c i believe that the dealer has done all they can.

they never mentioned the exhaust. is there any way i can personally determine if this is what's causing it? on mine it sounds like it's something else, but i'd like to rule this out. i always suspected that maybe it could've also been the drive shaft.

thanks, and good luck.

[atl_lex77]

thanks for the pointer. that sounds reasonable b/c the 2nd time i took it in the tech "clearanced the heat shield" which i thought made the sound less noticeable for a short time.

i am supposed to pick it up tomorrow afternoon. i will ask the dealer to put it up on the lift so i can take a look. i want to do this before taking it to an independent shop in town where i have to pay for them to diagnose and fix it.

Originally Posted by X5Boston

Sorry to hear that you are getting the runaround as well. The reason the sound is so familiar is because both my E53s were rear ended and both times the hangers that held the exhaust were broken. I drove them home each time and until I could get it to the body shop, there was the deep sound of metal hitting metal when going over bumps.

The sound on mine comes from the area under the vehicle near the driver's seat and center storage compartment. If you check out the YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN6sCmPb4bE)
around 1:11, the area will be dead center in the video. Its actually funny that mine is also a Space Gray w/ the 19" rims.

Many times the pothole needs to be just right to reproduce the noise. Mine is most pronounced on shallow holes and washboard roads. My brother who used to work in the parts department of a dealer tells me all technicians are the same. They get paid by the job and those that take time to diagnose or are "unprofitable" are simply ignored.

Good luck with your 3.0si.

[X5Jay]

Hey X5Boston - I'm live up on the north shore. I'm curious - which dealer are you working with?

[X5Boston]

Thanks seventhirteen, I will do some more reading.

X5Jay, its the one on Comm. Ave.

[X5Boston]

Well, the X5 went back to the shop last Thursday, October 25. I went in first thing in the morning and the shop foreman went with me for a drive. The guy was very knowledgable and seemed genuinely concerned about making things right.

The day did not begin well. While waiting for the shop foreman, the X5 was pulled outside. As we walked to the car, the driver side window was wide open. Not usually a bad thing but it was drizzling that day. The seat was mildly moist. The foreman was shocked at this and very apologetic. Inexcuseable in my opinion since the drizzle was not a sudden event.

As soon as we drove out off the dealer grounds, we took the exact same street as I took when I last left the dealer the week before. First patch of rough ground and the familiar clunking noise from under surfaced.

As we turned to get to the backdoor of the dealer, I turned on the active seat and like clock work, it turned itself off after a couple of minutes. I repeated this and again the seat did the same thing. We didn't test the heated seat issue since the foreman agreed that something was indeed wrong.

I did get a 325xi as a loaner but this has to be one of the saddest loaner/rental vehicles I've ever been in. People tend to treat rental cars a little hard but this one is in plain bad shape. The little 3 had a strong fast food smell that I can't seem to air out. A mile after leaving the dealership the low oil warning comes on. The alignment must be way off because just removing one hand off the steering wheel at highway speeds causes it to pull to the right. The center console and side of the drivers seat were sticky from spilled drinks. Feeling bad, I wiped it up. About a mile down the road, I turned on the wipers to clear the drizzle and the windshield was instantly smeared and almost impossible to see out of. Washerfluid did not help and I pulled over to get a cup of coffee for the napkins. I cleaned off the wipers so the vehicle was safe to drive in the rain.

When I got home (I walk to work) and parked, I did a walk around in good light and noticed every panel seems to have a dent or scratch. I broke my own rule about doing a walkaround lest I'm put on the hook for damage I did not cause but I think I'm safe. The poor car looks like it had already been entered into a demolition derby. Looking in the back seat, there was an old Starbucks cups with god knows what inside. It actually looks like an old sweatsock but I'm afraid to investigate further.

On Saturday I hit the supermarket and when I opened the trunk, I found the remnants of the ski sack. Looks like the entire frame and sack was in the trunk covered in what looked like spilled fruit punch. The rest of the trunk had sticky residue. Again, I wiped things down.

The vehicle came with a half a tank of fuel. I know I'll probably overfill before I return it. Performance is probably suffering since at least two of the last occupants filled it with 87 octane. This was deduced by the old gas receipts in the door compartment. As an additional gripe, my last loaner was given to me by a seemingly disgruntled person with a "full" tank. When I started the vehicle, it was actually a little less than 4/5s.

/rant mode off.

[drod]

gosh... that's terrible... doesn't anyone take pride in their work anymore??

whoever is responsible for maintaining these loaners should be shot!!!

I would've taken it back right then and there and demanded they clean it or provide you with something better!!!

you shouldn't have to lower your standards... they sold you the ultimate driving machine and are known to cater to these buyers...

the level of service must remain even after the purchase!!

if you don't cry you don't get fed!!

[nynd]

Forget that...I think you should be lucky in getting a loaner...at least that was how it was envisioned at Ford. I had a Navigator and when you would drop it off for service, the loaner would be a focus...how do you like that?

[KEF]

Originally Posted by nynd

Forget that...I think you should be lucky in getting a loaner...at least that was how it was envisioned at Ford. I had a Navigator and when you would drop it off for service, the loaner would be a focus...how do you like that?

Not on a new $70K SAV being rolled out of a luxury dealer on the East Coast - it really isn't OK and this guy has every right to be a bit frustrated with the situation.

KEF

[X5Boston]

Originally Posted by nynd

Forget that...I think you should be lucky in getting a loaner...at least that was how it was envisioned at Ford. I had a Navigator and when you would drop it off for service, the loaner would be a focus...how do you like that?

Funny you should mention a Ford Focus. Years ago, my 01 X5 4.4i had the software problem where the CD changer would engage when the temperature dropped below freezing and would drain the battery. The dealer provided me with a rental Ford Focus. It was actually a decent vehicle. Not a 3 series but good value for its market segment.

Plus this is not service. Whenever I had my 15K, 30K, 45K, or in between oil changes, I always waited at the dealer or had their courtesy shuttle drop me off at a convenient place. To get back to the dealer, I usually had a coworker drop me off. This is for a several issues including a few where the technician clearly dropped the ball. One new item may be due to a faulty initial repair.