Engine Malfunction #2 Cause Found?

[Juanted]

We're mods, not baby-sitters... though I wonder sometimes.

ABMW: I understand your frustration. And, yes, you probably should have gotten better service from your dealer. That being said, one (or even two or three) "Engine Malfunction" errors do not a massive action from BMWNA make.

You think you're having problems? There are a few members of this board who were "lucky" enough to buy the X5 (e53) when it first came out in 2000 as a 2001 model... You have NO idea the issues reported back then. Guess what, eventually BMW fixed them all... no lawyers involved.

Shit happens. Cars malfunction every once in a while. They aren't all worthy of corporate HQ's attention.

Again, just as you have an your take on the situation, others have their opinions.

Juan

[Ag4.8]

Just skimmed the posts. I would agree that it makes more sense to stay on topic. THe OP has a concern about his vehicle. If one doesn't have anything to contribute, why post? On that note, the OP might want to look into the lemon laws in his state. In OH, they only get two chances to repair a "safety related defect."

I am sorry your dealer isn't helpful. Mine was fantastic when I had a major problem.

[Retired Profile]

I can't believe, but I was actually able to find a picture of ABMW!

Based on his appearance and his posts, it all makes sense why he is so bitter.

[Quicksilver]

Wow........ that looks like Walter Jeff Dunham

[montoya]

Wow, all I can say as a new member and new owner that this thread is a complete failure.

I just read through 9 pages of mostly people taking shots at one another for some other silly slight.

Truth is, our new X35D has this same issue. I was hoping to find something useful here... which is what this is all about.

No reply necessary, just trying to hold up a mirror to everyone here that this behavior serves nobody.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by montoya

I was hoping to find something useful here... which is what this is all about.

I assume you have discovered, by reading this thread, that there is a good chance you have a fuel pump that will fail in the future.

[ABMW]

Originally Posted by montoya

Wow, all I can say as a new member and new owner that this thread is a complete failure.

I just read through 9 pages of mostly people taking shots at one another for some other silly slight.

Truth is, our new X35D has this same issue. I was hoping to find something useful here... which is what this is all about.

No reply necessary, just trying to hold up a mirror to everyone here that this behavior serves nobody.

Montoya,

Sorry. The intent was to keep this thread on topic, and several attempts were made to do so.

There does appear to be a fuel pump issue of one sort or another. For a time, most 35ds self-correct the issue and it happens randomly.

BMWNA is aware of this problem, dealers are aware of the problem, but it appears that BMWNA is having issues across the board.

I think they were hurt quite badly by the "Great Recession" we've been experiencing during the past years. As a result, it appears they've dramatically tightened their belt.

Their criteria for replacing parts is far higher than it once was and it appears that dealers are left holding the cards.

There is an issue with the fuel delivery system, and most think it has its roots in the Fuel Pump. You can google, and find that the "Engine Malfunction- Reduced Power" message is not just confined to the fuel pump, however when dealing with other BMW models. There "appear" to be a few reasons as to why the car will register that error code.

But, it looks like a good majority of the issues with the X5andwith other models revolves around the fuel pump.

The 35d is very new, so the complaints appear to be limited, and the problem is not systemic at the moment. Though, there are more and more complaints every week.

As Penguin suggested the best way to grab BMW's attention is to report it to the NHTSA. It takes about 3-mins. By reporting, you'd be helping us all.

Lastly, with vehicles like the 335i, which appear to suffer from the identical problem, quite frequently, many buyers have had their vehicles bought back by BMW or exchanged for other BMW products.

I'm sure they'll come out with a solution in time, but just be cautious and aware. Again, I think the greatest danger with this particular error is when making a left turn in an intersection, and getting an error message mid-turn, with oncoming traffic headed your way.

If you have a car load of people, I'd be very careful and make sure you're not pushing it before making such a turn, in the event the vehicle happens to register a fault, at that very instance.

It's a solvable issue to be sure, it's just finding a dealer who is willing to solve it.

Unfortunately it's not an error that appears to be repeatable at the shop, as it doesn't register a fault code in many vehicles, which is strange.

I've decided to simply call SOS the next time it happens and have the SAV towed to the dealer. One thing you can do, is take a picture of the message on your dash and Nav screen with your cell phone camera. The message WILL NOT go away unless you shut the vehicle off, and in some cases it will not self-correct. If you at least have a photo of the words on the screen, that may prompt your dealer into taking action to investigate the cause and replace and test several components.

Either way, keep posting to this thread. It appears to have settled down at this point. Though, I agree with Penguin, in that if it's happened once it will happen again. It may take a few thousand miles, but don't be surprised when it takes place.

Hence, be aware that the issue exists, and think about modifying your driving habits when you have precious cargo aboard, just to be safe. As you probably know, it's truly a situation in which one can find themselves in a whole heap of trouble, and in my opinion it's almost as bad as unintended accelerations.

At least in those situations, one can turn their car off quickly. Here, there's little you can do, if you need to get "out of the way" in a hurry.

PM me, if I can be of more help and we can compare notes. You're not alone. There are many on this board who have/are suffering the same symptoms. A few have had their fuel pumps replaced along with a few other issues, but many have been ignored by their dealers.

There are certainly dozens of people that I've personally found with this issue, not just 3 or 4, as some have claimed. There are 3 or 4, who have had this issue, in this thread alone, I believe.

[London Lad]

Originally Posted by ABMW

Montoya,

Sorry. The intent was to keep this thread on topic, and several attempts were made to do so.

There does appear to be a fuel pump issue of one sort or another. For a time, most 35ds self-correct the issue and it happens randomly.

BMWNA is aware of this problem, dealers are aware of the problem, but it appears that BMWNA is having issues across the board.

I think they were hurt quite badly by the "Great Recession" we've been experiencing during the past years. As a result, it appears they've dramatically tightened their belt.

Their criteria for replacing parts is far higher than it once was and it appears that dealers are left holding the cards.

There is an issue with the fuel delivery system, and most think it has its roots in the Fuel Pump. You can google, and find that the "Engine Malfunction- Reduced Power" message is not just confined to the fuel pump, however when dealing with other BMW models. There "appear" to be a few reasons as to why the car will register that error code.

But, it looks like a good majority of the issues with the X5andwith other models revolves around the fuel pump.

The 35d is very new, so the complaints appear to be limited, and the problem is not systemic at the moment. Though, there are more and more complaints every week.

As Penguin suggested the best way to grab BMW's attention is to report it to the NHTSA. It takes about 3-mins. By reporting, you'd be helping us all.

Lastly, with vehicles like the 335i, which appear to suffer from the identical problem, quite frequently, many buyers have had their vehicles bought back by BMW or exchanged for other BMW products.

I'm sure they'll come out with a solution in time, but just be cautious and aware. Again, I think the greatest danger with this particular error is when making a left turn in an intersection, and getting an error message mid-turn, with oncoming traffic headed your way.

If you have a car load of people, I'd be very careful and make sure you're not pushing it before making such a turn, in the event the vehicle happens to register a fault, at that very instance.

It's a solvable issue to be sure, it's just finding a dealer who is willing to solve it.

Unfortunately it's not an error that appears to be repeatable at the shop, as it doesn't register a fault code in many vehicles, which is strange.

I've decided to simply call SOS the next time it happens and have the SAV towed to the dealer. One thing you can do, is take a picture of the message on your dash and Nav screen with your cell phone camera. The message WILL NOT go away unless you shut the vehicle off, and in some cases it will not self-correct. If you at least have a photo of the words on the screen, that may prompt your dealer into taking action to investigate the cause and replace and test several components.

Either way, keep posting to this thread. It appears to have settled down at this point. Though, I agree with Penguin, in that if it's happened once it will happen again. It may take a few thousand miles, but don't be surprised when it takes place.

Hence, be aware that the issue exists, and think about modifying your driving habits when you have precious cargo aboard, just to be safe. As you probably know, it's truly a situation in which one can find themselves in a whole heap of trouble, and in my opinion it's almost as bad as unintended accelerations.

At least in those situations, one can turn their car off quickly. Here, there's little you can do, if you need to get "out of the way" in a hurry.

PM me, if I can be of more help and we can compare notes. You're not alone. There are many on this board who have/are suffering the same symptoms. A few have had their fuel pumps replaced along with a few other issues, but many have been ignored by their dealers.

There are certainly dozens of people that I've personally found with this issue, not just 3 or 4, as some have claimed. There are 3 or 4, who have had this issue, in this thread alone, I believe.

Have you any evidence for any of the above ?

[ABMW]

What type of evidence are you looking for? There is lots of evidence, much of which you can find via googling. You can also find other threads on this board with other owners. You can see throughout this thread there are multiple owners who are visiting this thread to contribute a "I'm suffering from this issue also" comment.

As well, the service manager at my dealer has informed me that the high-pressure fuel pump on many 35ds that they have sold over the past year, has required replacement.

In short, yeah there's TON of evidence that many people are having his issue with their 35d.

Dozens? Yes. Hundreds? I'm unsure. But there is a fairly constant stream of folks with 35ds who are complaining of this issue happening to them.

As for the 335i, its a known issue, which you also find by googling or checking Bimmerfest. It's very easy to find "evidence" London Lad. I tend to believe that people don't go through the trouble of hiring an attorney or proceeding with a Lemon Law Return (which is a consumer protection law in the U.S.) unless there's an issue.

Both routes are VERY time consuming and take a great amount of effort and/or financial output. One 335i owner (on Bimmerfest), I found hired an attorney, after reaching the end of "his rope" and had his 335i replaced with an X5 4.8, with one letter, after having the "engine malfunction-reduced power" issue pop up multiple times, due to a faulty fuel pump that continued to fail.

What more are you looking for? Few disagree the issue exists. The disagreement is on how widespread it is within the 35d line.

[montoya]

Originally Posted by ABMW

Montoya,

Sorry. The intent was to keep this thread on topic, and several attempts were made to do so.

There does appear to be a fuel pump issue of one sort or another. For a time, most 35ds self-correct the issue and it happens randomly.

BMWNA is aware of this problem, dealers are aware of the problem, but it appears that BMWNA is having issues across the board.

I think they were hurt quite badly by the "Great Recession" we've been experiencing during the past years. As a result, it appears they've dramatically tightened their belt.

Their criteria for replacing parts is far higher than it once was and it appears that dealers are left holding the cards.

There is an issue with the fuel delivery system, and most think it has its roots in the Fuel Pump. You can google, and find that the "Engine Malfunction- Reduced Power" message is not just confined to the fuel pump, however when dealing with other BMW models. There "appear" to be a few reasons as to why the car will register that error code.

But, it looks like a good majority of the issues with the X5andwith other models revolves around the fuel pump.

The 35d is very new, so the complaints appear to be limited, and the problem is not systemic at the moment. Though, there are more and more complaints every week.

As Penguin suggested the best way to grab BMW's attention is to report it to the NHTSA. It takes about 3-mins. By reporting, you'd be helping us all.

Lastly, with vehicles like the 335i, which appear to suffer from the identical problem, quite frequently, many buyers have had their vehicles bought back by BMW or exchanged for other BMW products.

I'm sure they'll come out with a solution in time, but just be cautious and aware. Again, I think the greatest danger with this particular error is when making a left turn in an intersection, and getting an error message mid-turn, with oncoming traffic headed your way.

If you have a car load of people, I'd be very careful and make sure you're not pushing it before making such a turn, in the event the vehicle happens to register a fault, at that very instance.

It's a solvable issue to be sure, it's just finding a dealer who is willing to solve it.

Unfortunately it's not an error that appears to be repeatable at the shop, as it doesn't register a fault code in many vehicles, which is strange.

Thanks for the information, I will keep everyone posted about the results of my service visit. I sincerely appreciate your summary.

I just wish the thread could be better behaved so it doesn't denigrate into a spam fest which it appears to be headed into again.