Irritations
 

A few days ago, I turned to look out the back window, and the side bolster completely gave way. I'm not THAT big (about 200 lbs)...that'll be at least two days in the shop as they take apart my seat.

Now, I noticed a pretty large puddle under my car after I pulled it out of the garage...nice, fresh motor oil. When I looked under the car, I saw oil actually dripping. Didn't notice it before, but it could help explain why it's eaten more than two quarts of oil in about 1200 miles so far.

Sigh.

That sucks...:saad:

Well, we've moved to an entirely new level, way past irritation: apparently, the leak is coming from the back of the engine, and they will be keeping my car for (at least) a week to try and rectify the problem. In one fell swoop, I will surpass the total number of days all of my prior cars (25 years' worth) spent in the shop. These problems seem to be serially correlated, so I'm beginning to get worried about whether this car could be a lemon....

At the very least, my pain is assuaged somewhat by the pimpin' Hyundai Elantra I got as a temporary replacement. :bawling:

They gave you a Hyundai as a loaner?!?!?!?! That's just wrong. :tsk: I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you...

Big bummer, sorry about that.

Mine has been pretty good - except the squealing brakes and the non-working I-Drive (phone book related).

Pretty lame loaner.. when you buy an M, you should at least be driving a BMW loaner.

No matter how great the car is, this is bound to happen to a few.. Sorry to hear about your troubles..

When I first got mine I had a few small items but everything is in top shape now..

I'd hold off and give it a few more weeks/months before you go bezerk.. But document EVERYTHING..

Oh, I know. I don't take it personally. And I don't believe in going nuts until it's really necessary; it's kinda like the nuclear option, though, because dialog becomes a bit more difficult after lobbing a few nukes at people/companies.

I'm going to pester them like crazy, though, to find out exactly what the engine problem is. The seat doesn't worry me too much. A bum engine could be the gift that keeps giving, though.

Keep this link handy

I would not accept a Hyundai. They have tried to give me enterprise Honda Accord, I keep pushing and eventually a BMW somehow surfaces.

:sick:

Thanks for the link...I'm optimistic they will get things right....

When you go to the doctor and present with some odd symptoms, the worst words possible might be "I've never seen this before...it's really weird." Which is exactly what the tech said about my X5M -- something, I think, is lost in the translation from the tech's notes, but the back of the cylinder head is leaking oil which is really weird (to paraphrase). To add insult to injury, because the engine's so new, all repairs must have prior authorization from BMW NA so they can initiate a tracking procedure for all problems, presumably to determine whether they are endemic or idiosyncratic. Too bad BMW NA didn't bother to authorize the repairs in the last thirty+ hours...and now it's the end of the day on Friday. Sigh.

On another sad note, I had to give up my pimpin' Hyundai Elantra. :( They did make my pain better, though, by giving me a 535xi for the duration of the repairs. Further updates as warranted. Double-sigh.

That has to be particularly frustrating! The X5m is just a fabulous ride. To experience it briefly and then lose it, albeit temporarily, just sucks. I fervently hope you get it back soon. They should compensate you somehow for being the guy who helps them understand the potential problems better.

The saga continues...I won't be getting my car back tomorrow as initially planned. After further inspection, the engine is leaking oil from two places, the back of the engine (presumably behind the last cylinder head on that bank) and one of the cylinder heads itself. Waiting on BMWNA to authorize the repair which has now grown significantly more complicated. Nothing like problems with a highly-strung engine to make me lose some sleep.

And as expected, the seat's side motor needs to be replaced -- I could literally feel the gears stripping as I turned, so that's not a surprise.

After owning seven of their cars in the past and switching to the X5M, I bet Audi had something to do with this....

Excuse me while I cry. :bawling:

Arent these motors built in germany at M GMBH then shipped state side?? bit frustrating to have all this happen to you all at once, at some point can't you push for them to lemon the car??

AND THE HITS KEEP COMING
 

I swear, my switch to BMWs just might be cursed: just went to drive the loaner for the first time in a few days and noticed someone had t-boned it on the driver's side, back door. Thankfully, someone witnessed the whole episode (it was in a parking lot), wrote the plate number of the person who hit me, and left it under the windshield wiper. Hopefully the authorities can get to the bottom of it soon. :banghead:

No point in trying to lemon it now -- it's way too early in the process. I still have a reasonable amount of confidence they can fix it; lemoning (is that a word?) the car will become an option if there are recurring and/or new engine problems.

Damn! You're not having a good run. Hope the black cloud passes soon. Good luck.

Yikes!

Well, you can look on the bright side..#1 You weren't in the car so you didn't get hurt, and most importantly #2 It wasn't your M.

Good luck, I'm sure things will turn around soon.

_Toms

what are your picks for this weekend so i can pick the opposite!

No kidding...used to call this the Fecal touch, ie, the opposite of the Midas Touch. Everything I touch at the moment turns to sh*t.

Oh yeah...the guy who backed into me was driving a BMW 5-series, too.

And the dirt bag took off :tsk:

Obviously somebody didn't spring for the PDC option!

Now it looks like there was a substantial manufacturing defect that has caused the engine oil leaks. One cylinder head and the head gasket on that bank need to be replaced.

At this point, I'm not sure I'm confident this car will ever be right.

Thoughts? I could really use some other opinions before I decide what to do.

I would definitely discuss options for replacing the ///M with the dealer and or BMW. We're not talking rattles, squeaky brakes or check engine light stuff here. You've been calm and level headed so far giving them the opportunity to identify and fix whatever the issue was. At this point, I too would be concerned that it would never be the same.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I'd start talking to them regarding a replacement vehicle. This early on, an engine replacement will significantly affect the resale value of your car.

_Tom

I would give your Dealer a chance to make everything right.
I would request a car as similar as possible as the one you bought to drive until they either fix yours or get you a new one.
I would keep notes on all interactions with dates and times.
Expect the best but document everything.

Agreed. Document EVERYTHING. I went through hell with a relatively simple problem with my e46 BMW, which eventually ended up involving BMW Canada, and visits with Area Representatives from BMW.
Thankfully, I had all emails, and documented everything, and eventually, they admitted they had screwed up royally. Prior to me revealing this, however, they did try (many times) to claim that I had agreed to solutions that would have ended up compromising my position (and car) in extremis.
Do not get aggressive at any time. Should it escalate, be calm, and polite. Gather all the information you need, and be prepared from a legal standpoint (vis-a-vis "Lemon Laws", if applicable).

Good luck. That sucks royally that your new machine has turned out to be less than you had anticipated. :(

Well its not a full engine replacement, it is just one cylinder head and as long as the block is machined properly from the beginning it won't be such a huge issue.
if it was me, id look into your local lemon laws and see what they say because of the actual time spent in the shop exceeds the amount you've used it i'd just want another car. Especially since it seems multiple un related things have gone wrong with this particular car.

Personally, I would prefer a new engine...or a new car.

Check your state's lemon law.

Well, my luck might finally be turning a bit...first, the person that hit my car has agreed to pay for the damages out of pocket. Second, I spoke to the tech, and the actual leak source is not in one of the high compression areas of the engine, so he doesn't believe there will be any long-term consequences. I'm waiting to get a few pictures to see exactly what he means, but I have a far better idea what he was talking about after speaking with him. The only bad news is that, while they can source a cylinder head in the US, they can't get a head gasket here -- must be shipped from Deutschland -- so probably at least two more weeks without the car. Still, I have more hope today than I've had for the past week....

:banghead:

Hang in there. At least the news is getting better and not worse.

*fingers crossed*

One of my salesman was the manager of the local Ferrari/Maserati dealership here. I was explaining your plight and he suggested that if the vehicle has been in service for less than 30 days, all bets are off with regard to lemon laws, and that YOU can call the shots. The dealer will be less than willing to be forthcoming with this, but in his experiences BMWNA woudl step up and replace the vehicle without question......

"lemoning" the vehicle would be his course of action, and he seems to think you would get little pushback from BMWNA....

a thought..

:stickpoke :rofl:

If you didn't read this already:

MA Lemon Law

How many days has the car been in the shop for repairs?