Engine Warning and Battery Failure at same time!
 

Hi all,

Just returned home after X5 engine warning light came on - ENGINE MALFUNCTION - REDUCED POWER. I pulled over and engine died. Would not start after that.

While on SOS with BMW getting help, Low Battery warning light comes on power dies!

Vehicle was left where it was and it will be flat bed towed to dealer tomorrow - great Christmas day for me!

I will update once service is done with it.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Wow, that really sucks!

Sorry to hear that...

Craig

Yes, That's really bad.
Sorry to hear that, leave that behind and try to enjoy your Christmas.

I'd be having someones head if it was me. The problem is most people don't hold dealerships and manufacturers respondsible enough, so things like this go under the radar until enough people complain. If you let the dealership and BMW slide on this, your doing yourself and everyone else an injustice by not reporting it.

Report to who?

I'd like to get some satisfaction do to the fact my X5d is stuck at dealer until after Jan.1 because parts are coming from Germany.

BMW of North America
1-800-831-1117

Maybe even Consumer Reports, which is already giving the X5 bad reviews as is.I've worked w/ two different people there for warranty issues I've had in the past. One was a Ted Schwartz, the other I forgot his name. I'd guess each time someone calls them, its handled by a different case worker each time.I'm just saying that of all the problems that finally come into light and turn into recalls is one thing, but how many things go unnoticed because its not reported. Quality and reliability has slowly become worse and worse over the years and its frustrating to myself and many others. You're paying for it now as well.

Since you're waiting for parts, what did they diagnose it as?

Don't feel bad, I waited 3 months for an air temp sensor from Germany. I had to call BMWNA to get the part on it's way to my dealer. I drove around with a new car for 3 months with a check engine light.

Next back ordered part was a heated fuel filter that took 5 weeks. I also had to call BMWNA to get the part to my dealer.

I asked BMWNA to purchase my vehicle. They said no, but did say I will receive some compensation. They offered me some BMW clothing and I said no thanks. I asked for an extended warranty, but they said no. I will have to wait until after the holidays to find out what they have in mind. If I could, I would turn in my vehicle for a refund.

Craig

Merry Christmas all.

Met with tow truck driver last night and took vehicle on the flat deck to the dealership. I will let you know the outcome once they re-open from the holidays and take a look at it.

I am trying to remain optimistic that all will be okay and my repairs happen wuickly. I said to my wife, 'through this forum, I know most of what is to come with this vehicle'.

Have a good day.

Bummer :(

IIRC you took delivery in early Aug. 09 and have had at least one other episode where the Check Engine Light (CEL) came on....
Did you ever figure out what caused that CEL to come on (e.g. OBD II codes, etc)?
Have you had any other warnings (e.g. Low Battery)?
How many miles do you have on your X5 so far?

FWIW it sounds like a complete failure of the charging system that allowed the battery to drain even while driving. The voltage got so low that the engine wouldn't run or power the BMW assist electronics, etc. How long had you been driving since the last engine start up?

Hope you were still able to enjoy Christmas,
Funf Dreisig

We got vehicle in July and did have one check engine light come on during -30c cold snap. Light did go out after two days, went to dealer and they said not to worry - they did not hook up and check codes.

Large engine warning light came on this time as described, when i pulled over car died and would not start. Power to electrics went during call to BMW Assist. Power did come back later when I locked it and folded mirrors in.

I had been drving car earlier in day without an issue, then home for 5 minutes and out again.

Car at dealership now and I hope the diagnosis and repairs come quickly (or at least a loaner as we are a one car family).

I will update once I have more information.

Thanks everyone!

Well, i pick up our X tomorrow. They tell me it was the low pressure fuel pump. Apparently there are high and a low pressure fuel pumps. New one to be installed tomorrow.

They also tell me that the dead battery was a reult of trying to start it. I only tried once after it failed, so I doubt that is right.

Will update tomorrow once I have it in my hands.

BMW SAa must think BMW owners are such automotive dolts that they can tell us anything and we will simply believe them.:confused:

"BMW SA: Sir, your battery died because you drained it when you tried to start it ONCE and then pressed the BMW assist button.

BMW Owner: But shouldn't a BMW battery be able to attempt to start the X5, maybe even a couple of times, AND still be able to complete a BMW Assist call to get ummm... assistance.

BMW SA: If you treated your X5 right, it would. But the report it filed says you frequently neglect it. You really can't expect a sensitive vehicle like the X5 to stay all charged up when all you are interested in is quickies. IN cases like this we usually recommend counseling.":rolleyes:

Funf Dreisig

Update - went to pick up car and return their X3 loaner only to find out that they decided to install the new improved battery - they need car until Monday to allow 4 hours of programming time.

Will update again when I get the car back

I wonder how many people, forum members and not, are gonna be stuck on the side of the road somewhere and paying out of pocket for this upgraded battery because their SA or BMW didn't tell them about it. Is it a recall or a courtesy item?

Could you please give me the part number for the new improved battery? I asked my local dealer and they don't have a clue. I keep mine on a battery tender every night and I find that unacceptable.

Thanks!

Craig

Will do. I am picking up the X today and as per my previous post, I will update this thread with all of the 'gory' details - including the details on this new and improved battery.

Thanks for the interest.

Thanks!

Craig

Update: Picked up X from dealer last night.

Parts replaced were:

In Tank Pump 16-11-7-195-471
Exide Battery 90AH 61-21-7-553-954 - Replaced as per ISID2 Production Error

All seems good so far - nice to have it back!

HUH? What do they mean by "Production Error"? Did they put in the wrong (e.g. lower amp hour) battery in your 35d at the factory?

Makes me wonder whether other X5d owners need to take a look at our batteries to make sure our 35d was not subject to a "production error"? And how would we know if it was?

FWIW the 90AH 61-21-7-553-954 is listed as the standard US 35d Battery on both RealOEM.com and getBMWparts.com

Funf Dreisig

Sadly, I never saw the original battery, so I'm not sure what I started out with. I will update should I ever have a battery failure again.

Thanks for the part number on the battery...

Craig

Ah, that is an AGM Battery, The replacement is in a Black Case, Correct? I know I have a White case in my 10 X5D, which tells me it is not an AGM. Something may be going on here.

Here is a picture of the battery in our 2009 X5 35d delivered in Aug '09. As you can see it is a white, 12v 90Ah 720A and 720 CCA battery. Sorry about the red cable that is covering the rest of the label. I took this picture just after we took delivery to document the location and the cabling.

FWIW RealOEM.com shows part number 61-21-7-553-954 as a battery in a slew of BMWs, not just the E70 X5s.

Funf Dreisig

I will look at my 'new' battery and let you know what is in there. I wished I would have looked when I first got it!

Did a quick visual - didn't take pictures sorry. The battery has Made in Austria in big letters on it. Your part number in the picture ends in 334, so that would indicate perhaps that your battery is somehow not the same.

When I get time I will take a picture and post.

Follow up...

I got a chance to take a better picture of the battery in our 2009 35d. It has what appear to be two different part numbers: S: 61-21-6-946-334 and AW: 61-21-7-586-974. RealOEM.com lists 61-21-6-946-334 as used in a whole slew of BMWs including the E53 X5s but NOT the E70 X5s :yikes:

FWIW getBMWparts sys that "Part number 61216946334 was superseded by part number 61217586962." 61-21-7-586-974 is not found on either RealOEM of the getBMWparts sites.

Funf Dreisig

Edit: Despite my frequent posts about the unresolved electrical/battery issue(s) in the E70 model X5s, we have not had any electrical problems (yet) on our 2009 35d. :) [Knock on head.]

I will try an snap a pic this weekend if I get a moment

I think I have this fuel pump issue also
 

dealership is working on it ... I'm really pissed as I only just got my 35d back after being in shop for 3 weeks due to electro handbrake failure (they had to ship a new part from Germany - a new fix for any problems related to the electric handbrake/autohold etc) .. so after 7 weeks of ownership in total the x5 has been on the road for 3 of them :yikes:

That would qualify for the lemon law here in the U.S.


Craig

The 90Ah battery swap for older models is the fix for the low battery resets .. I had mine upgraded and no more issues...

BMW refused to replace my battery. I'm tired of dealing with BMW and ordered a Lexus GX 460. I should have it in about a month...

Craig

Sorry to see you go Craig. I know all about that level of frustration. This sort of thing happened to me with Audi, after many years of faithful business from me, I finally got fed up and sold the A6 and moved on. It is a shame when car companies, like Audi and BMW, allow dealerships to ruin their reputation.

Best of luck mate.

BMWNA did a good job of ruining their reputation with me, not just the dealers. Thanks, I'm just tired of fooling around with BMW and my local
dealer. This is my 4th and last BMW...

Craig

Another one bites the dust. Sorry to hear ya go man. I've spoken to BMWNA a handful of times, and once you get past the secretary, it's like talking to an SA...kiss my ass or you get nothing. I've gotten used to lying to get what I want from places nowadays, and getting good, HONEST customer service seems few and far between anymore. It's pretty sad.

Has anyone taken BMWNA, your SA, or your dealership to small-claims court or superior court?

If it comes down to it, I'm not going to lose 1-cent, on the transaction if I am "forced" to get rid of my X5 via one means or another.

Par for the course, it's (my X5) probably worth 25 to 30% less than what I bought it for 2.5 months ago, which is fine.

But, I certainly will not eat that cost. That I can guarantee.

I'm going to take a guess, that those who have taken one of the routes above have had very favorable outcomes, and results.

I remember back in 2003 when I took delivery of one of the first Nissan 350zs to hit the States. It was loaded and cost about $50k. The steering wheel was ever so tilted to the left, but the alignment was spot on (according to factory specs, at leat), and despite the alignment machines used, no one could figure out what was going on.

The dealer worked on it for 3-days, to no avail. calling me several times per day, at times. Having no luck at the hands of the dealer, Nissan USA flew out their chief technical engineer (seriously) who worked with my dealer for the next 4-days to make sure the car was absolutely true and straight. They put the guy up in a hotel and everything, specifically to fix my tiny complaint. It must have cost them a fortune. The service they put forth to fix that miniscule issue was unrivaled and makes BMWNA's service look like a 5th-rate scam, on the verge of collapse.

BMWNAs behavior, at the time of this writing, is indefensible and atrocious. I'm really shocked and quite saddened to be writing such a horrible review, but the fact can't be denied.

I know some of you have had vehicles that have been problem free, or you have dealers that have gone above and beyond, which is how it should be.

Though, for MANY of us, that's not the case whatsoever.

:iagree:I've worked at dealerships, so I know exactly what you're talking about. It comes down to the all mighty dollar and if they wanna keep their customers for life or just the time being. Sobi switched from an X5 3.0 to the Infiniti FX35, and I get the feeling he's going to be 10x happier from beginning to end w/ his new purchase.

I had an Infiniti QX 4 for 8 years without all of these problems I've had with my year old X5 35d. I also have a Lexus LS 460 without all of these problems. I'm done with BMW and charging my vehicle every night. Good luck to all of you who aren't having problems with your X5. I don't think BMW wants to stand behind their vehicles. I've owned 4 BMW's and this is my last. This will be my 6th Lexus...

Craig

I wish BMW execs would monitor these boards once in a while. Hell, let's ask NBC to make an episode of "Undercover Boss" and force them to become a member and owner, give him a 70k a year budget and own an X5. ;)

A couple of years ago there was someone from BMW NA monitoring some of the boards, but I suspect that function got canned as a cost reduction with the drop in sales.

I've seen some guy named Vatkins post a few times on Bimmerfest. He hasn't done anything for me and my problems. I don't think I've seen anyone from BMW post here?

Craig

They're doing it to themselves. Ironically, people will always have the same impression of BMW like some still do w/ Dinan...thinking that it's the best of the best, hence why they charge so much. At the end of the day, it's still plastic, metal and glass. I see E30's w/ 200k on the odo going for more than 01 740iL's w/ less mileage...because back then BMW actually cared about doing more than Xeroxing cars. I keeps my busy, but it's frustrating at the same time since I almost take it personally everytime someone has an issue w/ their car.

I keep reading about X5 35d and M3 guys going through fuel pumps like there is no tomorrow. I've got a customers 84 528 sitting in my garage w/ almost 300k that has sat for 2yrs and wouldn't start for him. A couple wacks w/ a rubber mallet and it fired right up...to bad that won't fix these newer BMW's. At most, it might relieve someones tension :D