Years ago (15 or so) in Chicago there was a guy with a newer Rolls that parked in the garage of the office building where I worked. Once I saw him at his Rolls and I struck up a conversation. I mentioned the insurance must be really expensive and at the time he said, "No, in fact it is amazingly cheap." I asked why, and he said, "My insurance agent pointed-out, when I asked 'why so cheap?,' that (a) few people will steal a Rolls, as they are rather hard to sell/part-out and very conspicuous to drive if reported stolen, and (b) people that drive a Rolls are usually very careful drivers." Apparently Ro9lls owners make very few insurance claims.

I don't know if that's still true...

Interesting, could be very true, our California costs around $3,500 for insurance, its not so much that you might damage the car yourself but more the point some clown running into you that has no insurance.

I don't get why parts need to be shipped from abroad. Isn't this built in Spartanburg? Wouldn't they have parts there?

Well, their inventory might be restricted strictly for use in building cars and not to dispense as spare parts. Also, I don't know if either dealer actually contacted anyone in Spartanburg to ask. My CA at the leasing dealer called around to see if he can get the parts from other dealers and was unsuccessful.

Of course I am not pushing the issue because I'm very satisfied with the loaner I'm driving while saving miles on my leased X5. Again, let them take their sweet time fixing my car... I've already put about 400 miles on the loaner!

OK, final update. The car is fixed. It took exactly 12 days from the time I dropped it at the dealership until it was ready for pickup. It turns out the faulty part was one of the pulleys that drive the belt. It caused the belt to ultimately fail and take the power steering fluid hose with it. No other parts of the engine were damaged.

Thank you guys for all the good advice and support. I'll end by saying again that both dealerships involved in this matter (in Little Rock, AR and in Columbia, MO) were top notch! I would highly recommend contacting Josh Reichlin at Joe Machens BMW in Columbia if you need a good deal on a BMW. PM me if you want his contact info.

I had a failed steering pump bracket on the M5 under CPO. The replacement bracket was 17 days out, from Germany. (M5 is built in the fatherland)

But the mechanic told be they stock complete pumps with brackets.

Took them a day to convince BMWNA to just replace the pump instead of letting me drive a loaner for 2+ weeks.

Glad they took care of you in the end.

Good to hear that. I hope it remains trouble free from now on.

I hope so too. Thanks.

I am having the same problem as you I'm hearing a thumping noise from the engine bay from cold starts! It doesn't happen all the time but definetly not normal just made an appointment for next week! By the way it's a 2012 x5d 2200 miles

Sorry to hear you're having this problem too. I would caution you from going on any long trips before the problem is fixed. If it is the same issue my car had (faulty pulley), the problem could quickly escalate into a situation where you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere (if the belt brakes). I have to say though, the fact that your car's symptom happens on cold starts and not all the time makes it unlikely that it's a pulley issue. But then I'm not a mechanic and maybe other more knowledgeable members on this forum can chip in with better opinions and advice...