Brand new 2012 X5d... in need of repairs, already!!!
 

Well, BMW managed to spoil my new car experience.

Yesterday, I received my 2012 X5d which I have leased from an out of town dealership. Someone drove the car to my address, and the car had about 400 miles on it when I received it (it was a 7 hour drive). The car is spotless, as expected for a new car. I drove it on a couple of short trips with no problems detected. And then my in-laws made it to town for July 4th. As we're driving back from the airport, I started hearing a thumping noise in the engine bay. Initially, it was faint but definitely there. I kept going because I surely did not want to stop in the middle of nowhere, with my in-laws in the car!... We finally make it home, and by now the sound is definitely noticeable. I open the hood with the engine stopped, and I couldn't see anything wrong. I turned the engine on, and now I could see something that appears to be a sliver hanging from the belt... The thumping frequency is proportional to the engine RPM which supports this being a belt issue, I think....

So, I have a few questions I would appreciate any answers to or help with.

1. Is this a known issue with 2012 X5ds? Has anyone else had a similar issue with their car when it was new?

2. The out of town dealer FedExed the lease contract which was supposed to make it before the car for me to sign and return with the driver (who also picked up my old X5d and drove it back to the dealership). For some reason, the mail was delayed and will be here sometime on Monday, so I now have a new car in need of repairs, the lease of which I have not even signed. Should I sign the lease or not?

3. I realize any repairs should be covered by the warranty but does the warranty even kick in before a lease contract is signed? In other words, if I take the car to the local dealership for repairs on Monday in the morning, who will be responsible for the repair cost?

4. I'm not a mechanic but can only imagine that if the belt breaks or something, the car will obviously be immediately immobilized, not to mention the potential damage to other parts of the engine a loose belt flying all over can cause...So, should I drive the car to the dealership on Monday or should it be towed there? Fortunately the dealership is only about 4 or 5 miles from home.

So, here's my new car experience so far. Thanks for nothing BMW!!!

What, you needed to blather this on every forum you can?

My post on BF:

I actually really hope this goes sideways for you.... some people deserve what they get. I'll reach out to Ryan at BMWLR and let him know he should try and avoid this one....

While I do think ard's post is harsh....your situation is not anything to worry about.
Relax.
If the dealer is 5 miles away, just drive it is as I suggested in the other forum. The risk of damage from a tow truck is 1000x greater than any potential damage from a belt breaking. \

And here's my reply to you, also from the other forum:

"Ard,

What in the world are you talking about?!!!! Your whole tirade is based on me being upset at the dealer, which I am absolutely NOT. Matter of fact I was just on the phone with them and they offered to contact my local dealer on Monday to arrange for taking care of the car. I could not be HAPPIER with the way the dealer is handling this!... I am upset at BMW, the car company that is, for lack of quality control. That's all. And under the circumstance, I think I'm entitled, irrespective of your opinion on this. And I did say "sliver", not silver, so for you to be wondering if people can be so inept is quite ironic!!!

For God's sake man, please do carefully read and understand peoples' posts before you fire back knee jerk replies that completely miss the point and contain inappropriate words.

Mods, since when is the use of "F...ing" and "dicks" allowed on the forum?! "

As for where else I chose to post this message, that is absolutely none of your business. Oh and thanks for wishing this goes sideways for me. How classy of you.

I understand the OP's frustration, but any/every new car has the potential for an early glitch; the 'belt', manufactured in quantity is exactly that: a belt that may have been flawed from minute one.

Not apples to apples, but my '02 VetteVert lower A/C compressor drive belt tossed itself the day after the long drive home from the dealer. The local Chebby dlr tech fixed it; it has never blinked since in 50,000 miles/10+ years. Just an analogy...

Take it to your closest dlr tomorrow and get it fixed. Your car is a lease: a medium term rental. Get it fixed, sign the lease, drive the car and enjoy it. It will be someone else's concern in 3 years.
GL, mD

Nothing over the top regarding the posters concerns. I believe he was looking for some constructive guidance rather than a slap upside the head.

IMO, I share his concern when he expresses "if the belt breaks or something, the car will obviously be immediately immobilized, not to mention the potential damage to other parts of the engine a loose belt flying all over can cause"

The best answer I can give is to call the The out of town dealer and ask them what they
would like you to do. Technically until you sign the lease it's still their vehicle. Document
all the conversations you have with the seller as that communication will be the basis
for how the warranty work will be completed.

If you suspect that damage to the vehicle is a possibility if you drive it then let
the vehicle sit until you get some reasonable answers. In the mean time you might
explain the issues to your insurance company as this problem might qualify you for
a rental until the issue is solved.

B

EDIT: while I was posting this some additional constructive
opinions came across the wire. Hope all the positive suggestion
will help.

Oh, I misread the part where he was threatening to not sign the lease documents.....

motordavid and Quicksilver,

I appreciate your advice and will heed it. I'll let the dealership decide what is the best way to get the car to them on Monday.

Now, back to the European cup final game...

^^^ LOL

Sounds like Mrs. ard....

:)

+2 someone is wired up lol.

OP, yea shit happens and I would ask the deler to come get the car. If that belt goes, or whatever is on the belt get loose, if might cause serious under hood damage. The radiator, wires, hoses in there could get raped.

My guess would be the dude who drove the 400 miles to you, who beat the sh-t out of it and drove it like a NYC taxi cab........ when you are supposed to take it easy during break in.

if this turns into a big deal, i'm sure you can get it in on the lemon law...

While that is always a possibility, the guy is an older guy (looked to be in his late 50s early 60s) who made the trip with his wife. They both looked like very nice older folks who I cannot imagine doing anything out of the ordinary with the car, other than drive it real slow that is!. You know, the couple you don't want to be stuck behind in traffic ...

Anyway, I took the car to my local dealership today in the afternoon and lost power steering on the way there! Man that steering wheel weighs a ton without it. They told me that when they opened the hood, there was cooling fluid all over the engine! Go figure... They still don't know what went wrong and will call me tomorrow in the morning for an update.

Does every state have a different lemon law, and which state's law would apply, that of the leasing dealership or mine?

yes, but one incident does not make a lemon.

There was a recall I believe on some X5 for power steering pumps, there was a engineering fault on the shaft which could lead to hydraulic fluid leaking into the engine bay, wondering if your X5 is one of these?

Seems highly doubtful that any form of abusive driving for 400 miles could damage a belt. Worn tires and brakes yes, belts no so much.

Probably just a manufacturing defect of some kind - either of the belt itself or assembly.

OK, so the verdict came back as faulty belt intermittently hitting the power steering fluid hose causing the thumping noise and ultimately rupture of the hose, loss of power steering, and power steering fluid (not coolant fluid as initially thought) flowing all over the engine. The good news is that the only parts that are damaged and in need of replacement are the belt and power steering fluid hose. No other parts of the engine were damaged. The bad news is that those parts apparently have to be shipped from overseas, so it's going to take a couple of weeks before I get my car back.

IMO, It's only bad news if they didn't give you a rental. If they did (and they
are covering the cost) or someone else covers the cost, then that's milage you
won't be putting on you vehicle. In my book thats a winner.

I gave you a hard time about not signing the lease...but unless they got the car fixed immediately- like this Friday- I'd put the screws to them. Refuse the lease, tell them to bring your car back.

They can SURELY expedite a hose and belt from SOMEWHERE in the USA, even off another car...at the very least, a DHL shipment from german to the us is 2-3 days with customs!

A

They gave me a 2012 528i as a complimentary loaner to keep until my car is fixed and I am not paying for the repairs. Also, my CA at the leasing dealership called today to let me know he will try to have his GM waive one full monthly payment on my lease. I did not ask for that; after all, it's not the dealership's fault if the car is defective in a way that cannot be detected until it is driven for about 400 miles.

Both dealerships are handling this in a very classy way and I am extremely satisfied with their service.

Sounds like you have good Dealership to work with, thats half the battle.

Sounds like a win win for you. Set back and relax. Drive their car and
let them do their thing. The main thing is your extremely satisfied
with their service and thats all one can ask for. Waiving one full monthly payment on
lease is icing on the cake......:thumbup:

[QUOTE=ard;883990]What, you needed to blather this on every forum you can?

Your comments are definitely not necessary, the guys just purchased a new SUV with problems and questions... Like I heard before, if you have Nothing to add value to OP's post, keep it to yourself.

Quicksilver, well said. Let them take their time fixing the car. I'm driving a beautiful loaner, for free, and everyday I don't drive my X5 I,m putting less miles on it. Now, if my CA also delivers on the one month payment waiver thing, then I will actually make money out of this ordeal!


Thanks Quicksilver and everyone else for the good advice and opinions. I'll keep you posted.

I have a pretty good dealer here in Brisbane, does not matter what my X5 is in service for they are always giving me something to drive.

Anyone had this as a loaner, they gave me a Rolls demo for the morning!

Why would you lease a car from a dealer 7 hours away, when you neighborhood dealer is 10 minutes down the road?

Ard's original sentiment appears to be accurate.

My local dealer did not have an X5d on the lot and had no allocations to order me one. The dealer I leased from gave me the best deal compared to all other dealers I contacted, including many closer ones. Besides, have you really never heard of people ordering cars from out of town dealers before?!

Especially up there in Little Rock I think there is only one BMW dealer there, correct ? So, you almost have to go elsewhere (as in most cities with just 1 dealer).

I ordered mine from a dealer in another city and the dealer 10 minutes away
Was happy to service it for the entire warranty period.

People do this all the time. People buy where they can get the vehicle they want
At the price they want. Simple logic IMO......:thumbup:

Correct, only one dealership here in Little Rock, and for some reason they seem to be on the higher end of pricing their cars... Their service, however, has been impeccable so far. I've been servicing my cars with them since 2006.

What!

BMW own Rolls,

Very nice car to drive.

Can't believe u didn't come take me for a drive...... :P

Did they have a limit on the kms you could do?

Yesterday I opened a case with BMW. They're looking into waiving a one month payment on my lease. I was told I should have an answer in 3-5 business days. Will let you guys know...

Keep in mind that every day they car sits waiting for BMWAG to get their act together and ship/expedite the parts will count towards a future lemon claim (should this rare possibility become necessary). I assume Arkansas has the same "30 day out of service' trigger.

Just thinking if BMW does surprise us with a new drivetrain for 2013, and BMW screws up again with your current copy, you may have the option to upgrade early....

just sayin'

And you returned it, that's some X5 loyalty ;) lol

At $750,000 AUD, I think I would have a little trouble selling it at the flea market, I was nervous just parking it so not scratch the rims!

I was sitting in the Rolls talking on my iPhone, when I finished I pushed the start engine button so to take off, and the motor stopped, it was already running, its so quiet.

V12 engine and it goes like hell too! and because its so quiet you don't realise how fast your going either, I can see why you would have a driver because you would loose your licence pretty quick.

Yup, in Arkansas it's 4 or more repair attempts or more than 30 days out of service.

I'm assuming that the lemon law of the state where the vehicle is registered applies and not that of the state where the leasing dealership is... Not that I intend or wish to lemon my car to get an upgrade, but it's good to be informed, just in case.

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...

I was planning a long trip to the lake house this weekend, now I'm going to have to take the daily driver (Prius). I was looking forward to drive the X but I don't want to take the risk!

lol

Any updates?

He must have gotten stranded afterall..

Lol I had to reschedule appointment so truck is still in garage I'll keep you guys posted

Sorry for the late reply, the x5 passed recall test and the noise I was hearing is the sump pump, it does this every so many miles the service manager told me! Thats what they told me, the car has been fine so far!

For the experts on this forum, does this sound right to you?! Does this really NOT need to be fixed?

Sounds pretty wrong but why don't you use your cell phone to record a video of the sound so that others on here can help guide you. My 2012 X5d only has 1,200 miles but I've not heard anything like what you have described occurring on my truck

WTH is the "sump pump"?

Something in basements.

It only comes with the exclusive "Sandy" or "Katrina" X5 models :stickpoke
I've heard the term used loosely in reference to oil pumps for high performance track cars to counter for G-forces but (of course) the X5 would not have any such high pressure oil pump so perhaps the dealer was pulling his leg?:popcorn:

I have never heard the phrase "sump pump" in reference to an X5 (or any other BMW for that matter). The closest that comes to mind is the dry sump oil system in Corvettes.

And yes, I would say his leg has been pulled.

I'm going to check paper work! Maybe it was dry sump I'll find out exactly. The truck hasn't done it lately but I'll take a video if it does.

Hey Jeff,

I hope your car's issue is not related to this:

Delivery stop on X5d produced through November 15 - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums