Broken Again ! 35iS

S

SO8

Active member
 Staffs
Well, without the car again - 4th time BMW have had it in my 3 1/2 months and 1500 miles of ownership. To say I am unhappy is an understatement. I was driving along and the shock absorber symbol appeared indicating an adjustable suspension fault. I took it straight to the dealer who have kept it.

Faults so far ...

1st time - Coolant cap not secured by garage. That was easy to sort but not what you want on 2nd day of ownership,
2nd time - Coil pack after 5 days of owning. Put on low loader and taken to dealer.
3rd time - Suspension control unit failure. Unit replaced.
4th time - As above : they state control unti failed again which I find a tad odd ! They have kept it and driven me home.

I have checked with BMW who say it has only ever had a service, a cracked alloy and a cracked windscreen replaced. Maybe I have just been really unlucky and the last fault was not properly fixed but much as I love it I am now feeling I can't trust it and am thinking of contacting the selling dealer to say I want them to take it off me. I bet they won't want to do that ... but 4 callouts in 1500 miles is hardly 'fit for for purpose' and of suitable quality at £26K when it only had 28500 miles on it and 3 years old.

When it works it is stunning ... but my confidence is very low in it now :(
 
Welcome to the world of BMW and learning to bond and care for your car (that's a nice way of putting they don't make the most reliable cars so get used to it ;) Or sell it I suppose).
 
Maniac said:
Welcome to the world of BMW and learning to bond and care for your car (that's a nice way of putting they don't make the most reliable cars so get used to it ;) Or sell it I suppose).
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I've had 4 others without any issue ... this one seems jinxed.
 
I know that e89 feeling... Hopefully its not a sign for you. There's only HPFP, Roof Sensors, Injectors, Turbo Wastegates and a handful of other things left to go wrong, its a short list ;) I have the same engine and waste gate rattle is getting worse. Its been back so many times I give up and won't bother taking it back any more until something goes bang and flies off.
 
Dealer says no other fault found. BMW asked for a load of extra checks on steering column, castor angle and such like. All ok. Now back in BMW's court to see if they authorise another control unit or want more checks. In the meantime I have been given a Toyota Auris automatic lol. Next time I will not drive to the dealers but get it recovered and then be given a BMW !! Even the guy at Enterprise said getting it recovered means I get a BMW - not whatever the dealer wants to hire.
 
thepits said:
Maniac said:
I know that e89 feeling...
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:( should have bought a E85 :D
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I had an e85, couldn't stand the sports suspension ride. Far too hard and bouncy for me. In any event, I had loads of problems and rattles in the e85 too! God knows why I stuck with BMW.
 
Apart from my cracked alloys and a turbo charger thingy, my car runs beautifully. Only saying to someone this morning whilst out a long run out, my car runs so beautifully well.

In fact it's just like new, which I know some of you would find hard to believe
 
SO8 said:
Next time I will not drive to the dealers but get it recovered and then be given a BMW !! Even the guy at Enterprise said getting it recovered means I get a BMW - not whatever the dealer wants to hire.
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Not good mate, feel your pain.

Guy at Enterprise it talking nonsense! When a car is recovered your usually given a car from Enterprise and it probably won't be a BMW, it's supposed to be something similar to what you have however when my mums 5 series have been recovered she was given a 1.6l Zafira in place of a 3.0l petrol 5 series estate. The dealers charge the warranty company for the car if they give you one. They however might have already assigned all their courtesy vehicles for that day meaning they need to give you something you don't really want to drive.

However if you have a serious fault I would always recommend it being recovered and you don't want them saying that you driving it further caused further damage and refuse to pay for the work.
 
Not so sure about that Angie. My local enterprise has the deal with BMW assist. They have a. Fleet of BMWs and minis which can't be hired, and are only given to BMW assist customers. I guess maybe your mum has been unlucky and all the "assist" cars have been hired out?
 
-Tom- said:
Not so sure about that Angie. My local enterprise has the deal with BMW assist. They have a. Fleet of BMWs and minis which can't be hired, and are only given to BMW assist customers. I guess maybe your mum has been unlucky and all the "assist" cars have been hired out?
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Possibly that the local enterprise doesn't have the capacity to hold them as the nearest one isn't very big with limited number of cars but good to know that some Enterprises have this deal in place. My local dealer has always supplied me with one of their vehicles and charged bmw for it.
 
Dealer has completed the extra checks BMW wanted and found nothing untoward - thus another adaptive suspension control unit has been ordered. It should arrive Monday thus I hope to be back in the 35iS for Tuesday :)
 
SO8 said:
Dealer has completed the extra checks BMW wanted and found nothing untoward - thus another adaptive suspension control unit has been ordered. It should arrive Monday thus I hope to be back in the 35iS for Tuesday :)
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Well lets hope that this one does the business :) AND Lasts!
 
Such stuff is sent to try us but could happen with any car. When it's all sorted and settled you'll soon forget about this crap. Keep your faith. Best wishes.
 
Lee Young said:
Such stuff is sent to try us but could happen with any car. When it's all sorted and settled you'll soon forget about this crap. Keep your faith. Best wishes.
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I thought that, had nearly 2 years trouble-free Motrin now without any niggles. And then this morning as I'm driving I noticed my waste gates are rattling like a son of a bitch. Here we go again.
 
Car back - fixed.

My dealer has offered to buy the 35iS back off me for what I paid 4 months ago given the issues I have had. I am seriously tempted but the trouble is I love it !! Alternative of an M135i just doesn't seem the same.

Decisions, decisions...
 
Get shot and buy another one, or even new as they seem to discount them to second hand values.
 
pvr said:
Get shot and buy another one, or even new as they seem to discount them to second hand values.
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I would want a 35iS and they are so thin on the ground it would be difficult. A new one with the spec of mine even via DTD would be out of my price range.
 
Would you not prefer to find another one rather than risk another failure? Generally, once a lemon the car will continue to cause issues.
 
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