BMW Forums : BimmerForums banner

Welcome to the introduction forum!

1M views 2K replies 2K participants last post by  G20 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well, seeing as a lot of new members are signing up at the moment....(but not posting!) I have been asked to create an introductions forum where new members can create a new thread to say hi and talk about their cars and projects :cool:

See you there hopefully
 
#612 ·
HI, im a new member.

Hi guys, ive just purchased my 325ci m sport 2004 so i have joined in this forum, previously i had a 5 series e39 and was on the 5 forum, it was helpfull and i hope i can find this forum helpfull and maybe get to meet and introduce my self and car.
:)
 
#613 ·
Hi everyone,

I am new here and this is my first post

I have been looking for a replacement car for my current E39 530i auto.

I have found the car and am looking to buy this weekend (put in £250 refundable deposit but the car is 80 miles from me in Suffolk)

Due to my new job, I have to have a diesel (expecting 20-25k miles per yr) And most importantly I have to pay for my own fuel!!

I have narrowed my choices down to either a C220 cdi Merc or the 320d m sport and after a heavy test driving two weeks I have decided to go for the 320d m sport (the merc is just no comparison in terms of the engine!!!)

Having set my mind on a 320d m sport now there's a saloon grey 320d m sport 2008 for £13k with 59k miles on the clock, leather and just serviced by bmw 2 weeks ago (no sat nav).

Or this one I have placed the deposit which is a met blue 320d m sport for £12k coupe 2009 with 100k miles on the clock plus leather and sat nav. very nice wooden trim and pure motorway miles.

both one owner but the blue one obviously had a mad job doing that kind of miles in 3 yrs...

both have Mot til march 13.

I seriously need help as both are nice looking car, I have no family and rarely let people go in the back seats so leg room at the back does not matter and both shares the same size of the boot space.


oh both cars are from a small dealer where they do not specialise in bmw. For the same price I could get a black 320d 2007 plate m sport with black leather and only 40k miles on the clock but not the facelift. But it is direct from BMW!!

Any suggestions or advise would be greatly appreciated
 
#620 ·
New BMW Owner!!!

Hello, my name is Tom, I'm 20, I live in Ashford and bought my first BMW on Friday!!! Its a 318i SE E46 1999, purchased for £1050 with 93K on the clock. Really enjoying the car, its a bit different from my first car, a 1.0 Toyota Yaris and will probably be a bit of an ongoing project. Any suggestions for mods etc would be great. Here she is below after a desperatley needed mint-up, the blue car is my mates Stilo

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive design Personal luxury car
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Personal luxury car Alloy wheel
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Personal luxury car Bmw
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Alloy wheel Family car


Cheers for looking, more to come hopefully!!! :thumbsup
 
#624 ·
New to all this

Hello im lewis 21yr olds own a E36 328 doing as much to the car as posiable lol
Got M3 us cams, M50 manifold big bore throttle body, M3 3.15 LSD, Z3m short shift, coilovers, air box needs to be sorted out (atm its just a cone filter sucking in lots of hot air :p, remapped to 7k getting another remap soon thinking rasing the rev limit to 7350 to take advantage of the cams and manifold, ebay special exhaust and manifold kit.... will take any advice onboard any good set ups for air box? :) Thanks Lewis
 

Attachments

#625 ·
save my 525ix touring from banger racers and scrapmen.

hi ya all, my 525 ix touring has been sat at my parents house for couple years now, and i just dont have the time to do anything with it. i think it would be a shame to sell it to the banger racers who keep on at me for it. i would rather it went to someone who would put it back on the road, or use it as spares for their own ix. if it was just the normal 525 i would have scrapped it long ago, but think the 4wd cars are worth saving due to their rarity rather than value. hope this doesn't count as trying to sell covertly, but am just trying to save the ix from extinction, and must be a good project for someone out there in time for winter. thanks ian. co. durham, ianjed@hotmail.com
 
#628 ·
This introduction is a bit late, but here it is anyway.
I'm Marko and I'm from Serbia. I own 2003 jet black 325CiA in M-sport package II. Had one 325i e36 before and e30 316i. There's one 530d e39 individual in the family as well. I hope we will get along nicely.
 
#629 ·
My name is JULIE IN TOMBALL, TEXAS. The following letter is what I submitted to BMW a couple weeks ago. I've read online blogging/social networking sites/forums, and see X3's have a history of the fuel bank 1 & 2, air mass meter showing possible leaks, fuel injectors tripping sensors, fault codes 2882 & 2883.
BMW of North America cannot figure this out, or fix it. Additionally, on a paid warranty, they told me I had thousands of dollars in damage due to a rat. I called Nationwide (my auto ins. co) and after 30 minutes I was told by the investigator that there was "NO damage to my engine, harness, electrical, etc....And I've instructed BMW to continue working on the intake manifold & fault codes to figure out THEIR mechanical issues at no charge to you..." Something's SEVERELY wrong with a global company that cannot repair their own vehicles & charge consumers money for warranties & extended warranties that do NOTHING but cause you to have to drop your car off every 30-40 days only to find out the same issues continue to exist. My letter follows:

Dear Mr. Ludwig Willisch,

This morning I called your 800-831-1117 number to speak to a corporate officer and get corporate contact information. A girl named Jenny (in Ohio) answered the phone, and required an overview of my reasons for calling (which I spent 30 minutes giving to her over the phone). I believe you can reference the detailed notes she said she took. When I requested contact information for the President, Vice President or a Houston, Regional office, she wasn't allowed/able to provide that to me.

My Service Engine light in my X3 came on again a few days ago, forcing me to, once again, take a day off work, take my car into BMW of Houston North, get a loaner car and wait for the newest diagnosis of my ongoing problem vehicle.

The reader's digest version of why I'm calling is based on 2 reasons: Several years of taking my car into BMW every 2 to 3 months (and my car being misdiagnosed for all of those years until 3 months ago), and BMW Houston North calling me during December 2011 & Jan. 2012 to tell me I had a rat's nest "IN my intake manifold...you owe $970 at this moment, and the amount of damage will be upwards of $4000, $5000 or higher..." (I have this email from her still today) When I called Nationwide, my insurance carrier, and they sent out a claims adjustor/investigator the next day - The outcome was, "There is no rat, there are pieces of grass or hay or something on top of the manifold, but DEFINITELY no harness or electrical damage as I'd been told by the lead mechanic and Sandra - my Service Advisor at that time. My investigator told that to BMW as well, and instructed them to continue working on my car regarding mechanical issues having nothing to do with a rat or rat's nest, and felt none of the work needed should have been outside my warranty "in any way." No one called me from BMW to explain their claim I owed them money, or explain why I'd been left in tears by Sandra when I'd merely had my Service Engine light on again & brought it in for basic maintenance.

There are SO many details at this point to get you from A to Z, I honestly don't know where to begin. I'm going to list issues that can be further discussed when necessary:
BMW had my vehicle in Nov. 2011, returned it & the Service Engine light was on again beginning of Dec. 2011. This has been happening for months & months & months in both Houston, TX and L.A., California for several years. My service records will show how often I've had to bring my car in for work. When we bought the car, we paid cash, and bought the warranty and extended warranty. We paid the car off within 6 or 8 months. Somehow I've believed, since I purchased the car in early 2007, that having to have maintenance performed every couple months was "normal." It was all made easier with the loaner cars I had to sometimes wait weeks for, but the amount of time off work, driving 20+ miles to and from this BMW location and then the fact my insurance company caught BMW of Houston North being dishonest, made me question the integrity of BMW....and also research the fuel injector issue with mechanics across the nation & online. I found that this fuel injection issue is a well-known issue that appears to not yet be understood. As a matter of fact, the way my fuel injector/service engine light issue was "resolved" was by swapping the injectors around; not replacing them. BMW North told me, while they had my car for weeks & weeks in Dec & January of 2011 & 2012, that in calling their corporate mechanics across America, the solution was to swap. I'd also read this online, and saw that everyone who's currently dealing with this issue in their BMW's, is still in the same predicament with the light continually coming back on repetitively.
It was determined, after BMW wasn't getting the initial $970+ or the other monies Sandra had said I'd be paying BMW, that my light was coming on every 200 miles - which is why I was constantly having to inconvenience my own life to drop off my car every 2, or so, months. Matter of fact, if you look at Invoice #332370, it shows the 201 miles they put on my car to see if, after swapping injectors 123 with 456, the service engine light would return. At that time (around January 12, 2012), it did not.
If you review my invoices from 2008 and 2009, you'll see that fault code 29AE, 2882 & 2883 (fuel trim bank) showed up regularly. These were never fixed. Regularly says, "Too Lean," but then the car would be tested for leaks and "found no leaks present."
...But if you look at Nov. 2011 invoice# 330768, it says, "found system thinks there is a leak in the intake manifold. smoke tested intake manifold to find leaks. no leaks were found. performed test plan for air mass meter. air mass meter failed tests......replaced air mass meter..." Look 1 month later, December 2011, and in those same areas of my car was the rat's nest that my insurance investigator was unable to see/find. I work 7 days a week since Sept. 2011, and they were telling me a rat had made an elaborate nest & had done extensive damage to the inside of my engine, including harness damage, electrical damage and more... I reminded them they had my car stationary for about a week in November. When Sandra called and said the mechanic had "pulled your engine apart...it's in pieces....and after 7 or 8 days of searching for this needle in a haystack problem, he found a rat's nest..," she then said "I suggest you call your insurance company because this is going to be very expensive - upwards of $4000, $5000 to $7000 or $8000 in damage which won't be covered by your warranty. I went to look at my car a couple days later, DURING WORK and in tears, and Sandra was again so rude and condescending, (not to mention, unable to state facts and basic details about the state of my vehicle), that I spoke only to the mechanic, and was referred to a supervisor.

The General Manager, Mr. Carr, has been helpful in getting me in and out of BMW from that point on. I had to go back, once again, to BMW to talk with him and catch him up to speed about mid-January because he'd been out on vacation, I believe. I had called him, because THE DAY AFTER I WAS TOLD I HAD A RAT'S NEST & WOULD BE PAYING OUT-OF-POCKET up to $8000, Sandra called and left me a message (as well sent an email I still have, which also said I had a rat's nest "INSIDE your intake manifold," and she wanted the loaner car returned. Basically I was left with a car that was in pieces, unknown amounts of damage from a rat no one found and my only way to and from work & my child (the loaner car) having to be returned the SAME DAY she called me. Her message (I still have this voice message too), clearly said I had to commit to the $970 plus any additional monies it would cost to keep taking my engine apart & pay for rat's damage & drop off the loaner car that evening....OR, drop off the loaner, and figure a way to get your car to another mechanic in the condition it was in. Needless to say, I was in tears. This is when I finally called my insurance company, Nationwide. It took him one day to show up at the BMW location my car was at. He determined in 30 minutes that my car was "missing" while pushing on the gas, and that the mechanical issues in my car had "Nothing to do with a rat or rat's nest. They were unable to show me any damage or presence of a rat. Any/all work that needs to be done, and will resume today, will be under your warranty...." He said more, but I'll leave that for future discussions.
I have kept all of my invoices/work orders since 2007. I have reviewed them all, and see a constant issue throughout....Which is my car running lean, usually showing no leaks, testing the air mass meter, fuel injectors and intake manifold issues. I realize no one sees my side of what owning this BMW has been, but I'm saddened that a company I've always seen as reputable, was so unable to diagnose, fix and/or resolve the Service Engine/Fuel Injector for what looks to be years. There have been years where I was in BMW every 2 months (and sometimes sooner!) like clockwork, and no one took note or found concern that I was being inconvenienced at this level for as long as I have been. More so, not one mechanic saw a constant and regular issue with my fuel injectors, lean coding, need for intake manifold leak testing,

I have ensured my X3 has been maintained perfectly since taking ownership of it. As SOON as ANY light came on, I was at BMW as soon as the loaner was available - often sooner due to urgency of light....And I have a large stack of invoices/rental car agreements to prove this.

I've searched for hours upon hours on the Internet and on BMW blogging pages, and found this issue is common and, to this date, still not resolved. There appear to be hundreds/thousands of other BMW customers in the exact same boat as me - Many don't have warranties as I've had, so they're forced to take their vehicles into random mechanics every other month, to have testing done..Only to find out that the best that can be done, is swapping their fuel injectors, which ultimately does nothing. I still cannot grasp why BMW didn't replace my fuel injectors, merely out of customer satisfaction, after the hours & hours & hours of my time driving to and from BMW - not to mention the deceit they were caught in with the rat's nest. I'm just beyond candy-coating the rat issue. I do feel Mr. Carr stepped up when he allowed me to keep the loaner while my insurance investigator was analyzing the issue & my car engine was in pieces outside BMW of Houston North. He's remained my contact person since February 2012, when he and I both agreed I shouldn't have to deal with Sandra (the service advisor) any longer.

My concern as of today, is that my warranty expires this month, my Service Engine light came on again a few days ago, I took my car in yesterday, got a loaner....And I'm realizing I will never be able to trust my Service Engine light again! I have 8550 miles showing on my car "clock" until maintenance is needed, so to have that same light on again after about 2 months since I was last at BMW, is beyond discouraging. What do I do in 2 months when the light comes on again?? I asked that question to Mr. Carr yesterday, and he told me I could go to Auto Zone, and they can hook up my car and do a basic diagnostic on it....But then what if it's on as a result of the fuel injectors that are merely sitting in new spots now?

And I have not mentioned yet the first 1 1/2 yrs or so, that i had to deal with the Tire Balance light. From the date of purchase at BMW of Houston North, that light was on, and John (the salesman who sold my car to me), said, "It's probably because we just put air in your tires..." It never went off, and I was back in every couple weeks, off and on, for 15 o 18 months?? We got to the point that BMW, nor I, took the light seriously because it was ALWAYS on, and even after replacing sensors, it continued to come on. The concerning part of THAT story, is that I didn't take it seriously, and made a trip between Texas and Los Angeles where the light came on. I was driving at about 65 -80 the entire trip, with that never-ending light on. Upon arriving to my destination, I parked, unpacked and jumped into my car to drive up to the residential gas station for water, and while driving about 30 mph, my tire blew! If that had happened 20 minutes before, I would have been driving 80mph.

As I told Jenny (in Ohio at your USA corporate office) this morning on the phone, when she kept asking me what I was looking for from BMW - I've only wanted a car I could rely on, that was safe for me and my kids, that got me from A to B and that didn't interrupt my already hectic life to often spend more time with the manufacturer in weeks than with my own family. This car has kept me and BMW mechanics guessing the entire time I've owned it. I think the fuel injector issue is a defect in most X3's, and I have a feeling you're well aware of this. If I can acquire pages & pages & pages of dialogue on it, I'm sure you're dealing with the same just from a different standpoint.

Why hasn't there been a recall?
Why was I put in that precarious rat/rat's nest position, without BMW taking responsibility and providing me with reasons for the false statements?
Why have I spent 5 years owning a car that's kept me in regular touch with any BMW location in any state I'm frequenting?
What is wrong with the computers in the X3's?
How am I supposed to move on, out of my warranty, when it's a definite that by July or August, that Check Engine light will again be on - causing ME now to find a mechanic willing to take on this non-stop issue that has yet to be permanently rectified?

I've been avoiding this email and today's call for over a year. I really didn't want to spend another minute dealing with BMW on this level. Out of exhaustion, had my Service Engine light not gone on this month AGAIN, I very possibly could have just finished my warranty and moved on, never to get a BMW again. But when that light came on again the other day (May 2012), and the realization that my warranty is now about over...And I'm not a BMW mechanic.....All future diagnosis' and attempts to address this issue, will fall on my shoulders and bank account. All I ever wanted was a good, safe, reliable car....

Lastly, you need to know that there are SO many people who are presently aware of the amount of time my car is at BMW. It was a joke at our Regional Round table meeting in May, "..Just look for Julie, because you won't know which car she'll be pulling up in.." That didn't much hurt me, but I feel it's terrible publicity for BMW. I travel within the west coast and southern regions regularly, and stopped being able to do most of it in late 2010. The car has shown to be so unreliable, and confusing to even YOUR mechanics, my heart sinks every time a light shines on my dashboard. That said, I've begun posting on BMW blogging sites to try to find resolution from others in the same boat, despite the fact I don't really have the time for this either. I'm about out of options...

No one's been able to come close to resolution with my car; it's all supposition and tests in hopes of a solution. This may be progress for BMW, but it's been hell for me.

I need this email to go to, at least, the Vice President of BMW North America. This issues within are needing to be addressed by a corporate officer, as opposed to Customer Relations, at this point. I realize Jenny (this morning) was doing her job by not allowing me to speak to someone other than her....But I felt that I was hindered in progress today, because today will be my only day off work until the end of June. I don't have the time to keep calling back your Ohio and New Jersey offices, to obtain the names and contact information of your corporate officers.....But at this point, I will do so, because it's the principle. ------ End of letter to BMW

Update: I got my car back a week ago, and the same issues are written all over my invoice/receipt. I need BMW to stand up and address this faulty vehicle I've mistakenly bought.
TODAY, June 7, 2012, I got my final call from Jenny at the Ohio BMW corporate office. She said "Our team has investigated your issues, and we regret to inform you that we will NOT be assisting you further. I'm sorry." I reminded her that BMW has yet to diagnose the incessant issues that come up every 200 miles (every 30-40 days), and I'm left with no alternative but to take to the public because I've read all the other X3 owners on the internet who are stuck with the same faults, fuel bank, intake manifold, codes 2882 & 2883, fuel injector, etc... issues I continue to have today. BMW Houston North has had to put hundreds of miles on my vehicle in attempts to discover the repetitive issues....And to date, I'm left with no resolution, out of my warranty and BMW's final words to me today of "Sorry. And good luck to you."
Can ANYONE offer me direction? And......
Note to Public: Do NOT buy an X3, and realize you will be spending a LOT of TIME in the shop after your date of purchase!!!
Sincerely,
JULIE IN TOMBALL, TEXAS
 
#633 ·
Hello!

Hi all

I'm new to Bimmerforums and just thought I'd say hello. I bought my first BMW a couple of months back, which was a 2006 plate E46 320d CD M Sport (I think!). Changed my bushes yesterday and will post up some piccies soon, so thanks for all the members who put DIY info on this site (and any other site) as it helped a lot.
 
#634 ·
newbie e46 300d

just to say hello to all have been looking on here for info on new purchase due to pick up on saturday this weekend a 2002 330d sport may have jumped gun a bit after reading about the swirl flap problem among others went and bought the deflaps form swirlflaps.co.uk at about £46 ish :sillynow ive read that as mines is an older model and 5 speed manual box it may well not have these on the manifold, if thats the case they will be up for sale here shortly at less than i paid for them im also keen to do change the bogroll breather filter and have the right part no i think 11 12 77 99 366 will be buying this as soon as car arrives on saturday afternoon car has history and about 81,000 on clock so hoping all will be ticketyboo lots of good info here more so than other sites ive visited but will be checking engine number/vin/codes or whatever i need to doublecheck whether i need the flaps ive bought or not will update post when ive picked car up all the best to all on site the best ive found so far.
 
Top