[douggy12345]

Hi

My father purchased back in March a 2001Y 530d with 163k on the clock and ever since buying it there have been nothing but problems.

1) A whooshing sound from the vents (whether open or shut) every time you accelerated, accompanied by a whine from the turbo. Nothing was done about this because there appeared to be no problems when it was looked at.

2) Then after about 2 1/2 months, the car began to fail starting. This was an ongoing problem for the following month and a half; with it going back about 4 times - having the camshaft and crankshaft sensors being swapped to no avail and about £150 wasted in labour.

Around about the same time there became a noticeable reduction in power particularly low down which got worse and worse in the following couple of months.

EVENTUALLY, the problem was diagnosed as a "Cracked Inlet Manifold" (one of the main air inlets into the turbo/engine, made out of PLASTIC! why????) which turned out to be a £600 job to fix. - It was suggested that this would fix the starting problem also which it appeared to do...................for about a week.

3) The starting problem was then eventually diagnosed as the "low pressure fuel pump". This was another £140.

Whilst having the inlet manifold fixed and the low pressure fuel pump fixed both the lack of power and the starting problem and eliminated the whooshing from the vents, the turbo still faintly whines on acceleration - and we can't help feeling that the car just doesn't have quite as much poke as it should. Is this a clear sign the turbo is on the way out?

4) Now - new problems. The car all of a sudden is going through s**t-loads of water. And there is a strange rattling coming from the front. And to make matters worse the rear windscreen washer is leaking water INSIDE the car. It is going back to the garage tomorrow for more work... And of course, the turbo is still whining.


This car so far has been a real dud. And if anyone is planning on saying

"It's quite high milage"

...Just DON'T!! I have a 1998 Volvo V70 2.5TDi with 186k and the car is flawless. No loss in power EVER, no turbo whine, no leaks, nothing. The engine, is in absolutely A1 conditoin. Gearbox A1. Still on original clutch.
A friend of mine has exactly the same model, 1998 also, with 500k on the clock, yes, thats 500,000 miles on the clock and it is working brilliantly still.

BMWs are supposed to be flagship in engineering and build quality, what the hell is going on here?

Has anyone had the same problems with their 530d, was it a real stupid mistake to buy one?

What other problems can we expect to come across?


Apologies for sounding out a complete rant, but we really are at our wits end.

Thanks for any responses in advance.

Dougie

 

[aliS]

Hi Dougie, sorry to here about your car, sounds like a friday afternoon car. I think your biggest problem may have been a poor mechanic acting blind just throwing random answers at you for problems that where not the cure and this is a f*"king real fustration.

I'm guessing to start with there was an air intake fault code, and the crank and cam sensor where replaced unneccesarily and the cracked manifold was the problem all along there.

Did you scoush the rear windows when the jet was frozen? becuase that would cause the pipes to pop open and therefore leak.

Have you got a full service history for the car? has it always had its oil change on time? if not you will have increased turbo wear, They don't last for ever and 160k is a good millage for one, even though some go for 200k+

Did you pay much for the car?

 

[Ronnie]

Have you ever had a Mass Air Flow meter on the car as e39s do go through them and it causes sluggish power at low revs, try disconnecting the MAF plug and driving the car for a while with it left off, if it goes alot better then it will need a new MAF.(the car will throw some black smoke out the back as it does run "rich" while the plug is off,nowt to worry about)

As for the rattle from the front, could be the water pump, especially if you are losing water

 

[scimitarjohn]

Hi Dougie
I've had a year 2000 ex plod 530d estate for several years now, not been quite as unlucky as you. Fabulous engine, 50 mpg + on a run thru France in a car this size fully loaded with stuff for our place, and still lovely to drive. Expect a bit of trouble being ex plod but engine ruined by all the plastic bits around it, electronics appear weak, alltogether lacking in quality and not well screwed together. Allways drove big Fords before and BMW is a big dissapointment, planning to sell soon and yes a Mondeo is on my shopping list.

 

[Rossybrown]

Hi dougie,

I can only offer any advice from experience with your knocking at the front, I've had this twice and hopefully not again:

1. First time was more of a whine and turned out to be the alternator (I went with a £90 rebuild). I also had some of the worn idler pulleys replaced at the same time
2. Second time was a more mechanical knocking that turned out to be the air con compressor bearings (it disappeared if I turned the air-con on). I oiled the bearings and its gone but I guess in time it'll need attention so i've found a company that just changes the bearings in situ.

Hope this helps mate.