Seems most of the posts in the BMW yay thread are bitching anyway, so this seems fitting.

Got an '06 E60 530xi wagon. Had it for right at 2 years and it's got 80k miles on it.

The car started complaining about both left and right tail lights and brake lights malfunctioning.

googling tells me it's a grounding issue.

I had planned on fixing this myself as per the instructions, but I simply don't have the time. I took it to the stealership, and they want to replace both tail light assemblies for $650.

And there's more!

I've got two broken cylinder head bolts and an ensuing oil leak. They quoted me $1200 for that repair. It appears that this is somewhat common and caused by overtorquing the bolts in the factory They even issued new torque specs to prevent this. Lovely how automakers get to profit off of their own mistakes.

And as an added bonus...

oil filter housing gasket is leaking, and they want $850 for that job.


Definitely gonna find an independent shop in the Richmond area and get second opinions, but fuck that noise. Maybe the 9 years/130k miles with one repair on my 4runner has set my reliability expectations unreasonably high, but between my experience and those of friends/family who've owned BMWs, my perception of BMW's reliability is poor.


Been toying with the idea of replacing one of our cars anyway, how much of a dickbag would I be to just trade it in somewhere and hope they don't catch it?

3/5/2014 11:24:44 AM

Not that familiar with the e60, but if its like every other BMW I've owned just take the bulbs out and use a wire brush to clean the contact on the light assembly and on the bulb, then use a tiny bit of dielectric grease before replacing the bulb. It takes 10 minutes and $5. Is the 2006 the N52 engine? If so that gasket is easy to replace yourself and probably a $20 part.

3/5/2014 12:33:45 PM

nah, i verified it was the issue where the ground wire melts onto the connector. Will need to replace the connector and ground wire. Still something I feel I could handle, but it'll take (me) at least a couple of hours.

I looked at the R&R on the oil filter housing gasket and this one's above my skill (and tools).

I'll probably live with the tail light issue a little longer until work slows down a bit. The indy shop quoted the work about $800 cheaper. The cylinder head bolt repair was only about $80 less, so I might go ahead and get that done at the dealer since the car is already there, and I need to drive it to charlotte on friday, and the indy shop can't get to it until next week.

3/5/2014 12:42:15 PM

E60 are full of issues these days, I totally avoid them. Resale is plummeting too, just unload it.

3/5/2014 12:52:45 PM

Yeah, i keep almost buying an e60 M5 but they scare me

3/5/2014 12:55:05 PM

it's also the worst M5 built

3/5/2014 3:18:56 PM

e28 is too old to daily drive and very hard to find, and even if i could i would want to preserve it and not daily drive it. i wouldn't mind daily driving an e34 but i didn't have much luck finding them when I looked a couple years ago. e39 is the most practical but it looks dated and not yet classic. the e60 is still gorgeous and the e60 is plenty comfortable and has enough technology gadgets to daily drive. f10 m5 is way more expensive than i can afford.

so it may be the worst, but its the one i would want to daily drive the most if i didn't have to consider reliability. my personal preference of m5's is f10>e60>e34>e39 and e28 (its a tossup between e28 and e39. e28 is slow but its a classic and will probably appreciate in value. e39 is quick and practical but looks dated and not yet classic)

3/5/2014 3:58:25 PM

I loved my BMW, but they make some shitty quality stuff when you actually sit down and look at repairs. Had I not found Shade Tree garage in Raleigh, I would have likely gotten rid of the BMW a lot sooner than I did.

3/5/2014 4:02:55 PM

What are other good independent shops, has anyone tried:

Import Motor Werks
Import Performance Inc
MPowered Auto
Autobahn Automotive
Autohaus Import Service
European Performance

?

3/5/2014 4:10:48 PM

I think I have said this before, but out of 7 bimmers I owned, not one had less than 60k miles. Interestingly, the one with LOWEST mileage had the MOST problems and was by far the most expensive to own.

All others I bought around 100k mark (two at 160k mark, one at 180k mark). By that mileage most of the serious issues came up already and were fixed by previous owners. If it lasted to 160-180k it was most likely well kept. On six BMW this theory has been spot on.

Somebody will buy it from you and will have to fix it around 100k mark.

As for your issues, just like previous posters have said. Get rid of her.

3/5/2014 8:46:51 PM

Quote :

"e39 is the most practical but it looks dated and not yet classic"

Maybe I'm just biased as I've always liked the shape but I don't think the E39 looks that dated. Sure, it's obviously not from the last 5 years, but...oh well.

Then again I've never liked the e60 at all. Think it's one of the less attractive BMW designs. To each their own, I suppose. (I also do not like the e90 3-series one bit, so I'm obviously in the minority here.)

3/5/2014 10:38:03 PM

I'll keep my e39 M5 with 130,000 and climbing

have had one problem in the 15 months of driving it

alternator died and killed the battery, but I was able to make it to an auto parts store and buy a new battery, then ordered the alternator online and had an independent shop in N. Raleigh do the repair.

replaced the belts and all pulleys while they were in there

see Dan Connor at Bimmer Performance Center
honest and fast

sure it was more expensive than fixing an accord but this is an 11 year old M5. 400 hp, 6 speed, rwd, room for 5. This car has been as reliable as any other car I've owned.

I'll keep it.

3/6/2014 1:13:08 AM

Quote :

"What are other good independent shops, has anyone tried: Import Motor Werks Import Performance Inc MPowered Auto Autobahn Automotive Autohaus Import Service European Performance "

I had my brakes done at Shade Tree. They quoted low-dust Akebobo pads, and proceeded to put on one set of OEM and one set of Akebono...guess they only had one set of the oiw-dust ones at the time. I called and said I wanted the Akebbono as quoted (not really a price thing...the dust is just really annoying) and they changed them out no problem, with [old gas-guzzling BMW] loaners both times. A++ will use again (though I will do my own brakes next time).

http://www.stgbmwservice.com/

3/6/2014 1:24:33 PM

has shade tree gotten quicker? its been years, but the last time I took a car there is took a week for a pretty simple (i think 3-5 hours in the book) repair

3/6/2014 1:28:55 PM

Either your visit was an outlier, or my same day service on the brake work was an outlier

3/6/2014 1:35:38 PM

Probably too late now , but e46's had a brakelight recall a few years ago and I thought I remember seeing other models/platforms were affected. The grounding point for all the bulbs in each light was too small to handle all the current and the recall 'fix' was to crimp a new wire ground to the chassis. Ask them if there is a recall for that vehicle.

3/6/2014 8:18:23 PM

Interesting timing on this thread

My e46 also started to have the taillight issue about 2 months ago. The ground wire plug in the harness has melted away the plastic around it. I'll get around to adding a new ground eventually.

Right now the damn thing won't start. It'll crank, but won't actually start. I can hear the fuel pump, the fuel filter's been replaced, and it's not throwing any codes at all. I was going to get it towed to European Performance at the beginning of this week, but I've held off because of the shitty weather.

3/7/2014 4:45:40 PM

yeah, from what I've read it affects the E46 and E60. Interestingly, there's a recall on the E60, but only on 2007-8, my '06 is excluded.

3/10/2014 1:45:59 PM

My cousin is looking at several E46 3-series and I'm gonna go take a look at a few cars for him, any common issues to look for? He is looking at sedans and coupes. Any other feedback appreciated as well.

4/11/2014 1:49:05 PM

Avoid 323i's, especially if it has the (GM sourced) automatic transmission.

4/11/2014 1:50:29 PM

Fuck an E60. Just wait until you have to replace your goddamn water pump.

4/11/2014 3:15:26 PM

the cooling system design changed in the middle of that lifecycle

4/11/2014 5:21:56 PM

My wife started complaining that the automatic rear hatch on our E60 530xiT was intermittently failing to open, and also wouldn't always close with the button.

I noticed the ignition was sluggish, and decided to replace the battery, thinking that was also probably causing the rear hatch issue.

Well, apparently it's not an easy DIY job like every other fucking car. You have "register" the battery, which requires a shop to do or a specific BMW scan tool.

I took it to an indy shop nearby, and they quoted $320 for the battery, which was still much less than the stealership. I get a call later and the guy tells me the rear hatch still wouldn't open with a fresh battery, and turns out the hydraulic arm that opens and closes the hatch had no fluid. well apparently the arm and the pump both have to be replaced and thy quoted me $3800.

enough was enough. This was an amazingly fun vehicle to drive, but as I'm not the kind of guy who's willing to use significant chunks of discretionary income on cars, I said fuck it and got rid of it. We bought her a new Toyota Avalon Hybrid instead haha

12/16/2014 1:46:29 PM

oh and yes:

Quote :

"Fuck an E60."

12/16/2014 1:46:54 PM

Yeah, I managed to get 260k out of my BMW Z3 2.8, but it was not without paying my mechanic a good bit of money. My wife joked that not many people know their mechanic like I know my BMW mechanic. He was the only way I afforded to have the car as long as I did. My A/C finally went, the ignition cylinder broke, the top needed replacing, and the check engine light had already cost me $1800 in troubleshooting. I said fuck this and moved on. Should have done it sooner.

Makes me pause when I think about getting something like an i3. BMW is nice, but nice garbage. Many of their parts are total shit, and from what I can tell, purposefully allowed to remain in cars for many years providing a steady stream of money to BMW.

I replaced my seat belt latches probably 2x, my aux fan 4x, and numerous other parts multiple times.

12/16/2014 2:55:13 PM

Wow knew?! it costs more. It's not a Honda. Maintenance intervals are more frequent. Like with everything in life there is a scale. Exotics have even more frequent maintenance interval. If you can't afford it, learn to work on it yourself. Bentley manuals are readily available and forums provide plenty of knowledge base.

As for the battery, you don't HAVE to register it.

Lots of stuff here if you want to start:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/tech_main_E60.htm

Trunk latch:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/BMW-E60/133-BODY-Trunk_Lock_Cylinder_and_Latch_Replacement/133-BODY-Trunk_Lock_Cylinder_and_Latch_Replacement.htm

[Edited on December 16, 2014 at 4:11 PM. Reason : just one place...]

12/16/2014 3:44:19 PM

Yeah IMO you really have to DIY on these things to make it worthwhile. I've got a headlight out and my indy shop quoted me anywhere from $400-$800 (it's not the bulb). Additionally Leith said [all] my injectors are bad and quoted me $2k to change them out, and this was after a $500 [low pressure fuel pump] sensor.

12/16/2014 4:40:19 PM

$3800? For a hydraulic hatch assembly? Oh dear lord, fuck that.

I cannot comprehend spending that much on a repair that does not involve something like replacing the entire goddamn engine, and even that would be hard to swallow for $3800.

I knew there was a reason I didn't drive BMWs. (Oh wait, it's because I can't afford to buy one, let alone maintain it, nevermind. )

12/16/2014 7:43:42 PM

I've had my 2011 335d for 3 years and 37K miles and no issues with it yet (knock on wood).

12/16/2014 9:57:30 PM

Quote :

"Yeah IMO you really have to DIY on these things to make it worthwhile."

agreed. I personally have no interest. Working on cars just isn't something I enjoy.

Quote :

"Wow knew?! it costs more. It's not a Honda. Maintenance intervals are more frequent. Like with everything in life there is a scale. Exotics have even more frequent maintenance interval."

I get that. I didn't balk at the cost of new tires, new brakes, or the new battery, and various other maintenance items over time. But there's no goddamn reason the liftgate motor assembly should cost that much. millions of other vehicles have serviceable automatic liftgates which don't cost an arm and a leg, and there's simply no performance related reason for BMW to overengineer the system the way they did. It adds nothing other than cost.

But, the reality is I should have done my homework a little better before buying the car.

researching the issues on bimmerfest led me to the E60 FAQ, in which the one of the first statements reads

Quote :

"First, Don’t Buy An E60: "

followed shortly by

Quote :

"These cars can be very pretty longer than they can be reliable"

sound advice.

It was an immensely fun car to drive, but for me-- that did not outweigh the frustration of poor reliability.

12/17/2014 3:07:35 PM

If I had to buy an e60 it would be a pre-update w/m54 engine (no water pump problems, solid engine), 6 speed (no mechatronics issues with auto transmission), no sunroof (if possible. do they make it without? all of them leak), no active headlights or active suspension (expensive as shit to replace), then i would replace the control arm bushings (assuming i'm not going back in time and buying new) and call it a day. that should be a solid car.

but i wouldn't buy an e60

12/17/2014 3:27:43 PM

Quote :

"I've had my 2011 335d for 3 years and 37K miles and no issues with it yet (knock on wood)."

eh, you will. give it time.

With my 08 335i, I had my 90k service done, got a walnut blasting, paid about $900. Two weeks later, water pump blew the fuck up and I was out another $900. This is also after I dropped $1200 on tires the month before.

Gotta pay to play. But yes, DIY is essential with these things. Everything I can do myself, I do myself.

12/19/2014 6:48:02 PM