I own a 2008 535XI bought new with about 12,500miles currently on it. I have experienced 5 failures of my charging system since 7,800 miles, which causes the AWD/DSC system to fail. This last saturday, I backed out of the driveway to attempt a "high speed trip" as recommended in the owner's manual, only to have an "Engine failure, reduced power" warning message to show up. Has anyone with a similar car had similar experiences? Is this expected behavior for this model car? Any help is greatly appreciated. The battery has been replaced and the car is plugged into a battery tender but this cannot be the normal proceedure for what BMW sells as a "Performance Car!" I'm off to the BMW shop tomorrow for whatever maintenance they can provide. I have requested a parasidic electrical system check to see whats causing this problem. The car is a fabulous driver when it works. Unfortunately it does not work with any reliability! Thanks! Buck Cording
