Have 2008 535i with sport pkg. Car starts to run ruff, bucks, has no power. Then check engine light comes on. Have had it at dealer 3 times for same issue. They first said that it was the gas, then it could be an injector. They replace # 3 injector, seams to have solved problem for a while but I still get the same symptoms ruff idle , bucks on highway and no power, check engine light has not come back on but I beleive this is becaus I turn off the engine wait a few minutes and then restart, that seams to smooth it out. Service guy seams to think that there is an issue with the computer setting but they can't do anything until they get something form BMW to updtae the computer. I know this is long, has anyone else had this problem.
Engine Check Light I own a 2008 535XI that has 12,000 miles on it. I have had 5 failures of the AWD/DSC system, which BMW claims is my fault for failure to drive the car long and fast enough. After leaving the car in a body shop for one week the AWD/DSC failed for the 5th time. I scheduled the car for maintenance and was backing out of the driveway for one of those "BMW high speed road trips, when the engine light came on. When I dropped it off at the BMW dealer, I talked to the Service Manager, who had no idea what was wrong. I should get the car back next week. Once I find out what happened, I'll let you kow. I'm convinced I have a lemon and may just trade it in on either a 2010 535 I, with less electronic gimics, or a 2009 Volvo S80. I have never had so many problems with a car in my life, and BMW seems unable to fix it. So much for "free maintenance for 4 years." Buck Cording 2008 535XI 1973 2002tii
I have the same problem on my 2008 535XI. It has 63,000 miles on it and every couple of days both ckeck engine lights will come on. When these lights come on it tells me that there has been an "Engine Malfunction" and "Drive At reduced Power". I also will get DTC errors. The car will run at very low power and sometimes very rough, and after a few days, BOOM, the problem is gone to return later. I've had it to the BMW stealer and they said I must leave it for a few days so that they can check it cold. I think this is just a crying SHAME, that a $55,000.00 car runs like a piece of S*** and the BMW stealers just give you a lame excuse. How many cars do you think BMW would sell if the buyer was told these excuses before purchase? I'll let you know what happens at my next visit.
Check Engine light repair I just got my 2008 535XI back from Sterling BMW who inherited the car, as I bought it from BMW of Fairfax. They kept the car for a week, which was fine with me as I told them to fix it or I was hiring an attorney and pursuing the Lemon Law procedures set up in Virginia. I had 5 battery discharges in 20 months and 12,700 miles and the final indignity of the dreaded Check Engine light coming on. Greg Miller, the Service Shop Forman ran a parasidic electronic system check to see how much electrical drain was happening during the "Sleep Mode". Turns out the car was in spec and he got me the third battery, out of the 7 series that is even stronger than the 855CCA Interstate that I had installed. He took the battery tender connections off of the battery terminals and told me to hook them up using the battery jump terminals under the hood. He mentioned something about the negative battery terminal connection being an "Intelligent terminal that talks to the car and charges the battery as required." Greg is a nice guy, but I am having a hard time believing a battery terminal can talk to anything! The check enging light had occurred twice with the rough idling and jerky running. He replaced the high pressure fuel pump and vola the cars runs like new. (No wait it is new). I have run the car for a week and it runs as it did when first delivered. The AWD/DSC systems are on and the new fuel pump really lets the car fly. I have replaced three batteries in 20 months and have fought with BMWNA who could care less about their customers. They originally told me I had violated a separate battery warranty by not driving the car the reuired 1,000 miles a month at highway speeds, as specified in the owners manual. I have read the 518 pages of the manuals twice and they are LIARS. This came out when I finally got a written apology and reimbursement for the battery I bought and installed. From all this fighting and working with Greg Miller, the only BMW person who gave a damn, I got the larger battery installed, no questions asked. Hope this helps. I paid cash, $68k, for mine and I feel the same way you do. What is BMWNA thinking? The way they treated me, had me mad enough to sue. If the car breaks again I am trading it in on a Volvo. I have owned 5, some with more than 100K miles on them and never had a mechanical problem. No it's not a BMW, they work! And yes I love my BMW, when it works. Let me know what happens when you get yous back from the dealership. I have my 1973 2002tii frame off restored BMW serviced at a local BMW certified repair facility and I get what I pay for SERVICE. Buck Cording
To all of you who responded. My car has been back to the dealer as I stated 5, 6 times for the check engine light and the rough idle and new problem hard starting. Here is what they have done: Their explanation after the 6 visits was that BMW is aware of the problem and has a software upgrade which they have now installed and it has improved the problems, I suggest you contact your dealers and have they install the software. The hard starting problem was fixed by replacing the High Pressure Fuel Pump. this they did in March, the hard starting has happened again and they just replaced the fuel pump again, they said that there were problems with the older version of the pump and the one they installed in march was the older version, What they have done to apease me is to give me the extended warrenty, 100,000 6 year , it covers everything they value is $3250. Maybe you guys should try for this. I am still considering asking for a replacement, I will see how things go now.
Fuel pump failure was common for early 2008 535's. We just traded ours in on a diesel x5. The pump was replaced two or three times and had a variety of symptoms from a no start to low power and rough idle. Other things to look for are shifter failures-replaced 3 times as the shifter would not return from the sport side of the gate to normal when trying to set the park button and then triggered a odb code, and steering angle sensor which was cool as it turned off the traction control and let me break the wheels loose when it hit second gear!
