Service engine soon :(

joyriide1113

There is no cure!
So I got my new 2006 BMW X5 4.8is with not even 25 miles on the odometer 2 months ago. I followed the proper break-in period. I only used high quality gas ( which is normal to me, since I always used it on my prior vehicle). And even opted to pay for an oil service out of my own pocket, simply to make sure after the break-in, the engine had fresh new synthetic oil. Bmw only covers Oil service when the car needs it.

Now its 2100 miles and the friggin "service engine soon" light is blinking and now remaining steady lit.

At times, when stopped in heavy traffic, the car begins to sort of "shiver" (sorry for the bad description lol), and even gets worse when u accelerate. Granted the car still runs, but by no means do you feel the torque or hp you normally feel when its normal. This continues for about 25 miles and then goes away, leaving the "service engine soon" light steady lit.

I have scheduled an appointment to bring my car in but its not gonna happen 'till tuesday the 30th of May. So I wait, and the light just happens to go off. Feeling a bit better but still planning on taking it in to the dealer, today on my way to work, SAME THING. The car begins to shiver and feels like I'm driving a 10000lb truck with a measly 4cyl engine.

Sorry for the rant, but I need to let out. This is a 73k X5 that I am making hefty monthly payments on. Something you think should not happen on such a pricey vehicle. But no, its give-give situation when it comes to these brands. You get better driving feel, excitement, and handling in exchange for stupid problems ranging from window regulators and small electronics, to the car catching a cold!

Dad drives a S55 AMG which is one of MB flagship vehicles, and he has had problems ranging from the NAV buttons not operationg, to the car simply not accelerating.

He now has a 760Li that barely 400miles on it. Thank god nothing has gone wrong with it, although he does not drive it much because it sort of a waste to drive during rush hour traffic, god knows what type of issues he will have.

Whats even worse, and I mean the worst of all is that my car is swirl free. Completely swirl free. No dings, no nothing. So leaving it at a dealership really makes me feel sick at the though of some baboon wiping his maternity blanket through out my menzerna advertised "finish".

So yea, to make a really really really long story short, I'm driving a pricey vehicle with a cold. The more I pay, the less I drive. :(
 
That sucks!!
I feel you're pain. Put a big sign across your windshield that says "DO NOT WASH THIS CAR", otherwise they will screw your car's paint for sure. Specially South motors :-)

You really don't have to wait until the 30th ...just drive the car in and tell them you can't drive it like this. It will take long, but it will be done the same day...hopefully.

Best of luck.

djfrankie
See you Sat.
 
djfrankie said:
That sucks!!
I feel you're pain. Put a big sign across your windshield that says "DO NOT WASH THIS CAR", otherwise they will screw your car's paint for sure. Specially South motors :-)

You really don't have to wait until the 30th ...just drive the car in and tell them you can't drive it like this. It will take long, but it will be done the same day...hopefully.

Best of luck.

djfrankie
See you Sat.

Are you sure they will take it in?

I'm actually tempted to do this, but wouldn't want to have to be redirected to my appointment.

I'm plannin on putting a sign taped to the dash hanging down over the radio controls.

Along with one on top of the dash to be seen thru the windshield.

Braman motors told me its only by appointment.

Is this dependant on dealer? I wouldn't mind taking it to Southmotors, granted I don't get the car washed or as in your case "fixed".. lol


See you sat.
 
Give them a call....call Keith Chow and tell him I (Frank Aguilar) sent you. He's my sales advisor. He's buddy is the service manager (Tony) and he might squeeze you in. Let me know what happens.

Definitely the bigger the sign the better.

Don't be upset about the car I'm sure is nothing. Even million dollar planes get hiccups.

djfrankie
 
joyriide1113 said:
Are you sure they will take it in?

I'm actually tempted to do this, but wouldn't want to have to be redirected to my appointment.

I'm plannin on putting a sign taped to the dash hanging down over the radio controls.

Along with one on top of the dash to be seen thru the windshield.

Braman motors told me its only by appointment.

Is this dependant on dealer? I wouldn't mind taking it to Southmotors, granted I don't get the car washed or as in your case "fixed".. lol


See you sat.

Do what I do, I am a king pri*k.

1. Call roadside assistance, no matter what the problem, tell them the car is not safe to drive you are afraid it will break down. Let them pick their broken junk up. This is why you pay big money for cars, to be treated like a human.

2. Call the delaership and demand a loaner be ready when you get there. Do not let roadside take the car unless the loaner is ready.

In my life, I have never and will never make an appointment for unexpected service unless it is routine. If the car dare have a problem while in my posession, I demand they come get it and have an equal quality loaner ready. Kill, kill, kill. I have had my ba$$s broken by thousands of customers when I owned a dealership, now it's my turn to collect.
 
jdoria said:
Do what I do, I am a king pri*k.

1. Call roadside assistance, no matter what the problem, tell them the car is not safe to drive you are afraid it will break down. Let them pick their broken junk up. This is why you pay big money for cars, to be treated like a human.

2. Call the delaership and demand a loaner be ready when you get there. Do not let roadside take the car unless the loaner is ready.

In my life, I have never and will never make an appointment for unexpected service unless it is routine. If the car dare have a problem while in my posession, I demand they come get it and have an equal quality loaner ready. Kill, kill, kill. I have had my ba$$s broken by thousands of customers when I owned a dealership, now it's my turn to collect.

Great idea!
 
joyriide1113 said:
So I got my new 2006 BMW X5 4.8is with not even 25 miles on the odometer 2 months ago. I followed the proper break-in period. I only used high quality gas ( which is normal to me, since I always used it on my prior vehicle). And even opted to pay for an oil service out of my own pocket, simply to make sure after the break-in, the engine had fresh new synthetic oil. Bmw only covers Oil service when the car needs it.

Now its 2100 miles and the friggin "service engine soon" light is blinking and now remaining steady lit.

At times, when stopped in heavy traffic, the car begins to sort of "shiver" (sorry for the bad description lol), and even gets worse when u accelerate. Granted the car still runs, but by no means do you feel the torque or hp you normally feel when its normal. This continues for about 25 miles and then goes away, leaving the "service engine soon" light steady lit.

I have scheduled an appointment to bring my car in but its not gonna happen 'till tuesday the 30th of May. So I wait, and the light just happens to go off. Feeling a bit better but still planning on taking it in to the dealer, today on my way to work, SAME THING. The car begins to shiver and feels like I'm driving a 10000lb truck with a measly 4cyl engine.

Sorry for the rant, but I need to let out. This is a 73k X5 that I am making hefty monthly payments on. Something you think should not happen on such a pricey vehicle. But no, its give-give situation when it comes to these brands. You get better driving feel, excitement, and handling in exchange for stupid problems ranging from window regulators and small electronics, to the car catching a cold!

Dad drives a S55 AMG which is one of MB flagship vehicles, and he has had problems ranging from the NAV buttons not operationg, to the car simply not accelerating.

He now has a 760Li that barely 400miles on it. Thank god nothing has gone wrong with it, although he does not drive it much because it sort of a waste to drive during rush hour traffic, god knows what type of issues he will have.

Whats even worse, and I mean the worst of all is that my car is swirl free. Completely swirl free. No dings, no nothing. So leaving it at a dealership really makes me feel sick at the though of some baboon wiping his maternity blanket through out my menzerna advertised "finish".

So yea, to make a really really really long story short, I'm driving a pricey vehicle with a cold. The more I pay, the less I drive. :(

With a BMW that means something is wrong in the car take that bad boy back to the dealership...trust me when I say this
 
Sounds like you are getting the run around. I think that is good advice to take it in to the shop and drop it off and have them set you up with a loaner. You still may have to wait for your vehicle to be repaired until next week though due to the holiday weekend unless they can fit you in beforehand. That is the problem with German cars-it seems their QC has gone way down and you still have to pay out the you know what for replacement parts-I hope everything is covered under your warantee or just threaten them with the Lemon Law.
 
74 thing said:
Sounds like you are getting the run around. I think that is good advice to take it in to the shop and drop it off and have them set you up with a loaner. You still may have to wait for your vehicle to be repaired until next week though due to the holiday weekend unless they can fit you in beforehand. That is the problem with German cars-it seems their QC has gone way down and you still have to pay out the you know what for replacement parts-I hope everything is covered under your warantee or just threaten them with the Lemon Law.

Depending on the problem they will hook up the car and read the codes and MIGHT be able to fix it right there...that was the case with my 540
 
Make sure your gas cap is completely tight. Also if there is no real problem after the ignition key isturned on/off an X amount of times the computer might clear itself.
 
I am making a laminated "DO NOT WASH/VAC/DETAIL" sign for my new ride for when it *has* to go in for service. It's not worth them F-ing it up. I was also the first (crazy) person to request the car is delivered DIRTY with every piece of packing plastic intact...They had to clear it with the high-ups, but they agreed :). Seriously, make your presence known.

Also, take advantage of the loaners. I have been in a loaner for 8 days while they fixed a "color choice" screwup. If you go there with a little sugar before the spice, you are bound to make a solid impression, but at the same time, build a consistent relationship.

Good Luck!
 
If the check service engine soon (SES) light is flashing that means that if you continue driving it you could damage the engine or cat converter(possible fire). So tell the dealer it is flashing and they will probably take your vehicle right in.
 
It flashes during my drive when the car begins to "shiver"...(lol I really need a better word). Then stays on steady, even though the cars continues to "shiver". The the shivering stops, but the light stays lit. I let them know every last bit of detail from the day I got it, to the problem and they still told me I would have to wait. And that as long as the car is running, it can wait.

Like hell I'm gonna wait. I'm going first thing tomorrow morning and planning on being the first person there. I need to either have this taken care of right away or leave the car, seeing that I still have work to go to, and I can't just miss or wait the whole day.

I'm actaully making the sign right now, that will go on my dash and center console.
 
joyriide1113 said:
It flashes during my drive when the car begins to "shiver"...(lol I really need a better word). Then stays on steady, even though the cars continues to "shiver". The the shivering stops, but the light stays lit. I let them know every last bit of detail from the day I got it, to the problem and they still told me I would have to wait. And that as long as the car is running, it can wait.

Like hell I'm gonna wait. I'm going first thing tomorrow morning and planning on being the first person there. I need to either have this taken care of right away or leave the car, seeing that I still have work to go to, and I can't just miss or wait the whole day.

I'm actaully making the sign right now, that will go on my dash and center console.

I like the word shimmy instead of shiver.

Greg
 
Ok this might sound wierd but the shivering and bogging is normal kind of. I don't know why it happens but it happend on my friend 2006 M5. I know the cars are completely different but it happend to his car at the same time, the traffic light, and he got freaked but it went away on its own. I think it has to do with BMW new magnesium/aluminum engines (material was made in my department at Uni btw). Maybe you should wait it out cause it could go away. His lasted about 600-800 KM.
 
SNike05 said:
Ok this might sound wierd but the shivering and bogging is normal kind of. I don't know why it happens but it happend on my friend 2006 M5. I know the cars are completely different but it happend to his car at the same time, the traffic light, and he got freaked but it went away on its own. I think it has to do with BMW new magnesium/aluminum engines (material was made in my department at Uni btw). Maybe you should wait it out cause it could go away. His lasted about 600-800 KM.

Sounds understandable but why does the engine boggle and not deliver.


I dropped it off this morning. Mentioned it to the Service Advisor and quickly recognized the problems and mentioned something about the coils. I didn't go indepth as to all the details of what was wrong, so maybe his assumption was wrong.

On a side note, I got really mad seeing a lot of the "fetch" guys leaning on cars and using hoods to write on there "walkaround" slips.

Hopefully I'll get a response by today as to what might be wrong.
 
I am pretty sure on that car it has a single Coil pack on top of each spark plug. My guess would be that one of these has failed. I agree with the calling road side assistance and tell them it began shaking terribly and you can no longer drive it.

Did you recently wash the under hood with water?

Richard
 
97F1504x4 said:
Did you recently wash the under hood with water?

Richard

I washed the engine about a month ago and used cd-2 engine detailer. Didn't have any problems then. Every wash I wipe the engine down with the remaining rags from what I use to dry the wheels.

Hopefully thats not the case.

Why do you ask?
 
Gave the dealer a call right now (May 24th 3:34pm), just for him to tell me that the car hasn't even been looked at, even though I dropped it off today at 8am. He mentioned he's trying to get someone to look at it.

To add insult to injury, I can't even get a loaner because I'm under 21.

This is really bad. I wish I had some type of device to see what the "service engine soon" light meant so that I can service it myself or take it to a reputable place and pay for it.

It seems almost like I forget how different the service is when you're buying a car. Some service departments are better than others, but in the end the same respect and service that was put forth when you were buying the thing, is not even close to what you get when service it.

As much as I enjoy the drive of the BMW, my last "3" experiences with german cars are steering me towards a japanese model for my next car, considering Japanese carmakers have been making huge leaps in terms of performance and have actually been the ones to keep the germans on their feet.

Dad says they just don't make em' like they used to.

Thats my novel entry for today.

Keep y'all posted.

Joy
 
joyriide1113 said:
I washed the engine about a month ago and used cd-2 engine detailer. Didn't have any problems then. Every wash I wipe the engine down with the remaining rags from what I use to dry the wheels.

Hopefully thats not the case.

Why do you ask?

On cars that use the COP system if water gets down into the spark plug hole it can cause arcing to occur which leads to misfires and symptoms like you described.

Richard
 
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