Discussion
Our old BMW E61 530d is certainly the unluckiest car I've ever owned, can anyone beat this?
It had all the makings of being a great car. Handled well, was genuinely quick, big, comfy, looked good.
But it was the unluckiest car I've ever owned.
Not 200 yards after leaving the dealer, the tyre pressure loss light came on.
Turned out it had a puncture which the dealer agreed to cover the cost of, but we had to get the tyre first.
Then every time we went anywhere the warning light came on. And we had to keep checking the tyres.
That seemed to sort itself out, but then the entire software for the car went kaput. Luckily it was under warranty, but it had been caused by water getting in to the shark's fin.
Once that was sorted, we had a new front screen after a huge stone smashed the screen at about 70 mph.
Then I hit a pothole on the way to to the airport - bending one alloy wheel, cracking another and blowing a tyre.
Oh and I got my only ever speeding fine while driving the car at 40mph on cruise control on the run flats. I'm convinced someone had revesred the sign as I knew the camera was there, and the approach road was 40. The sign just before the sign also said 40. But the road dropped down to a 30.
£800 later, and then the compressor for the self levelling suspension failed. Cue the car being put on the back of a low loader and driven 200 miles home.
£1,000 later and all seemed well.
Then suffered a blow out on the new tyre.
Cue the car being put on a low loader again. And carried home. Another £250 wasted.
Then the rear suspension kept sporadically failing again. Sometimes the car would be resting on the bump stops, then I'd start it and it would be OK again. Other times it went to the garage for them to replace the compressor, only ti find that it had gone down again in the morning.
The car was eventually plugged in and remote diagnostics were done from Brackley, and they narrowed it down to a faulty connector. THe part was less than £20 new, but BMW wouldn't cut it off and solder a new one in. Instead they wanted to remove the entire interior, then strip out the wiring loom, replace it and put it all back together. The cost? New witing loom for £1,300 and 20 hours labour at £120 an hour. Total cost? £3,700.
We obvioulsy baulked at this cost and took it to an independent replaced it for about £180.
Then a tile blew off our house roof and went through the back screen. Needing a new one.
Then, I moved the car off our drive for 5 minutes while I got something out the garage. Went into the house to make tea, and when I came out, someone had driven into the back of it and driven off without leaving a note.
Then the central locking failed and the only way I could unlock the car without setting off the alarm was to press and hold the unlock button so that the windows dropped and I could put the key into the ignition.
This ran the battery flat and I got stranded with no power to the car.
Also the glass hatch wouldn't release all the time.
These both turned out to be the rear wiring loom. Where it goes through the hinges for the rear hatch the wires break. Out of nine wires, six of mine had snapped or were worn and exposed - hence the sporadic nature of some of the faults.
This was another £600 or so to fix.
And then got I rear-ended in it.
As soon as it was paid off, we got rid.
Never again.
It had all the makings of being a great car. Handled well, was genuinely quick, big, comfy, looked good.
But it was the unluckiest car I've ever owned.
Not 200 yards after leaving the dealer, the tyre pressure loss light came on.
Turned out it had a puncture which the dealer agreed to cover the cost of, but we had to get the tyre first.
Then every time we went anywhere the warning light came on. And we had to keep checking the tyres.
That seemed to sort itself out, but then the entire software for the car went kaput. Luckily it was under warranty, but it had been caused by water getting in to the shark's fin.
Once that was sorted, we had a new front screen after a huge stone smashed the screen at about 70 mph.
Then I hit a pothole on the way to to the airport - bending one alloy wheel, cracking another and blowing a tyre.
Oh and I got my only ever speeding fine while driving the car at 40mph on cruise control on the run flats. I'm convinced someone had revesred the sign as I knew the camera was there, and the approach road was 40. The sign just before the sign also said 40. But the road dropped down to a 30.
£800 later, and then the compressor for the self levelling suspension failed. Cue the car being put on the back of a low loader and driven 200 miles home.
£1,000 later and all seemed well.
Then suffered a blow out on the new tyre.
Cue the car being put on a low loader again. And carried home. Another £250 wasted.
Then the rear suspension kept sporadically failing again. Sometimes the car would be resting on the bump stops, then I'd start it and it would be OK again. Other times it went to the garage for them to replace the compressor, only ti find that it had gone down again in the morning.
The car was eventually plugged in and remote diagnostics were done from Brackley, and they narrowed it down to a faulty connector. THe part was less than £20 new, but BMW wouldn't cut it off and solder a new one in. Instead they wanted to remove the entire interior, then strip out the wiring loom, replace it and put it all back together. The cost? New witing loom for £1,300 and 20 hours labour at £120 an hour. Total cost? £3,700.
We obvioulsy baulked at this cost and took it to an independent replaced it for about £180.
Then a tile blew off our house roof and went through the back screen. Needing a new one.
Then, I moved the car off our drive for 5 minutes while I got something out the garage. Went into the house to make tea, and when I came out, someone had driven into the back of it and driven off without leaving a note.
Then the central locking failed and the only way I could unlock the car without setting off the alarm was to press and hold the unlock button so that the windows dropped and I could put the key into the ignition.
This ran the battery flat and I got stranded with no power to the car.
Also the glass hatch wouldn't release all the time.
These both turned out to be the rear wiring loom. Where it goes through the hinges for the rear hatch the wires break. Out of nine wires, six of mine had snapped or were worn and exposed - hence the sporadic nature of some of the faults.
This was another £600 or so to fix.
And then got I rear-ended in it.
As soon as it was paid off, we got rid.
Never again.
My old boss had an E60 520i that seemed to spend more time at the dealership than anywhere else. They ended up putting hundreds of miles on it trying to find a intermittent problem with the fuel injection system. He chopped it in eventually and got a Mercedes. The problem never actually got properly fixed while he owned it.
Kell said:
Our old BMW E61 530d is certainly the unluckiest car I've ever owned, can anyone beat this?
Not 200 yards after leaving the dealer, the tyre pressure loss light came on.
Turned out it had a puncture which the dealer agreed to cover the cost of, but we had to get the tyre first.
Then every time we went anywhere the warning light came on. And we had to keep checking the tyres.
Take it you never read the manual on how you need to (and can easily) reset the sensors when a new tyre is fitted so it can recalibrate the wheel speeds to stop it crying wolf for a puncture? Not 200 yards after leaving the dealer, the tyre pressure loss light came on.
Turned out it had a puncture which the dealer agreed to cover the cost of, but we had to get the tyre first.
Then every time we went anywhere the warning light came on. And we had to keep checking the tyres.
For the record had an E60 525d and apart from the traction control going wrong after an extended pratting about session doing donuts on gravel it ran without issue for 90k miles. Was a nice car at the time but I don't think they've aged as well as an E39.
Yes, easily
My dad had a 2006 Mercedes CLK350 cab which was bought brand new. In 3 years and 58k miles....
Buttons for the electric seats fell off
The roof mechanism failed meaning it couldn't shut, after being fixed it kept leaking water
5 (yes, 5!)replacement windscreens
Mechanism to fold the drivers seat to allow access to the rear broke
Glovebox wouldn't shut at all
All electrics from the seats packed up
3 headlights failes
Few other bits and bobs. Basically it needed over 7k of just warranty work. Was ridiculous
My dad had a 2006 Mercedes CLK350 cab which was bought brand new. In 3 years and 58k miles....
Buttons for the electric seats fell off
The roof mechanism failed meaning it couldn't shut, after being fixed it kept leaking water
5 (yes, 5!)replacement windscreens
Mechanism to fold the drivers seat to allow access to the rear broke
Glovebox wouldn't shut at all
All electrics from the seats packed up
3 headlights failes
Few other bits and bobs. Basically it needed over 7k of just warranty work. Was ridiculous
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