Power steering failure: fix or reject?

[EvilCat]

I picked up a brand new facelifted 535d last week (chopped in my M6 for something more practical, unfortunately!). Took it up the road that day and tried to turn left: complete absence of power steering. After some arm flailing and bicep crunching I managed to haul the car to the side of the road and gather my wits, only to find the steering back OK. I drove home very gingerly with the car behaving properly through a few left/right turns, until not far from my house I had to turn left onto a busy main road. Same problem as before happened: no power assistance and an HGV bearing down on me made the experience "interesting".

After a change of underwear I got the car to the dealer, but of course the problem is intermittent and they couldn't find anything obvious from a cursory inspection (PAS fluid OK) and test drive. However, a bit of internet research reveals a few other BMW E60 owners who've had the same problem.

I think the 535d is the right car for me and clearly the dealer should have a chance to understand what the issue is. However, I'm best pleased buying a new £50K car and then have it try to kill me. And if the fault is difficult to diagnose I'm not well disposed to driving it again, whether or not the dealership believes it fixed (and it was particularly worrying that the car was showing no fault codes at all).

So, question time. Should I

(a) reject the car immediately on the grounds of it being unfit for purpose and either get my money back or a replacement model

or

(b) give the dealer a few days to investigate the problem and come up with a solution?

If (b) how long do you think it worth giving them, and what kind of proof should I be requesting that this problem has been fixed and won't happen again? Incidentally, I'm in one of the dealer's cars at the moment so I'm not too inconvenienced.

Thoughts appreciated,

EC

Edited by EvilCat on Sunday 29th April 10:56

[rassi]

I would ask them to investigate further, and probably insist on having the power-steering pump replaced.

[blackspider]

It will be the steering angle sensor has lost its reference.

We have just done a recall on the optic inside the steering angle sensor,yours will have been done or not been part of the recall-down to what the chassis no.is.

Its possible it has had a wheel alignment or something else which requires the s,sensor to be recalibrated....which they forgot to do

Apart from the recall we dont get many faults with the steering.

I would give it a chance,as chances are its an easy repair at worst a control unit and programming.

[EvilCat]

Thanks both. I thought the steering angle sensor issue had been fixed for new cars? My 535d was April 07 production, i.e. the 2008 LCI facelifted model.

EC