2008 BMW 5 Series Consumer Reviews

Too Many Problems

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 550i 4dr Sedan (4.8L 8cyl 6M)

Review

Just to start, this is not my first car or my second. I understand there are no guarantees in life and cars are finnicky. Sometimes you just get a bad apple. But for the $$$ a 550i costs those apples should be fixed properly and the owner satisfied. I have owned quite a few vehicles in my now 17 years of driving. 2 of which were a 2003 325xi and a 2006 330i sport. Both of which had no problems. I purchased the 550i in 2010 with 33k miles. It was a CPO, which gave me comfort purchasing a used car. Not any more!!! I seriously doubt this car was properly inspected. Which is what I told BMW, and they passed the buck to the dealer who basically told me F off. Consistent problems!
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Excellent car!

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 528i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

Bought a new 528i, and had it for 2 years and drove only 8K miles. The bad: the pressure pump light came on initially (a relatively common issue addressed by several other BMW reviewers). This was promptly fixed by the dealership without any charge. The good: everything else! One of the best, if not the best, car I've ever driven. Great handling!!! Definitely unique! Seats are awesome! Stereo very good! 21 mpg (85% city- 15% hwy). Extremely quiet cabin, etc. In summary, it gives you that rich person car drive felling. Then I traded it in, as I got a great deal on a Volvo XC60, which is also great. If BMW were overall more reliable, the competition would really suffer.
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CPO Bmw 535i 2008

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 535i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6M)

Review

I have had this car for about 1 year now. I bought this as a CPO it had about 30,000 miles on it. Considering all the comparative models (Audi, Merc)I found this to be the most fun car to drive. I also liked the interior better then others (yes even better then 08 A6) I think it is more of personal preference, the interior is clean, high quality and purposeful. Built quality is great, offcourse drives awesome. Not much to complain about this car. Prob would buy a 5 series after this one (although am not so sure of the new model, the Bmw seems to have gotten soft on their design and the new 2011 one is more like a Merc, cant say much about drive though as have not driven it)
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Great When Everything Works - Over Designed

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 535i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6M)

Review

Exhilerating and fun when everything works! Love to drive my 2008 535i with Sport package- when it is not in the shop. Lots of power and totally responsive. Many problems which has been worked on under the factory warranty.1) entire head lamp module (less than 1 wk after delivery), 2)fuel pump, 3)fuel injectors, 4)car suddenly went into limp (lower power) mode when entering hwy- no solution yet from BMW(fortunately I was not in heavy traffic), 5)new gear shift handle, 6) iDrive goes crazy-dead black screen. Hopefully, nothing else shows up. I love the way the car handles but the trips to the service department has become too aggravating! Selling before warranty ends!Bitter/sweet experience.
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Poor reliability and dealer experience

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 550i 4dr Sedan (4.8L 8cyl 6M)

Review

I guess my expectations were set too high - dealer sold me this CPO car with a bent wheel, no floor mats and various missing bolts and accessories (as discovered later). Overall car handles quite well, but does not shine in any area: braking is good, but touchy and not progressive acceleration is good but vibrations coming form V8 are way too much for a luxury car, plus there's not much torque below 2000 rpm. Leather on seats wears off way too quick, sport seats are not super comfortable, front leg room is surprisingly small In less than 1 year I had to visit dealer for repairs 6 times! And car still has issues with leaking wiper system, shuddering on idle and jerky transmission.
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A Great Car-Almost

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 550i 4dr Sedan (4.8L 8cyl 6M)

Review

Great all around highway cruiser. Curves do not exist at practically any speed. Brakes are first class in every respect. Gas mileage averages around 12.5, all city driving; 15.5 combined; and 22.7 highway at any speed below 100 mph ( I know what you are thinking but that is how it works out ). Easy to live with and drive under any conditions. Front seats are very comfortable on long drives. Rough ride over road imperfestions. Extremely large and useful trunk. Not a single problem of any kind for the three years I had it. Some repetetive adjustments on the I drive are ridiculous. Heater will not warm your feet no matter how you adjust it. Throttle control is managed by computer.
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5 SERIES DEATH TRAP SEE NHTSA.GOV!

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 528i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

I was not aware there were SO many engine issues with these models. While accelerating into high speed traffic, my vehicle stopped suddenly. The engine stalled. Power steering quit. Car was rendered useless. I barely made it off the road when my car finally came to rest. After doing research into safecar.gov I've found that this is an unfortunate problem that BMW will not officially recall, it seems as if it's because they can't offer a permanent fix for the issue. I'm reading that dealerships keep bandaging up major engine failure because BMW NA is not giving them further help regarding this particular engine. Praying that no one must die for the gov't to intervene & for BMW to fix this!
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Love my 528i so far..

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 528i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

After reading all of the reviews, I opted for the 528i instead of the 535i. Bought certified pre-owned (not impressed - had a couple of issues that should have been caught by this supposed 180 point inspection) The car is a blast to drive, luxury and performance at a reasonable price- at least for the pre-owned. I look forward to every drive! I wanted a bigger car for safety and cause I have a young child - but with this car you dont have to compromise style and performace for a practical family sedan. Love the 30 mph on road trips too.
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Love, Love this car

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 528i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

this is my first BMW and i absolutely love it. it's very stylish and comfortable. a head turner. the gas milaege is average but overall i love it. my next car will definately be another beemer. i chose the 2008 premium model with idrive and could not be happier. it has all the bells and whistles
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One fine auto.

Vehicle

2008 BMW 5 Series 535i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6M)

Review

I bought the 2008 535i certified, including the maint. program to 100K miles 10/08. Outside of the horrendous experience with the lack of honesty and integrity of the BMW dealer, the car is superb. Too bad the certified program still makes one visit a BMW dealership. The car's comfort, ability to handle as well as it's outright performance is just plain fun. I quickly dumped the run-flats on this Sport model and bought high end Michelin UHP tires. The difference is a better ride and performance all the way around. Huge lack of space for change, eyeglasses and little things. Cupholders are poor, but one forgets as this thing gets up and runs.
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