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Consumer Reviews for the BMW 5 Series
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Fun to drive, but unreliable
lindy62, 02/17/2016
2008 BMW 5 Series 535xi 4dr Wagon AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 6M)
I have owned many German AWD cars, after the Audi S4, this is the most fun to drive. That being said, it is not the most fun to own. I have had numerous mechanical issues and even more electronic issues. I have heard a few complain about the battery. I have switched to an Optima battery, which is cheaper and lasts longer. I have heard that BMW knew about his battery draining issue … before they release it, but decided to replace the batteries instead of fixing the issue. The VANOS system had a glitch out east, oiling system out west, sparkplug in the Midwest, and a constant brake issue. I am afraid to open the sunroof for fear that it will not close properly and I’ll have to take it apart and manually close it. The parking assist doesn’t work at all and when it had worked it was over sensitive. Our front windshield was replaced and I still can’t get the intermittent wipers to work properly. The transmission seems to be slipping and I am not willing to spend the money to replace it. If it was repaired at a BMW dealer, it would total the car. Found out the differential bearing is bad and the unit has to be replaced not the bearing (a $5,000 job). Nothing is cheap to replace on the car and local shop don’t have the tools or electronics to work on it, so I have to drive 6 hours to fix something and spend big money on labor and parts. If someone else besides BMW fixes something (like the brake pads) the dealer will not turn off the warning light, because they did not do the work, even though they say it was a good job.
On the bright side, it gets good mileage for the performance. It rides well, but I feel it is too soft. The backend wiggles on slick roads when it hits a bump at speed and that can be a bit unnerving. There is a lot of room in the back with the seats folded down and have used it as a makeshift tent in bad weather (as long as the sunroof doesn’t leak). The interior has held up well and the body hasn’t rusted. Would not buy one again, because of the reliability issues.
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