Used 2011 BMW 5 Series 550i xDrive 4dr Sedan AWD (4.4L 8cyl Turbo 8A) Consumer Reviews
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Piece of Crap
Nick Neysari, Milford, OH, 08/12/2018
BMW 5 Series 550i xDrive 4dr Sedan AWD (4.4L 8cyl Turbo 8A)
90 of 95 people found this review helpful
I fell in love with this car. I had the best of the both word, A luxury car wrapped into sports package. Sadly enough, Later on I learned of multiple issues with N63 engines. It is an engineering nightmare. N63 engine is a V8 4.4 liter engine. Trying to save space, The design team decided to place the Turbos in the V section of a already hot running engine. With combination of heat from engine and twin turbos They had to install a fan to cool things down. They came to the realization of Fan working over time and the hot engine is very thirsty for oil. So most owners have to add a quart of oil anywhere from 700 to 1000 miles. BMW came back with recommendation of changing the oil every 10000 mile instead of 15000. And to add insult to the injury they also recommend replacing the battery with every oil change. Although the pressure was high on BMW they still refuse to do a recall to resolve the issue. There is a class action lawsuit which sadly is ready to be settled. As always the attorneys get the multi million dollar settlement and consumer gets the shaft. According to what I have read so far, BMW will reimburse owners for the cost of additional oil consumption and a battery replacement. You will also get a $1000 to $1500 voucher towards the purchase of a new BMW. So you can be the proud owner of a newer piece of CRAP. Also the short block n63 engine replacement price is now $3000.00 which is a rebuild engine and according to BMW insiders It is just as awful as the original N63 engine. So if you are considering purchasing a 5 series BMW, Make sure you do your homework. I am sitting on a $35000.00 piece of lemon parked in the garage. I am scared of driving it and no one is offering me over $12K for trade in. So stay away from this engine or any other BMW with Turbo engine.
buyer beware!
citroen3, New York, NY, 06/29/2011
BMW 5 Series 550i xDrive 4dr Sedan AWD (4.4L 8cyl Turbo 8A)
70 of 74 people found this review helpful
I bought a 2011 550i Xdrive in late 2010, within the last six weeks I have had; 4 runflat tires (on 19inch wheels) go bust over fairly minor pot holes. they were 4 unrelated incidents. Cost to replace, just shy of $2000. Last week my car with about 10,500 miles on the clock, broke down on the highway, message 'transmission malfunction'. One tow and 5 days, later I got it back with the rear differential replaced. One day after I got it back from the local BMW dealer, new warning '4 by 4 chassis stabilisation malfunction contact your BMW dealer , do not brake hard' Given that this fully loaded, nearly $70,000 car is completely unreliabe, I am seriouly thinking of getting rid of it.
2011 BMW 5 Series for sale near you
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- 528i SedanMSRP: $9,3507 mi away
- 535i xDrive SedanMSRP: $9,99596 mi away
- 550i xDrive SedanMSRP: $10,995126 mi away
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Buyer beware!!
AJ, Orlando, FL, 08/16/2016
BMW 5 Series 550i xDrive 4dr Sedan AWD (4.4L 8cyl Turbo 8A)
32 of 34 people found this review helpful
If you're considering buying this car, please look into the N64 customer care program for this car. There are about 20 engine components that were essentially recalled. Depending on when, or if, your 550i went through this program will determine the number of components you may have had replaced. Initially, BMW changed out these components, one at a time and each time you had a check engine light come on the would replace the next most commonly malfunctioning part. Eventually, they started flat out replacing all the components since they would eventually fail (I believe due to the heat and pressure they are placed under with the twin turbo. This added up to owners paying for their vehicle while they spent months in the shop. While BMW did cover the costs of the replacement and extend the warranty, having engine issue undoubtedly will lead to transmission issues. This was the case of the most recent 550i owner I met at an German auto shop while getting another vehicle pre purchase inspected. He said he spend over 10k on transmission work and eventual replacement while he owned the vehicle for only 6 months, 2 of those months was spent in the shop. These repair costs were not covered by BMW. Some sleazy owners, will not mention this program/issue at all to you when selling the car (which was what happened in my case). Luckily the deal fell through in the 11th hour at the bank when the vehicle failed state inspection (due to worn out tires and brakes in this case). Owner claimed that both tires and brakes were replaced within the last 6 months. Some owners and used car salesmen are doing whatever they can to u load these problematic vehicles. Buyer beware!!!
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BUYER BEWARE!!!
Disappointed, Philadelphia, PA, 07/04/2016
BMW 5 Series 550i xDrive 4dr Sedan AWD (4.4L 8cyl Turbo 8A)
31 of 34 people found this review helpful
Purchased my 550xi 8 months ago. Thinking I bought a newer reliable car. I Love Bimmers and don't wanna drive anything else but this car is a PIECE OF CRAP!!! 2 months after buying it the turbos went and the car engine started smoking. Car had extended warranty and dealer took care of the problem and also replaced the water pump and timing chain. They had it for a month. Read up on the internet from different owners that this is a Major problem. Now 5 months later the new set of problems is happening. Sitting in the middle of traffic the car starts sputtering and shaking then finally shuts off. All kinds of Drivetrain Malfunction, fuel sensor warnings start going off on the dash. Called the dealer and they took care of the problem. Said it needed to be reprogrammed. A week and 1/2 later "Same Problem". Dealer said bring it back (reprogram issue) all takin care of for free. Picked it up and 30 minutes later the SAME PROBLEM! Now dealer has my car for 5 days. Doing more reading up on this and this is another Major problem with this car. The engines in these cars and every other car it was used in were faulty. Finding that once car is outta warranty this could cost up to $6000 a pop for these problems. Plus occasionally the oil indicator comes on saying it was low. Another problem with this car. Now i see why this car was "discontinued". Dealer service reps have been Great but I have a lemon and you will to if you buy this car. Please Beware of this cars engine 2010-2012 &13. For someone who has only owned Bimmers this is sad that they put this product on the market in their name.
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550ix amazing improvement
tommypgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 12/15/2010
BMW 5 Series 550i xDrive 4dr Sedan AWD (4.4L 8cyl Turbo 8A)
17 of 19 people found this review helpful
I just picked mine up after waiting for several months. The body style is sleek and much improved over the old style. Inside the car is designed with the driver in mind. Stereo System is top notch, and the car is extremely quiet. What is amazing is the power, it's actually subtle, you feel like your driving a nice luxury sedan and the when you press the gas it turns into a monster! This car is powerful. I love it, after a few months I will report back