2008 BMW 5 Series: check engine light

Filed May 26, 2011 · Engine, Fuel system · 28,700 miles · NJ

Three wks ago my 08 528i was making a rattling sound in the engine, tin-can sounding. Took the car for service & they replaced my lifters and related parts. They said that the lifters are "known" for going bad on the 5 series and it's typically due to seasonal changes. When my husband brought the car home to me I was very upset because the noise was still there, not as loud as before. I called bmw and made another appointment, citing that this problem had not been resolved and it needed to be looked at again. The appointment with a loaner could not be scheduled for another 10 days, so we waited. During those 10 days the vehicle started to take longer to turnover at start up. I would also feel the engine lightly shuttering as I drove at speeds averaging 35-50 miles per hour. Monday 05/23/11 was my requested appointment; however because my 15 mo. Old baby was ill we had to cancel. Thank goodness we did because my car would not have made it the 20 miles of freeway to the dealership. Today, 05/25/11, I made a left out of my neighborhood and as I accelerated approx. 50 yards, my engine bucked (felt like the bottom fell out), I lost speed dramatically. Suddenly, steering became nearly impossible and I was forced to "turn" into a small shopping center. However, I lost ability to steer upon entering the parking lot. My car would respond to nothing but the brakes (thank god those atleast worked). I looked down at my gear shift to attempt to reverse away from the curb and maneuver into a parking space, though my car was thrown into neutral & would not respond to anything but "park". I attempted to startup again but engine wouldn't turn over. It was dead. Within moments my ABS, check eng, and battery lights illuminated & corresponding msgs came onto my communication screen. Car was towed. Awaiting dealership response in the am. After seeing prior complaints, I see someone needs to be fired. The us government needs to step in before people die! Thank god my baby wasn't with me!

Filed Jan 24, 2011 · Engine · 22,000 miles · FL

Car check engine light came on, reduced power on dash, and sluggish. Towed car to dealer, replaced spark plugs and high pressure fuel pump. Check engine light came on again, took to dealer, needed pressure sensor. This has occurred 4 times now, dealer states this is ongoing problem with this engine, and have I would have to bring the vehicle in whenever this occurred, no loaner car available. I do not feel safe in the vehicle when this occurs.

Filed Jan 21, 2011 · Fuel system · 12,925 miles · NJ

My bmw 535xi started having fuel pump issues starting around 14 months after purchase, at 12,000 miles. The first time it went into safety mode, casing it to slow down to a snails pace. A new fuel pump was installed. The second time it would not start in a parking lot after turning it off for 10 minutes after a 20 minute drive. I called road side assist and they sent a technician who was able to get it started. He told me to take to the dealer but it should be fine to drive home. I left the lot and within 3 minutes it completely seized and lost all power while accelerating in the left lane. My 11 year old daughter and I were in the car. I am thankful we survived. I called the technician back and he convinced me to drive the car with him following to the dealer (approx 3 miles). When I complained to bmw they did not showed no concern that we were put in harms way. In this instance the fuel temperature sensor/pressure sensor had a permanent failure. At 19,000 miles, the check engine light went on and I took it in to the service department. They suspected the fuel pump but could not replicate the check engine light, so corporate would not allow replacement. Again at 20,370 mile, check engine plus "cold start not running on all cylinders" no action because not tripping corporate specifications. At, 21,092, high pressure pump permanent malfunction. Engine was flooded with fuel. Five days and 100 miles later, the engine flooded again. This time the fuel injector was leaking and all the spark plugs were soaked with gas and half were not working. At that time (nov. 2010) I asked bmw to take the car back. Bmw agreed to a "trade assist" that will cost us an additional $33,000 to be get a new car. We do no understand how after almost killing us we cannot get out of this car without spending more money. We refuse to sell our problem to someone else.

Filed Nov 6, 2010 · Engine, Fuel system · 22,750 miles · WI

I purchased a certified, pre-owned 2008 bmw 535xi with approx. 22,000 miles on 10/23/10. Subsequent to my purchase, I discovered the high-pressure fuel pump in the vehicle had earlier failed and been replaced. On 10/28/10, just 5 days after purchasing - I was driving on a surface street when the car began violently shaking and rocking, the engine lost substantial power and nearly stalled, and the engine malfunction indicator lit. I took the vehicle in for service on 10/28/10 and the vehicle was returned 10/30/10. 3 of 4 fuel injectors were replaced along with all sparkplugs. At high speeds, this type of engine malfunction would pose an extreme safety risk in my opinion. I have contacted bmw USA and the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and I have not been satisfied with the response to-date.

Filed Oct 26, 2010 · Engine, Fuel system · 60,800 miles · TX

2008 bmw 535i. Engine start-up takes longer than normal. The engine idles rough and hesitant to accelerate and check engine light comes on. Bmw claims to have fixed the problem under a recall, but the problem came back again 3 days later.

Filed Jul 20, 2010 · Engine · 22,000 miles · NJ

My check engine light, reduced power came on, brought car into shop. They "repaired" car for 10 minutes.. Car would not go over 30 MPH when it ran. It shook violently. Car stopped and had to be flat bedded. Danger! Bmw bought me out of my lease..these cars should not be sold!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Filed Mar 19, 2010 · Engine · 18,300 miles · DC

Car has sudden reduced power. Check engine light and engine malfunction warning and "reduced power" warning sign come on. Happened 4 times. Bmw has "repaired" three time (reprogrammed car, replaced fuel injectors) to no avail. Almost got in an accident this morning. When I tried to hit the gas, power dropped precipitously and I nearly got rear ended and hit in an intersection.

Filed Oct 15, 2009 · Engine · 26,000 miles · TX

Car in for service for the third time. The first two times, high-pressure fuel pump was replaced. This time, 2 fuel injectors and plugs will be replaced. Symptoms have been the same each time - engine light comes on, low power message is displayed and car runs extremely rough. One incident required the vehicle to be towed to the shop as it stalled while driving and would not re-start. Based on information on this site and in the bmw forums, I am concerned that the car is not being adequately repaired, but just patched. I do not feel comfortable driving a car that might stall or lose significant power while driving in highway conditions.

Filed Sep 18, 2009 · Engine, Fuel system · 5,785 miles · GA

Was driving at highway speeds when car began to "sputter" causing rough ride. After another 5 miles, the engine warning light came on. I pulled over to the side of the road, stopped the car, then restarted it. The light disappeared, but reappeared after another mile of driving. Contacted bmw who said the car was safe to drive. Service center found that it was stored fault codes, which a previous service bulletin had advised. These fault codes were cleared and the car functioned properly. Please note: this is for a 2009 bmw 535i. The choices available for 2009 bmw's do not include the 5 series.