2008 BMW 535XI: check engine light

Filed Apr 20, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · WA · fire

The vehicle's engine caught fire approximately 13 1/2 hours after last having been driven. I parked it in my driveway at 9pm on April 15, 2022. I was alerted to a fire in the engine by my neighbor at 10:30am on April 16, 2022. The entire engine was engulfed in flames, melting all of the plastic components. It burned through my hood and affected every part of the engine. We were able to get the fire out with a garden hose before it spread to the house and my parents' two other vehicles parked next to it. No one was burned while putting out the fire, but several neighbors and family members did breathe in the toxic smoke. 911 was called and the fire department confirmed the fire was out. The driveway under the vehicle has burn damage, but we haven't moved the vehicle yet to see the extent of it. The check engine light had been on since purchase. The vehicle had been maintained by a mechanic specializing in import motors. He was unable to determine the cause of the check engine alert, and said it was a problem that BMW has with several of their models of this era. The vehicle was only covered under liability insurance, so our insurance company has not required an inspection. It has not yet been inspected by a mechanic or any other entity. The vehicle is available for inspection if requested.

Filed Nov 12, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 116,000 miles · TN

For over the past year, the (small) engine light has been repeatedly & constantly going on/off. I've had sensors, spark plugs, tubes & everything under the sun replaced and have taken (or towed in most cases) the car to many different auto repair shops for multiple quotes & repairs. The latest problem is the small engine light came on & the car was stuck in park and would not engage in drive or reverse. It wouldn't shift. After turning the car off and then on again, the engine light was completely gone & the car was fine to drive/reverse. After driving the car a few blocks, the engine malfunction/reduce speed light came on, the power was drastically reduced & I almost got hit by a dump truck. In 2008, I bought my bmw brand new because I wanted no car issues because I am not a mechanic. Every since I bought this car I have had nothing but repeated & different issues that no mechanic can identify. And it all started with the high-pressure fuel pump which was replaced three times (hpfp). After the third hpfp was replaced, and the car was in the shop literally for three months straight, I got a lawyer involved and bmw corp apologized & said I could have a choice of: 1/ getting a different car that they picked out (a 535i not the xi I bought because of snow and ice conditions) 2/ they cut me a check for a few thousand and told me to shut up and I could never speak of what happened or be part of future lawsuits or class actions. I've never felt safe driving my 2008 bmw (116k miles on it over 12.5 years) every bmw owner that bought a bmw between the range of years knows exactly what I am talking about re: the constant and never-ending issues that all start with the hpfp & escalate from there. Repair shops can't fix the issues & bmw covers up. The federal safety agency hasn't done anything about this massive bmw issue affecting the vast majority of owners. Just google it!

Filed Apr 12, 2017 · Fuel system · 117,235 miles · NC

On thursday march 30th I dropped the car off with brinsfield auto in greensboro, nc because my check engine light came on. On april 6th I picked it up with completed repairs of a cleaned #5 fuel injector that was diagnosed as running rich but after being cleaned was running correctly and check engine light was no longer an indicator. On april 8th I was driving in gastonia, nc and the car began smoking and shuddering to the point it was not drivable. I pulled into a car dealership that was closed because it was after hours and parked the car. My son and I got out of the car and noticed a very clear odor of gas. There was a couple driving through the dealership lot who stopped and also noticed the odor and agreed it was indeed fuel and I should not drive the car. It was towed back to brinsfield auto where it was discovered that the #5 fuel injector was locked in the open position and shooting straight fuel through the engine and out the exhaust pipe. This could have cause a fire had I not noticed.

Filed Aug 5, 2014 · Engine, Fuel system · 56,431 miles · WA

Cold start in the morning for drive to work, car suffered slow start and rough idle. Then check engine light illuminated and reduced power notification on idrive with high coolant fan RPM. Shut down car for 30 minutes, restarted with no issue indicated in idrive but yellow check engine light illuminated on dash. Drove to dealer for scheduled appointment on safety recall for tail lamp assembly (13v‑407). While at 40 MPH and approximately 1/4 mile from dealer, engine surged then reduced power notification and check engine on idrive. Radiator fan went to high RPM and car slowed to approximately 20 MPH rapidly almost causing an accident on a two lane road. Vehicle made it to the dealer without incident. Dealer indicates it is failure of high pressure fuel pump. This is the second replacement of the pump. Last one occurred within 27 months and 16k miles.

Filed Jul 29, 2014 · Engine · 100,400 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 bmw 535xi. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled as the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact mentioned that the temperature gauge displayed that the vehicle was overheating and the engine failed indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 100,400.

Filed Jan 15, 2014 · Transmission · 72,000 miles · CA

The car has been replaced a pump sensors 40 days ago because of the engine malfunction ,and two weeks ago while started in cold weather, it was shaking and the engine light on. The dealer checked and said that it is the injector problem and recommend to chang all 6 injectors. But the injectors have been changed at the mileage of 27,000 in 2010.