2003 BMW 325I Complaints

VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION IS NOT ENGAGING WHEN STARTING FROM A STATIONARY POSITION. *MR THE ENGINE WOULD REV UP TO 3-4000, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD CREEP, LURCH FORWARD AND SPEED UP NORMALLY. THIS WOULD USUALLY OCCUR WHEN THE VEHICLE SAT OVERNIGHT. THE PROBLEM ALSO OCCURRED WHEN BACKING UP. *SC *JB

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH VEHICLE STALLED. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

ENGINE STALLED IN TRAFFIC; HAD TO COAST TO SIDE OF THE ROAD. WOULD NOT RE-START, DESPITE STRONG CRANKING. COMPUTER READ "38 MILES TO EMPTY" AND GAUGE READ APPROXIMATELY 1/4 TO 1/8 TANK OF FUEL REMAINING. CAR WAS TOWED IN AND SEVERAL FAULTS WERE FOUND: 240, 243. DEALER TECH (VISTA BMW, FL) STATED IN SERVICE RECEIPT: FUEL SENDING UNITS. CHECKED FUEL PRESSURE . . . PRESSURE WAS 3.5 BAR. CHECKED RETURN FUEL PRESSURE AT FUEL TANK . . . PRESSURE WAS 1.0 BAR. REMOVED BOTH FUEL SENDING UNITS & PERFORMED RESISTANCE SWEEP OF BOTH RESISTANCE CARS . . . BOTH LEFT & RIGHT SENDING UNITS HAD AN OPEN. REPLACED LEFT & RIGHT FUEL SENDING UNITS. PARTS REPLACED: FUEL SENSOR, SUCTION UNIT. SAFETY CONSIDERATION: SUDDEN ENGINE STOPAGE CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, YET THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED EVENT. INTERNET WEB SITES RELATE OTHER BMW'S WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. ESPECIALLY TROUBLESOME IS THE COMPLETE LACK OF WARNING. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. MARK PETERS BEDFORD, TX [email protected]

WINDSHIELD WIPERS "AUTO" POSITION CAUSES WIPERS TO FAIL TO SUDDENLY FAIL TO OPERATE DURING RAIN CONDITIONS. ALSO, CAN CAUSE DISTRACTING SWEEPS OF THE WIPERS WITH NO RAIN OR WATER, ANYWHERE NEAR THE CAR OR WINDSHIELD SENSOR. ODDLY, DEALERSHIP TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO REPAIR; SERVICE WRITERS REFUSED TO WRITE IT UP AS "NORMAL" OPERATION. BMW FIELD SERVICE ENGINEER NOTED THE WINDSHIELD SENSOR (WHICH ALSO CONTAINS CONTROLS FOR AUTOMATIC LIGHTS) WAS MASSIVELY DELAMINATED FROM THE WINDSHIELD, THUS REQUIRING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD FOR THIS SMALL PART. ISSUES: 1. NORMAL "ERRATIC" OPERATION OF WIPERS (AND AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS) IS ACCEPTABLE TO BMW SERVICE WRITERS. 2. WIPERS ARE A CRITICAL SAFETY FUNCTION, YET WITH BMW'S SYSTEM THEY CAN APPARENTLY OPERATE ERRATICALLY DUE TO A BAD SENSOR "BOND" WITH THE WINDSHIELD. 3. THE COST OF A REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD IS HIGH--OUT OF WARRANTY MANY DRIVERS MAY NOT BOTHER TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE GIVEN THE MASSIVE COST (AND ABSURDITY) OF REPLACING AN OTHERWISE PERFECT WINDSHIELD. THIS COULD LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT IF THE DRIVER WERE TO BE IN THE "AUTO" WIPER FUNCTION WITH A FAILED SYSTEM. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. MARK PETERS [email protected]

INTERMITTENT SEVERE ENGINE MISS. ENGINE HESITATION/FAILURE TO ACCELERATE. ENGINE SURGES AND HAS VERY ROUGH IDLE. TRANSMISSION FAILURE TO UP SHIFT (MAXIMUM SPEED IS APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH). SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ILLUMINATES, BUT NOT ALWAYS (INTERMITTENT). WITH LESS THAN 9,000 MILES THIS CAR HAS BEEN TOWED IN THREE TIMES FOR THIS AND OTHER FAILURES WHICH HAVE LEFT THE CAR UNDRIVEABLE. BMW DEALERSHIP SERVICE PERSONNEL HAVE REPLACED MANY PARTS, WITHOUT SUCCESS, AS FAR AS WE KNOW (MORE LATER). THESE ENGINE EVENTS CAN OCCUR SPONTANEOUSLY, AND ARE NOT ALWAYS INDICATED BY A "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT ILLUMINATION. THE MOST DANGEROUS SITUATIONS ARE WHEN IT OCCURS AS ONE COMES TO A STOP BEFORE ENTERING HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC OR WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN. BECAUSE THE PROBLEM CAN OCCUR SPONTANEOUSLY, IF THE ENGINE WERE TO STALL OR BEGIN TO RUN ON LESS THAN ITS FULL COMPLEMENT OF CYLINDERS, IT COULD LEAVE ONE EXPOSED TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WITH NO WAY TO ACCELERATE. VERY DANGEROUS. INTERNET SEACHING AFTER THE LATEST "REPAIR" ATTEMPT HAS EXPOSED A "SECRET" BMW BULLETIN REGARDING BREMI IGNITION COILS. (APPARENTLY, THIS IS THE SAME COIL BRAND USED IN THE VW/AUDI CARS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS TWO YEARS AGO.) ALL SIX IGNITION COILS, SPARK PLUGS, AND A HOST OF OTHER PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED THUS FAR. UNKNOWN IF THESE ATTEMPTS WERE SUCCESSFUL AS THIS CAR IS NO LONGER BEING DRIVEN--IT'S FATE AWAITS A POSSIBLE LAW SUIT AGAINST BMW. I STRONGLY URGE THE NHTSA TO RECALL EVERY BMW WITH THESE COILS, IN ADDITION TO ADDRESSING BMW'S EFFORTS TO NOT PUBLICIZE THIS INFORMATION MORE READILY. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. MARK PETERS [email protected]

WHEN PULLING OUT THE DIP STICK AFTER VEHICLE WAS SITTING FOR A WHILE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO READ THE DIP STICK. OIL SPREAD IN VARIOUS PLACES ON THE DIP STICK. DEALER WAS CONTACTED. *AK

I HAVE A BMW 325I WHICH I PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN NOV. '02. IN MARCH '03, WHILE DRIVING ON THE NJTPK AT 60-65MPH IN THE LEFT LANE, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST ITS ACCELERATION. THE CLOCKS ALSO WENT OFF AND THEN RESET ITSELF TO 12:00. BEING THAT I WAS DRIVING IN THE LEFT LANE OF THE NJ TURNPIKE, I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS ABLE TO CROSS FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC AND COME TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER (THERE WAS NO LEFT SHOULDER). I WAITED FOR A WHILE, RESTARTED THE CAR, RESET THE CLOCK AND HIT THE ROAD AGAIN. SHORTLY AFTER THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN THE CAR STARTING ACTING UP... AT ONE OCCASION, I WAS NOT ABLE TO UNLOCK THE CAR USING THE REMOTE. AT ANOTHER, THE WINDOWS WOULD NOT ROLL UP UPON PULLING ON THE KNOB. THE LIGHT BELOW THE REAR VIEW MIRROR WOULD NOT COME ON. MOST OF THESE PROBLEMS WOULD GO AWAY AFTER I WOULD SHUT DOWN THE CAR AND RESTART IT. I TOOK THE CAR INTO PRINCETON BMW WHERE I HAD PURCHASED IT. THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS ISSUE BEFORE. THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR A FULL DAY AND DID EXTENSIVE TESTING ON IT. AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS I DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE ACCELERATION ALTHOUGH THE LIGHT BEHIND THE REAR VIEW MIRROR STILL DOES NOT WORK FINE. IF I TURN THE RIGHT LIGHT ON, NOTHING HAPPENS FOR ABOUT 5-10 MINUTES. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE LIGHT COMES ON. WELL, THIS PAST WEAKENED (MARCH 14TH '04) I HAD AN ANOTHER EXPERIENCE, ON RT. 1, WHERE THE CAR TOTALLY LOST ITS ACCELERATION AGAIN. I AM GOING TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH PRINCETON BMW AGAIN. I ALSO CALLED BMW OF NA AND INFORMED THEM OF THE ISSUE. *NM

REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE RIPPED COMPLETELY APART WHILE TRAVELING 20-25 MPH. *PH *MR

WHEN DRIVING AT AN UNDETERMINED SPEED TRUNK WOULD OPEN WITHOUT WARNING. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT VEHICLE HAD AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *AK

2003 BOUGHT BRAND NEW. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE IN THE MORNINGS. AFTER PARKING CAR IN GARAGE OVERNIGHT, THE CAR IS PUT WENT INTO REVERSE AND BACKED OUT WITHOUT STEPPING ON THE GAS (DRIVEWAY IS SLOPED). AFTER SHIFTING INTO DRIVE, THE CAR LAGS ANYWHERE FROM 3 TO 10 SECONDS BEFORE THERE IS ANY POWER TO DRIVE. THIS IS SPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHEN THERE IS TRAFFIC.*AK