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I own a 2008 Silverstone M5 with 23,xxx miles. Last Sunday night (12/12), while taking my 1 and 3 year old daughters with me to pick up food for my sick wife, my car had a major issue. While traveling at about 30 mph after making a left turn from a traffic light, my car started making a violent knocking sound, the oil pressure light came on and black smoke started pouring from the front end in the space of about 5 seconds. I pulled over as soon as possible (about 100 yards), called BMW using the SOS button, arranged to have my wife pick up the family (it was only about 15 degrees) and set up a tow time. I had the tow company deliver the M5 to my local dealership: United BMW of Roswell (one of Roger Penske's dealerships). When the tow driver loaded the vehicle on the flat bed, there was a deposit of oil on the asphalt.
The reason for my warning to all owners isn't the malfunction of the car. We all know that issues can arise, no matter the build quality or engineering sophistication of the manufacturer. No, my warning is about the response that I received. I was just advised this afternoon that BMW is denying to cover ANY of the repairs or associated costs, despite the fact that I still have ample time left under the original factory warranty coverage. This is a vehicle that I purchased with 6,700 miles in pristine condition from a BMW dealer, with which I have never used launch control, never hit the rev limiter, (embarrassingly) never exceeded 105 mph, never had on a track, never had in a DE event and have had serviced exactly as prescribed. The reason for denying to honor the manufacturer's warranty, you ask? I was told by the dealership that I must have run through some large puddles of water, which caused water to go into the intake, which then caused two holes to be blown through the bottom of the engine. Because I drove through the puddles, I am responsible for all costs and repairs.
For the record, I have not run through any large puddles. In fact, there had not been any precipitation in the Atlanta area in the month of December preceding the failure of my engine. There have only been three days with measurable rainfall in Atlanta this month, and only one day with over 0.5" (later that night and into the following day after the car had been delivered to the dealership - the car was never driven in that wet weather, which only produced a measly 0.64" of rain). It amazes me that driving the car in the rain would be such a concern, but it is. I should also note that the area of North Atlanta where I live has impeccable roads. This is mostly a commuter car for me, so I am only on major surface streets and highways on my 8 mile commute. I don't contend with potholes.
I apologize for the long post, but I think that the response from BMW should concern us all. I have owned 6 BMW's in the past 10 years. I already knew which BMW's I intended to purchase over the next couple years. My only question was whether to purchase an extended warranty and keep the M5 when the warranty expired, or to purchase another M car. I will now tell you that this, sadly is my last BMW. It's one thing to deal with issues. It's quite another to know that the warranty that you rely on for financial peace of mind with a complex automobile is worthless. I am now left to figure out how to proceed to avoid coming out of pocket for a new engine and who knows how much in labor costs. I assure you that I will pursue this with vigor. However, it's clear that instead of demonstrating loyalty, or expressing concern about an engine that went up in smoke with two very small children in the car, BMW intends to find a way to shirk their financial commitments under the warranty. I can only assume that they believe treating me with such disdain will net them the savings of the engine and labor, so the decision for them is an easy one.
You can all take from this story as you will. To anyone using this great forum of terrific BMW enthusiasts to determine whether to purchase one of these cars, I say be VERY, VERY careful. You cannot count on your warranty to be there when you really need it. Two footnotes:
1) For those of you that may question the cause of the issue, I can tell you only what I have been told by the dealership. The next contact that I receive from BMW will be the first. No explanations, no apologies, no concern for the well being of my children that were in the car. None of that extension of service to someone that has owned 6 of their vehicles and now owns an M5. I have only the 2nd hand, summary outcomes from my service advisor.
2) For those of you considering an extended warranty, my personal advice would be to run from the BMW offering. I have read some say that they would pay more for the peace of mind that comes from a BMW warranty instead of a warranty company (a perspective that I thought sound). I would caution you: if I can't get a catastrophic repair done on a 2008 car still under the original warranty, how confident can you feel about a warranty with additional limitations?
Thanks for your indulgence of the long post. Please take my comments as they are intended - a caution to a community that I appreciate very much, even if I post infrequently.
Jim
The reason for my warning to all owners isn't the malfunction of the car. We all know that issues can arise, no matter the build quality or engineering sophistication of the manufacturer. No, my warning is about the response that I received. I was just advised this afternoon that BMW is denying to cover ANY of the repairs or associated costs, despite the fact that I still have ample time left under the original factory warranty coverage. This is a vehicle that I purchased with 6,700 miles in pristine condition from a BMW dealer, with which I have never used launch control, never hit the rev limiter, (embarrassingly) never exceeded 105 mph, never had on a track, never had in a DE event and have had serviced exactly as prescribed. The reason for denying to honor the manufacturer's warranty, you ask? I was told by the dealership that I must have run through some large puddles of water, which caused water to go into the intake, which then caused two holes to be blown through the bottom of the engine. Because I drove through the puddles, I am responsible for all costs and repairs.
For the record, I have not run through any large puddles. In fact, there had not been any precipitation in the Atlanta area in the month of December preceding the failure of my engine. There have only been three days with measurable rainfall in Atlanta this month, and only one day with over 0.5" (later that night and into the following day after the car had been delivered to the dealership - the car was never driven in that wet weather, which only produced a measly 0.64" of rain). It amazes me that driving the car in the rain would be such a concern, but it is. I should also note that the area of North Atlanta where I live has impeccable roads. This is mostly a commuter car for me, so I am only on major surface streets and highways on my 8 mile commute. I don't contend with potholes.
I apologize for the long post, but I think that the response from BMW should concern us all. I have owned 6 BMW's in the past 10 years. I already knew which BMW's I intended to purchase over the next couple years. My only question was whether to purchase an extended warranty and keep the M5 when the warranty expired, or to purchase another M car. I will now tell you that this, sadly is my last BMW. It's one thing to deal with issues. It's quite another to know that the warranty that you rely on for financial peace of mind with a complex automobile is worthless. I am now left to figure out how to proceed to avoid coming out of pocket for a new engine and who knows how much in labor costs. I assure you that I will pursue this with vigor. However, it's clear that instead of demonstrating loyalty, or expressing concern about an engine that went up in smoke with two very small children in the car, BMW intends to find a way to shirk their financial commitments under the warranty. I can only assume that they believe treating me with such disdain will net them the savings of the engine and labor, so the decision for them is an easy one.
You can all take from this story as you will. To anyone using this great forum of terrific BMW enthusiasts to determine whether to purchase one of these cars, I say be VERY, VERY careful. You cannot count on your warranty to be there when you really need it. Two footnotes:
1) For those of you that may question the cause of the issue, I can tell you only what I have been told by the dealership. The next contact that I receive from BMW will be the first. No explanations, no apologies, no concern for the well being of my children that were in the car. None of that extension of service to someone that has owned 6 of their vehicles and now owns an M5. I have only the 2nd hand, summary outcomes from my service advisor.
2) For those of you considering an extended warranty, my personal advice would be to run from the BMW offering. I have read some say that they would pay more for the peace of mind that comes from a BMW warranty instead of a warranty company (a perspective that I thought sound). I would caution you: if I can't get a catastrophic repair done on a 2008 car still under the original warranty, how confident can you feel about a warranty with additional limitations?
Thanks for your indulgence of the long post. Please take my comments as they are intended - a caution to a community that I appreciate very much, even if I post infrequently.
Jim
is in for service, and the SA's are very competent and professional. I really think they run an excellent operation in this country. My dad also raves about his experiences with his Porsche dealer (which is strange considering his age), so it's really unfortunate that a company that builds such great cars has such dismal post-sale service.
