# 2002 745i just purchased - already problems



## susanb (Oct 31, 2004)

Just nine days ago I bought a 2002 745i, certified preowned, 33,000 miles, and it's dead in my driveway! I got in it last night, started the engine, and the Dynamic Drive Inoperable error message popped up and it is not driveable. Anyone with any ideas? Guess I'll have it towed Monday! Yikes! This is my first time owning a BMW and already problems?!


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## xspeedy (Apr 10, 2003)

The 7 is the most complex of the BMW's, and seeing as how it is an early example, be prepared for some bugs.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Hello and Welcome to the Bimmerfest

As Xspeedy said, the 7 Series is a complex car loaded with electronics.

Contact your dealer, have them upgrade the car software. 

Good Luck.


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## AutoXer (Oct 21, 2004)

Alex Baumann said:


> Hello and Welcome to the Bimmerfest
> 
> As Xspeedy said, the 7 Series is a complex car loaded with electronics.
> 
> ...


One of the main reasons I have not "upgraded" from my 740il yet.


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## ibew595 (Jan 18, 2004)

Susan,
If there is a way for the dealer to take back the car, do so. The 02 745's are not good and may leave a bad taste for BMW's. The 03 model is much better unless you have a very late production 02. I am not even sure about that but the 03 is supposed to be better.Always make sure the software is upgraded.
Good luck


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## iove75 (Sep 10, 2004)

Actually, is it driveable? I had a similar problem caused by low power steering fluid. The alert tripped when I took an onramp waaaay faster than I should. It gave me the same warning "dynamic drive failur" and told me to contact BMW assist for a tow but it was definititely driveable. I drove it to the nearest service center 7 miles away. The tech filled up the resovoir and reset the warning and life was good. Don't know if your situation is the same but the warnings from I-drive isn't very specific.



susanb said:


> Just nine days ago I bought a 2002 745i, certified preowned, 33,000 miles, and it's dead in my driveway! I got in it last night, started the engine, and the Dynamic Drive Inoperable error message popped up and it is not driveable. Anyone with any ideas? Guess I'll have it towed Monday! Yikes! This is my first time owning a BMW and already problems?!


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## BMWNA (Jan 15, 2002)

I'm with BMW of North America, LLC. I'm sorry to read you are experiencing a problem with your 745i. If you and your BMW center would like our assistance, please phone us at (800) 831-1117, and mention Reference #200431000188 so that we can help you more efficiently. If you prefer, you can email us through the Owners' Circle at www.bmwusa.com.


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## Lanc3r (Sep 5, 2004)

vatkens said:


> I'm with BMW of North America, LLC. I'm sorry to read you are experiencing a problem with your 745i. If you and your BMW center would like our assistance, please phone us at (800) 831-1117, and mention Reference #200431000188 so that we can help you more efficiently. If you prefer, you can email us through the Owners' Circle at www.bmwusa.com.


Nice to see... :thumbup:


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## susanb (Oct 31, 2004)

*saga to the story*



vatkens said:


> I'm with BMW of North America, LLC. I'm sorry to read you are experiencing a problem with your 745i. If you and your BMW center would like our assistance, please phone us at (800) 831-1117, and mention Reference #200431000188 so that we can help you more efficiently. If you prefer, you can email us through the Owners' Circle at www.bmwusa.com.


Thanks for the post. I will definitely give you a call. I had a TERRIBLE experience with the dealerships here. I bought the car from a long-time dealer in Columbia, SC (who continues to ignore me about getting the factory phone that went with the car). They also failed to tell me that they didn't do warranty work, so I had to have the car towed to another dealer, who very obviously wasn't willing to cooperate because I didn't buy the car from them. They kept my car for 4 days, refused to give me a loaner or rental, and didn't finish all the warranty work I asked them to do, among a few other annoyances. I finally called the general manager and, after talking to him, realized that in order to get treated like a REAL 745 customer, you have to buy from that dealership. Bummer, right? We also just purchased a Chevy Express Van, and the Chevrolet Dealership treated us far better than the BMW dealerships.

Still disappointed.....  Susan in SC.


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## susanb (Oct 31, 2004)

*Lemon Law*



ibew595 said:


> Susan,
> If there is a way for the dealer to take back the car, do so. The 02 745's are not good and may leave a bad taste for BMW's. The 03 model is much better unless you have a very late production 02. I am not even sure about that but the 03 is supposed to be better.Always make sure the software is upgraded.
> Good luck


Thanks Kevin,
It was out of commission for a week this time. If it is out for 3 more weeks in the next year, then it can be classified as a lemon under SC law, and the dealership will have to take it back.

Susan in SC


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## AutoXer (Oct 21, 2004)

susanb said:


> Thanks Kevin,
> It was out of commission for a week this time. If it is out for 3 more weeks in the next year, then it can be classified as a lemon under SC law, and the dealership will have to take it back.
> 
> Susan in SC


Does the Lemon Law apply to used car purchases?


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## Heidi528 (Nov 9, 2004)

You poor thing. "Certified Pre Owned"? Are you sure it wasn't my old car? No, I guess not mine - I had less than half that in mileage. Or someone elses buy back? The '02's are a nightmare. And I bought a late '02 production, so don't believe that hype. The car, when running, is a dream. Unfortunately it spends a great deal of it's time in the shop. Mine was down for far more than the 30 days required to make it a lemon. It took months and months to get it to "buy back" status, and after all that I've lost a fortune and the dealer charged me for the buy back, and now claims it wasn't a buy back at all. I had agreed to keep my mouth shut about the problems since it was a buy back. I'm told it wasn't, so I guess that means I can talk, right? It wasn't my first BMW by far. I'd been buying and driving them since the 80's. Used back then, new ones starting in the later 90's. I was a loyal customer, wouldn't consider anything else. You couldn't give me one for free now. It's a nightmare, and once you take delivery no one wants to know anything. I too was contacted right away by BMW once they heard there were problems, but it was a good 6 months before anything was resolved and now I learn I have an '04 with only 4000 miles that has already lost more than $20,000 of its sticker price in value. Dropping daily. No wholesaler wants the darn thing - the reputation is shot. Sticker price on the newer one was $82k plus; the wholesalers are barely offering $60k. Not to mention the other costs over the sticker to own it - taxes, licensing, finance charges, etc. If I walk away from it now I might clear $8,000. Whoopie! Probably less, since they'll charge me for early termination. (Pre-paid lease). If I keep it to the end, next October, it will be worth less than the residual value and I've lost it all. I wouldn't trust all the warm fuzzies from BMW. They may mean well, but let them put YOUR money where their mouth is!


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## ibew595 (Jan 18, 2004)

WOOT!
I am glad Heidi posted some of her story. Watch out on the buy back. The 02 model was the worst. If they buy it back get all the terms in writing.


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## LDV330i (May 24, 2003)

susanb said:


> Thanks for the post. I will definitely give you a call. I had a TERRIBLE experience with the dealerships here. I bought the car from a long-time dealer in Columbia, SC (who continues to ignore me about getting the factory phone that went with the car). They also failed to tell me that they didn't do warranty work, so I had to have the car towed to another dealer, who very obviously wasn't willing to cooperate because I didn't buy the car from them. They kept my car for 4 days, refused to give me a loaner or rental, and didn't finish all the warranty work I asked them to do, among a few other annoyances. I finally called the general manager and, after talking to him, realized that in order to get treated like a REAL 745 customer, you have to buy from that dealership. Bummer, right? We also just purchased a Chevy Express Van, and the Chevrolet Dealership treated us far better than the BMW dealerships.
> 
> Still disappointed.....  Susan in SC.


 I understand that some owner's of 2002 7 series had their cars replaced with 2003 MY at no charge. There was a posting about it on this board as far back a 2 years ago. I have a friend who has been unable to explain how he went from a 2002 MY 740i he had on a lease that was giving him a lot of trouble to a 2003 MY 740i. Even though he is a buddy of mine he refuses to talk about it. I suspect there is an agreement of non disclosure involved. :dunno:


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## Heidi528 (Nov 9, 2004)

LDV - you are correct, there is an agreement that everyone must sign that says we can't discuss the details. This pertains to buybacks. I signed one myself. However, when I visited my dealer on Friday to discuss the extra $5000 the dealer demanded from me again, the dealer emphasized that there was no buyback in my case, which is why he could charge me money to make this switch. So I figure since the gag order applies to buybacks, and the dealer is swearing that in my case there was no buyback, then I can talk. Make sense? If this was a buyback as BMW said it was in the beginning, then I can't talk - nor could the dealer ask for extra money. I'm very curious to hear what BMW has to say about all this. I got the stock response from them today: 

Dear Ms. XXXX:

I am sorry to learn of the difficulties that you have experienced with your BMW and the BMW center. I have sent your concerns to BMW of North America. Please expect a response shortly. If you have any further questions, please contact the Customer Relations department directly at 1-800-831-1117.

Sincerely, 

XXXX XXXXX
Customer Service Specialist

On the phone with BMW now - what the heck is the difference between a "buy back" and a "trade assist"? Assist? None of the terms changed, just the vehicle...


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

Wow, BMW actually has its own 7 series hospice nurse here.


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## 99bmw740il (Mar 29, 2003)

alot of software issues, jut upgrade. 2002 problems are way overrated


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## Farbton (Oct 27, 2003)

*Try another dealer*



susanb said:


> Just nine days ago I bought a 2002 745i, certified preowned, 33,000 miles, and it's dead in my driveway! I got in it last night, started the engine, and the Dynamic Drive Inoperable error message popped up and it is not driveable. Anyone with any ideas? Guess I'll have it towed Monday! Yikes! This is my first time owning a BMW and already problems?!


Susan, you mentioned you got the car in Columbia SC. If you are not too far try Century BMW in Greenville. Fantastic service.


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## nancy (Jan 22, 2005)

I had one of the first 745LI's delivered in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and had endless problems with the car. After having it less than a year, I was shocked with the dealership stood behind me and concurred with my grief of ownership - software/computer porblems....they bypassed the lemon law and got BMW NA to replace my car to a new 2003, which was unbelieveable as I love driving BMWs, but hate the lack of service in North America.

FYI, my 2002 did exactly the same thing with some major malfunction serious message...thank God the 2003 had arrived in the day before and they swapped them out.

Good luck to you!


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## Jalli (Jan 10, 2005)

Early 7 series models had significant computer trouble... it is usually pretty easy to fix though.
Just take the car back into your dealer and tell them to update ALL the software ( if this doesn't work it is time for a new computer). Also, any dealer should perform all warranty work for you regardless of whether you bought the car from them or not. You definitely should have gotten a loaner.... 

Also, sometimes it is necessary to bypass the GM and bump issues up to the owner of the dealership, he/she will usually be able to deal with your problems. If you have any more issues with BMW in Columbia, you should bring it over to Augusta. The people at Taylor BMW are really good ! :thumbup:


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