# Consumer Reports - Stay clear of these BMW "Clunkers"



## Raphael (Jan 28, 2006)

2006 e60 had 11 years. Only major problem was brake booster went out at 8 years. Doesn't seem bad to me.


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## TRIUMPHT (Jan 26, 2016)

I am curious to know what CR and some people that speak on reliability consider reliable.

I am on my 11th car since i started driving and the only one that has left me stranded on the side of the road on more than 1 occasion was my very first car 1998 ford escort...

That was my only american car the rest were Japanese/Korean and now i have a BMW. I had 4 acura's 2 out of the 4 while never left me stranded had issues and neither one of the 2 with issues were even close to 50K miles...and those are considered "RELIABLE" cars....

People talk about BMW like they are made out of paper or something..Yet i cannot go 1 block without seeing atleast 2 or more...

Nothing lasts forever, now yes i could understand parts and things malfunctioning or needing to be replaced earlier than expected so people get upset but it's a car..

I stopped believing the hype when i had issues with 2 Acura's that are "RELIABLE"... Then my Lexus that i was paying $500+ every 5K miles for service and was not even happy with the car overall..

I know people that have different cars across the board.. The stories vary..I know more than one person with German cars that never had a single MAJOR issue and i know people with Asian Market cars that have had tons of issues..


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## Ajk13a (Apr 13, 2015)

I have a 2013 x5. It far from a clunker. It is a great, reliable truck. It replaced my Range Rover. It sits in the garage with a 525 and 735il both cherry.

I have looked at CR for many years, read their reviews and then bought what I wanted. In only one case, a european washer and dryer, were they right.

Art


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## JC1969 (Feb 11, 2016)

I have owned several Acura's and had zero problems. the current RSX has 240k miles on it and still no problems other than an airbag sensor thats out. But then my brother bought a 2012 TSX and in the first six months the steering column broke, then the engins started swallowing oil even though there were no visible leaks. they replaced the whole motor in warranty. and lastly before he traded it off the drive shaft fell out while traveling down the road at 45mph. so yeah **** happens and some examples of reliable cars are just bad. I have discovered that a very large amount od CR's reliability reports are skewed because of lots of minor things like infotainment system problems and issues with interior trim and suspected customer abuse. the Ford Focus this year has a below average rating, but my partner who is a technician at the local Ford Dealership said most of the problems are with the updated software on the "Myford Touch" System. My Current car is a 2014 M235i and the 2016 CR Rating on it for reliability is above average. whereas the 2014 335i which shares a lot of parts with it is below average, so yeah i think there is something wrong with thier rating system.


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## babyboss (Jul 15, 2012)

Had a 2006 E60 530D , No issues @ All .. daily driven & pushed to max power ..


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## liquidity (May 1, 2016)

Most of this list is clearly related to the HPFP and the carbon build-up.


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## the kidd (Jun 20, 2010)

Oh yeah, my 2011 E90 335 xdrive was the biggest clunker i have ever owned!


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## jimmk (Sep 3, 2014)

I had a 2002 325 before I got my 2011 328i. The 2002 was a tougher car.


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## JimD1 (Jun 5, 2009)

The issues with Consumers Reports information on cars is well documented. Their database is just what their readers report to them. People report more bad things than good. The way things are these days even a few problems could turn into a below average rating. A much better source of data is available at True Delta. They will tell you the rate of issues reported and what those issues were. They also separate models as much as possible with the data they have. Beyond the issue with their data (they don't know how many of their readers drive BMWs let alone which models, just how many reported what reliability and there is no uniform basis for what is good versus bad reliability (it is left up to each responder to determine)) they have demonstrated huge biases multiple times. They seem to love some brands and despise others. And they are not above rigging tests to make the ones they do not like look bad. 

I think their reports on cars are pretty useless. I won's subscribe but if I find a way to get their data on appliances I will review it. But not cars. Bad data and bad attitude = useless information.


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## nosnurB (Mar 3, 2010)

My 09 328 and15 535 have given me nothing but trouble-free miles with the exception of a couple of broken wheels (which, to be honest, could have been avoided).


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## Autobacs (Dec 16, 2014)

I am a long time subscriber to Consumer Reports and am on True Delta as well.

I have had a number of Lexus vehicles (Lexus GS430, ISF, and RX330) and I can tell you they are damned bullet proof, exactly as what CR and TD says.

CR and TD says BMW's in general are not as reliable as Lexus. I just got my CPO certified 2013 BMW 650i GC and it has spent two weeks in the dealership for repairs and I have not owned the car for a month.

Do I regret buying it? No and if no major issues pop up again, I will be good as this car is just phenomenal styling wise at the very least.

To say that CR data is useless is WAY off base, IMO.


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## bighorns (Mar 6, 2013)

Most BMW owners who have done their research know going in that these cars are not as trouble free as Lexus/Toyota, Honda/Acura, etc. The Consumer Reports articles are not intended for these people. It for the clueless clowns who know nothing about cars, but think owning a BMW might be cool. These people also probably could care less about the driving dynamics, since they drive their Bimmers like it's a Camry, so reliability is of much more concern to them. :tsk:


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## Autobacs (Dec 16, 2014)

Consumer reports provide you with a much wider database than what anyone can research on their own so I disagree that it has value to the clueless only. The topic is whether or not specific models of cars ate unreliableo which includes some BMW's. CR reliability ratings do not measure driving dynamics, g limits so. The question really is do they validate real world reliability (only) experiences for the majority of people? In my opinion yes, norhing more, nothing less.


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## mark_m5 (Sep 16, 2006)

A friend had an E60 535(?) - six-banger. Had lots of problems and sold it. I've heard that E60 M5 had problems with the V10.


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## pdhsr1 (May 14, 2016)

I have a 2009 328i Sport with 112800 miles been a great car, still looks new, inside out, no problems, great gas mileage


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## AnalogMan (May 22, 2016)

tim330i said:


> Consumer Reports recommends steering clear of these BMWs that have below-average reliability. The report compiled a list of 2006 to 2016 model that have below average overall reliability. BMW isn't the only premium brand on the list, but has a unfortunately strong showing.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes 08 E60 535i IMO Head Lamps fire hazard and a bit high incidence of other component failures  sold it 3 days ago :rofl:


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## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

MY13 X5 has been trouble free.


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## Car_Almond (Sep 11, 2013)

You go to Consumer Reports (CR) for intelligent people trying to gather reliability data, and Car & Driver magazine for mostly performance data, bottom line. CR does a decent job of it. They understand statistics.

Also, BMW dealerships know just about exactly what will go wrong with E60 '07 530xi's between 50,000 and 150,000 miles, for example. 
They keep a list of the known engineering weaknesses.
Here is part of it:

1. Transmission Mechatronics Sleeve leaking fluid: $800
2. Front Suspension Lower Control Arm fluid leaking (shakes & shudders): $800
3. Electric Water Pump Failure: $1,200
4. Battery dies every 2 years or less (poor charging control): $500
5. Oil Filter & Heat Exchanger housing gasket leaks: $500
6. Intermittent Hydraulic Valve Adjuster (HVA) "Ticking" or "Rattling" Noises in N52 engines: No known lasting solution, except maybe use a high-ester additive to coat seal them, seems to work. Car can sound like a cheap Korean Kia with low oil levels.
7. Trunk release/sensing wiring comes apart: $500
8. Fuel Pump failure: $2,000 (mine failed once at high altitude, sat and restarted, but seems to work at low altitudes, so never fixed....)
(Note: All repair $$$ from memory, can vary.)

CR noted correctly that was too many compared to other cars. Almost all cars will have 1 to 3 things almost certain to fail, but we're looking at twice that many with BMW's.


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## dpritchett (Sep 6, 2006)

JimD1 said:


> The issues with Consumers Reports information on cars is well documented. Their database is just what their readers report to them. People report more bad things than good. The way things are these days even a few problems could turn into a below average rating. A much better source of data is available at True Delta. They will tell you the rate of issues reported and what those issues were. They also separate models as much as possible with the data they have. Beyond the issue with their data (they don't know how many of their readers drive BMWs let alone which models, just how many reported what reliability and there is no uniform basis for what is good versus bad reliability (it is left up to each responder to determine)) they have demonstrated huge biases multiple times. They seem to love some brands and despise others. And they are not above rigging tests to make the ones they do not like look bad.
> 
> I think their reports on cars are pretty useless. I won's subscribe but if I find a way to get their data on appliances I will review it. But not cars. Bad data and bad attitude = useless information.


I just sent in my 2016 survey to CR. You DO tell them what model and year of car you are reporting on, and they do distinguish between maintenance (think oil changes, new tires, state safety inspections, etc) vs. actual repairs, which are broken down by the categories they report on (electrical, body, etc.) You are not just saying your car is reliable or unreliable - you are reporting actual repairs.

As to how valid the sample size is -- I don't know. Are BMW owners less likely to subscribe to CR and/or more likely to report if they've had issues? Any survey is subject to possible sample bias, and this one is no different.

Finally, all that being said, in the past 12 months, I had zero repairs to report on my 2011 528i (as well as my wife's 2014 Honda), so maybe the 2011 5'er will show an uptick in reliability this year.


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## bimmerguy (Dec 26, 2001)

I looked up my trouble free 2013 X5 on CR since it's on the clunkers list but in every catagory it's a half red circle(better than average) or better full circle yet the predicted used car relibility at the bottom is worse than average?
CR's own ratings and conclusions don't make any sense.


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