1997 BMW 5 Series 523i from UK and Ireland - Comments

Air bags.

Air conditioning.

Locking system.

Block & pistons.

Callipers.

Discs & pads.

Steering shaking.

Car rattling with braking.

No support or back up from BMW.

At the moment I am trying to prove that there is a manufacturing fault. If anyone has similar problems please contact us www.hytex.co.uk

Follow-on from Disgusted Report!

Dear Ahmed

Thank you for your email.

After three years of trying to prove that there is something wrong with the car we have so far reached:

* The AA report has stated that my car is dangerous and unsafe to drive.

* My insurance Company said that the car was not insured due to the report, indeed should there have been an accident - and had their investigator found these faults - the insurance would have been null-and-void!

* An inspection was carried out on Sewell BMW premises with the suits of Bracknell in June, and they admitted that the car was unsafe to drive.

* The car has remained there ever since, with myself driving round in a courtesy car.

* BMW made a ridiculously low offer of compensation - which we refused.

* On the 19th January 2001 an investigator will be stripping down the car at Bracknell, to find out the causes of the problems.

* I know how frustrating this must be for you, BMW bully their way through - and no-one believe they can act in this manner!

* Please put your comments on the Web, stating that anyone having the same problems to forward them onto myself.

* I shall keep you updated on any development and place this reply on the website.

Thankyou

Michael Stone (info@hytex.co.uk)

There is a manufacturing fault with engines of your type which BMW have admitted to me off the record. The all-aluminium engine in the 523i, 323i, 328i and 528i dissolves in sulphric UK petrol and gets completely knackered. A lot of BMWs have this problem, a collegues 523i had two new engines in the first 3 years of its life, several wheel bearings, a new rear axle etc etc etc.

""There is a manufacturing fault with engines of your type which BMW have admitted to me off the record.""

Off the record?! Excuse me?

This is a widely known problem throughout the UK, and has been known for over a year and a half now. It was even on Watchdog!

All BMW dealers are aware of it, and if you have one of the possibly affected engines (2.0, 2.3 and 2.8 (single vanos) manufactured between 1995 - 1997) BMW will carry out a compression check free of charge to see if the engine is faulty or not. If it is, they will replace the engine FREE OF CHARGE with a brand new engine, providing that the original has no more than a 100k Miles.

Please get your facts straight.

I have a 1996 520i and my engine overheated when I drove about 10 miles, this resulted in a new engine on warranty. Now after 33,000 miles I have an engine that overheats after 5 miles???

If you know anything e-mail davidalangiles@yahoo.co.uk.