2005 BMW 6 Series 645ci 4.4 V8 from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Easy to live with, impressive, but those tyres..
Faults:
I've had this car for almost 6 months, and I only have two problems to report. The first being that the electric window sensor broke, meaning I couldn't close an open window - annoying, but quickly resolved under warranty by the main dealer.
The second and more annoying problem is due to the run flat tyres. These tyres are very very sensitive and prone to punctures. The punctures can't be repaired, and each tyre costs £270 to replace. In 15 years of motoring, I had never got a puncture; in 6 months with these tyres, I've had 3!!I would avoid run flats at all costs if you can.
General Comments:
The car is very easy to drive and live with everyday. Yes it gets through fuel, and yes it is rather expensive to run, but it makes you feel rather special, and there's always plenty of grunt when required. I still get comments of how nice and impressive the car is, and if it wasn't for the tyres (mentioned above) it's pretty much perfect.
The I drive, which people tend to moan about, is actually simple and even intuitive to use after a few weeks.
The other moan people tend to make on this car is that the rear seats are only for children - that moan however, is probably fair. Adults can be squashed in the back, but realistically only for short journeys.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th July, 2007
2nd Dec 2014, 23:52
The run flat tire is a technology that never succeeded. Used on high end vehicles, because they can afford to replace them. On the other hand, how many times do we get a tire puncture in a year? And when it happens, just call road assistance and it's solved in 15 minutes.
I don't understand the reason of using run flat tires. Just ask the main dealer to install regular tires at delivery when purchasing a new car.
4th Dec 2014, 09:08
I don't own this model, but have run flats on Corvettes. Personally I do not care for the handling on run flats as well. Many cars do not even carry spare tires any more. The issue with mine is there's absolutely no room for a spare tire, let alone putting the larger ones in the convertible's trunk. So run flats are good to get you to a shop in time. Using a cell is an option, however many tire facilities do not have specialized new tires in stock. I even had to wait a couple days with large tire warehouses for new tires. My friend with a Porsche Turbo Carrera jokes that he may have to chain his huge rear flat someday to a tree, and come back later in our rural area.
On my other older car with the limited slip differential, you cannot put a smaller spare tire on it as a spare. It would damage the posi rear. It runs conventional radials. You have to have same size matched pairs. So the option is to carry a few cans of slime fix a flat and a 12V air compressor. And carrying a cell is still a good idea if it doesn't work.
My last issue is TPMs being extremely sensitive to weather extremes. They run just under 200 each. The batteries also need to be replaced periodically involving tire removals. And then reprogrammed. Plus the higher tire removal and balancing On TPMs, if it changes more than a few PSI, the dash cluster warning goes off. This applies to other models I have had as well. I wish the TPMs were removed entirely.
Good luck with your model. Life isn't as simple anymore with advanced technology in something as basic as a tire.
29th Feb 2008, 05:47
That's why they are called run flats. They go flat and you run to the bank :)