NHTSA Complaint #10251292 — 2008 BMW 5 SERIES

PURCHASED NEW 535I 8/22/08. WITH LESS THAN 400 MILE, RECEIVED ENGINE MALFUNCTION-POWER REDUCED WARNING WHILE DRIVING AT INTERSTATE SPEED. LIMPED TO DEALER, WHO HAD CAR FOR 4.5 DAYS. 1ST QUESTION: WHAT TYPE OF FUEL? SHELL. RESPONSE: MAY HAVE TO MUCH ETHANOL. SERVICE FOUND AN ENGINE MIS-FIRE CODE; REPLACED INJECTOR AND SWAPPED COILS TO VALIDATE INJ. REPLACEMENT. 2ND OCCURRENCE AT 3200 MILES, AGAIN AT HI-WAY SPEEDS. MIS-FIRE CODE AGAIN FOUND BY DEALER SERVICE. INJECTORS WERE "SWAPPED"; I'M NOT SURE TO WHAT END. THE CAR WAS ALSO "REPROGRAMMED".I GET THE IMPRESSION THAT SERVICE PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS TRULY CAUSING THE PROBLEM. OR ELSE THAT THEY ARE TRYING NOT TO COMMIT. NOW HAVE APPROX. 4100 MILES W/O ANY RECURRENCE. APPARENTLY THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IS NOT JUST WITH THE 5 SERIES, BUT THE 3 SERIES ALSO, BOTH TYPES WITH THE N54 TURBO CHARGED 3 LITER ENGINE. FIRST FIXES INVOLVED THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, NOW THEY ARE APPEAR TO BE SWAPPING/REPLACING INJECTORS AND REPROGRAMMING THE ECU. IT IS ALSO A COMMON POINT OF DISCUSSION IN ON-LINE BMW FORUMS WHEN SEARCHED UNDER ENGINE MALFUNCTION. *TR