335i major malfunction

[Kurt]

2008 BMW 335i having troubles starting. Power drops every now and then. Informed BMW in Knoxville of the issues. AT first, no one has heard of any problems. Looks like BMW has known about the fuel pump issue for years. Car was in shop for four days with no issues found. I guess you have to wait for your car to quit before BMW does anything. I have reported to the dealer this was a safety issue and to BMW NA. Of course BMW NA promptly blew me off. I will never buy another BMW again. Going into the shop again.

Jerry, thanks for the post

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

This is the correct and responsible move to save a few lives. I don't like it when my car wimps along.

[John K]

Gzzzz wrote:

for anyone who cares, car fixed v quickly, so no complaints at all.. no need to change fuel pump oddly, rather the car was "reprogrammed" - some computer patch came from the bmw n/a headquarters. amusingly it appears the torque on low rpm increased pretty drastically as well...

they "reprogrammed" mine and it just did it again. Get the fuel pump replaced!

[John K]

I have had this issue happen twice on a 2008 335i convertible. I have a lease on the car and will not accept it back. This is not a nuisance, it is dangerous. I do not have confidence that BMW has a grasp on this issue. My car quit twice coming off the freeway in Los Angeles on an off-ramp and backed up traffic. This happened for the second time last Sunday with my 6 year old daughter in the car. If you have this car, demand that it is recalled. You don't want this to happen to you at night, ON THE FREEWAY IN THE FAST LANE or in the middle of nowhere. BMW's position on this is to fix it once it happens. That is a hazardous way to do business and puts their customers in danger.

[Kurt]

Yeah, that's why I filed a complaint with the http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

The car initally had the issue at 500 miles. With 2500 mile on the car; I guess they got tired of me complaining. They replaced the fuel pump. I told them many times it was a hardware issue, but I guess BMW does not want to look silly with another recall on this car. Anyway, the fuel pump was the issue. It should be a recall though. The transmission is still wrong..guess it'll take forever for them to fix this too. The new 2008 was in the shop for quite a while; BMW has lost my future business. They're too over-rated and care nothing of the customer...now I just want a car that will start and take me to work.

[2008 335 XI fuel pump]

8000 MILES on a 2008 ... 6 months into the lease.. this sucks!

[Dr Vik]

I have a 4 month old 335i and I just turned it in....the check engine light lit up and the power seized...I re-started and everything was fine till the next...please don't tell me this crap is gonna continue.....FIRST CAR I LOVE AND THE DARN THING IS MOODY!!! United BMW gave me a 4.8 X5 which I absolutely hate.
Will post once issue is resolved and what the problem was.

[Dr Vik]

Dr Vik wrote:

I have a 4 month old 335i and I just turned it in....the check engine light lit up and the power seized...I re-started and everything was fine till the next...please don't tell me this crap is gonna continue.....FIRST CAR I LOVE AND THE DARN THING IS MOODY!!! United BMW gave me a 4.8 X5 which I absolutely hate.
Will post once issue is resolved and what the problem was.

Got the car back after a week the car runs fine now. BMW NA was trying to pin this on high ethanol fuel..SOBS!!! Anyhow the car is a blast to drive and hold on to it.

[Tired Of The 2008 335i]

It's not the fuel; my pump failed too. I carefully watched the type of fuel I used. My problem also started at 500 miles. BMW NA tried to blame it on me. I was confused because the BMW dealer filled the damn car up, so I asked them why did BMW put the wrong fuel in it. It was hilarious but very poor on their point of course. Anyway I followed their guidelines which presented NOTHING. I also decided to see if the German people were suffering from the same problem; and of course they are. So tell me...how much ethanol in in the fuel in Germany? They basically need to do a big RECALL on this item and a huge RECALL on the TORQUE CONVERTER issues with the transmission. The torque converter "bumps" when the car is coming to a start, then on the start, it engages HARSHLY and jerks the car forward. They have been aware of this issue for two years. So it's not the fuel or your imagination; it's a FLAW.

[Scott]

Wow, I thought the problems with the fuel pump and transmission would have been solved by now. I bought my 335 coup in Jan of 2006. Got my money back through the lemon law in June of 2006. I was hoping they would have worked the bugs out by now I was thinking about buying an 09 335. However, after reading these recent entries I'm not going to take the chance at living through another nightmare.

[Norma]

John K wrote:

<quoted text>
they "reprogrammed" mine and it just did it again. Get the fuel pump replaced!

My 2008 335i coupe that I bought in January, 2008 went into "limp mode" Monday morning and I got it back yesterday. They replaced the fuel pump and "reprogrammed" it, whatever that means. Service turned out to be OK, but on Monday, phone conversations with service were a little mysterious, as though they didn't want to tell me anything and wanted to get me off the phone.

Anyway, I hope that's the extent of problems, because I absolutely LOVE this car.

[Kurt]

When they reprogrammed it, it probably induced turbo-lag. Here's the scenario; they say the pump is bad due to using bad gasoline with etanol. Nope, not for real....the fuel pump is flawed. They have the same problem in Germany where ethanol is not an issue in the fuel. This should be "Recall Number 1"

Round Two- the software causes the NIC to engage or disengage the torque converter when the car is coming to a stop or which causing a "ump" when slowing down. It's also noted to lurch or jerk the car forward when taking your foot "off the brake" prior to accelerating. So they reprogram it.

Round Three- this software causes major turbo-lag. You might have noticed your car is slower now is you tend to drive aggressively,

Round Four- The service rep is probably hating the fact they have to tell you this after your new car was in the shop.

Round Five- The software upgrade will probably be available to fix this issue in Jan 2009. In your mind, you are hoping it will work properly....

To be continued........

[Suzanne]

CATHY wrote:

335I BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR 30 DAYS WITH FUEL PUMP PROBLEM. I'M ASKING THEM TO BUY IT BACK

Hi Cathy, I have a new 535 fuel pump problem which has recurred. Did BMW ever resolve your problem? If so, how?
Thanks.

[Hamish]

CATHY wrote:

335I BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR 30 DAYS WITH FUEL PUMP PROBLEM. I'M ASKING THEM TO BUY IT BACK

Cathy, did they buy it back. I heard about one in Ottawa, Canada and the dealer would only sell the owner a new car, taking the malfunctioning care in trade.

[More victims Go here]

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

[Vincent]

My 335i is back in the shop again for the thrird time since November '08. Same problem, "limp" mode and eventually the engine just stop; and yes always in the middle of the traffic. They reprogram the software the first time, replace the fuel pump the second time and now they're not sure what's wrong. Shouldn't we be able to file a class action lawsuit? I believe this is negligence. Any attorneys out there?

[Borg]

My 335i is now in the shop a 2nd time in 2-3 weeks. I had a fuel injector problem the 1st time around and my car was basically driving like a Prius. No acceleration whatever. Ever since the fix, car has not felt the same. This time, service rep told me that my microfilter needs to be replaced. I had a G35 coupe, and a Honda Accord before that, I have never had so many problems with 1 car. This better be the last time. 335i is a great car, but I'd rather have the reliability of a japanese car than having to take my car into the shop every other week.

[Veronica]

My 2008 335i has been to the shop 4 times in the last 10 months for the same "engine malfunction reducing power". First they told me it was the fuel pump, then it was a cylinder misfiring, next it was the engine computer, and it needed to be reprogrammed. That didn't work so now they say it's the fuel injector. It has currently been in the shop for 3 1/2 weeks. I'm told I will get it back tomorrow, but now I don't even want it!

[Peter]

Sometimes you just have to laugh at this crap. This is the car we hate so much yet we can't get enough of. Mine been in the shop 13 bloody times since I have had it. Its in the shop once every month on average. I have had I-Drive, GPS Telematics, bluetooth module, rear suspension (metal fatigue failure), Turbo wastegates and High Pressure fuel pump all fail and changed once. I also have performance software on it, and to be honest, I hate its so moody and unreliable, but every time I plant the pedal down to the floor, it has me giggling like a little girl. Ever since I got the performance software upgrade it added odes of fun to where I often take the long route to my destination. We are all gluttons for pain. Addicted to a car that got its own rather temperamental mind.

[Passed 50k]

Well, it's happening on all the 35is, the 335i, the 535i and now the 135i. The fuel systems including the injectors and the fuel pumps are faulty. These are going thru late 2008. Soon the Z4 will have the same set-up; you would have to be a fool to buy one of these cars if you read all the problems previous. The only thing BMW is good at is denying all their faults. It's a poor amateur move to do this to their customers. I have read the posts of so many saying; oh, it's not on my car...then they later write....ooppsss...I guess the fuel pump did get me. If not a 12k miles, maybe 15k..who knows, but it will happen. I can't laugh at this stuff; this is not the year or the time to be selling crap to people. Is there anything else BMW has no shame for.....the car is a poor buy. Hope you have the money after the warranty to rebuild the entire fuel system. It was not fixed in 2007, 2008 and obviously not for the 2009 models; the 135i buyers can verify that.

[Ragz89]

No performance software tuning was done on mine (yet), but I had the same symptoms. BMW replaced my fuel pump in 4 hours.

Kurt wrote:

2008 BMW 335i having troubles starting. Power drops every now and then. Informed BMW in Knoxville of the issues. AT first, no one has heard of any problems. Looks like BMW has known about the fuel pump issue for years. Car was in shop for four days with no issues found. I guess you have to wait for your car to quit before BMW does anything. I have reported to the dealer this was a safety issue and to BMW NA. Of course BMW NA promptly blew me off. I will never buy another BMW again. Going into the shop again.
Jerry, thanks for the post
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/
This is the correct and responsible move to save a few lives. I don't like it when my car wimps along.