E60 M5 SZL recall?

[dazren]

Looks like BMW are in the process recalling cars to sort out a problem commonly known as the "steering angle sensor" issue.

www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=80995&highlight=Steering+Angle+Sensor

From reading various discussions on www.m5board.com the original sensors (which are optical) have a problem with moisture that can cause them to issue bad data to other parts of the cars electronics, resulting in transmission fault warnings etc. I understand that a modification has been sorted which will encase the sensor so that it no longer has the moisture problem causing erroneous readings.

My brothers E60 M5 went wrong again earlier this week (hence the research) and is booked in to be fixed next tuesday.

It's about time BMW started proactively fixing issues with these cars rather than waiting for them to strand owners at the side of the road.

DAZ
(The above post may appear to be the ramblings of a technically incompent fool with no real understanding of the subject matter........ Appearances are not deceptive)

Edited by dazren on Wednesday 20th September 13:57

[hunttheshunt]

My M6 had the recall attended to last week when it was in for the iPod connector so I guess that is reasonably proactive. I imagine they will get to all cars as they see them.

[w8pmc]

I've been told today that this recall does not apply to my (all M5's). They check against chassis number so i assume only some of the manufactured cars are affected & it's down to a bad batch rather that the overall range.

[Zod]

hunttheshunt said:

My M6 had the recall attended to last week when it was in for the iPod connector so I guess that is reasonably proactive. I imagine they will get to all cars as they see them.

are you sure it was that recall and not the rear shocks one?

[Andrew D]

It's a bit difficult for them to be "proactive", because they don't really design components with the intention that they'll fail. So they can only know that something will fail when it actually does!

[hunttheshunt]

Zod said:

hunttheshunt said:

My M6 had the recall attended to last week when it was in for the iPod connector so I guess that is reasonably proactive. I imagine they will get to all cars as they see them.

are you sure it was that recall and not the rear shocks one?

Yep she mentioned SZL and optics so pretty sure it was that one. Does the M6 have a recall for shocks.....thought that was just the M5??

[Zod]

hunttheshunt said:

Zod said:

hunttheshunt said:

My M6 had the recall attended to last week when it was in for the iPod connector so I guess that is reasonably proactive. I imagine they will get to all cars as they see them.

are you sure it was that recall and not the rear shocks one?

Yep she mentioned SZL and optics so pretty sure it was that one. Does the M6 have a recall for shocks.....thought that was just the M5??

don't know, but I would have thought they would be the same.

[dazren]

Andrew D said:

It's a bit difficult for them to be "proactive", because they don't really design components with the intention that they'll fail. So they can only know that something will fail when it actually does!

This problem has been around for a while. Take a look around the www.m5board.com and there are many cars with the problem, it was so endemic earlier in the year that the parts were even on back order! Rather than contact my brother and other owners when parts orders from dealerships indicated there was a problem, BMW have until now stuck their head in the sand and just plodded on fixing them when they break.

When customers are spending £68k on a saloon car, normally for everyday use, they expect to have preventative repairs/fixes carried out as soon as possible, not to have to wait until the car breaksdown. I'd like to get my brothers car along on one of the Eurohoon trips, but frankly he and his wife have lost faith in the car that it won't breakdown!

In the end prevention is better than cure, and BMW should remember this and be proactive with recalls and preventative repairs. Hopefully the modification will see an end to the problem.

DAZ

Edited by dazren on Thursday 21st September 16:35

[Andrew D]

Oh, I assumed you were talking about a recall, rather than BMW pretending that the problem isn't intrinsic to the design.

[dazren]

Andrew D said:

Oh, I assumed you were talking about a recall, rather than BMW pretending that the problem isn't intrinsic to the design.

In fairness to BMW, I think they've only recently worked out a modification to stop the SZL misting up and giving the false readings to the cars electronics. Even so if you look at things like this and the vanos oil line leaks and how quickly different countries impoorters get on the ball and proactive it makes interesting reading. Hopefully my brothers car will be fixed on tuesday. Although as he hasn't received any recall correspondence I assume others haven't either, so some poor sod may well be setting off on a two week driving trip around Europe oblivious to what is in effect a design fault that may ruin the trip.

DAZ

[dazren]

Dropped car off at 8am, collected at lunchtime, flew back to the office the long way! Service chap confirmed that the SZL fitted was definitely a modified version. Hopefully the car will be reliable now.

Edited by dazren on Tuesday 26th September 18:29