Without Prejudice"
Dear Editor/s/motor ombudsman
I have been a BMW driver for the last 20 years, having driven and owned about 45 BMWs .I have been fortunate enough to have owned most of the models from the 3, 5, 7, z and x5 models.
Of all the models, I have been in particular really impressed with the 5 series models, having owned 6 of them, these cars were mind blowing and were workhorses of note, some with mileages as high as 350 000km still running strong on the original engine.
Of the six 5 series models I owned, I only spend around R2500, 00 changing wheel bearings on the one, of course not to mention the usual services and wear and tear .
In 2006 I purchased a BMW 530D .The car was priced at R380000.00 and had 60000
or so km on the clock and was an approved BMW car from Auto Umhlanga.
Soon after delivery, the car picked up rattles and squeaks which became very unbearable. I contacted the
dealership but was obviously given the run around as they had already been paid and really didnt give a damn
about me .
So after some two months BMW customer care had the official complaint of the problem.
A senior technician from the Head office was sent down to Durban to look at the car.. The report was clean but they could not seem
to figure out the rattles and so the story went on and the car, a PREMIUM 5 SERIES BMW, just parked in the garage and was hardly used as I was to embarrassed to even take family or friends in it.
Then it seemed to be more in the BMW workshop having problems ranging from active steering wheels, to clutch at 80000km and propshaft problems.
The car also had a mechanical breakdown in Swaziland where some pulleys had collapsed and had to be
replaced . This left me stranded in Swaziland with my nine year old son.
Around March 2009, I was driving to Durban and the car had a total electronic failure and shut down on the freeway just outside Durban.
The electronic failure put the car in a lock mode causing suspension collapse, steering wheel deactivation, odometer shut down and
more.Fortunately I am an experienced driver and the car is a manual so I kept very calm, pressed the clutch in and tried to restart using the kick start method which worked and I quicky brought the car back to controll although everything had shut down. I managed to drive the car back home with no instruments working, suspension collapse and no lights.
It was a hell ride, but I had no option as my life was endangered if I just sat on the freeway waiting for help.
This incident was reported to BMW customer care. At this stage the car had around 94000km just out of motor plan with time.
I was asked take the car to BMW in Pietermaritzburg, and was to be re-embursed for all towing costs which I never received.
So the car was diagnosed at SMG BMW, and found water had been entering the car and was pooling in the tyre well
in the boot, which HOUSED ELECTRONIC MODULES .
These models were eroded as they had been floating in water for some time and there was no problem with the
rubber seals on the boot lid.
SO WHERE DID AND HOW DID THE WATER GET
INTO A PREMIUM 5 SERIES BMW WORTH HALF A MILLION RANDS. So BMW paid for the parts replaced at their costs.
This raises questions: why did bmw pay for the replacement of these parts.

So I went on investigating this problem, as of concern to the public road users and other BMW drivers, and have discovered from BMW technicians that this car does have a history of this problem and BMW is aware of such problem but it has never been released to the Public and these cars never called back . Apparently these electronic modules have never been properly insulated at time of manufacture and the buck simply passed on to the Motor Plan . I could have killed myself, my family and innocent road users as this car switched of and locked on a freeway.
Around September 2010 this car had an engine failure. At just over 100000km, and rated the best diesel engine in the world
Apparently a swirlflap on the cylinder head broke and entered the engine causing damage, some R160 000.00 damage.

Yet again BMW wants to pay half the cost of repairs which seems so so strange. This car was parked at Smg dealership in Pietermaritzburg while futile ongoing negotiations with Bmw took place.
In the interim, i have beeen paying the monthly installement and insurance of approx. R7500 p/m and car hire costs .

Finally in March 2011, BMW agreed to pay 80%of engine cost, and I had to refinance the shortfall of R30 000..once again incurring more expenses...not forgetting the ongoing car hire costs.
Last week, the very same bmw530D, swtiched off on the highway again, with no controls working. Even the hazzard lights were not functioning.
The car was towed at my costs to Cedar Isle auto, Upon inspection, the car has water on the inside. Water seems to be leaking into the car from the engine compartment, and settling near the driver side pedals.

We are once again suffering damages, we have not been compensated in ANY way for costs incurred as a result of this defective car.
I want to be compensated and this motor vehichle must be replaced by BMW.
Bmw contact: Lawrence Titus.

Having done only 35000km or so in 4 years for a car that I paid some R600000 for with
finance charges, leaves me with a spend of R17000, per k/m...wow that should go on the world book of record.
...

NAMRITHA SIVSANKER