Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 01/12/2012 | 72000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 bmw 325i. while examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear view mirror was leaking inside of the glass, distorting the contacts view. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the rear view mirror needed to be replaced due to leaking gas. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileages were 72,000. kmj | |||
| 01/12/2012 | 72000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 bmw 325i.while examining the vehicle the contact noticed that the rear view mirror was leaking inside of the glass distorting the contacts view. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the rear view mirror needed to be replaced due to leaking gas. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 72,000. bml | |||
| 07/07/2011 | |||
| I've noticed some dark to light brown smears or squiggly lines on my rearview mirror. i tried to clean it when i realized that the fault is actually a problem with the mirror. i called the dealer and because the car isn't under warranty it isn't covered yet the part can cost up to $700.00 without labor. the dealer told me that this is a known issue with the auto dimming fluid leaking/failing in the mirror. i called bmw usa and they currently have no plans to recall the part. i'm dismayed because i have a chevy truck with an auto-dimming mirror that is much older than the car that doesn't have this issue. this seems like a safety hazard to me as the ability to see with the rearview mirror is definitely an issue. i've read on forums that other people with the same model and year are having the same issue only theirs is worse because the fluid has leaked out of the mirror and proceeded to eat through any part of the interior that it drips on. doesn't that make this a potential health hazard as well since the auto dimming fluid is obviously some type of acid which could also cause a fire if it hits any wiring? i hope that someone looks into this as i've gotten no where with bmw. thanks! | |||
| 03/06/2012 | 50000 | ||
| My bmw 325i xenon headlight bowls had melted and dimmed toa dangerous point, they are all original and unaltered | |||
| 12/01/2011 | 60000 | ||
| The vehicle came equipped from the factory with bi-xenon auto leveling headlights manufactured by zkw. the past couple months, the light output has steadily decreased. looking at it further, brown scorch marks are visible in the projector when the headlight is on. on the driver's side, there is also distortion in the upper half of the projector which looks almost as if the top half of the projector has melted and distorted. the light output from the projectors has been reduced to a thin beam of light right below the cutoff, with the driver's side being worse than the passenger. parked 6 feet away from a wall, this strip of light extends only about 8-12 below the cutoff, putting out virtually no light below that. at night, it is becoming very difficult to see with no light in the foreground; this problem is getting progressively worse. | |||
| 09/01/2011 | |||
| The bi-xenon zkw lights kept getting dimmer and dimmer. bulb replacement did not correct the problem. when looked into the issue found out that the zkw projector bowls have burned up and do not provide any reflection for the light output anymore. driving at night at this point with lights on is almost like driving with the lights turned off. | |||
| VISIBILITY - REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES | |||
| 06/21/2008 | 117500 | 1 | |
| I own a 2004 bmw 325i and my rearview mirror with an autodimming feature leaked onto my center console and front passenger seat. there was no prior indication of mirror failure before i noticed the broken mirror and spots on the seat and console. the fluid actually bubbled up and ate through my console and cup holders and left permanent stains on the seat. the dealer is well aware of the problem and so is magna donnelly as it has happened to numerous cars as can be seen my talking to bmw, acura, magna donnelly and internet forums. we spoke both to the local bmw dealer and bmw corporate and magna donnelly and while they acknowledge that my mirror leaked and that they are aware of the problem, it was out of warranty and they would do nothing to fix it. i had to pay to replace the mirror because my car is not driveable without it, however, they also indicated i had no choice but to replace it with an identical mirror which may leak in the future. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | |||
| 01/02/2013 | 109000 | 1 | |
| The driver side mirror will not maintain it's set position. on my car the mirror would change position every minute. this continued all day and night for three days. this made lane changes, entering a lane, or turning. very dangerous and difficult. i immediately accounted for my mirror not being usable and plotted my lanes changes and driving lanes ahead of time. this is a problem that can happen immediately without warning. i could endanger a driver needing to change lanes, when they look over and have no mirror, or is faced with a mirror that will not hold position. this is a serious safety issue. ===================examples bmw bulletin ==link provided upon request===== si b51 36 08 body equipment april 2009 technical service this service information bulletin supersedes si b51 36 08 dated february 2009. designates changes to this revision subject outside mirror moves when unlocking the vehicle model e90, e91 (3 series sedan and sports wagon) produced up to 9/2008 and equipped with power front seats, option code sa459 s to a random position. pressing the seat memory button typically will return the mirror to the stored position. cause when the unlock signal is sent to the car, a mirror position self-check is performed. one of the factors in determining the mirror's present position is an expected resistance value in the circuit. due to a higher than expected resistance, the footwell module (frm) calculates the mirror position incorrectly. the mirror is then moved to what is believed to be the correct position. the unexpected resistance value is caused by one of the following: * corrosion on the lin-bus connection at the mirror, switch block, or frm * poor connection at the mirror, switch block, or frm * damaged mirror electronics. *tr | |||
| 01/02/2013 | 109000 | ||
| The driver side mirror will not maintain it's set position. on my car the mirror would change position every minute. this continued all day and night for three days. this made lane changes, entering a lane, or turning. very dangerous and difficult. i immediately accounted for my mirror not being usable and plotted my lanes changes and driving lanes ahead of time. this is a problem that can happen immediately without warning. i could endanger a driver needing to change lanes, when they look over and have no mirror, or is faced with a mirror that will not hold position. this is a serious safety issue. ===================examples bmw bulletin ==link provided upon request===== si b51 36 08 body equipment april 2009 technical service this service information bulletin supersedes si b51 36 08 dated february 2009. designates changes to this revision subject outside mirror moves when unlocking the vehicle model e90, e91 (3 series sedan and sports wagon) produced up to 9/2008 and equipped with power front seats, option code sa459 s to a random position. pressing the seat memory button typically will return the mirror to the stored position. cause when the unlock signal is sent to the car, a mirror position self-check is performed. one of the factors in determining the mirror's present position is an expected resistance value in the circuit. due to a higher than expected resistance, the footwell module (frm) calculates the mirror position incorrectly. the mirror is then moved to what is believed to be the correct position. the unexpected resistance value is caused by one of the following: * corrosion on the lin-bus connection at the mirror, switch block, or frm * poor connection at the mirror, switch block, or frm * damaged mirror electronics | |||
| 06/04/2012 | 109000 | ||
| The vehicle came equipped from the factory with bi-xenon auto leveling headlights manufactured by zkw. the light output of the headlights is below any vehicle that i have encountered on the road. cars that are over 20 years old have brighter headlights. i have replaced the bulbs and it hasn't helped. looking at it further, brown scorch marks are visible in the projector when the headlight is on. the rear of the projector is completely brown and burnt. at night, it is becoming very difficult to see. at this point i don't feel safe driving the vehicle. this problem is getting progressively worse. | |||