Bmw M3 2005
Model M3 made in 2005 by Bmw got 16 consumer complains there are 13 investigations as well as 11 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to engine and engine cooling, power train and visibility. Technical service bulletines regarding electrical system, engine and engine cooling and exterior lighting. The car had one investigation (exterior lighting). The car has one 3.2, guzzler engine.
Model 2005
| Engine [L] | Cylinders | Transmission | Drive | Estimate MPG (city/highway/combined) | Unadjusted MPG (city/highway/combined) | Fuel | Fuel cost | Class | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2, Guzzler | 6 | Manual, 6 gears | R | 16/23/18 | 17.5/29.5431/21.4314 | Premium | 1626 | MINICOMPACT CARS | |
| 3.2, Guzzler | 6 | Semiautomatic, 6 gears | R | 16/22/18 | 17.7191/28.1243/21.2583 | Premium | 1626 | MINICOMPACT CARS | |
| 3.2, Guzzler | 6 | Manual, 6 gears | R | 16/24/19 | 18/30.9/22.1638 | Premium | 1539 | SUBCOMPACT CARS | |
| 3.2, Guzzler | 6 | Semiautomatic, 6 gears | R | 16/23/19 | 18.3217/29.6138/22.1167 | Premium | 1539 | SUBCOMPACT CARS |
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE | |||||
| SI-B12-22-08 | 10/01/2009 | 10032574 | Bmw: voluntary emissions recall 08e-a03; m3 s54-dme reprogramming for catalyst conversion diagnosis. the dme programming, as originally installed, may cause the obd diagnostic to erroneously evaluate the efficiency of the catalytic conver | 04/14/2010 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| SI-B11-07-09 | 08/01/2009 | 10030850 | Bmw: thermostat housing inspection. the retaining springs of the thermostat housing quick release couplings for the coolant hoses may not be locked correctly. this situation may result in a coolant leak. models affected are m3 sedan (e | 12/09/2009 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - HOSE | |||||
| SI-B11-07-09 | 08/01/2009 | 10030850 | Bmw: thermostat housing inspection. the retaining springs of the thermostat housing quick release couplings for the coolant hoses may not be locked correctly. this situation may result in a coolant leak. models affected are m3 sedan (e | 12/09/2009 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||||
| SIB-13-13-10 | 09/01/2011 | 10042684 | Bmw: on some vehicles, the high pressure fuel pump has an internal component that may fail and causing drivability symptoms such as erratic engine operation and longer starting times. *pe | 01/06/2012 | |
| SI-B12-22-08 | 04/01/2009 | 10029304 | Bmw: as originally installed, the dme programming may cause the obd diagnostic to erroneously evaluate the efficiency of the catalytic converters. model e46 (m3) coupe and convertibles. *pe | 07/06/2009 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||||
| SI-B12-22-08 | 10/01/2009 | 10032574 | Bmw: voluntary emissions recall 08e-a03; m3 s54-dme reprogramming for catalyst conversion diagnosis. the dme programming, as originally installed, may cause the obd diagnostic to erroneously evaluate the efficiency of the catalytic conver | 04/14/2010 | |
| SI-B12-22-08 | 04/01/2009 | 10029304 | Bmw: as originally installed, the dme programming may cause the obd diagnostic to erroneously evaluate the efficiency of the catalytic converters. model e46 (m3) coupe and convertibles. *pe | 07/06/2009 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||||
| SIB-63-02-01 | 08/01/2010 | 10037025 | Bmw: procedure for determining and replacing incandescent and halogen light bulbs under warranty. *rm | 04/27/2011 | |
| SIB-63-02-01 | 08/01/2010 | 10037025 | Ready | 04/27/2011 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR - AXLE - NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||||
| SIB-33-01-02 | 07/01/2011 | 10040853 | Bmw: a grinding noise is coming from the differential during slow cornering. when turning a slip/stick effect is created on the lining and steel discs incorporated in the differential clutch causes a grinding noise. *rm | 09/13/2011 | |
| SIB-33-01-02 | 07/01/2011 | 10040853 | Ready | 09/13/2011 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | ||||||
| PE09036 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 08/07/2009 | 12/22/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | ||
| Odi has received complaints from consumers stating that their tail light assembly is not properly illuminating.the tail light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.the complainants have indicated that the issue is with an 8 pin connector and associated ground wiring.these components are allegedly overheating and melting due to excessive electrical current that runs through the system.bmw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) sib-630306 on february 2007 to address the condition by adding supplementary ground wiring to the tail lamp assembly.odi is upgrading to an ea to further investigate the issue. | ||||||
| EA09019 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 12/18/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | |||
| The outboard rear light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.failure of the light assembly ground circuit results in loss of all three lamps.bmw submitted complaint and warranty information showing a significant number of rear lamp assembly failures due to an open ground connection at the eight pin connector of the light assembly.this results in the loss of the rear turn signal.overheating of the ground circuit electrical pin, possibly due to increased resistance and or high current flow, is indicated in some failures.additionally bmw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) sib-630306 in february 2007 to address the condition by adding supplementary ground wiring to the tail lamp assembly.the additional ground wire added by the procedure reduces the current flow at the eight pin connector.odi is opening this ea to further investigate the issue. | ||||||
| DP09002 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 04/08/2009 | 08/06/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | ||
| In march 2009, the office of defects investigation (odi) received a petition from mr. mark peters requesting an investigation of rear lamp failure in model year 2002-2005 bmw 3-series vehicles.an information request letter was sent to bmw in april 2009, and odi received bmw's response in june 2009.the tail lamp assembly contains lighting for the brake lamps, tail lamps, and turn signals.a technical service bulletin (tsb) was issued by bmw in january of 2007 instructing service technicians to examine an 8 pin electrical connector for heat-related damage and to incorporate additional ground wiring to the connector.complainants have alleged that significant thermal damage to the connector and associated ground wiring has occurred.this condition can result in intermittent or total loss of all lighting (brake, tail, and turn signal) for the effected rear lamp assembly.odi will open a preliminary evaluation to further examine this issue including further evaluating bmw complaints and related warranty data. | ||||||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BACK UP LIGHTS | ||||||
| DP09002 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 04/08/2009 | 08/06/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | ||
| In march 2009, the office of defects investigation (odi) received a petition from mr. mark peters requesting an investigation of rear lamp failure in model year 2002-2005 bmw 3-series vehicles.an information request letter was sent to bmw in april 2009, and odi received bmw's response in june 2009.the tail lamp assembly contains lighting for the brake lamps, tail lamps, and turn signals.a technical service bulletin (tsb) was issued by bmw in january of 2007 instructing service technicians to examine an 8 pin electrical connector for heat-related damage and to incorporate additional ground wiring to the connector.complainants have alleged that significant thermal damage to the connector and associated ground wiring has occurred.this condition can result in intermittent or total loss of all lighting (brake, tail, and turn signal) for the effected rear lamp assembly.odi will open a preliminary evaluation to further examine this issue including further evaluating bmw complaints and related warranty data. | ||||||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | ||||||
| DP09002 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 04/08/2009 | 08/06/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | ||
| In march 2009, the office of defects investigation (odi) received a petition from mr. mark peters requesting an investigation of rear lamp failure in model year 2002-2005 bmw 3-series vehicles.an information request letter was sent to bmw in april 2009, and odi received bmw's response in june 2009.the tail lamp assembly contains lighting for the brake lamps, tail lamps, and turn signals.a technical service bulletin (tsb) was issued by bmw in january of 2007 instructing service technicians to examine an 8 pin electrical connector for heat-related damage and to incorporate additional ground wiring to the connector.complainants have alleged that significant thermal damage to the connector and associated ground wiring has occurred.this condition can result in intermittent or total loss of all lighting (brake, tail, and turn signal) for the effected rear lamp assembly.odi will open a preliminary evaluation to further examine this issue including further evaluating bmw complaints and related warranty data. | ||||||
| EA09019 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 12/18/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | |||
| The outboard rear light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.failure of the light assembly ground circuit results in loss of all three lamps.bmw submitted complaint and warranty information showing a significant number of rear lamp assembly failures due to an open ground connection at the eight pin connector of the light assembly.this results in the loss of the rear turn signal.overheating of the ground circuit electrical pin, possibly due to increased resistance and or high current flow, is indicated in some failures.additionally bmw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) sib-630306 in february 2007 to address the condition by adding supplementary ground wiring to the tail lamp assembly.the additional ground wire added by the procedure reduces the current flow at the eight pin connector.odi is opening this ea to further investigate the issue. | ||||||
| PE09036 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 08/07/2009 | 12/22/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | ||
| Odi has received complaints from consumers stating that their tail light assembly is not properly illuminating.the tail light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.the complainants have indicated that the issue is with an 8 pin connector and associated ground wiring.these components are allegedly overheating and melting due to excessive electrical current that runs through the system.bmw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) sib-630306 on february 2007 to address the condition by adding supplementary ground wiring to the tail lamp assembly.odi is upgrading to an ea to further investigate the issue. | ||||||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | ||||||
| DP09002 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 04/08/2009 | 08/06/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | ||
| In march 2009, the office of defects investigation (odi) received a petition from mr. mark peters requesting an investigation of rear lamp failure in model year 2002-2005 bmw 3-series vehicles.an information request letter was sent to bmw in april 2009, and odi received bmw's response in june 2009.the tail lamp assembly contains lighting for the brake lamps, tail lamps, and turn signals.a technical service bulletin (tsb) was issued by bmw in january of 2007 instructing service technicians to examine an 8 pin electrical connector for heat-related damage and to incorporate additional ground wiring to the connector.complainants have alleged that significant thermal damage to the connector and associated ground wiring has occurred.this condition can result in intermittent or total loss of all lighting (brake, tail, and turn signal) for the effected rear lamp assembly.odi will open a preliminary evaluation to further examine this issue including further evaluating bmw complaints and related warranty data. | ||||||
| EA09019 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 12/18/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | |||
| The outboard rear light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.failure of the light assembly ground circuit results in loss of all three lamps.bmw submitted complaint and warranty information showing a significant number of rear lamp assembly failures due to an open ground connection at the eight pin connector of the light assembly.this results in the loss of the rear turn signal.overheating of the ground circuit electrical pin, possibly due to increased resistance and or high current flow, is indicated in some failures.additionally bmw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) sib-630306 in february 2007 to address the condition by adding supplementary ground wiring to the tail lamp assembly.the additional ground wire added by the procedure reduces the current flow at the eight pin connector.odi is opening this ea to further investigate the issue. | ||||||
| PE09036 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 08/07/2009 | 12/22/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | ||
| Odi has received complaints from consumers stating that their tail light assembly is not properly illuminating.the tail light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.the complainants have indicated that the issue is with an 8 pin connector and associated ground wiring.these components are allegedly overheating and melting due to excessive electrical current that runs through the system.bmw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) sib-630306 on february 2007 to address the condition by adding supplementary ground wiring to the tail lamp assembly.odi is upgrading to an ea to further investigate the issue. | ||||||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL | ||||||
| DP09002 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 04/08/2009 | 08/06/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | ||
| In march 2009, the office of defects investigation (odi) received a petition from mr. mark peters requesting an investigation of rear lamp failure in model year 2002-2005 bmw 3-series vehicles.an information request letter was sent to bmw in april 2009, and odi received bmw's response in june 2009.the tail lamp assembly contains lighting for the brake lamps, tail lamps, and turn signals.a technical service bulletin (tsb) was issued by bmw in january of 2007 instructing service technicians to examine an 8 pin electrical connector for heat-related damage and to incorporate additional ground wiring to the connector.complainants have alleged that significant thermal damage to the connector and associated ground wiring has occurred.this condition can result in intermittent or total loss of all lighting (brake, tail, and turn signal) for the effected rear lamp assembly.odi will open a preliminary evaluation to further examine this issue including further evaluating bmw complaints and related warranty data. | ||||||
| EA09019 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 12/18/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | |||
| The outboard rear light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.failure of the light assembly ground circuit results in loss of all three lamps.bmw submitted complaint and warranty information showing a significant number of rear lamp assembly failures due to an open ground connection at the eight pin connector of the light assembly.this results in the loss of the rear turn signal.overheating of the ground circuit electrical pin, possibly due to increased resistance and or high current flow, is indicated in some failures.additionally bmw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) sib-630306 in february 2007 to address the condition by adding supplementary ground wiring to the tail lamp assembly.the additional ground wire added by the procedure reduces the current flow at the eight pin connector.odi is opening this ea to further investigate the issue. | ||||||
| PE09036 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 08/07/2009 | 12/22/2009 | REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION | ||
| Odi has received complaints from consumers stating that their tail light assembly is not properly illuminating.the tail light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.the complainants have indicated that the issue is with an 8 pin connector and associated ground wiring.these components are allegedly overheating and melting due to excessive electrical current that runs through the system.bmw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) sib-630306 on february 2007 to address the condition by adding supplementary ground wiring to the tail lamp assembly.odi is upgrading to an ea to further investigate the issue. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 08/26/2011 | 87000 | ||
| My vehicle has 87,000 miles and i was just informed that the vanos had failed. this is the second time this issue has occurred with this car, however the vehicle is now out of warranty and they want to charge me almost $5,000 to fix. i've been the only owner for this vehicle and never had accidents or modifications to the car, it's in original state. i spoke to my service adviser to see what they can do, however it's been almost a month and won't even return my calls. i've called them at least 20 times during the past month, it's ridiculous for such a reputable company like bmw to not take responsibility of a known issue, which i've read on several bmw forums, and now they can't even return my calls. it's disappointing. i guess this is my last bmw. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 07/21/2011 | 85000 | ||
| There are no visual signs of this falure unless the valve cover to the engine is removed. upon removal there is a metal fragment that is running loose underneath the valve cover. when this metal piece falls out it can enter the timing chain and cause the engine to seize and the vehicle to have catastrophic engine damage. this part breaks off due to a faulty design of the adjustable timing mechanism (vanos). a rediesign of the system or removal and replacement of parts is needed to solve the issue from happening again. as a temporary solution i have replaced the $1000 dollar part which has the possibility of failing again. please address this issue as it is a widespread issue on the s54 engine on thousands of high end bmw's and leads to a ridiculous fee to fix that can range from $1000-$8000 depending on severity. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/06/2011 | 80000 | ||
| While normal driving through town/highway the car will slip into neutral and sease to accellerate. which causes a high risk manuever to avoid traffic accidents. | |||
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 06/18/2011 | 45000 | ||
| The auto-dimming rear view mirrors in 2001-2006 bmw 3 series, and other models are defective. these mirrors leak out the toxic auto-dimming fluid into the car (damaging the interior, and putting the driver/passengers at risk from the chemicals). not to mention once this happens the mirror is becomes blurry, and hard to see out of (which is a saftey hazard for vehicle operation). my particular car is still under cpo bmw warranty, and i was told the mirror is not covered under warranty, even though its an obvious defect in materials, or design from the manufacturer. researching the problem on internet forums i've discovered thousands of other owners that have experienced the same problem. this is not a rare occurence, and bmw refuses to acknowledge the scope of problem. we have all been forced to spend $600 for a replacement mirror, that will overtime have the same issue. | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD | |||
| 03/08/2005 | 495 | 1 | 03/04/2005 |
| 2005 mini cooper s was purchased new at southbay mini, torrence ca, on 3/4/05. car is garaged at 547 oak park residence, no crack on the night of 3/7/05. noticed approx 8 crack on the morning of 3/8/05. taken to dealer on 3/9/05, dealer performs ball point pen test on windshield crack to determine if windshield replacement would be covered under warranty, warranty is denied. states windshield problems (tsb: m5120103, ://alldata.com/tsb/85/04850253.html) have been fixed in 2005 models yet numerous owners on mini2.com and northamericanmotoring.com contradict that statement. this is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed.*ak | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | SAN FRANCISCO | 94103-2526 | MINI OF SAN FRANCISCO | 415.551.4231 |