Ownership Cost for 2001 BMW 5 Series 530i
Estimated: $39008 over the next 5 years
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depreciation | $2169 | $1041 | $911 | $824 | $737 | $5682 |
| Insurance | $1473 | $1525 | $1578 | $1634 | $1691 | $7901 |
| Fuel | $1529 | $1575 | $1630 | $1696 | $1772 | $8202 |
| Maintenance | $2763 | $2381 | $1223 | $1164 | $2291 | $9822 |
| Repairs | $977 | $1138 | $1298 | $1417 | $1627 | $6457 |
| Taxes & Fees | $637 | $637 | $637 | $637 | $637 | $942 |
| Total Ownership Costs | $9548 | $7733 | $6732 | $6793 | $8201 | $39008 |
| Model year | COMPONENT | Complaint |
| 2005 | STEERING | I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WHEN MY BELT TENSIONER AND BROKE. MY CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH BMW'S "ACTIVE STEERING" SYSTEM THAT IS DRIVEN BY THE SERPENTINE BELT. WHEN THE BELT BROKE, I WAS NOT ABLE TO STEER MY CAR AND IT FELT LIKE THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED. I BARELY AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AND ENDED CRASHING ON TO THE MEDIAN. MY KIDS WERE IN THE CAR WITH ME AT THE TIME. IF MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR, SHE WOULD HAVE CRASHED INTO THE OTHER VEHICLE BECAUSE THE FORCED REQUIRED TO TURN THE STEERING WAS EXTREMELY HIGH. I'VE DRIVEN CARS WITHOUT POWER STEERING BEFORE, AND THIS IS NOTHING LIKE IT. NORMALLY CARS CAN TURN WHEN MOVING - EVEN WITH NO POWER STEERING, BUT WITH A DEFECTIVE "ACTIVE STEERING" SYSTEM, I WAS BARELY ABLE TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL. MY CAR HAD ONLY 52000 MILES AND IT WAS SERVICED AT THE DEALER AT 48000 MILES AND NOTHING WAS DETECTED. THE DEALER SAID THE CASTING OF THE TENSIONER PULLEY BROKE AND THE PULLEY CAME OFF AND MADE THE BELT SNAP, THEREBY LOSING MY STEERING CONTROL. I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS ABLE TO AVOID A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND I DO NOT WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO GET INJURED OR DIE DUE TO THIS MECHANICAL DEFECT. THIS HAPPENED VERY SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. THIS CONDITION NOT ONLY CAUSES THE LOSS OF STEERING, BUT CAN ALSO LEAD TO ENGINE OVERHEATING AND BATTERY DISCHARGE SINCE THIS PULLEY ALSO DRIVES THE ALTERNATOR AND WATER PUMP. *TR |
| 2001 | VISIBILITY | THE HEADLIGHT'S HAVE MANUAL ADJUSTERS ON EACH SIDE, BOTH OF MY HEADLIGHTS POINT TOWARDS THE GROUND BECAUSE THEY ARE BROKEN, I TRIED TO ADJUST THE BEAM AND BOTH SIDES JUST CLICK. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE AT NIGHT IT LIMITS YOUR VISION AHEAD TO ABOUT 10 TO 20 FEET. I OWN OTHER VEHICLE'S THAT ARE OLDER THAN THIS VEHICLE AND THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE NEVER BEEN A PROBLEM. I AM A MEMBER OF A FORUM FOR THIS PARTICULAR MODEL CAR AND MORE THAN HALF, IF NOT EVERY MEMBER HAS ENCOUNTERED THIS PROBLEM. THE SOLUTION FROM MY DEALER WAS TO REPLACE BOTH HEADLIGHTS FOR A TOTAL OF $1000.00 PLUS. I DON'T THINK A HEADLIGHT SHOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED ON A VEHICLE AND THIS IS A WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED PROBLEM. THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY IS AT RISK BECAUSE OF THE POOR DESIGN OF THESE HEADLIGHTS. THE ADJUSTER'S JUST CLICK AND THE HEADLIGHTS ALWAYS POINT TOWARDS THE GROUND, IM PRETTY SURE IT WAS MADE THIS WAS TO INCREASE VISIBILITY OF THE ROAD AND HAZARDS AHEAD BUT IF THE MECHANISM IS BROKEN THEN THE SAFETY HAS BEEN COMPROMISED. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT MY VISION AHEAD IS VERY LIMITED, IT PRESENTS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE YOU SHOULD HAVE A BETTER VIEW OF THE ROAD AHEAD OF YOU AS OTHER CAR'S HAVE. THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL BY BMWNA FOR ALL USA OWNERS OF THIS TYPE OF HEADLIGHT. *TR |
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