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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
1.0 stars
"Biggest waste of money I've ever spent"
Pros: large panoramic moonroof, heated/ac seats in comfort sport package
Cons: iDrive froze on daily basis, electronic gear shifter had to be replaced, radio volume froze/unable to raise or lower until car would restart, rear camera stayed on sometimes for 20 minutes
Summary: I can't possibly remember all the horror I went through with this car. I would tell even my worst enemy to RUN away from any X5, even if one was given to you for free.
I had mine 'built' since the color I wanted was not a standard (white). So last summer my brand-new 2007 LOADED X5 showed up. Didn't even make it to the first stoplight off the dealership before my Check Engine light came on. Dealership was closing, told me to bring it back the next day -- I did, they couldn't find anything wrong with it and sent me along.
3 days later I parked my brand-new car and ran inside a store for 5 minutes; came out and the 'amazing' electronic gear shifter would not let me out of park. Couldn't reverse, couldn't go into drive -- NOTHING. BMW's response system (built into car) supposedly called a tow truck for me -- it showed up 3 hours later and the guy told me since the gear shifter was out, he needed a special truck and couldn't take the car! Then he laughed when he saw the gear shifter and said they were worthless and he'd been on more new-car tows for that problem than anything else the past year.
So after taking the car in AGAIN to the dealer to get the gear shifter replaced, two weeks later I get more red light/engine warnings flashing on my screen, warning me to take the car to the nearest dealer and stop driving immediately. This is in downtown Chicago rush-hour traffic. So aside from the panic of not knowing what the hell was going on, my radio volume was stuck and as I tried to call for help from my cell, I couldn't turn it down. (By the way, the wonderful Bluetooth installed in my car never worked with my phone (new Blackberry) and the BMW 'specialist' just couldn't figure it out, so I had to do without that extra option I paid for.)
Needless to say I told my dealer to keep it since it was an obvious lemon. Talked to more people who told me they had absolutly nothing but trouble with theirs.
Folks I've owned almost every brand of car and SUV out there, from Toyota to Mercedes to Chevy to Ford and more than I can list -- save yourself the aggravation, hassles and money and do NOT get an X5. They are overpriced versions of a brand that's become more of a 'budget' luxury car than any other I've seen.
