HELP! 2007 - 650i with too many issues??!!

[gravitait]

HI all - I am hoping someone out there can give me some advice! I took my 650 to Russell BMW yesterday because it was idling rough. The car has about 46,000 miles on it and is still under the Certified Pre Owned warranty. They called me today and said the car needs about $4,000 worth of work. Some highlights are, an air filter, ALL new spark plugs, ignition coils, the bushings are torn, it needs new thrust arms, it needs new control arms! The only thing covered under warranty is the ignition coils. Can someone help me understand, how a car with so few miles can need ALL OF THIS stuff!!?? I have owned BMW's since I was 16, and I have never been so floored! I just put 2 new tires on it at Radial Tire and they mentioned nothing to me. Lastly, shouldn't spark plugs last til 100,000 miles... and if not, there has to be a bigger issue! Please help shed some light on this for me! What should I do?!

[Zchild]

Wow; that's a lot of stuff. Spark plugs usually last 60k and the bimmers in the year range of 2006 - 2009 have been known to have ignition coil issues. Our 2006 E90 325xi has had numerous ignition coil issues. I think we have replaced all except one at this point. Our E46 needed control arm bushings at 40k and trailing arms at 60k. Control arm bushings and thrust arms are wear and tear items. AIr filters usually get replaced at the 30k Schedule II inspection. The bigger issue sounds like ignition coils. Depending upon how hard you drive your bimmer the more you'll be replacing wear and tear items. Hope this provides some insight; just my two and a half cents worth...

[pseto]

I would have Russel take care of the ignition coils since thats covered under warranty. Most dealers will give you a laundry list of items that they see issues with, whether they require immediate attention is another story. I would change spark plugs now (easy DIY as is the air filter), but you'll need to ask them how much wear those other items have (or have someone else take a look at it).

[onboost]

Living in this area, with these roads, the suspension related issues on a previously owned vehicle can be expected. The roads are terrible and these are known wear items. You may want to check on upgraded suspension parts for replacement.

Regarding the rough running/coils & plugs.. You need to replace both at the same time.. 1.) when the coils begin to fail they're known to take the plugs with them especially if its been running rough/misfiring for some time. 2.) If you're having the coils done under warranty, pay to have the plugs done when at that time. Should be .5 - 1.0 labor. This way they clear & re-set any faults, and if its still running rough or there is an issue its not on you.

100k mile spark plugs and 10k mile oil changes... yeah!

[Samlena147]

I on the other hand with my E46 consistently push the envelope above the speed limit, using on and off ramps as sweepers, autocrossing and track days. I'm strictly a non run-flat driver for my vehicle. Just my two and a half cents worth...

[LT335]

I've been dealing with Russel BMW service for years. Cindy Hahn is my preferred service consultant (Ricky as a backup) and Ken vom Saal is the best tech in the place. My suggestion is request that Ken look at the car. If he concurs, then there are real issues. Not exactly sure about the source, or accuracy, of the issues you mention with the car. It would seem to me that the suspension issues are more than simple wear and tear. I've had a 2006 and 2007 BMW, not 650i and had no similar issues through 75k miles.