Isses with 7 Series

[tony20009]

I have a friend considering buying a 2002 7er with 30K miles or a 2005 with 49K miles on it.

Do any of you here have any sense of what issues are common with either of these models?

Thanks for any insights you may share.

[assinizarM3]

Idrive

[BMWrules7]

This question is better asked on the e65 group as you will get more visibility by owners of this type of vehicle.

In my opinion, I would forget the 2002. These cars were loaded with wacky electrical and electronics issues. These defects did not go away until after the facelift.

The 2005 is not much better. The FTM (flat tire monitor) system was based upon monitoring difference in wheel speed rotation rather than actual tire pressure used in TPM (tire pressure monitor) This led to endless "flat tire" nuisance messages. In fact, these cars were loaded with chronic nuisance messages on the idrive console and actual snafus.

These cars are viable only under warranty. Owning a post Bangle 7 series out of warranty could probably challenge even Warren Buffet's pocket book.

All BMW's are awesome when they properly function. In order to maintain a properly functioning car you need a warranty.

Some technical problems with these cars have been known to take weeks to resolve. Having a tech place his hours against a warranty is one thing. Having you pay a tech to resolve a difficult recurring issue out of pocket is quite another.

Finally, the cars have many idiosyncrasies that an experienced tech knew how to handle at the time. But, the techs are now on to the new models and these techs may not remember all of the little tricks to repairing this car. You will be paying out of pocket for your tech to relearn these concepts if you have no warranty.

Originally Posted by tony20009

I have a friend considering buying a 2002 7er with 30K miles or a 2005 with 49K miles on it.

Do any of you here have any sense of what issues are common with either of these models?

Thanks for any insights you may share.

[BMWrules7]

Just to be clear, by "post Bangle" I was referring to after Bangle was hired at BMW. (I did not mean after he left BMW.)

I do regret my error here in clarity and common usage.