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E60 Owners !!!

1K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  ksz 
#1 ·
I'm just curious to how your e60 is currently riding? do you have any problems with it? i'v read the sticky above but then i want some more recent replies.

i might be getting my hands on one quite soon so please help me

thanks
 
#2 ·
Have had my 545i since mid-Feb. and so far love it - best car I have had. Even my wife, who could really care less about cars, loves to drive it. Handling is something truly amazing - including active steering. Obviously it's also very quick off the line being a 545 (blows the doors off my old CLK 430). I have not found iDrive at all challenging, and most of it's settings can be set while standing still leaving you free to do everything either with the steering wheel buttons or in some cases voice commands that actually work while driving. Just requries 20- 30 minutes the first day you have the car to figure everything out and configure some basic stuff. No significant problems either (some condensation in one of the taillights but the dealer is going to dry and reseal it for me - hardly a calamity).

Go for it!
 
#3 ·
I'll second that opinion. My 545i will be a year old next month. In that time there have been zero mechanical problems, zero electronic problems, but only some bugs in the iDrive firmware which were corrected by a new revision. I hear that Microsoft developed the iDrive software so we cannot really blame BMW for the bugs (at least not entirely)!

However, I think that Active Steering does cause a slight left/right pull when the car goes over small holes (not bumps that stick out, but holes that stick in) in the road. The electronically-sensitive gearing gets fooled into thinking you're making a course adjustment and eases the movement in that direction. A standard steering mechanism would be affected by inertia and would maintain course. Active Steering, however, can momentarily short-circuit inertial effects as a result of obstructions in the road, causing you to move the wheel in the opposite direction to compensate. This is not really bothersome or dangerous, and a driver adjusts to it quickly. However, I did prefer the steering feel of my previous 530i and I'm glad BMW has brought it back in the new M5.
 
#4 ·
I've owned my 545 since Feb 2004 with no serious problems. I have had two recalls (fuel line clip and emissions) that were quickly taken care of. The only mechanical issue I have had has been the cracked headlight brackets, twice now. Early versions of the E60 were noted for software issues, particularly those cars w/ Navigation, which uses a different computer than non-Nav cars. I don't have Navigation so I have not experienced any of the gremlins that many early adopters faced. Just passed one year of driving and it is an awesome car. Obviously you've read about the controversy over the new styling, but that is a matter of personal taste, I love it. The vast majority of software issue now appear resolved. Also look closely at the Active Steering option as I never could get comfortable with it, so I ordered my car without. This option seems to be as controversial as the styling, those who have it seem to love it, but there are many like me who just never liked the feel of it. You don't indicate what you are looking at, a used car or a new one, but if it is new, I personally would be a bit careful with early Navigation equipped cars, though recent software updates seem to have solved most of those early issues.
 
#5 ·
To supplement Ks's response, my 2005 545i (picked up Feb 2005) with Nav has none of the software issues of the earlier cars (other than apparently inability to display RDS information). Personally I love the active steering which is of great use where I live, in Manhattan, for tight maneuvering in traffic or parking.
 
#6 ·
Originally posted by jlgnyc11@Mar 14 2005, 10:44 AM
To supplement Ks's response, my 2005 545i (picked up Feb 2005) with Nav has none of the software issues of the earlier cars (other than apparently inability to display RDS information). Personally I love the active steering which is of great use where I live, in Manhattan, for tight maneuvering in traffic or parking.
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Very true, the issues (except RDS) seem to have been worked out. My warning was in case he/she was looking at a used car which may still have some issues.
 
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