Unbelieveable.... http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/bmw...A2Q79QUHKB8/p3

 

Great news, my wife and I each have one.

 

My niece bought one a few months back, in fact I came here seeking opinions.

This got my attention: Lobbyist, mother of three dies in D.C. car fire http://wtopnews.com/?nid=596&sid=2228688


The District of Columbia police major crime investigations unit and the D.C. fire department are investigating what police described as a single vehicle crash into the interior of the home's garage about 4:45 a.m. that ignited both the BMW sport utility vehicle and the home's garage. Photographs of the scene showed the SUV only partly backed out of the home's garage and at an odd angle.

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/F...#ixzz1AkmSmeVu

 

hi tony i got my wife an early build '07 X5.
lots of nagging elec issues for a while. got it certified when
we bought it off the lease last year. the buy was actually fair
and we liked the rare color combo and options we had picked.
this is a WARRANTY-ONLY vehicle. no fires to date thank God.
but i will dump it like a trash bag if there is a widespread problem.

 

That Topix forum is downright scary. You would think the X5 would be a bit better than the 80's Ford Aerostar minivans that used to catch on fire. Don't the x5 models sell in the $70,000 range?

 

Totally believable after what I sent through on the transmission on my wife's car...check out www.noreverse.org for an issue with the E46 3-Series auto transmission. Just glad this wasn't a safety issue like the new X5- you guys be careful out there!

 

After the 2002 M3 engine failure fiasco requiring two (2) sets of connecting rod bearings,, I sold mine, never to return.

 

I actually have a 2002 M3 as well. Mine had the rod bearing recall done when I purchased it...otherwise I would have ran the other way. I will say that my newer BMWs give me alot more problems than some older BMWs I've owned (E36, E39, E24) did.

 

Totally believable.

It's a BMW. They forgot how to do wiring and electrical years ago. I'll never own another!

Just say no, to BMW.




Phil

 

A bit off-topic: It's been debated on the forums before about the practicality of having a fire extinguisher...IMHO marginally useful for a gas/oil engine fire in any car but for an electrical fire in the passenger compartment it could be the difference (time for me to get one for the mini-van).

 

And I thought it was just the F cars that burned.

 

some clips....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCkZDPg82iQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7zaIhT0HPA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncP7uG0ykTE

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9xmp9wcrrw

 

That e39 fire looks scary, but who knows whats been done to that car. Being a pre-facelift model, its at least 11 years old now, and someone had retrofitted the newer headlights into the car.

 

Over on the X5 forums (Xoutpost), there has been a rash of HVAC fan blower resistor/heatsink going bad (fan runs intermittent as symptom). That part is located below / behind the glove box. Wonder if that failure if left un-repaired could be a possible root cause?