BMW M5, M6 oil pump issue halts US deliveries

By David Zalstein | September 24th, 2012

FIND DEALS

A delivery stop of BMW M5 and BMW M6 performance models has been ordered in the US over oil pump concerns that could potentially lead to “severe engine damage”.

BMW M5 enthusiast forum, M5Post.com, first reported the BMW AG delivery stop notice that lists 2013 model year BMW M5, M6 Coupe and M6 Convertibles as being affected by the oil pump issue.

The notice from BMW Technical Service reads, “Vehicles equipped with an affected pump could experience a sudden loss of oil pressure which will result in severe engine damage.”

The notice makes it clear that BMW is contacting existing owners and recommending they “not drive the vehicle”.

BMW Australia’s Scott Croaker told CarAdvice that while the issue doesn’t affect cars already delivered, 20 vehicles that are in transport to Australia are affected and will all have the technical issue resolved locally prior to being delivered to customers with no delays expected.

In Australia the 412kW/680Nm BMW M5 is a $230,000 proposition while the M6 and M6 Convertible, that both share the M5’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 powerplant, are nearer the $300,000 mark.

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gt86.com.au

Shows you BMW is not as OVER Engineered as their promo material would have you believe. How embarassing.
- Birty_B
  
  I highly doubt BMW manufacture the Oil Pump
  - notatoy
    
    Seems like you dont know what is an oil pump.
  - Shak
    
    Even if they dont, its up to them to ensure that customers get the best, as they’re definitely paying through the nose to get the cars in the first place.
    - Sumpguard
      
      Very true. It’s supposed to be part of the durability testing.
    - Sammo
      
      …and that’s what they’re doing shak.
      Isn’t that what this article is all about?
- Zaccy16
  
  yeah very embarrasing problem!
  - notatoy
    
    Are you the one who mentioned GERMEN QUALITY in the other post?
    - Zaccy16
      
      I say many things! German cars are quality cars when you buy them from the showroom
- ABCDEFG
  
  Over engineered? The averagely engineered cars don’t even have this problem. So this US$85,000 / A$240,000 thing is not even averagely engineered.
  - Sdfgsdfg
    
    How would you know whether the “averagely” engineered car had this problem? This is on pre-delivered cars on a newly released model. People rarely find out about problems with their product BEFORE they even get a chance to receive it.
    - john
      
      Re read the article. It states BMW are contacting EXISTING owners informing them not to drive the car
      - Phil
        
        Right below that, a BMW rep says the problem doesn’t affect cars already delivered.
        A bit confusing, but there is no mention anywhere that there have actually been any failures.
  - Birty_B
    
    Most “averagely engineered” cars don’t produce over 400kw either.
- Phil
  
  When people talk about “OVER” engineering, they would normally be refeering to the experience AFTER they actually receive their car. This particular problem is only on pre-delivered cars and is being fixed BEFORE the cars are delivered so actual customers will not experience this problem (apart perhaps from a delayed deliver).
  - Robin_Graves
    
    I think the pinnacle of automotive ‘over engineering’ was 2JZ and RB26
F1orce

What’s up with BMW are their pump problems?

Such a good engine, but shame it’s on a body like that.
- Legnab
  
  Keep polishing the getz , maybe one day it will magically turn into a BMW .
  - Dom
    
    …or tragically turn into a Golf!
    - Monk
      
      Mark Twain/Churchill once said that golf is a good walk spoiled. When applied to cars, Golf is a long walk home.
  - Monk
    
    hahaha. For once I have to agree with you Bangles
  - Sante Clause
    
    I’d take the Getz. BMW’s are about as reliable as VW’s .No thanks.
- Force-15
  
  I think you need to work on your grammar there…
- tiddy
  
  Wouldnt happen in a Veloster turbo…just goes to show even at that price an M5/6 cant compete with reliability of the Veloster………
  - Gdfgdfgd
    
    What wouldn’t happen?
    Hyundai wouldn’t detect a problem before delivery?
    Or they would detect it but wouldn’t fix it?
    Or they wouldn’t detect it or fix it and would deliver the car with the problem?
    Or they would detect it and fix it before delivery, but keep it secret so no one would know? Or it never happened at all in the 1st place – but how would you know if they didn’t tell anyone?
    
    I think all new model cars would experience issues before being released, especially during the prototype stage. Makes no difference to actual reliability AT ALL as long as all the issues are fixed prior to customers taking delivery.
  - AndyGF
    
    I tell you what, the next time Hyundai need an oil pump for a 400kw+ super saloon (power that the owners WILL use regularly) then we can find out if problems wouldn’t happen to Hyundai?
Evo_lover_69

Amazing how a $90K (USA and around the same UK) car turns into $230K in Australia. Gotta love Australia and the governing idiots that turn a blind eye to that!
- Wile E Coyote
  
  Wayne thinks luxury cars are the toys of the devil and should be taxed as such .
  
  After all this is only fair…to those who will never be able to afford one.
  - Des KSA
    
    Wayne never bought in the LCT, that was Little Johnny and his lap dog Costello. As regards the excessive prices of Australian cars, a lot of the lower end “luxury” cars would not make it into the LCT bracket except for the price gouging of the local importers. The government does really need to look at this. It’s one thing for the Gov to impose the LCT (at least the country may get some benefit out of it) but it’s just pure greed from the importers when they gouge the sh!t out of us. Porsche, Merc, BMW seem to charge outrageous markups on Oz spec cars and did anyone read the Mini news the other day on CA, an $8000 price drop??? Drop that percentage off ALL your cars BMW/Mini while you are at it then you might get more people willing to by them, except M5′s of course.
    - Zaccy16
      
      Get your facts right, the howard government introduced it but shifty swanny and ju-liar have raised the tax and continued it and didn’t abolish it, the labour party is single handedly destroying car manufaturing in this country and other manfacturing industries eg alcoa in geelong due to the carbon tax.
      - JamesB
        
        So would BMW rather price the M5 more than two times the asking in the US and gain less than half the customers here?
      - Zaccy16
        
        No why would I want the prices higher? I am just saying that its the current governments fault
      - tiddy
        
        You spelt Labor incorrectly…also it was the Govt pre Carbon tax who bailed out Alcoa. So at what stage does the maanagement of a business become accountable for their decisions
      - Zaccy16
        
        The may have bailed out alcoa earlier but the also wasted their money on ford a company they all ready destroyed with the carbon tax! i live in geelong and know lots of people that work at alcoa and ford that are not going to have jobs soon which is really sad. The city of Geelong will also go down hill when ford and alcoa go.
    - Wile E Coyote
      
      My point was that with Wayne there is zero chance of a reduction.
      Either via an LCT reduction or an imposed reduction on luxury car selling prices (imagine how that would would go down with the electorate)
      To me its like petrol prices the higher the base price the bigger the tax take the happier the government.Why would Wayne change the rip off particularly when he is chasing the almighty surplus.
      - Zaccy16
        
        Yeah your right, in victoria everyone is getting upset with the cuts the state government are doing but the reason they have to save money is to pay of the debt from the labor party eg. brumby and brax for making a Desalination Plant when experts had told him the the drought was going to end. it has ended now Brumby!
- tiddy
  
  Maybe you might also want to consider that BMW will also price the car to what it considers the market will bear & so far there seem to be people who consider that price fairly bearable
  - Wile E Coyote
    
    Yeah its collusive pricing by the luxos
john

I agree that high end car buyers in Oz are shafted by the government with the various taxes inflating the already high prices to ridiculous levels. However I feel the car makers are taking the opportunity to use the small car market in Oz as an excuse to rob buyers blind, thus having one big laugh at our expense. These same car makers also know that luxury car buyers will flock to their cars even at the over inflated levels so there is no impetus to lower the list price anyway!
Jc

Stop comparing overseas prices with Australian prices!!!! Things cost in proportion to what people are paid. It is as hard for an American to buy a BMW or Someone in the UK to buy one as it is for someone is Australia. They get paid a hell of a lot less!!! Hence the price of vehicles are much less!! Yes we have taxes that push our prices up more than they should be but nonetheless it all still comes down to being a different economy! Nobody mentions that in Singapore a 1 series will cost you a 150,000 Australian dollars now do they??!! I am fascinated by how many people have no idea about world economies!
- Legnab
  
  Absolutely correct Jc , most comments are from those who will never afford one any way .
  
  If you have the loot you buy regardless , car co’s always price at what the market will bear, always keeping in mind their direct competitors , not some dodo co like Daewoo .
- Evo_lover_69
  
  Good point and well made. Now explain how the price disparity of vehicles from some manufacturers between our market and (UK/USA) is much less than others (Porsche, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi etc). The difference being around 10% for vw, volvo etc. As opposed To 50%-100% or more for Porsche, BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Audi.
  
  For reference Google “private fleet car comparison data” and 2nd reference Google “private fleet biggest ripped off revealed” which may answer any of your other arguments.
  
  Cheers
  - Legnab
    
    As i said , ” sell at the price the market will bear ” , thats life , have a scotch and a lie down, life goes on , as i said if you got the cash you buy it , if not a get a getz .
- Des KSA
  
  BS Jc.
  Wage comparison 2011.Australian average wage before tax in 2011, $44900. In the UK, $44700. In the US $54000. (source, Wikipedia OECD wages 2011)So going by that your arguement has no weight. Better educate yourself on world economies next time, at least Google it.
  
  As much as I don’t want to pay tax I accept that I have to pay it on anything I buy. When I buy a car at an over inflated price I also have to pay more tax than I would otherwise should. That annoys the sh!t out of me. Consider how much money is borrowed every year in Oz just to cover the gouging of the importers. It would be a scary amount of money.
  
  As for Singapore and the 1 series, Singapore have horrendous taxes and licencing fees on imports there cos it’s such a small island and they want to restrict car owners ship.
  - ABCDEFG
    
    S’pore’s car taxes are very high because they have little space and very few roads. Because of the high car prices only about 1 in 10 people in S’pore has a car.
- Steven
  
  JC, your point is fare but flawed. If the luxury brands can sell a car in the US for $60k and make a profit then why is the car not $60k in Australia. If we earn more than the US on average, which we do then that would only mean we are better off and should be able to buy better cars. A good salary in the US is $60k (M5 price) and in AUS a good salary is $100-120 (half the M5 price). Your comparison on Singapore is also flawed. Singapore is only about 50km wide and long with an amazing cheap public transport system. You don’t need a car there. Therefore vehicles are a complete luxury, hence the price.
- tiddy
  
  Corerect JC, most people have never heard of economies of scale, let alone know what it means, but it is easier to simply blame the Govt of the day. If these complainants are so clever, why dont they run for an elected office , rather than complain making ignorant rants all the time
ABCDEFG

M5 is selling for $85,000 in the US. Probably costs BMW $50,000 to produce, which is cheap. You get what you paid for, a $50,000 car only.
- Phil
  
  Whats your point there? Surely all products cost less to produce than what they sell for otherwise how would the manufacturers stay in business?
  Or are there mainstream cars that we can buy at a price less that would it costs to produce? Do tell us which ones so we can all bag a bargain.
  - JamesB
    
    Um, the Bugatti Veyron actually costs more to make than sell. They just did it to see if a 400 kph+ car which could be driven everyday could be mustered at all.
    - Phil
      
      Oh, that’s a mainstream car is it?
Jc

Indexes Difference:
Consumer Prices in Australia are 68.42% higher than in United States
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Australia are 71.68% higher than in United States
Rent Prices in Australia are 84.38% higher than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Australia are 70.62% higher than in United States
Groceries Prices in Australia are 57.87% higher than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Australia is 24.19% lower than in United States
So Des KSA are you complaining about all these facts as well??!! You should be if you are complaining about the car prices.
I know Singapore is small and hence the price of vehicles are so high!! That is EXACTLY my point!!!
You can’t compare different countries!! Prices of goods are adjusted for the economy and the country.
I don’t know where you got your stats from but at the end of 2010 the average wage for Australia was $64,000. The US it was $44,000. (Stop using wikipedia that 10 year olds can update)
Also I have a degree in Economics so I don’t need to Google like yourself to understand how it works.

At the end of the day if you are unhappy with the price buy a vehicle that you are comfortable purchasing and stop complaining about the price.
- ABCDEFG
  
  ”
  Also I have a degree in Economics so I don’t need to Google like yourself to understand how it works.”
  
  You are so smart, you must be from India or Singapore or around that region?
  - Jc
    
    From Australia thank you ABCDEFG.
    I’ve also lived in South Africa and the US.
- F1orce
  
  $44,000 in USA goes much much further than $64,000 would in Australia.
  
  With 44k income in say Detroit you could buy a big house in a good area and buy a brand new BMW 3 series!
  
  Though where i was from in SoCal you wouldn’t get far lol
Zzzzz

why do people always complain about car prices? if you don’t like it then buy something cheaper and you are happy with the price. No one is holding a gun at you to purchase them…..