[pondo]

Finally took my car to the dealer for the a/c belt squeal. I was told the belt looked blued and was probably slipping on the a/c pulley. $220 fix @ $31 for the belt and 1.5 hrs of labor ($125/hr labor rate).

Dealer couldn't replicate my car failing to start 5 times in a row yesterday though!

As an aside...I have a 2012 528 xdrive loaner and it's an under-powered poor steering boat! I want my diesel back asap!

[taibanl]

wait...you PAID to fix this? FOUL!

[e90335Diesel]

Hey guys! so ive been a lurker for a while and finallly decided to sign up!
I have a 2011 335D (22K miles on it) and was wondering if any you guys have had similar problems? I dont know if its my car or the dealership!
So I did notice the belt squeal coming from the engine on cold start up..I went in September to get this checked out, the dealership acknowledged the problem and said it was a faulty fan belt and replaced it. There was no more squeal!

2 Weeks later, Im driving on, It was a pretty hot day so my A/C was blasting, then all of a sudden it stopped blowing hot air.. I took it in to the dealership, they said they had previously installed a faulty belt and replaced it yet again with a brand new belt.
Another 2 weeks go by and I'm noticing my air not cooling as it used to.. So i brought it in once again. After a few days they stated there was a leak in my evaporator core and that they are going to replace it... So i picked up my car, I was driving home from the dealership everything seemed fine.. then out of no where the power that supplies the A/C control panel goes out.. and well as my glove compartment light and even noticed my trunk light out. The very next day i head back to my dealer. They said the wiring came lose and they had to redo it..
It has been a few days, everything seems fine as for now , but i fear something else is going to go wrong :x

So I did some researching around and I did find a couple threads about e90's having A/C issues.. but i feel this is total dealership negligence... I have taken my car one to many times to the dealership and its getting kind of frustrating.. I'm still under warranty so everything was taken care of but this seems kind of ridiculous.. any thoughts?

[Puerto Rican 335d]

yep the STEALERSHIP!! mechanics are INCOMPETENT!!! I suggest you try to find another stealership these guys dont know WTF they are doing!!!

[FormerRotor]

On a positive note, Welcome to the club (officially). On a not-so-positive note, Sorry to hear about those issues, e90335d.

The d's do have a/c issues, but not like those you're describing, IIRC. The biggest problem is the belt squeal at startup which (depending on your dealer) will be diagnosed as a bad belt, compressor, or both. Many members and some dealers have resolved this by using an Aftermarket belt. I'm leaning toward poor workmanship considering your laundry list of malfunctions, though.

Find out who the most reputable dealership is locally and start taking it there to see if maybe the issues start to fade into memory. Hopefully they do. If not, you may have gotten the bad apple of the bunch. :-/

Keep us in the loop & we'll keep our fingers crossed for you.

[e90335Diesel]

hey guys! thanks for the welcome. I figured it was most likely an issue with the dealership.. Poor workmanship indeed. Its just ridiculous they cant take the time to make sure everything is fixed proper before handing back the car. I will def service it somewhere else. In the mean time I did contact BMW North America and told them my issues..I got a call back from they said they will "investigate" the problem. Also I decided to contact a couple Lemon Law lawyers to see if my case applies. I have all the records handy. California as a pretty strict lemon law policy which protects its customers. I used to have an A4 which had constant transmission issues and they ended up purchasing back the car. I love the 335D, im sure you guys all agree its def a special BMW gem to own. ahh I just hope this is not going to be a reoccurring problem. Ill keep you guys updated!

[e90335Diesel]

So just wanted to give an update: Contacted BMW NA. they said they would pay me 2 payments which came out to be a little over 1K. I asked what happens if this problem happens again, then they said they would consider a buyback. A spoke to a lawyer he said if it does happen again then you are good, they will calculate the buyback with the mileage i had the first time I took it in for the A/C issue. So overall im pretty happy with the outcome. Just wanted to let you guys know! So far i havent had any cooling issues, its winter so i usually blast the heat on but I noticed that when i have it up on high temp and the medium blow setting , it does whistle a little... any of you guys have this problem or is this normal?

[Timujin]

Took care in yesterday for oil change and mentioned the belt squeal. They were not able to duplicate problem. Which is fine because it's cool weather.

[FormerRotor]

Originally Posted by Timujin

Took care in yesterday for oil change and mentioned the belt squeal. They were not able to duplicate problem. Which is fine because it's cool weather.

You may still be able to duplicate. Try starting the car after it sits overnight and immediately hit MAX A/C. If this works, turn off the a/c before you park at night and drive to the dealer without letting it turn on the next morning. Stop car, start up in front of the s/a, hit max ac, and cross your fingers. This always worked for me when I needed to show the dealer. Hopefully it helps you as we'll. good luck!

[taibanl]

Here is the official bulletin.

Note it says to replace with a DIFFERENT belt from another vehicle, NOT the belt listed on e90 parts diagram.

[FormerRotor]

Originally Posted by taibanl

Here is the official bulletin.

Note it says to replace with a DIFFERENT belt from another vehicle, NOT the belt listed on e90 parts diagram.

Thanks Taibanl. Great post!