When I go to start the car (S Type 3.0) it runs perfect for about 5 seconds and then stalls. I start it again and it runs perfectly for as long as I drive it. What is the deal with this car

 

**update** I sold this S Type piece of crap this morning. Worst car I've ever had. So glad I didn't end up selling either of my BMW's!

 

Sorry you had a bad experience with the vehicle. Unfortunately, it happens.

In nearly 40 years of driving, by far the worst vehicle we've ever had was my wife's 2000 Lexus RX300. It needed more than $9,000 worth of warranty work before it hit 80,000 miles. Transmission failed, rear main oil seal leaked, front strut mounts got noisy, exhaust manifold cracked, and it went through oxygen sensors like candy. Fortunately for us, Lexus stepped up to the plate and fixed all of these issues on their dime during the warranty period and in a couple of cases, even after the warranty ran its course. I'll always be grateful for that, but it was still a dog of a vehicle. I was a very happy guy on the day that we sold it (with full disclosure to the guy who bought it)....

 

You'll probably have better luck finding a answer by starting your own thread.

I'm assuming that you mean you've lost compression on 2 cylinders not that they aren't firing. As a compression test would show if the cylinder was firing or not since you have to pull the plugs to do the test.

It's possible that your fried a ring or two. What were the compression numbers across the board? Have you done any checks to see if it's loosing compression at the rings or the valves?

I would also be taking a long hard look at the cooling system to determine the reason for the sudden overheat.

 

I think we are getting far too spoiled regarding our expectations as to what our cars should do as opposed to what they actually do. The original post was about a stall after starting his/her car and then having to re-start the car which then ran perfectly once it started again. The main point is that the car ran perfectly after it finally caught fire. I am somewhat of a geezer, but this was considered normal for a car. What is the big deal having to re-start your car once or twice? It only takes about 10 to 15 seconds.

We need to get back to basics in determining what we actually need our car(s) to do. In my geezer mind, my car needs to do the following:

1. Start up reasonably given certain weather conditions.
2. Safely and comfortably get you to your destination.
3. Be reasonable reliable. A new car should have little or no problems, a use car may have some minor problems, but no show-stoppers.
4. Be reasonably easy to maintain for the owner.

Mike

 

The point is...for a car that costs this much, you should only have to try and start it once! Never have a problem with my beemers!!!

 

My first bimmer was a Euro imported 79 323 - loved it. Next a Euro imported 84 745 - loved it. Next an 02 745 - worst piece of **** I have ever owned - nightmare from day one - bmw bought it back after a year of hell.

I like my STR as it runs like a clock and just like a woman that's the best f**k ya ever had it requires attention and returns the sentiment in spades.

I would strongly suggest ya go hang out at the bimmer forum(s).

 

Yeah - The BMWs look especially stylish trailing a big cloud of vaporized coolant out of the tailpipe - like my son's did. Even better - my parents had a 530 that caught on fire twice.

Regards:
Oldengineer

 

Sorry your 745 was bad to you We have had ours since they first came out and love it still! It just follows the obvious that every example of every car is totally different!

But Jaguars are way more exclusive overall I have to say

Too many people lease BMWs and it devaluates the brand image!

 

Nothing against BMW (I've never owned one but I have a lot of respect for their engineering history) but Jaguars are so much more affordable, at least from the initial acquisition standpoint. Jaguar's heavy early depreciation really helps us out right off the bat when you're looking for a 2 or 3-year-old car. From a long-term maintenance cost perspective, BMW may hold the advantage but I would wager that the advantage is far less than it was 5 or 6 years ago. But the more maintenance you can perform yourself, the better off you are regardless of which brand you prefer. One thing is for sure, though - Jags are inspiringly beautiful, and BMWs are not. They're solid and performance-oriented no doubt, but they just don't carry the classic beauty that Jaguar does....