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2006 BMW 5-Series repairs by problem area
Engine (34%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (5%)
Brakes and Traction Control (4%)
Suspension and Steering (12%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (35%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (4%)
Other (6%)
Select a problem area
- Engine
- Transmission and Drivetrain
- Brakes and Traction Control
- Suspension and Steering
- Electrical and Air Conditioning
- Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim
- Other
Chart based on 348 repairs.
2006 BMW 5-Series electrical repair cost distribution
$2500+ (6%)
$1000 - $2499 (16%)
$500 - $999 (17%)
$100 - $499 (23%)
< $100 (39%)
Chart based on 108 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2006 BMW 5-Series
Engine not specified
| 67000 mi US $300 |
oil change, front light failure |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Wagon
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 75000 mi | Replacement of malfunctioning radar unit in active cruise control. |
| 94000 mi US $37 |
Wiring harness for rear power gate replaced. |
| 86000 mi US $2500 |
Wiring harness, which is routed through wagon liftgate hinges, was frayed resulting in backup light malfunction and inability to unlock rear hatch. Strut for power liftgate was broken/not working properly. |
| 98000 mi US $750 |
Starter motor failed; replaced. |
| 35688 mi | Same US car purchased on Nov 8, 2007. I drive module being replaced, and software being updated (Under warranty) Play in steering wheel - (Warranty I hope)- Steering box being replaced and other parts. Self leveling malfunction light on |
| 41649 mi | I drive controller replaced finally, and all seems to work fine now. I still get intermittent warning, self leveling suspension not working. |
| 80060 mi C $2500 |
xenon burnt was burn out, and replaced for around $300 |
| 82000 mi C $300 |
burn out angel eye bulb charged 2hrs labour? |
| 91500 mi C $625 |
Air con system stopped working at 32 degrees C outside, and fluid was streaming under car. I thought engine overheating? air con and cooling was checked all OK. Not to self - air con creates moisture when worked hard. |
| 99200 mi | Replacement of passenger side air bag sensor in the seat. ~ $2500 covered by BMW extended warranty |
| 125000 mi US $650 |
Keyless entry receiver stopped working due to water leak in rear hatch |
| 96720 mi | Replace battery under warrenty |
| 97020 mi C $633 |
Electrical module for rear hatch (touring) |
| 103540 mi C $954 |
New starter installed |
| 105080 mi C $707 |
Auto Door lock and radio antene module replacement. |
| 107040 mi C $500 |
Replacing condensator |
| 43000 mi US $400 |
starter motor replaced |
| 49000 mi US $2000 |
Repaired A/C condensate line Replaced DVD player |
| 109000 mi US $161 |
Passenger Air Bag Fault 2nd occurrence. 1st time dealer replaced bad passenger mat detector 1.5 year ago under recall. Dealer diagnosed as defective air bag module this time; $1800 cost to fix. Local mechanic cleared code with ODB tester. |
| 76260 mi C $1300 |
crackling on the speakers when car started and persistent hum from speakers at the rear even when car turned off |
| 83080 mi C $1200 |
Interior lights on all the time and rear wiper motor won't work. Required new wiring harness. Extensive repair. |
| 100000 mi | Passenger Restraint System Malfunction message came on the iDrive screen, the dealership performed test plan, found faulty passenger occupancy sensor mat, replaced the mat and cleared the fault code under warranty(Recall issued in Aug. 2008) |
| 110000 mi US $987 |
Key fob stopped working after a car wash. It turned out that the Diversity Antenna Amplifier failed(water damage) - Replaced |
| 118500 mi US $110 |
Diagnose & recalibrate window auto-up functions, rear-drivers' side window. |
| 121000 mi US $3585 |
Evap core was leaking refridgerant into the cabin -> Evap core replaced + expansion valve to the evap core needed to be replaced as well. 2633.24 of the total. |
| 16450 mi US $4303 |
Power Rear Hatch strut(Left side) was broken ; Replaced rear hatch strut, hydraulic strut, DR side ball stud. |
| 166000 mi US $3002 |
Starter Motor failed when attempted re-starting the engine with the failed fuel pump. Starter Motor replaced. |
| 33000 mi | BMW assist, bluetooth, and voice activation stopped working. |
| 70300 mi | Dead battery |
| 74300 mi US $2300 |
Non-functioning starter. Starter replaced |
| 82000 mi US $1700 |
replace lift gate motor |
| 23000 mi | Electronic issues with iDrive, reset |
| 27000 mi | Seat sensor, recall |
| 30000 mi | Had erratic idrive failures after car wash, found water in electronics compartment- this had caused prior hatch failure, satellite failure, etc. Known BMW service advisory to dealer, fixed appropriately. |
| 55000 mi US $321 |
Drivers door lock failure |
| 58000 mi US $300 |
Air bag sensor |
| 92000 mi US $1500 |
Starter died |
| 93000 mi US $45 |
switch died for power door, replaced. |
| 95000 mi US $75 |
second parking light went out one week after first |
| 96000 mi US $750 |
wire broke to antennae rendering remote locking unusable. |
| 58000 mi US $450 |
remote key stopped working. ordered a new remote key but still didn't work. dealer looked into further and found out the antenna is not working properly. replace the antenna. |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Wagon
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual AWD
| 181420 mi C $150 |
The bearing in the A/C compressor failed. The pulley ripped off causing the serpentine belt to come off. The car has been modified so that A/C compressor is no longer in the belt path and is drive-able. |
| 194060 mi C $300 |
Replaced battery |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 268hp 3.0L I6 Diesel 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 37000 mi | Increased battery discharge warning. Persistent problem if car left without driving for a day or so. Told that it was my fault as car not driven enough to top battery. fault eventually traced to the tracker device. disconnected and problem solved |
| 68000 mi | Wiring wear to rear lights caused by contact with boot hinge |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 229hp 3.0L I6 Diesel 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 63860 mi A $5500 |
Alternator regulator needed replacing |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 161hp 2.0L I4 Diesel 6-speed manual RWD
| 88000 mi £200 |
Parking sensors failed, Faulty sensor, Replaced. |
| 89000 mi | central locking stopped working dealer quoted £600. Sick of this car and its problems and awful ride quality so traded it in for Japanese reliability. |
| 1240 mi | Front lights. |
| 10540 mi | Car Communication Computer (infotainment system) replaced. |
| 19840 mi | Car Communication Computer (infotainment system) replaced again. |
| Faulty remote key replaced. |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
500-horsepower 5.0L V10 7-speed automated manual RWD
| 53000 mi US $930 |
Replaced two out of 4 O2 sensors, $1200 Replaced driver door handle with induction sensor for Comfort Access $600 plus $200 for programming Had extended warr, paid deduct + extra over labor cap |
| 37500 mi US $1300 |
iDrive computer failed and had to be replaced. |
| 55000 mi US $2000 |
Over voltage condition (>17v) was causing all control systems to reset periodically. Alternator and voltage regulator were replaced. The wind shield washer stopped spraying (although the headlight washers still worked). The replaced the pump. |
| 52700 mi US $200 |
passenger side airbag warning |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
360-horsepower 4.8L V8 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 67000 mi US $1500 |
The i-control / ccc module went out and had to be replaced. |
| 96000 mi US $100 |
Windshield wiper pump replaced |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
360-horsepower 4.8L V8 6-speed manual RWD
| 91000 mi | PDC system malfunction after radiator replacement |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
360-horsepower 4.8L V8 6-speed automated manual RWD
| 31000 mi | AC unit reneeded to be replaced |
| 61000 mi US $350 |
ambient cabin temp. sensor |
| 103000 mi US $840 |
Replaced bad alternator |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 41000 mi US $50 |
Drivers side rear window regulator needed replacement. window stuck in down position. |
| 47500 mi US $280 |
Window regulator replaced |
| 100300 mi | In 2011, I was having issue with my battery being drained after it was replaced new on early that year. I called BMW dealer and explained about my battery has been draining. My car has a recall and the dealer fix it for free. |
| 114500 mi | Battery replaced only after 2 years and 11 months. Battery drained easily when not in use for several days or weeks. BMW service advisor suggest to trickle charge when the car is not in use for several days but bought a new battery instead |
| 150100 mi | Right Low beam headlight went out and had to replaced both. |
| 149000 mi US $75 |
Trunk release malfunction. Replaced the relay switch. |
| 105000 mi US $75 |
Fog sensor |
| 63240 mi | Issues starting vehicle, replaced battery. |
| 73000 mi | Heater fan had started making occasional noise. Sometimes the noise would start when accelerating on a cold day. Strange. |
| 20500 mi | Silent warranty on OCM3 mat on passenger seat. Micro-cracks cause inactivation of passenger airbag and warning light on dash display. Owner must know and ask BMW stealership who must get permission from BMW for reimbursement. |
| 34000 mi US $712 |
micro processor shorted. affected radio, cd, dvd, navigation, phone..... |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 76500 mi US $500 |
I-drive screen blank. Dealer attempted to reprogram resulting in a component failure. Component replaced under warranty. |
| 109000 mi US $2000 |
reprogram rear window trap - Window would keep opening after closing windows up Reset Automatic Wipers, the rain light sensor (RLS) wasn't working after 100K miles, unplugged, used INPA to reset RLS, replugged in to resolve. |
| 86500 mi US $1000 |
Replace front xenon headlight |
| 102100 mi US $695 |
Fuel tank sensor replaced |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD
| 22724 mi $1204 |
Replace rear view camera and switchboard. Repaired wiring. |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual AWD
| 64000 mi | Reconnect disconnected engine-to-body ground/earth strap. |
| 71000 mi US $100 |
Replaced windshield washer pump and grommet due to leak of washer fluid. |
| 15000 mi | CD player jammed |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
215-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 50000 mi US $1275 |
Heater blower fan and final stage resistor |
| 13020 mi | Went to take care of a few minor things the dealer missed during PDI. Turned out the audio amplifier had a short. Dealer replaced under warranty. |
| 13640 mi | Interior console light not working. Requires dismantling to replace. Parts were ordered when I took delivery of the car, but it seems they lost the order. Ordered again and had to book another appointment to get it installed. |
| 17360 mi | During dealer prep, subwoofer circuit was disconnected. Dealer didn't notice until I asked service tech to listen to the audio system because bass balance did not seem to be working. |
| 29140 mi | Flat tire indicator sensor malfunction and would not reset. |
| 93920 mi | CD player lost a channel. The rest of the audio system works fine. CD player not covered by warranty. Was quoted an outrageous amount to replace. |
| 48980 mi C $150 |
Power window sensor malfunction. Incessant warnings that power windows and safety stops have failed though the windows worked fine. Unable to turn off warning chimes. Dealer had to reload ECU programming. |
| 51460 mi C $270 |
Starter motor on engine would not work. BMW replaced it. I was told the motor brushes had worn. I've never seen that happen on a 5 year old car before. |
| 129580 mi C $1100 |
Interior fan stopped working. Though the fan would come on intermittently, it did a better job of fogging up the interior windows when it rained than clearing them. Replaced interior blower motor and climate control sensors. |
| 134540 mi C $600 |
Air conditioner fan stopped working. Replaced fan motor. |
| 43000 mi | Steering column power tilt repaired. |
| 55000 mi US $710 |
56,000 mile service and 4 lights out in the tail light assembly. |
| 89200 mi US $859 |
Starter failed. |
| 123000 mi US $1600 |
AC compressor failed |
| 98000 mi | seat stopped moving and seat heater stopped working. haven't fixed it yet |
| 102000 mi | Nav stopped reading DVD. will use google maps rather than spend $$ on fix |
| 104000 mi | had problem with seat heater and seat not working on Driver side. Shop replaced fuse and got it working for a day, then stopped again. took it back for repair and they could not find what was wrong, but it works now |
| 109000 mi US $1500 |
replaced starter motor at independent shop, then had to have dealer reprogram one of the computers |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
215-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 97000 mi US $60 |
Left parking light warning came on. Local mechanic quoted 1.5 hours to replace. Took instead to favored mechanic who replaced bulb in 20 minutes. $30 for bulb. $30 for labor. Also had 100K spark plug replacement done. |
| 102700 mi | No cold air. They did the recharge. Gave it back, didn't fix it. Had to go back. Then it was fixed. They didn't explain what they did. |
| 115000 mi US $50 |
Passenger front halo parking lamp. The bulb is very difficult to access, and this particular one was very difficult to remove. It took them 45 minutes to replace because they couldn't get it out at first, but they only charged me book time for it. |
| 76000 mi | Replaced AC blower regulator, final stage resistor, blower motor. |
| 39000 mi | Replace car battery due to failure under factory warranty |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
215-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD
| 109740 mi C $300 |
Rt front fog light inop, had both fog lights replaced |
| 127100 mi C $475 |
Unable to start,starter & battery replaced.starter was problem, battery was 10 yrs.old (preventive maintainence) |
| 52000 mi | Flat tire sensor came on incorrectly. Repair shop checked tires and reset sensors. |
| 55900 mi US $25 |
Right turn signal malfunctioned. Replaced light bulb. Not fixed. |
| 60000 mi US $100 |
Right rear turn signal malfunction. Wiring and socket repaired. |
| 66000 mi US $1023 |
Trunk wiring harness replaced $420 Also had passenger seat heater repaired ($70) and car aligned ($175). |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
215-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual AWD
| 140000 mi US $600 |
Starter showed symptom of failure (spun freely w/o key in ignition) then worked again later that evening. Deemed that the unit was unreliable and replaced. |
| 146800 mi US $100 |
wiring harness was frayed, trunk lid would not close, release malfunctioned. |
| 172000 mi US $108 |
wiring for trunk release needed to be spliced (repaired) to regain functionality. |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
174-horsepower 2.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD
| 8000 mi | 6" display refused to turn on at start up. 15 minutes later was ok. Dealer said common problem and replaced the display entirely |
| 13000 mi | Battery monitoring cable/circuit faulty resulting in flat battery. Cable/circuit replaced. |
2006 BMW 5-Series 4-door
6-cylinder automatic AWD
| 47000 mi US $155 |
comfort access never worked well on my wagon. replaced and reprogrammed keys. one key still bad, other may be better. needs time to analyze |
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