Loose driver's seat?

[ctenidae]

Haven't been around much- too busy driving my car and working to pay for it!

While I love the car (650i, 6 speed, space grey and vermillion interior), there are a couple of things about it that are annoying, and one that I'm surprised at adn wonder if anyone else notices it.

First, the minor annoyances- the rearview mirror is too big and too low- right turns, especially a downhill right, take a certain amount of faith, since you can't really see what's on that quarter. The pedal stops are a bit hard- letting off the brake or gas makes a kind of clumsy thunk when the pedal travels to its fully released position. Passenger seat belt rattles against the side of the seat- I don't have a passenger 90% of the time, so I leave it connected, stretched across the seat. Like I said, minor annoyances, well compensated for by everything else that's awesome in the car.

The surprising thing is the driver's seat. This started from early on, but I only just took it to teh dealer to get it looked at. On turns, the entire seat shifts ever so slightly to the outside of the turn. It can be felt through the seat- when enough lateral G builds up (and it's not much), the whole seat "pops" over. I can actually wiggle the seat base with my hands a little. Dealer has looked at it, and says there's a tie rod in the seat structure that has rubber bushings on the ends, and when the seat puts pressure on the bushing, it slides a little, and that makes the pop. They checked other 6s in the showroom, and they're all constructed that way. The others don't seem to pop, though, so they're going to lube mine and hope that works.

They're taking pictures and sending to BMW as a technical note, since it's really the way the seat is engineered, and hope to get a fix back. The rep said these cars are only just now coming in for servicing, so they're just starting to see issues like this, though they haven't seen this one in particular before. I guess, in a way, it's the downside of 1st model year cars (aside from power upgrades and software updates...).

Anyone else experience this seat problem? I know it's generally a lovefest here because, let's face it, the cars are fantastic, but I wonder if this is a one-off problem, or an engineering miss.

[itinj6]

No issue with the seat on mine but I do notice a rattle on the driver side door panel when I hit certain bumps. Drives me up a wall. I think it's new. Never noticed it before.

[southern6er22]

I haven't experienced any of the issues you mentioned - namely the clattering seatbelts or the shaking seat. I suppose the mirror occasionally seems a bit obtrusive, but never to the point of feeling like I'm driving by faith alone. The mirror on the 1 Series, however, is oversized, IMO. I spent a good bit of time in a 135i at the PC, and it was a fun little car to chuck around a track, but I felt like the mirror was taking up a good half of the windshield. Maybe it felt this way because I was on a track where I never looked in the mirrors, so they would be unwelcome obstacles at any size. Nevertheless, I agree that BMW may be supersizing the mirrors... possibly to appeal to the American ethos

Sorry you're having these problems I hope they aren't tarnishing your 6er experience.

Btw, how are you liking the 6-MT on your 650i? While I'm personally not a MT person, I am glad that there are guys like you who went that route. I'm a huge fan of the 8-AT, but there is something comforting about BMW offering this option for the enthusiasts like yourself. I'm sad to see the 6-MT leaving the 6er lineup.

[ctenidae]

The stick is fantastic- one of the best transmissions I've ever had the pleasure to drive. Hadn't heard that it's going away- truly, in my opinion, a travesty. onestly, it's one of the top reasons I even looked at the 6- finding a sub $150K car anywhere near the 6 class with a stick is nearly impossible.

The engine's ability to run a 6-3 downshift to jump almost instantly from 60 to 90 to pass left lane laggards is great, and the engine rumble and turbo whine when you wrap it to redline is so much fun. The clutch is smooth and predictable, the stick's throw is short enough and incredbly precise. Even in traffic, it's no problem at all- 1st ear will run from a 5mph idle to a 30 mph jump with no problem. I don't think there's anythign I'd change about it at all.

On the downside, there's only one cup holder, but I don't drink coffee in the car anyway, so I really don't care. Annoys my wife when she rides shotgun, but since we have a 10 month old, that doesn't happen very often. Of course, as soon as he's forward facing, that may change.

The issues with the mirror and hurting my enoyment any. The seat can be a little annoying, and the mirror is really just a "boy, wish they'd scooted that up a couple inches." Love the car, and everytime I get in it, i'm happy I got it. 2 days of driving a loaner super-base model 328 loaner with an automatic was painful. Maybe I'm spoiled

[southern6er22]

Glad you're loving the stick

Originally Posted by ctenidae

2 days of driving a loaner super-base model 328 loaner with an automatic was painful. Maybe I'm spoiled

As much as I love my 6er, I feel that this car has ruined me. While getting this car at a young age has been amazing, it also means that the bar has been set very high for every car in my future as each will be judged against this Nappa-covered, contrast-stitched, flawless beast of a machine that hits 60 in the time most cars require to make it to 30. I guess there are worse things in life...

[andreo]

That's what ultimate driving machines do to their owners. It's an emotion that comes with the association which can only be felt. The good news is, the marque has a consistent flow of innovations focused on driving pleasure and experience that continue to impress. Long may it continue.

[ctenidae]

Originally Posted by southern6er22

Glad you're loving the stick



As much as I love my 6er, I feel that this car has ruined me. While getting this car at a young age has been amazing, it also means that the bar has been set very high for every car in my future as each will be judged against this Nappa-covered, contrast-stitched, flawless beast of a machine that hits 60 in the time most cars require to make it to 30. I guess there are worse things in life...

I hear you. WTF am I going to get after this?

[roadsta]

Originally Posted by ctenidae

Passenger seat belt rattles against the side of the seat- I don't have a passenger 90% of the time, so I leave it connected, stretched across the seat.

Yep, I have it too, and I bet a lot of others on the board do too, but maybe have the sound turned up to loud to hear...

I took mine in, and they stuck a small piece of velchro-like material on the seat belt buckle, which made a difference. Not a great solution though, I think it is going to peel off.

I also had the female end of passenger seat belt buckle (where the buckle fits into, next to the centre console) touch or rattle against the centre console when going over some kinds of bumps on the road. That too was fixed with some velchro stuff on the side of the female buckle.

About the seat - that is unacceptable, plain and simple. If they do not get that perfectly right, insist on a new seat.

R.

[southern6er22]

Originally Posted by roadsta

I also had the female end of passenger seat belt buckle (where the buckle fits into, next to the centre console) touch or rattle against the centre console when going over some kinds of bumps on the road. That too was fixed with some velchro stuff on the side of the female buckle.

Mine came with some soft-side-of-the-velcro adhered to the female buckle as you described - wasn't a post-production alteration.

[andreo]

Same here for my current 2008 E92 and 2009 E87. It appears to be standard treatment to protect interior parts from knocking against each other.

[ctenidae]

So, no joy from the dealer on fixing the loose seat. They said it's a design issue and there's nothing they can do about it. I'm running it up through BMW USA now. It's either poor design or poor build quality, neither of which are typical BMW characteristics. Throwing their hands up and shrugging isn't very German, either.

I've also asked about getting the trim around the stick replaced with matching interior trim instead of the sparkly black plastic.

[ctenidae]

BMW USA said "sorry, nothing we can do about it. And they don't know naything about getting the trim to match.

Last night, on my way home, I groped around under the seat, and found the part that is loose. It's a simple clamp that holds the seat pan onto the frame, and it's not tight enough around the frame, so it slides a little. A 5 cent pop rivet will solve the problem, once and for all, I'm quite sure.

My dilemma is, do it myself, or force a dealership to do it? How many warranties get voided by fixing things yourself?

[southern6er22]

Originally Posted by ctenidae

My dilemma is, do it myself, or force a dealership to do it? How many warranties get voided by fixing things yourself?

I'm not sure, but you could always remove the minor fix when you bring it to the dealer, I suppose...

[ctenidae]

Update- Got a call from the dealership last night. They had a factory service tech in the shop yesterday and were talking about my car. They've ordered a new seat fram with a redesigned bushing that they think will solve the problem.

Thousands of dollars of engineering work to solve a 25 cent problem. Whatever works, as long as my seat stops wiggling.

[southern6er22]

Glad they're fixing it for you. Hopefully no German heads will be rolling for this mistake. I hear they take these things pretty seriously

[laurenxesq]

Originally Posted by ctenidae

Haven't been around much- too busy driving my car and working to pay for it!

While I love the car (650i, 6 speed, space grey and vermillion interior), there are a couple of things about it that are annoying, and one that I'm surprised at adn wonder if anyone else notices it.

First, the minor annoyances- the rearview mirror is too big and too low- right turns, especially a downhill right, take a certain amount of faith, since you can't really see what's on that quarter. The pedal stops are a bit hard- letting off the brake or gas makes a kind of clumsy thunk when the pedal travels to its fully released position. Passenger seat belt rattles against the side of the seat- I don't have a passenger 90% of the time, so I leave it connected, stretched across the seat. Like I said, minor annoyances, well compensated for by everything else that's awesome in the car.

The surprising thing is the driver's seat. This started from early on, but I only just took it to teh dealer to get it looked at. On turns, the entire seat shifts ever so slightly to the outside of the turn. It can be felt through the seat- when enough lateral G builds up (and it's not much), the whole seat "pops" over. I can actually wiggle the seat base with my hands a little. Dealer has looked at it, and says there's a tie rod in the seat structure that has rubber bushings on the ends, and when the seat puts pressure on the bushing, it slides a little, and that makes the pop. They checked other 6s in the showroom, and they're all constructed that way. The others don't seem to pop, though, so they're going to lube mine and hope that works.

They're taking pictures and sending to BMW as a technical note, since it's really the way the seat is engineered, and hope to get a fix back. The rep said these cars are only just now coming in for servicing, so they're just starting to see issues like this, though they haven't seen this one in particular before. I guess, in a way, it's the downside of 1st model year cars (aside from power upgrades and software updates...).

Anyone else experience this seat problem? I know it's generally a lovefest here because, let's face it, the cars are fantastic, but I wonder if this is a one-off problem, or an engineering miss.

Yup yup; I've experienced a rattle & crackle here and there on the front driver seat. Especially going slow on a turn or a speed bump.

I dropped off the vehicle at the dealer yesterday. As of writing of this post, they still have NOT figure out the cause.

Additionally, the TPM keeps coming on alerting me to either re-set or add more air on my passenger rear tire.

A tad annoying for such a beautiful car....

[X6DB]

No problem with my driver's seat, but my passenger seat rattled when going over bumps. They removed the seat, tightened things up, and fixed the problem.

[laurenxesq]

dealer's tech attempted to repair the driver seat and driver side door, unsuccesful. Vehicle went back in for second attempt today. Really don't like the 328 loaner...miss my 2012 650.

Thus, on a brighter note, test drove the 2013 650 today. DAMN!!!! It blew me away!!! 0 to 100 in less then 6 seconds.....Definitely a noticeable difference in the power; 2012 650 v. 2013 650

[southern6er22]

Originally Posted by laurenxesq

dealer's tech attempted to repair the driver seat and driver side door, unsuccesful. Vehicle went back in for second attempt today. Really don't like the 328 loaner...miss my 2012 650.

Thus, on a brighter note, test drove the 2013 650 today. DAMN!!!! It blew me away!!! 0 to 100 in less then 6 seconds.....Definitely a noticeable difference in the power; 2012 650 v. 2013 650

So much for staying in the dark and ignorantly telling myself its just numbers, not a real life difference. lol. I know that +40 hp and +30 lb-ft are likely to make a difference, but that fact doesn't help me sleep at night...

Glad BMW managed to improve on the 6er. That doesn't mean I won't be slightly bitter

[laurenxesq]

quick update on my 2012 650, barely 2 months new. Still at the dealer's for service on the loose driver seat, squeaking noise coming from driver door, and TPM on the fritz. It is really frustrating.....hope BMW can swap me out of this one.

Really miss my 650...

[Bönz]

A couple months ago I had the slow speed turn popping (only lateral movement) mentioned by cetenidea in OP. The dealer repaired this to my satisfaction by lubing the seat tracks. They checked everything else and said it was tight. Problem solved.

All was well until last week. Now I am getting a different sort of seat looseness during almost any quick maneuver (turning, accelerating or braking) which feels closer to my butt than the first problem. It’s not so much the full seat “pop” as before, but rather an overall looseness ofthe cushion. A quick look underneath reveled nothing obvious, but I haven’t had time to dig deeper. It may be impossible to diagnose without removing the seat, which I am reluctant to do.

I’ll take another look this weekend and keep you all posted. In the meantime maybe lauren’s dealer will get back to her.

I also have an occasional driver door rattle over rough road but it seems to come and go. It’s also effected by tire pressure and suspension settings.

[laurenxesq]

my 650 is still at service, sure miss it alot....I think since taking delivery of the vehicle, the vehicle has been in the shop more days & service tech racking on the miles to duplicate the squeaking, then I actually get to enjoy the vehicle.

Very very sad.....miss my 650...

To add salt on top of the wound, the TPM is also on the fritz too...