Hi all, I have a 528i F series (2011) Only 62k mileage. Had it since new. I am seeking recommendations for reliable traders in Liverpool for reasonable cost replacement of the dreaded yellow grommet on the the left side bulkhead. I had it repaired in 2020 for the same prob, all been ok until last few days and now the rear footwell is damp again. Many thanks
Welcome to the forum, Alan . Can't help with a recommendation but I'm sure someone will be along who can.
Welcome to the forum, Alan. Do you have a sunroof fitted? That can also be the cause of damp footwells.
Thanks for response. No sunroof. I have had 2 prob's with ingress of water. 1st was vapour membrane rear passenger door. 2nd was the yellow grommet blank on the left side of bulkhead where a left hander steering shaft would normally go. After attended to all ok and carpets dried. then last week noticed misting on rear window. Recognised it as a prob and immediately checked the rear passenger footwell, sure enough it was damp. There is no sign of ingress via rear door so i assume it is the grommet.again. Discovered yesterday that the workshop (ex BMW guy) that did it in 2020 has closed, hence my hunt for someone in Liverpool familiar with Beemers. Incidentally, in 2020 also I had a prob with the Auto Shift. On return to car I went to flick it into drive and the control handle spun round on the shaft?? I was able to lift it off and look inside, then noticed the ribbon cable that operated the LED's had broken. Also, on the shaft was a seating for a retaining grub screw that would have held the handle in place. No sign of it inside or on the console. Had to call AA to get me back to Liverpool to main BMW repair shop. They were as puzzled as I was. A mystery given that the seating of the grub inside the handle would have made it impossible for the grub to come out. After a couple of days They told me the shift unit would need replacing with part from Germany, cost £600+ total with labour = £960. I argued that BMW should foot the bill as it should be assumed it was an original manufacturing fault. Dealer obviously, said they couldn't decide on that and I would need to contact BMW UK. I did so and was messed around by some woman who didn't understand what I was talking about. I did suggest that the cost could split evenly where they would foot half the cost. After several attempts to speak with a Senior manager her response was that it it would only be passed to her and she could do nothing. I did warn her that I would escalate the matter direct Oliver Zipse, Newly appointed head at Munich. Her response, "That was my prerogative" I did so and within 2 days I had a fab reply from a Lady who was his assistant. A profuse apology was given and Lucy at BMW UK was given short shrift. I was offered half the total cost and Dealer in Liverpool told to act without delay. A resounding victory for common sense and a big thank you To Mr Zipse BMW Munich for the excellent response. Why can't it be like this all the time instead of constant battles with people who get too big for their boots.. Tried to upload pic but no luck with site?
How have you been trying to post the pic? If you click the small pic icon [next to the smiley one above] you should be good to go from there.
Welcome to BMW Land. The dreaded yellow grommet appears to be a common problem on the 5 series. Other members should be along with advice.
Or at the bottom there’s an option to “Upload a File”. You can upload and then chose to embed in the text as either a full size or thumbnail.
Yeah I do that and it goes thru the routine and I see a small progress bar bar but no end result. I have tried uploading image, also adding to album but no success: to:
Hi Alan and Welcome, Probably worth checking out this link https://www.bmwland.org.uk/index.php?threads/f10-f11-grommet-of-doom.3486/page-4#post-66846 , Peter had a problem with his grommet which he replaced, he performs regular cleaning of the offending drains to keep things working well.