|
|
|
|
|
|
BMW Garage | BMW Meets | Register | Search | Today's Posts | Mark Forums Read |
|
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
>
Engine decided 64,000 miles would be a great time to stop working...
|
|
09-10-2013, 10:01 AM | #1 |
ಠ_ಠ
74
Rep 1,539
Posts |
Engine decided 64,000 miles would be a great time to stop working...
So on my commute to work yesterday morning, I got a low coolant message and then went into limp mode. Fearing the water pump had blown, I had the car flatbedded to Munich Motorsports in CT - friend of mine with a couple M3s recommended them as they mainly work on M cars and building track racers. He says they definitely know their stuff (though the $105 an hour labor is rough).
After the initial diagnostic, turns out the water pump isn't what caused it, it's actually the VANOS system related to the exhaust and camshaft according to the codes. I'm still waiting for the call back with their complete diagnosis, but in person I was given the impression that I'm looking at a repair in the thousands. Needless to say, I'm pretty pissed that such a major issue went wrong so early in the life of the engine. My "certified" BMW has been through three fuel pumps, has nasty interior rattles, and a few other issues, and now this. My father's X5 crossed 70,000 miles recently and needed to be flatbedded for VANOS issues as well. He's also had to have the whole HVAC system done and is on his fourth sunroof repair now. My brother bought a 328i coupe not that long ago and at 20,000 some odd miles has already needed the whole radiator and some supporting pieces replaced after the car started getting 12mpg and running the fans at jet turbine speed. I know it's wrong to judge a company by anecdotal evidence, but the number of problems I've seen and then the lousy attitudes I've dealt with from both dealers and BMWNA is really starting to sour me on the brand. Between that and BMW's new direction of making every model car they can and focusing less and less on driving mechanics, I'm not so sure there's another BMW in my future... Anyway, end rant. Just venting as I wait for the phone call informing me that I'll be dumping several grand into getting my car running again.
__________________
| 335i coupe | Monaco Blue | JB4 G5 ISO | Style 313M | Huper 40% tint | Aero lip | CSL trunk spoiler | M3 sideskirts | Paint-matched grilles | Painted reflectors | GP Thunder II angel eyes | Smoked LED sidemarkers | Self-coded | |
09-10-2013, 10:48 AM | #2 |
Enlisted Member
2
Rep 47
Posts
Drives: E92 SG 328xi 6MT
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Bridgewater, MA
|
Damn that sucks, good luck with that.
On a positive note, my E92 328xi just hit 96,000 and not a single thing has ever gone wrong with it.
__________________
| E92 328xi 6MT w/ZHP knob | Sparkling Graphite | Saddle Brown Dakota leather | Premium + Cold Weather packages | BMW Assist + Bluetooth | RD 6000K Angel Eyes | WeissLicht LED Turn signals + side markers | Nokya 2500K Hyper Yellow fogs | Dual Memory Heated Seats | 2 12" JL Audio W0 w/Alpine 500W Amp |
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-10-2013, 10:58 AM | #3 | |
ಠ_ಠ
74
Rep 1,539
Posts |
Quote:
Once my car's up and running, I think I'll write BMWNA a polite letter regarding my experiences thus far with the vehicles and the dealers. How a company responds to a polite but disappointed customer says a lot. That said, even if they manage to restore my confidence enough for me to wind up in another BMW in the future, it's going to have to be a lease so anything that goes wrong is their problem, not mine.
__________________
| 335i coupe | Monaco Blue | JB4 G5 ISO | Style 313M | Huper 40% tint | Aero lip | CSL trunk spoiler | M3 sideskirts | Paint-matched grilles | Painted reflectors | GP Thunder II angel eyes | Smoked LED sidemarkers | Self-coded | |
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-10-2013, 11:02 AM | #4 | |
Captain
25
Rep 741
Posts |
Quote:
What exactly is the issue with the vanos? I'm under the impression that they are not a huge fix on the n54... I took mine out and cleaned them once per a DIY (linked below) and the shop charged me an hour labor. There are threads on here saying that the replacement vanos are not expensive... On many other BMWs they are very expensive, but seem pretty easy on the n54. I'm very curious to see what exactly happened. What codes is the car producing? Is it just the 2A37 and 3100? If so, does the car remain in limp mode when you turn it back on or is it ok? I have a code reader if it would help. Here's a thread that's worth reviewing (and might provide hope): http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=486201
__________________
Jet black e92 6mt 335xi:
18" BBS RGRs, KW v1, ESS Stage 2 flash, VRSF 7" FMIC, VRSF downpipes, JG Mods m-tech front, mtec V3 AEs, BMS OCC, hardwired valentine 1, p3cars gauge, amber delete, sport seats, factory oil cooler. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-10-2013, 11:33 AM | #5 | |
ಠ_ಠ
74
Rep 1,539
Posts |
Quote:
Actually, I just reviewed the thread and read those codes. I'm nearly positive those are exactly what the codes were on my car. Looks like $100 for a solenoid and a half hour of labor at most according to the thread. So if this shop is as honest and as good as I've heard, they shouldn't quote me more than $350 or so for the whole job, right? If they do, I'll eat the diagnostic fee and get the car towed back to my driveway and DIY and use Zbylut or Abba in the future for service. Wish I had known you had a code reader - I'll have to remember to contact you in the future since you're literally walking distance from me! I just panicked when I got the coolant warning and then the limp mode and assumed the water pump blew and had it towed - didn't think the coolant light would be a coincidence.
__________________
| 335i coupe | Monaco Blue | JB4 G5 ISO | Style 313M | Huper 40% tint | Aero lip | CSL trunk spoiler | M3 sideskirts | Paint-matched grilles | Painted reflectors | GP Thunder II angel eyes | Smoked LED sidemarkers | Self-coded | |
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-10-2013, 11:58 AM | #6 | ||
Captain
25
Rep 741
Posts |
Quote:
I bet that your car would drive normally right now. I got those codes and the limp mode reset once the car was restarted. I drove around (hitting 13 lbs of boost often) for two weeks before cleaning the vanos and the limo mode did not return during that period.
__________________
Jet black e92 6mt 335xi:
18" BBS RGRs, KW v1, ESS Stage 2 flash, VRSF 7" FMIC, VRSF downpipes, JG Mods m-tech front, mtec V3 AEs, BMS OCC, hardwired valentine 1, p3cars gauge, amber delete, sport seats, factory oil cooler. |
||
Appreciate
0
|
09-13-2013, 10:19 AM | #7 |
ಠ_ಠ
74
Rep 1,539
Posts |
Shop wound up replacing both solenoids and doing an oil change with Motul - $600. $375 solenoid, $125 oil, $100 diag. I would've backed out and done it myself after hearing the price, but then I would've gotten billed the full diag which would've been an extra couple hundred and negated my savings for DIY.
Nice shop with knowledgeable and kind guys running the place and some cool M3 race cars amongst all the other Ms, but damn, they're even more expensive than the dealership is. I was warned there's a good chance of the error coming back and the cam ledges being bad as well which is where we get into multi-thousand dollar repairs (I'd sell the car before I'd be willing to pay for that). In the meantime, I'm going to start doing oil every 7,500 now and using the higher-quality Motul instead of BMW oil. Maybe I'll try fighting with BMW again for an oil cooler retrofit (one of the few cars with the sport package and upgraded wheels that they didn't bother sticking an oil cooler in). I grabbed the car yesterday and took it to BMW New Country for the battery recall I got a letter for, got a call today and was told it doesn't apply to my car. So that was a colossal waste of time. Gotta go take the loaner back. On the upside, the new 328i gas mileage is unbelievable. I got 38mpg average in Hartford during traffic and an average speed of 71mpg including some city driving, so I wasn't babying it. I reset it for my city commute and have been averaging 28mpg. That's incredible for a car that does 0 to 60 in 5.6s. Too bad the steering feels so artificial - the electric motor in sport mode provides some resistance/weight, but for anyone who plays racing games with a force feedback wheel setup, it feels exactly the same and is immediately recognizable. Which is due to the fact that is almost exactly the same system. Anyhoo, now it's a matter of getting the spots in my Opticoat fixed, finding out why the wheel is shaking between 45 and 55, changing my brake fluid, finding out why the brakes are sticking and making noise, fixing my taillight error, getting the walnut blasting done, and then if I want to comply with the forum recommended maintenance, having the coolant, diff, transmission, and power steering fluids changed. Yikes. Looks like it's time to find a good shop or forum member who is willing to do affordable labor.
__________________
| 335i coupe | Monaco Blue | JB4 G5 ISO | Style 313M | Huper 40% tint | Aero lip | CSL trunk spoiler | M3 sideskirts | Paint-matched grilles | Painted reflectors | GP Thunder II angel eyes | Smoked LED sidemarkers | Self-coded | |
Appreciate
0
|
09-14-2013, 03:32 PM | #9 |
ಠ_ಠ
74
Rep 1,539
Posts |
The oil change was more than the dealer ($99) and the total cost for solenoid install was more than a couple people I talked to paid at their dealers ($350). As for the actual labor cost, I've seen BMW dealers charging $100, but that was a couple years back - don't know what it costs now.
__________________
| 335i coupe | Monaco Blue | JB4 G5 ISO | Style 313M | Huper 40% tint | Aero lip | CSL trunk spoiler | M3 sideskirts | Paint-matched grilles | Painted reflectors | GP Thunder II angel eyes | Smoked LED sidemarkers | Self-coded | |
Appreciate
0
|
09-14-2013, 07:23 PM | #10 |
Lieutenant Colonel
475
Rep 1,918
Posts
Drives: '13 128i, '23 iX M60
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Boston
|
I don't pay more than $80-90 for a dealer oil change. Ever.
__________________
2023 BMW iX M60 BSM
2013 BMW 128i 6MT MGM/CR. M-sport/Premium/Cold, HK, Xenons, BMW SSK and PE. ED 7-12-2013 SOLD: '07 E90 6MT BSM/Terra, '18 F31 Sunset/Oyster, '21 Polestar 2 http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=897862 |
Appreciate
0
|
09-15-2013, 08:09 AM | #11 | |
Second Lieutenant
19
Rep 259
Posts |
Quote:
For comparison, they wanted something like $1250 for a walnut cleaning versus about $600 at MM. This area just seems to be very overpriced when it comes to automotive service.
__________________
2007 335xi 6AT | Cobb Stage1+ | BMS DCI | VRSF 7" IC | FA 500 400#F/600#R | ARC8 17x9 et30 | RE-11a 255/40/17
Parting out car. For sale thread here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1167583 |
|
Appreciate
0
|
Bookmarks |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|