[ovaltine224]

hey everybody

so my car shakes real bad at idle, even jerks forward at a red light here and there. it also makes a whining noise at full stop and low speeds.

i took it to Bavarian Performance Group in winchester, MA...and theyre quoting me $550 to replace a solenoid valve and reprogram the car. $130 for the part and the rest is labor (4hrs).

my question is...am i getting ripped off? ive looked around online and people have been replacing the solenoids themselves in about 10 mins.

These are the codes they gave me: 2A82, 29CD, 29CE, 29D0, 29CC

Any ideas on what the problem really is? I told the mechanic i was gonna hold off because of money. I know some of those codes are for misfiring but could the solenoid really be causing the misfiring?

Oh, also i sometimes feel very hot air coming from the engine bay. i can feel this hot air when im standing next to the car or walking by.

any help is appreciated!!!

[Turkeybaster115]

Well first of all for just $130 shipped, buy a peake research scan tool, so that you don't pay the stealership for scans. Scan and read your own codes, and it pays for itself after a few months. Second, order your vanos solenoids from thischer bmw: www.getbmwparts.com and have them installed at your local indy shop. Oh, and don't worry about these phony reprogrammings. Everything requires that you do a reprogramming. I just swapped out my I drive controller, and the stealership quoted me $600 for the part and $800 for a reprogramming. I got the used used part off an ebay wreck for $110 shipped, then had my buddy swap it out this weekend. Guess what? No F**king reprogramming needed.

[ENINTY]

There is a VANOS solenoid DIY in the DIY section. Read it. The solenoids can be removed, cleaned, and replaced (it's best to swap positions - they are the same part for intake and exhaust). It's a half hour job at most. No "re-programming" necessary. You should clear the fault codes before doing the work. Maybe that's what the mechanic is referring to.

[ovaltine224]

just got my car back today from that mechanic. by reprogramming, he meant software update...i dont know if that makes a difference? do i have do the software update? i dont see why i would have to since its just a mechanical part.

me and my friend are planning on just cleaning them up and see if that helps. if not, then ill just replace it with a new one.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by ovaltine224

just got my car back today from that mechanic. by reprogramming, he meant software update...i dont know if that makes a difference? do i have do the software update? i dont see why i would have to since its just a mechanical part.

me and my friend are planning on just cleaning them up and see if that helps. if not, then ill just replace it with a new one.

I don't have the software update. My car is a 2006. I just removed them, cleaned them, swapped the postions from intake to exhaust and vice versa and they have been fine. Make sure your friend knows what he is doing. If you remove both at the same time (like if you swap the positions) you can easily drop the little mounting bolt INTO the timing chain cover, which would really suck. Be carefull. Remove the solenoids by A) remove the mounting bolt. B) take the mounting bolt away and place it on the work bench C) twist and pull out the solenoid body from the timing chain cover.

My advice is to remove the top one first, stuff a clean shop rag in the hole, then remove the bottom one second. Clean both, take the solenoid that was in the top postion (Exhaust) and put it back in the bottom hole (intake). Tighten the bolt down. The take the other solenoid, pull the rag out, install the solenoid then bring the bolt in and tighten it down.

Install the solenoids by A) install solenoid body into lower hole in the timing chain cover. B) line up the mounting hole on the solenoid with the screw hole on the timing chain cover. C) take the mounting bolt from the work bench and screw it down.

I can not stress enough that you do not want to drop the mounting bolt into the timing chain cover. You'll most likely not be able to retrieve it with a magnetic tool, and you'll then have to remove the front of the timing cover to find it.

[Chriztofor]

Here is the DIY http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...light=Solenoid

[Chriztofor]

By the way, I like Eninty's suggestion of cleaning them then swapping them.

[Chriztofor]

And I thought you came up with those ideas on yiur own. . https://wiki.bentleypublishers.com/d...or+fault+codes

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by Chriztofor

And I thought you came up with those ideas on yiur own. . https://wiki.bentleypublishers.com/d...or+fault+codes

I never said or implied I did. Read my post #14 on the DIY and you'll see I clearly stated the Bentley says they can be cleaned and to swap them as a test (to see what one is faulty). I took it a bit further and suggested swapping them would be a good idea because the solenoids will run different cam adjustment profiles, which may help them work out any sticking issues. What I do know is it works. I swapped mine 5,000 miles ago and the code has not reappeared.

What the Bentley doesn't do if you find the trouble code is lead you to the section of the book about checking the solenoids.

[Chriztofor]

Just playing, great diy and great tips. It doesn't matter the source.

[ovaltine224]

so i ended up replacing the solenoid with a brand new one. however, the idle shaking still happens after the engine heats up. and there is still a whining noise that happens after the engine heats up too.

any ideas?
btw the DIY solenoid replace guide is amazing!

[Agent 335i]

Originally Posted by ovaltine224

so i ended up replacing the solenoid with a brand new one. however, the idle shaking still happens after the engine heats up. and there is still a whining noise that happens after the engine heats up too.

any ideas?
btw the DIY solenoid replace guide is amazing!

I am FAR from an expert on this, just Wikipedia'd "VANOS" to learn what it even is , but from the post it seems that it may also be the BMW OEM Buna-N VANOS piston seals. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VANOS)

Located under the VANOS Performace header of the article:

"The original seal material was found to be inferior for the application and tends to break down within 75k - 100k miles. VANOS Seal & Rattle kits are available to address these shortcomings from aftermarket suppliers (but not from BMW -- BMW's solution when VANOS units fail is to remove the entire VANOS unit and replace it with a new one). VANOS repair may require special tools (cooling fan clutch wrenches, etc.) that can be rented or purchased from a variety of vendors."

Agent Out

[ovaltine224]

after i drove it a few times, the problems went away! woooooO!

thanks everyone!