My story w/ the N52 Eccentric shaft est. repair $3-6K in repairs

Shorting · 02-02-2011, 01:34 AM

Here is my on going story

I have a 2006 e90 330i i had had been getting very strange grinding sound since i bought the car new back in 2006 after about 20k miles i it started getting worse and took it into the shop several times and they kept telling my it was the cats burning off extra emissions which was incorrect since the cats have no moving parts.

After that extremely frustrating experience and seemingly waste of time, I lived with the car making that sound nearly every morning for the next 50k miles until December 2010. I started my car in mid-afternoon, So Cal 71 degree weather, heard the same grinding sound, per usual, then the engine revved higher than usual…. up to nearly the 2900 RPM range and then completely stalled and shut off. (I have an automatic transmission.)
Everyday after that, things progressively got worse. At times, the car would start and stall several times and others it would not start until two attempts, smoke would blow out the exhaust and my MPG was down. I knew that something was horribly wrong.

I took the car into the Mercedes/BMW shop and they concluded that the car had an eccentric shaft problem and there could be three things wrong with it on the internals of the engine and the only way to find out was by taking the engine apart to diagnose the problem.

It was concluded that every time the car would start, the cylinder timing would be completely thrown off and the valves would not open properly. This causes the engine to have valvetronic issues, as I am sure you are well aware. The shop did not charge me a penny, washed the car for me because they felt bad that my car had gone from possibly having a minor malfunction to having a serious engine problem.

This highly experienced, BMW trained technician indicated that they had “never seen a BMW have a problem like this and that there was nothing that I could have done to have break on the car and if it ever did, it should have never had broken in such low miles and age for the vehicle.” They also stated that this was related to the grinding sound that I had been complaining about in the past, which no one could properly diagnose.

By now my car would take one to two minutes to start. I would press the start button several times and the engine would try to turn over but it felt like nothing was moving in the engine. Amazingly, all during the course of these problems, there has not been one ‘check engine’ light or any malfunction warning at all.

The shop called another local dealership, Crevier BMW, and spoke with a tech who indicated that there could be a possible recall and to have me call BMWNA to log a complaint.

I called BMWNA Monday morning and spoke with a representative who instructed me to take it in to a BMW dealership for diagnosis and report back upon completion. The car was delivered to Crevier BMW that same evening.

Thursday I receive a call from Crevier BMW wherein I am told that the fuel injectors need to be cleaned, the MAF sensor in the air filter is broken and there is carbon build up in the engine. Amazing! I am hearing that my car would not start in the morning, or at any time when it was left to sit for over 8 hours, solely because of dirty injectors and a broken MAF sensor.
(Especially since the local shop had indicated that the car had an internal problem.)

I report Crevier’s diagnosis back to the local shop and was told that, “there was no way in hell that it could be dirty fuel injectors and a broken MAF sensor! We checked it and the dealership is just trying to rip you off. I worked at a dealership for 4 years and this is the kind of ‘b.s.’ that made me quit my job.” I have exclusively used premium fuel, the shop checked the fuel pump, fuel pressure and it was all ‘OK’ and to spec.

I instruct Crevier BMW to look the car over again. They insist that they are correct and want to proceed with their ‘estimated’ $600.00 cleaning service. I would not relent and demand that they look the car over again! The car was again evaluated and by that Friday night I received a call from Crevier stating that,
“There is an eccentric shaft problem and that was the reason the car was not starting nor running properly.”

I immediately call BMWNA to report the dealership’s diagnosis. I was told that there was nothing BMWNA could do for me because the car was out of warranty, notwithstanding the fact that I repeatedly reported the problem while the car was still under warranty. I even explained Thursday’s misdiagnosis by Crevier BMW, “cleaning service, MAF filter”, and Friday’s egregious conclusion, only to learn that BMWNA “back up their technicians at the dealerships 100%.”

My car now sits in my drive way because the last time i drove it the car would only go 22MPH even while flooring the accelerator pedal and then completely stalled in the middle of the street on my way back to my house.

I contacted BMWNA to see what my options are, and i will keep everyone posted on the condition of the car and if why and how this happend on a car that has 75k miles and has never been on a race track and has 80% of those miles highway miles. it doesn't had up IMO

Just letting the N52 engine community know what might lurks out there for this engine.
i may have been unlucky and got a lemon but who knows

Just sharing

XieJin · 02-02-2011, 02:08 AM

Sucks man =( Keep us posted!

LaLakers91tc · 02-02-2011, 10:28 AM

that sound's incredibly frustrating
I wish you the best of luck op

guerilla twang · 02-02-2011, 10:34 AM

Wowzas. I feel really bad for you OP. BMWNA owes you a new engine.

3002 tii · 02-02-2011, 11:07 AM

time to get a lawyer...

OlivaresAnthony · 02-02-2011, 11:23 AM

Sounds like you've put up with quite a bit of b.s. I hope everything works out for you OP. Good luck and let us know what happens.

ttam · 02-02-2011, 11:46 AM

Keep us posted on the results OP. Sorry to hear the BS you went through.

Me_Hi · 02-02-2011, 01:11 PM

I am so sorry to hear your missfortune....There are used engine with very low miles on ebay from reputable sellers. I will look into it as it's only around 3k, doesn't hurt to offer them 3k shipped.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E...Q5fAccessories

Gavin@MMW · 02-02-2011, 01:22 PM

Crevier sucks.

You need to get out of the OC/LA to get good service, Steve Thomas is the place to go.

I hope it all works out for you bro.

Me_Hi · 02-02-2011, 04:06 PM

Let's hope you're not right. I have a very early edition 2006 e90. If shit hits the fan I'll do a LS1 conversion

k3m0-330i · 02-02-2011, 04:58 PM

sucks man idk i heard that bmw na helps people. not true i had 2 big problems and they didnt even help with one.. i filed a good will repair and a complait and still nothing. i have to say bmw service sucks. ^ naa not ls1, ls2 ftw

e90pilot · 02-02-2011, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k3m0-330i

sucks man idk i heard that bmw na helps people. not true i had 2 big problems and they didnt even help with one.. i filed a good will repair and a complait and still nothing. i have to say bmw service sucks. ^ naa not ls1, ls2 ftw

Screw it. LS9!

Anyway, I've had good luck with BMW. I had a bad AC compressor and a bad water pump. Total the car was in the shop for just over a month. I complained to BMW saying how could a brand new car have such major issues. I was in Phoenix at the time an the dealership did not have loaners. I drove a Toyota Solara for a month... BMW made a month's lease payment for me. Although the first person I talked to said, "I understand your frustration, you can't expect us to compensate you everytime your car has an issue."

Onurkneez4nghi · 02-02-2011, 07:51 PM

um does it sound like this http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=471867 ??????

sounds start at :28

let me know if im going through the same thing as u...

slim_e90 · 02-02-2011, 10:05 PM

sorry to hear this... i think you have a good case here since you had repeatedly reported the symptoms while under warranty only to have had the dealer misdiagnose over and over. finally the symptoms lead to a fatal collapse, so now it shouldn't be your issue that this happend 25k after warranty ended... essentially it's your original service ticket that should be reopened from the time you first took it in for the symptom (grinding noise)

Shorting · 02-04-2011, 10:05 AM

ya thanks everyone ya its been a really interesting experiance.. what i posted was a portion of the 3 1/2 page letter i wrote to bmw and emailed some of the higer ups there too.

i am waiting to hear if they are whilling to do anything about it, so far i emailed them sunday night and only heard back from the automatic respoce team lol.

ya i checked out a lawyer and im not sure if that would do much good since the lemon law needs to have 3 of the same issue..

HONESTLY.... i am really worried about my engine, i talked to my mechanic and he said he wont know what the hell is going on specificly and how much of the engine got ruined... i drove the car while the car was having all these issues not knowing what they were and if the car has had this issue for several year i dont know how that has effected the long term life span of my engine.

i bought the car cash on the day of deleivery so i am very invested in the car and would like to keep it.. but if the engine is trashed then i am going to have an intersting time trying to figure out what im going to do next..

btw it costs $1200 just for the tech to open up the top part of the engine and figure out which and how many parts are broken in there... after that the bill just get higher

urnuts · 02-04-2011, 05:40 PM

I know.... everybody says that (always, it seems) but there are, in fact, times when it's appropriate.
Only because it's relevant; Took my Pathfinder to my local tech; "Turbine Speed Sensor in Tranny is bad"
Still under warranty so I bring to Nissan. "Nope- it's the _______"
"OK, well can you please just have the tech double-check that the sensor is ok because...." (I'm always nice- never arrogant or a smart-ass).
All that request would have involved was their tech feeling the top of the tranny (where the sensor is) and seeing it was wet with fluid.
"NO!" was their response.
They "fix" the tranny and, of course, there's a puddle under the car the next morning.
I bring it back. Wonder of wonders.... It's the sensor. Imagine that.
Good luck, take no $hit and keep us updated.

Me_Hi · 02-04-2011, 05:58 PM

seriously man, if you can't get BMW to pay for this and you have to pay from your pocket, just buy a used angine from ebay. It will be a lot cheaper.....

GStar1 · 02-04-2011, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Me_Hi

seriously man, if you can't get BMW to pay for this and you have to pay from your pocket, just buy a used angine from ebay. It will be a lot cheaper.....

Good idea

On the other hand, I am positive that Crevier diagnosed the simple repairs such as the fuel injectors being dirty as a precautionary diagnosis before they deemed the eccentric shafts the problem..... Just to get the normal causes of why the car runs bad sometimes. Usual clients don't use premium fuel "all the time" and that can cause carbon build up quickly and can make the car run pretty bad. So with that being said, how many times have you taken the car there to be diagnosed?

micah_675 · 02-05-2011, 01:14 AM

Actually the lemon law applies if you have taken the car to the dealership 3 times with the SAME complaint. Regardless if anything was done. Now that it is determined what is wrong, that justifies the lemon law.

very interesting information on valvetronic and VANOS....

http://www.usautoparts.net/bmw/techn...alvetronic.htm

God BMW made this more complicated that it needs to be. Go read how VVT-i works or VTEC, both are WAY more simplistic in design. Honestly look at how it works, if your essentric shaft is the issue, then no it would never give you a CEL.
here is the break down of our valvetrain.

http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...48&hg=11&fg=25
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...47&hg=11&fg=25

Using the other link you can see how they interface and work together. It sounds like you might not actually have an essentric shaft problem per say. I believe your issue began as a lubrication issue. Grinding is only created by metal on metal contact. There is no other explination for it. Therefore your engine lubrication system is probably severely damaged. That being said, I would be willing to bet your entire valvetrain is damaged. There will most definitely be extensive damage to your lifter assymblys. Since the camshaft is still the driving force for lift our motors, it would reasonable to assume that is where the extent of the grinding and damage has come from. I would definitely FORCE them to pull the valve cover off. I have a feeling your head will need extensive overhaul. Honestly, getting a new head will be cheaper than a new motor. Not to mention much easier to replace. That is assuming the lower portion of your engine has not sustained any damage as a result of improper lubrication.

It is important to note that the essentric shaft does NOT rotate 360 degrees. It is not capable of doing so as per the drawings and actual pictures I have seen. Therefore it is safe to say that the grinding is most definitely not from there. I would get a second opinion on your car. Take it to a shop that will actually pull the valvecover and look to see what is damaged. That is the best course of action. If you cannot afford it or do not want to pay for that. Do it yourself. Its a very simple task, and then have the car towed to a dealer with the valvecover off. Since it seems BMW is not interested in helping you currently.

Shorting · 02-05-2011, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GStar1

Good idea

On the other hand, I am positive that Crevier diagnosed the simple repairs such as the fuel injectors being dirty as a precautionary diagnosis before they deemed the eccentric shafts the problem..... Just to get the normal causes of why the car runs bad sometimes. Usual clients don't use premium fuel "all the time" and that can cause carbon build up quickly and can make the car run pretty bad. So with that being said, how many times have you taken the car there to be diagnosed?

the reason i went to crevier was because the owner/mechanic at the shop that i took it too recently had spoken to one of the tech at crevier before i took it them to talk about the part and if they had ever seen this item break before and if they had any experience/ knowledge warranty or recall information. so i thought that by taking it there they would have a better understanding of how to help me. but my car has been there 2 times

the reason i was upset at crevier was because of the following

1. They had the car for 3 days to tell me that it was the MAF sensor that was broken. They told me they put a new maf sensor on and the car started fine.
then they call me back after i got on their case and came back saying "ohh, well its not the maf sensor..." it wasnt the MAF because the car at the time would start up fine after the engine was warm. now it wont.

2. They call me back and say oh you have to clean your fuel injectors because that will cause the car not to start. Now if they said "oh your injectors are dirty" that would be different but they were making assumptions and trying to get me to shell out money for them to put fuel injector cleaner in my gas tank and charge me almost $300 for a MAYBE (because you are too lazy to actually know how to diagnose a car that doesnt show any compute faults, errors or any other malfunction yet it wont start and i just bought a brand new OEM battery...

-now ya maybe but from the couple engineers that i have spoken to about that they all said the car was too new and had two little miles and i have been the only driver and only put chevron 91 in the car.

3. I told them when i brought it in i had it diagnosed prior to bringing it in. i did not tell them what the issue was because i wanted them to actually work and maybe see if they could do any thing more, well they had it for a week and they didnt get it right until i told them what part of the engine the shop had found the issue in.

4. not to bash more but i spent $400 there and over a week with out my car and had the SA try to convince me that a fuel injection cleaning system and a new MAF sensor would solve the problem to get the car re-diagnosed and they didnt even bother washing my car

there is more but i cant go on an on

i had taken it to sterling bmw gosh at least i had mentioned it 2-4 or more times about that noise when i would take it in regularly for its maintenance

I know all of this might sound like im ranting and really its just unfortunate for all of us. It bad for me that ive been told my not only 2 dealership im wrong but also BMWNA who told me i was wrong too

This is where i look at how much it must suck for the engineers at BMW to work so hard to make these car but they are on the sidelines while the reps, and the SA, and sales assist. and customer service are the ones who are in direct contact with the customer and make someone who bought the car for many specific reason one of which was i thought was when you buy quality you receive better service... well so far im not impressed

its like going to a doctor and saying "hey i have a weird lump on my body can you check it out" and saying oh that just from the burger you at last week but really its cancer and you wait and then you get sick and... well you guys get the picture

really im just letting everyone know, this was such a rare unique problem and i don't know if anyone or if it was just me will have this problem but for future use

Shorting · 02-05-2011, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by micah_675

Actually the lemon law applies if you have taken the car to the dealership 3 times with the SAME complaint. Regardless if anything was done. Now that it is determined what is wrong, that justifies the lemon law.

very interesting information on valvetronic and VANOS....

http://www.usautoparts.net/bmw/techn...alvetronic.htm

God BMW made this more complicated that it needs to be. Go read how VVT-i works or VTEC, both are WAY more simplistic in design. Honestly look at how it works, if your essentric shaft is the issue, then no it would never give you a CEL.
here is the break down of our valvetrain.

http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...48&hg=11&fg=25
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...47&hg=11&fg=25

Using the other link you can see how they interface and work together. It sounds like you might not actually have an essentric shaft problem per say. I believe your issue began as a lubrication issue. Grinding is only created by metal on metal contact. There is no other explination for it. Therefore your engine lubrication system is probably severely damaged. That being said, I would be willing to bet your entire valvetrain is damaged. There will most definitely be extensive damage to your lifter assymblys. Since the camshaft is still the driving force for lift our motors, it would reasonable to assume that is where the extent of the grinding and damage has come from. I would definitely FORCE them to pull the valve cover off. I have a feeling your head will need extensive overhaul. Honestly, getting a new head will be cheaper than a new motor. Not to mention much easier to replace. That is assuming the lower portion of your engine has not sustained any damage as a result of improper lubrication.

It is important to note that the essentric shaft does NOT rotate 360 degrees. It is not capable of doing so as per the drawings and actual pictures I have seen. Therefore it is safe to say that the grinding is most definitely not from there. I would get a second opinion on your car. Take it to a shop that will actually pull the valvecover and look to see what is damaged. That is the best course of action. If you cannot afford it or do not want to pay for that. Do it yourself. Its a very simple task, and then have the car towed to a dealer with the valvecover off. Since it seems BMW is not interested in helping you currently.

reading this was perfect

my shop owner who grew up in germany racing these cars back in the 70s said exactly the same information. i just dont have his experience and knowledge to understand how it all works. but yes you are so correct, he did say that there was a problem with the cams and that the lifter assembly would not open properly if at all and that is why i was getting such bad performance.

But yes you are correct the lower portion of the engine should be fine at least from what he said too. i guess the valvetronic and lifters are all on the top portion.

Thanks soo much for sharing and helping make more sense of all this for me and everyone else. its such a complicated system and i cant remember or even try to explain every detail ..

micah_675 · 02-05-2011, 02:10 AM

NP man. I enjoy learning about technology, so doing reseach like that is fun for me. Looks like I will be discussing the lifter replacement or possibly a head replacement with the dealer that sold me my car. I do get the ticking, not as pronounced as some of the videos I have seen, however it is pronounced enough I can hear it with the hood closed (barely). I honestly have no idea what BMW was thinking when they designed such a rediculously comlicated system. Rule of thumb is the more moving parts the easier it is to break. I am sorry to hear of your troubles. I would print out this information and let them know this most definitely is a manufacture defect, and NOT something you could have affected on your own. Assuming you have your oil changes documented they cant argue with you at all.

02-02-2011, 01:34 AM	#1
Shorting Private First Class 14 Rep 110 Posts Drives: LCI 335i Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: OC, Ca iTrader: (0)	My story w/ the N52 Eccentric shaft est. repair $3-6K in repairs Here is my on going story I have a 2006 e90 330i i had had been getting very strange grinding sound since i bought the car new back in 2006 after about 20k miles i it started getting worse and took it into the shop several times and they kept telling my it was the cats burning off extra emissions which was incorrect since the cats have no moving parts. After that extremely frustrating experience and seemingly waste of time, I lived with the car making that sound nearly every morning for the next 50k miles until December 2010. I started my car in mid-afternoon, So Cal 71 degree weather, heard the same grinding sound, per usual, then the engine revved higher than usual…. up to nearly the 2900 RPM range and then completely stalled and shut off. (I have an automatic transmission.) Everyday after that, things progressively got worse. At times, the car would start and stall several times and others it would not start until two attempts, smoke would blow out the exhaust and my MPG was down. I knew that something was horribly wrong. I took the car into the Mercedes/BMW shop and they concluded that the car had an eccentric shaft problem and there could be three things wrong with it on the internals of the engine and the only way to find out was by taking the engine apart to diagnose the problem. It was concluded that every time the car would start, the cylinder timing would be completely thrown off and the valves would not open properly. This causes the engine to have valvetronic issues, as I am sure you are well aware. The shop did not charge me a penny, washed the car for me because they felt bad that my car had gone from possibly having a minor malfunction to having a serious engine problem. This highly experienced, BMW trained technician indicated that they had “never seen a BMW have a problem like this and that there was nothing that I could have done to have break on the car and if it ever did, it should have never had broken in such low miles and age for the vehicle.” They also stated that this was related to the grinding sound that I had been complaining about in the past, which no one could properly diagnose. By now my car would take one to two minutes to start. I would press the start button several times and the engine would try to turn over but it felt like nothing was moving in the engine. Amazingly, all during the course of these problems, there has not been one ‘check engine’ light or any malfunction warning at all. The shop called another local dealership, Crevier BMW, and spoke with a tech who indicated that there could be a possible recall and to have me call BMWNA to log a complaint. I called BMWNA Monday morning and spoke with a representative who instructed me to take it in to a BMW dealership for diagnosis and report back upon completion. The car was delivered to Crevier BMW that same evening. Thursday I receive a call from Crevier BMW wherein I am told that the fuel injectors need to be cleaned, the MAF sensor in the air filter is broken and there is carbon build up in the engine. Amazing! I am hearing that my car would not start in the morning, or at any time when it was left to sit for over 8 hours, solely because of dirty injectors and a broken MAF sensor. (Especially since the local shop had indicated that the car had an internal problem.) I report Crevier’s diagnosis back to the local shop and was told that, “there was no way in hell that it could be dirty fuel injectors and a broken MAF sensor! We checked it and the dealership is just trying to rip you off. I worked at a dealership for 4 years and this is the kind of ‘b.s.’ that made me quit my job.” I have exclusively used premium fuel, the shop checked the fuel pump, fuel pressure and it was all ‘OK’ and to spec. I instruct Crevier BMW to look the car over again. They insist that they are correct and want to proceed with their ‘estimated’ $600.00 cleaning service. I would not relent and demand that they look the car over again! The car was again evaluated and by that Friday night I received a call from Crevier stating that, “There is an eccentric shaft problem and that was the reason the car was not starting nor running properly.” I immediately call BMWNA to report the dealership’s diagnosis. I was told that there was nothing BMWNA could do for me because the car was out of warranty, notwithstanding the fact that I repeatedly reported the problem while the car was still under warranty. I even explained Thursday’s misdiagnosis by Crevier BMW, “cleaning service, MAF filter”, and Friday’s egregious conclusion, only to learn that BMWNA “back up their technicians at the dealerships 100%.” My car now sits in my drive way because the last time i drove it the car would only go 22MPH even while flooring the accelerator pedal and then completely stalled in the middle of the street on my way back to my house. I contacted BMWNA to see what my options are, and i will keep everyone posted on the condition of the car and if why and how this happend on a car that has 75k miles and has never been on a race track and has 80% of those miles highway miles. it doesn't had up IMO Just letting the N52 engine community know what might lurks out there for this engine. i may have been unlucky and got a lemon but who knows Just sharing
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02-02-2011, 02:08 AM	#2
XieJin Private First Class 10 Rep 197 Posts Drives: '15 M235i xDrive Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Sweden iTrader: (0)	Sucks man =( Keep us posted!
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02-02-2011, 10:28 AM	#3
LaLakers91tc Lieutenant Colonel 51 Rep 1,860 Posts Drives: BSM E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lawrenceville NJ iTrader: (5)	that sound's incredibly frustrating I wish you the best of luck op __________________ Current 07 BSM E92 335i Previous SGM E90 330i (R.I.P.)
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02-02-2011, 10:34 AM	#4
guerilla twang I do my crosswords in pen. 17 Rep 751 Posts Drives: OEM+ 330i Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: KCMO iTrader: (6)	Wowzas. I feel really bad for you OP. BMWNA owes you a new engine. __________________ GRUPPE TITAN Midwest
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02-02-2011, 11:07 AM	#5
3002 tii Lieutenant General 2282 Rep 12,565 Posts Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: CT iTrader: (99) Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75] E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.24]	time to get a lawyer... __________________ Follow for latest mods
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02-02-2011, 11:23 AM	#6
OlivaresAnthony Colonel 101 Rep 2,095 Posts Drives: 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD OR 4x4 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: San Diego, CA iTrader: (6) Garage List 2019 Toyota Tacoma ... [0.00] 2015 BMW 535i [0.00]	Sounds like you've put up with quite a bit of b.s. I hope everything works out for you OP. Good luck and let us know what happens. __________________ E90 325i\|Sparkling Graphite Metallic\|Steptronic\|Black Leatherette/Dark Burl Interior\|OEM Alarm\|35%Front/5%Rear Tint\|RD LED License Plate Lights\|Rear Fogs Activated\|Debadged\|Smoked Sidemarkers\|Blacklines\|Depo P90v2\|Matte Black Grille\|BMS PBX\|AFE Drop In\|Charcoal Filter Delete\|Air Scoops\| RM Silicone Intake Hose\| Magnaflow 14815\| 19" Avant Garde M310\|Continental DWS\|M3 Lip Spoiler
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02-02-2011, 11:46 AM	#7
ttam Major 39 Rep 1,111 Posts Drives: Chevrolet movie theater Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: SoCal iTrader: (19)	Keep us posted on the results OP. Sorry to hear the BS you went through.
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02-02-2011, 01:11 PM	#8
Me_Hi Major 34 Rep 1,488 Posts Drives: * Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: * iTrader: (13)	I am so sorry to hear your missfortune....There are used engine with very low miles on ebay from reputable sellers. I will look into it as it's only around 3k, doesn't hurt to offer them 3k shipped. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E...Q5fAccessories __________________
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02-02-2011, 01:22 PM	#9
Gavin@MMW Brigadier General 406 Rep 3,879 Posts Drives: MMW Supercharged E90 328i Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: 818/805 iTrader: (18)	Crevier sucks. You need to get out of the OC/LA to get good service, Steve Thomas is the place to go. I hope it all works out for you bro.
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02-02-2011, 04:06 PM	#10
Me_Hi Major 34 Rep 1,488 Posts Drives: * Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: * iTrader: (13)	Let's hope you're not right. I have a very early edition 2006 e90. If shit hits the fan I'll do a LS1 conversion __________________
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02-02-2011, 04:58 PM	#11
k3m0-330i Major 73 Rep 1,375 Posts Drives: 08 335xi Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Albany Ny iTrader: (12) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	sucks man idk i heard that bmw na helps people. not true i had 2 big problems and they didnt even help with one.. i filed a good will repair and a complait and still nothing. i have to say bmw service sucks. ^ naa not ls1, ls2 ftw __________________ Current 2008 M6 e63 v10 6mt Current 2012 e70 x5 35i -jb4 2008 335xi e92- Sold 2007 335i e90 - Sold 2002 Taig / Red / / / M3 - SOLD
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02-02-2011, 07:51 PM	#13
Onurkneez4nghi Captain 87 Rep 606 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Louisiana iTrader: (8) Garage List 2006 330i [8.60]	um does it sound like this http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=471867 ?????? sounds start at :28 let me know if im going through the same thing as u...
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02-02-2011, 10:05 PM	#14
slim_e90 First Lieutenant 13 Rep 343 Posts Drives: BSM E-88 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Naaaashville, TN iTrader: (4)	sorry to hear this... i think you have a good case here since you had repeatedly reported the symptoms while under warranty only to have had the dealer misdiagnose over and over. finally the symptoms lead to a fatal collapse, so now it shouldn't be your issue that this happend 25k after warranty ended... essentially it's your original service ticket that should be reopened from the time you first took it in for the symptom (grinding noise) __________________ \|move over... please\|
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02-04-2011, 10:05 AM	#15
Shorting Private First Class 14 Rep 110 Posts Drives: LCI 335i Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: OC, Ca iTrader: (0)	ya thanks everyone ya its been a really interesting experiance.. what i posted was a portion of the 3 1/2 page letter i wrote to bmw and emailed some of the higer ups there too. i am waiting to hear if they are whilling to do anything about it, so far i emailed them sunday night and only heard back from the automatic respoce team lol. ya i checked out a lawyer and im not sure if that would do much good since the lemon law needs to have 3 of the same issue.. HONESTLY.... i am really worried about my engine, i talked to my mechanic and he said he wont know what the hell is going on specificly and how much of the engine got ruined... i drove the car while the car was having all these issues not knowing what they were and if the car has had this issue for several year i dont know how that has effected the long term life span of my engine. i bought the car cash on the day of deleivery so i am very invested in the car and would like to keep it.. but if the engine is trashed then i am going to have an intersting time trying to figure out what im going to do next.. btw it costs $1200 just for the tech to open up the top part of the engine and figure out which and how many parts are broken in there... after that the bill just get higher
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02-04-2011, 05:40 PM	#16
urnuts First Lieutenant 18 Rep 392 Posts Drives: '06 330i (the now "slow" bmw) Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Southern NH iTrader: (0)	Yup- Lawyer I know.... everybody says that (always, it seems) but there are, in fact, times when it's appropriate. Only because it's relevant; Took my Pathfinder to my local tech; "Turbine Speed Sensor in Tranny is bad" Still under warranty so I bring to Nissan. "Nope- it's the _______" "OK, well can you please just have the tech double-check that the sensor is ok because...." (I'm always nice- never arrogant or a smart-ass). All that request would have involved was their tech feeling the top of the tranny (where the sensor is) and seeing it was wet with fluid. "NO!" was their response. They "fix" the tranny and, of course, there's a puddle under the car the next morning. I bring it back. Wonder of wonders.... It's the sensor. Imagine that. Good luck, take no $hit and keep us updated.
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02-04-2011, 05:58 PM	#17
Me_Hi Major 34 Rep 1,488 Posts Drives: * Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: * iTrader: (13)	seriously man, if you can't get BMW to pay for this and you have to pay from your pocket, just buy a used angine from ebay. It will be a lot cheaper..... __________________
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02-05-2011, 01:14 AM	#19
micah_675 Second Lieutenant 71 Rep 282 Posts Drives: 2024 M2 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Georgia iTrader: (0) Garage List 2024 M2 [0.00]	Actually the lemon law applies if you have taken the car to the dealership 3 times with the SAME complaint. Regardless if anything was done. Now that it is determined what is wrong, that justifies the lemon law. very interesting information on valvetronic and VANOS.... http://www.usautoparts.net/bmw/techn...alvetronic.htm God BMW made this more complicated that it needs to be. Go read how VVT-i works or VTEC, both are WAY more simplistic in design. Honestly look at how it works, if your essentric shaft is the issue, then no it would never give you a CEL. here is the break down of our valvetrain. http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...48&hg=11&fg=25 http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...47&hg=11&fg=25 Using the other link you can see how they interface and work together. It sounds like you might not actually have an essentric shaft problem per say. I believe your issue began as a lubrication issue. Grinding is only created by metal on metal contact. There is no other explination for it. Therefore your engine lubrication system is probably severely damaged. That being said, I would be willing to bet your entire valvetrain is damaged. There will most definitely be extensive damage to your lifter assymblys. Since the camshaft is still the driving force for lift our motors, it would reasonable to assume that is where the extent of the grinding and damage has come from. I would definitely FORCE them to pull the valve cover off. I have a feeling your head will need extensive overhaul. Honestly, getting a new head will be cheaper than a new motor. Not to mention much easier to replace. That is assuming the lower portion of your engine has not sustained any damage as a result of improper lubrication. It is important to note that the essentric shaft does NOT rotate 360 degrees. It is not capable of doing so as per the drawings and actual pictures I have seen. Therefore it is safe to say that the grinding is most definitely not from there. I would get a second opinion on your car. Take it to a shop that will actually pull the valvecover and look to see what is damaged. That is the best course of action. If you cannot afford it or do not want to pay for that. Do it yourself. Its a very simple task, and then have the car towed to a dealer with the valvecover off. Since it seems BMW is not interested in helping you currently. Last edited by micah_675; 02-05-2011 at 01:44 AM..
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02-05-2011, 02:10 AM	#22
micah_675 Second Lieutenant 71 Rep 282 Posts Drives: 2024 M2 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Georgia iTrader: (0) Garage List 2024 M2 [0.00]	NP man. I enjoy learning about technology, so doing reseach like that is fun for me. Looks like I will be discussing the lifter replacement or possibly a head replacement with the dealer that sold me my car. I do get the ticking, not as pronounced as some of the videos I have seen, however it is pronounced enough I can hear it with the hood closed (barely). I honestly have no idea what BMW was thinking when they designed such a rediculously comlicated system. Rule of thumb is the more moving parts the easier it is to break. I am sorry to hear of your troubles. I would print out this information and let them know this most definitely is a manufacture defect, and NOT something you could have affected on your own. Assuming you have your oil changes documented they cant argue with you at all.
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