Engine Rattle / Knock fixed via BMW Good Faith

Island Road · 06-25-2011, 03:05 PM

I have had my 335i for a few months now and I bought it out of warranty from a dealer in the Midwest and had it shipped to Boston. After a few weeks of driving I noticed that the car had some weird metal ticking. I started searching all the forums and figured it was the infamous was wastegate rattle. I spoke to the dealership were I bought the car from and it was still under warranty from them 90day/3kmiles. They advised me to take it into any BMW dealership near me and they would cover whatever the cost. So far so good although I have heard some of the horror stories of dealerships so I was a bit skeptical. The closest dealership to me was Herb Chambers BMW of Boston so there I went.

I had my sales person call the dealer ship to make sure everybody was on the same page and everything was covered and I was not going to pay a thing prior to bringing in the car. After speaking with the service rep and letting him know everything that was happening he took a lot of notes and advised me that it would all be taken care of.

Trip 1 to BMW: My Service rep tells me they checked the turbos and they are both fine and that the sound is coming from a bad solenoid in driver side rear muffler from the exhaust flap so they are going to replace it and that should fix the issue. Here the service representative also tells me that they are just going to deal with BMW USA as it would be easier than going though the dealership were I bought the car. I again make sure that I am not paying a thing and he reassures me he already put in the case to BMW USA he noted the car was out of warranty but they approved it on what they call a “Good Faith” out of warranty coverage. I was pleased as long as the issue is fixed and does not cost me anything sounds good to me.
Service rep calls the next day and says that because some update on the muffler they installed its not fitting correctly with the passenger(right) muffler so they are going to replace that one also all covered. At this point I am like great two new mufflers, but still thinking to myself not sure how that ticking can be related to the mufflers but I trust them. I get the car back did not noticed a ticket but after driving around notice my exhaust is now not as loud… but it’s new so whatever. Start the car up in the morning and notice the shaking / Engine rattle aka ticking. At this point I grab my camera and start taking some video if the issue. I call my service rep tell, let it know the issue is still apparent and I made them a DVD so they can watch a few videos of the problem.

Trip 2 to BMW: My service rep apologies that they did not correct the issue the first time and they are going to put my car on the lift that day. He also brings over the tech that will be working on my car. We go over my service history, he mentions that the injectors have already been done, and so has the fuel pump, and the car as all the current software. He asks me if I noticed anything else wrong with the car, I then remember some strange hesitation that has been happening. He thinks it might be the exhaust valves getting stuck and also goes on to say that these cars have a problem with carbon buildup and to start troubleshooting he is going to do a walnut blast on the exhaust vales. At that point I am thinking hmm sounds great but how much does that cost. Again my service rep tells me everything is covered and it’s a good thing because that job is not cheap.

Two days later I go pick up the car, speak with the service rep and also master tech. He advised me that they started the job in the morning and finished the walnut blast at 5 that afternoon so it took all day as well as replacing all new gaskets ect. The 2nd day they kept the car to make sure this issue was not happening again. I start up the car, listen for a few mins, walk around and nothing. Great seems to have corrected the issue. Next day I start up the car and nothing, finally issue solved! I also notice the butt dyno seems to have improved a bit and no bogging at all. As I admire my car in the parking lot I am not happy with the way the tips are now sitting after the they installed the new exhaust… time to call my service rep again.

Trip 3 to BMW: Me and the service rep are great friends by now. I let him know the car is doing great, I have not noticed the ticking sound anymore and the car feels a bit quicker. I show him how low the tips are sitting and he says NP give his techs a day. Well two days pass they have having trouble with the tips, apparently some of the bushings needs to be replaced and pipes from the downpipes back are somehow twisted / bent and not allowing them to line it up correctly. They have already ordered parts from Germany and just waiting for them to come in to be installed.
Finally after a few days the car is finished, my tips line up correctly, I have a new DP back stock exhaust, and walnut blasted exhaust valves! Could not be happier with my 335i and BMW. All covered 13k miles out of warranty though BMW USA.

I do have to say that Herb Chambers BMW of Boston did a great Job overall and were awesome to deal with every step of the way. Sorry for the lengthily write-up.

Below is a Video what my car was doing. You will have to listen closely as its sometimes hard to hear, but its there. This issue was fixed via Exhaust Valve Walnut blast.

taz2ko0 · 06-27-2011, 08:19 AM

Good for you. Glad to hear everything went well. Have fun with your car now.

Island Road · 06-27-2011, 10:24 PM

Has nobody had this problem before, or had this covered under warranty?

ek99civic · 03-31-2012, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by islandroad83

Has nobody had this problem before, or had this covered under warranty?

Mine sounds like this. I just took it in and was told by BMW that it is a normal sound. Doesnt sound anywhere normal to me. Sounds exactly like two parts constantly hitting each other.

AlanAZ · 03-31-2012, 10:28 AM

I'm glad you got it all resolved. Just FYI, Herb Chambers dealerships around Boston have a reputation for doing shoddy, expensive work.

Turner Motorsport is north of Boston, Newberryport? and does/did regular maintenance work on BMWs. I took my E46 there for years when I lived near Boston, it's worth the drive. Scheduling can be a bear, but if you plan ahead, no problem.

06-25-2011, 03:05 PM	#1
Island Road Major 167 Rep 1,261 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Boston iTrader: (5) Garage List 2008 335i [10.00]	Engine Rattle / Knock fixed via BMW Good Faith - out of warranty I have had my 335i for a few months now and I bought it out of warranty from a dealer in the Midwest and had it shipped to Boston. After a few weeks of driving I noticed that the car had some weird metal ticking. I started searching all the forums and figured it was the infamous was wastegate rattle. I spoke to the dealership were I bought the car from and it was still under warranty from them 90day/3kmiles. They advised me to take it into any BMW dealership near me and they would cover whatever the cost. So far so good although I have heard some of the horror stories of dealerships so I was a bit skeptical. The closest dealership to me was Herb Chambers BMW of Boston so there I went. I had my sales person call the dealer ship to make sure everybody was on the same page and everything was covered and I was not going to pay a thing prior to bringing in the car. After speaking with the service rep and letting him know everything that was happening he took a lot of notes and advised me that it would all be taken care of. Trip 1 to BMW: My Service rep tells me they checked the turbos and they are both fine and that the sound is coming from a bad solenoid in driver side rear muffler from the exhaust flap so they are going to replace it and that should fix the issue. Here the service representative also tells me that they are just going to deal with BMW USA as it would be easier than going though the dealership were I bought the car. I again make sure that I am not paying a thing and he reassures me he already put in the case to BMW USA he noted the car was out of warranty but they approved it on what they call a “Good Faith” out of warranty coverage. I was pleased as long as the issue is fixed and does not cost me anything sounds good to me. Service rep calls the next day and says that because some update on the muffler they installed its not fitting correctly with the passenger(right) muffler so they are going to replace that one also all covered. At this point I am like great two new mufflers, but still thinking to myself not sure how that ticking can be related to the mufflers but I trust them. I get the car back did not noticed a ticket but after driving around notice my exhaust is now not as loud… but it’s new so whatever. Start the car up in the morning and notice the shaking / Engine rattle aka ticking. At this point I grab my camera and start taking some video if the issue. I call my service rep tell, let it know the issue is still apparent and I made them a DVD so they can watch a few videos of the problem. Trip 2 to BMW: My service rep apologies that they did not correct the issue the first time and they are going to put my car on the lift that day. He also brings over the tech that will be working on my car. We go over my service history, he mentions that the injectors have already been done, and so has the fuel pump, and the car as all the current software. He asks me if I noticed anything else wrong with the car, I then remember some strange hesitation that has been happening. He thinks it might be the exhaust valves getting stuck and also goes on to say that these cars have a problem with carbon buildup and to start troubleshooting he is going to do a walnut blast on the exhaust vales. At that point I am thinking hmm sounds great but how much does that cost. Again my service rep tells me everything is covered and it’s a good thing because that job is not cheap. Two days later I go pick up the car, speak with the service rep and also master tech. He advised me that they started the job in the morning and finished the walnut blast at 5 that afternoon so it took all day as well as replacing all new gaskets ect. The 2nd day they kept the car to make sure this issue was not happening again. I start up the car, listen for a few mins, walk around and nothing. Great seems to have corrected the issue. Next day I start up the car and nothing, finally issue solved! I also notice the butt dyno seems to have improved a bit and no bogging at all. As I admire my car in the parking lot I am not happy with the way the tips are now sitting after the they installed the new exhaust… time to call my service rep again. Trip 3 to BMW: Me and the service rep are great friends by now. I let him know the car is doing great, I have not noticed the ticking sound anymore and the car feels a bit quicker. I show him how low the tips are sitting and he says NP give his techs a day. Well two days pass they have having trouble with the tips, apparently some of the bushings needs to be replaced and pipes from the downpipes back are somehow twisted / bent and not allowing them to line it up correctly. They have already ordered parts from Germany and just waiting for them to come in to be installed. Finally after a few days the car is finished, my tips line up correctly, I have a new DP back stock exhaust, and walnut blasted exhaust valves! Could not be happier with my 335i and BMW. All covered 13k miles out of warranty though BMW USA. I do have to say that Herb Chambers BMW of Boston did a great Job overall and were awesome to deal with every step of the way. Sorry for the lengthily write-up. Below is a Video what my car was doing. You will have to listen closely as its sometimes hard to hear, but its there. This issue was fixed via Exhaust Valve Walnut blast.
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06-27-2011, 08:19 AM	#2
taz2ko0 Aw sh!t 112 Rep 988 Posts Drives: M4 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Naples, FL iTrader: (4)	Good for you. Glad to hear everything went well. Have fun with your car now. __________________ Bigger is always better! M4
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06-27-2011, 10:24 PM	#3
Island Road Major 167 Rep 1,261 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Boston iTrader: (5) Garage List 2008 335i [10.00]	Has nobody had this problem before, or had this covered under warranty?
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03-31-2012, 10:28 AM	#5
AlanAZ Captain 40 Rep 818 Posts Drives: E90 325i sport manual Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ iTrader: (4)	I'm glad you got it all resolved. Just FYI, Herb Chambers dealerships around Boston have a reputation for doing shoddy, expensive work. Turner Motorsport is north of Boston, Newberryport? and does/did regular maintenance work on BMWs. I took my E46 there for years when I lived near Boston, it's worth the drive. Scheduling can be a bear, but if you plan ahead, no problem.
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