[steel609]

I have a 2010 328xi coupe that was in recently at my local BMW center for a full inspection since it just went over 100,000 miles.

The things they "found" were -

1. Oil Filter housing gasket leaking
2. Oil leaking around Eccentric shaft sensor
3. Oil pan gasket leak.

All leaks are very light, there are no drips or puddles under my car even if left sitting over the weekend.

I still want to replace the gaskets before they become an issue, so here's my question - If I am not getting any faults or degraded performance, would I still have to replace the actual Eccentric shaft sensor, or would just changing the gaskets be adequate? I hate the thought of throwing another couple of hundred dollars at something if I don't have to.

[kkasson]

You likely have degraded performance from the sensor but don't realize it.

There are two possible leaks from the sensor: the gasket around the sensor can leak oil outside the valve cover, and the sensor can fail internally and oil will get into the pins of the electrical connector. That is what causes performance issues.

If the sensor has failed internally and there is oil inside the connector, and you have an N51, the sensor is covered under the SULEV warranty.

[steel609]

Originally Posted by kkasson

If the sensor has failed internally and there is oil inside the connector, and you have an N51, the sensor is covered under the SULEV warranty.

Thank you for that information! I will confirm Monday morning with my dealer how they wish to proceed.

Kind of aggravating that they suggested to me it is imperative that I get this fixed asap, but did not mention that it should be covered.

Kind of odd that the only BMW dealer in central KY and they didn't know this is a warrantied item.

[Suhb]

91k miles. My car is idling rough but not misfiring. Needle will jump down 100, or up by 200. Going to dig in and look at the sensor tomorrow. I'm suspecting it's the eccentric shaft sensor. I already ordered a sensor since I'm gonna do the valve cover soon anyway, probably gonna spray it with maf cleaner and compressed air to hold me off until I have time to rip the thing apart.

[kkasson]

Originally Posted by Suhb

91k miles. My car is idling rough but not misfiring. Needle will jump down 100, or up by 200. Going to dig in and look at the sensor tomorrow. I'm suspecting it's the eccentric shaft sensor. I already ordered a sensor since I'm gonna do the valve cover soon anyway, probably gonna spray it with maf cleaner and compressed air to hold me off until I have time to rip the thing apart.

That sounds more like VANOS solenoids to me. Try cleaning them first to see if it changes it. Be careful with them...there seem to be a lot of posts lately about people stripping the threads for the mounting bolt.

Originally Posted by steel609

Kind of odd that the only BMW dealer in central KY and they didn't know this is a warrantied item.

You do have an N51, right? N51s weren't originally sold in KY, so the dealer might actually not be familiar with the warranty. It should still be covered in KY though.

[steel609]

Originally Posted by kkasson

You do have an N51, right? N51s weren't originally sold in KY, so the dealer might actually not be familiar with the warranty. It should still be covered in KY though.

Mine was originally sold in NJ, which I believe is one of the states listed.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by steel609

Mine was originally sold in NJ, which I believe is one of the states listed.

Skip the oil pan gasket. It's extremely expensive maintenance wise and could remain in its current state for another 50k or 100k miles...

It could also get worse but since there's no cost overlap in the other services you'll also be getting done the smartest option is to wait and see.

[steel609]

Does ANYONE have a name of a rep at BMWNA that I can ask for that has a clue about this California Emissions Warranty?

My dealer in KY says he is going to research this, but I don't feel confident.

The girl I spoke with at BMWNA seemed clueless too, as she was reading from the manual.