[andydutton]

Hi,

After 1 1/2 weeks iv had my first minor problem.

Car is E92 - 325i 2008 N53

Just done my usual commute into work of about 12 miles - 3 miles of A road and 9 of Motorway at about 60mph.

Just as i was coming to the end of my run, the orange engine warning light came on, and as i came to a halt on the traffic lights on the motorway slip road, engine idle was rough, vibrations through the pedals, idle moving around between 400-600rpm. Engine temp was on the floor. Joined my next section of motorway and reduced speed to about 50mph as it was quiet for my last few miles, gradually engine temp picked up and on exiting that final stretch, the lights went off on the slip road and as i came to a halt idle was fine for the rest of the trip.

What could this have been, iv read lots of horror stories about injectors, coil packs etc and its one of the reasons i chose the 6 pot over the 320i.

Can i be expecting more of this, or was it just a one off due to lack of temp?

Any help much appreciated.

Andy

[nik patel]

Probably best to start with plugging in the diagnostics to see what codes pop uo.

[andydutton]

Thanks for the reply Nik.

Would it have stored that code from this morning now the light is off? Sorry i know very little about this.

I have a mate who should be able to use his equipment, hope it doesn't come back, got a basic year warranty that i imagine will be of little to no worth.

[Jamie_E92]

Hi Andy sorry to hear of your woes, but the N53 early engines weren't the most reliable due to their high pressure fuel injection. They are notorious for eating through fuel pumps injectors & coilpacks much like the N46 320i sadly. Id get it plugged in but the sypmtoms sound simllar to what i had with mine which was two failed injectors. Hope you get it resolved.

[silver07335i]

Originally Posted by andydutton

Thanks for the reply Nik.

Would it have stored that code from this morning now the light is off? Sorry i know very little about this.

I have a mate who should be able to use his equipment, hope it doesn't come back, got a basic year warranty that i imagine will be of little to no worth.

Yes, the code is saved until it's cleared manually. Use your friend's diagnostic reader and post your results.

[andydutton]

Light back on on the drive home. It seems to be when i give it any juice, and by this i mean 25-50%. I read another post that said turn the engine off and on and the light goes which it did for about 5 mins then back on. Tried this again, no such luck for the remainder of the trip. Runs ok at gentle cruising speeds but then at idle is really rough, revs trying to dip below 400rpm.

Where do i stand with my independant garage on this? Iv had the car less than two weeks?

It also came with a basic warranty from the AA, which covers some engine and electric parts, but i imagine not the ones that matter. Just looked through the policy and it covers the below apparently, not sure what the excess is.

Fuel: fuel lift pump (mechanical or electrical),petrol injection pump
Electrical: ignition coil

Im yet to get to my mates for a reading, but may run it in to my trusted local garage tomorrow for a look over. Really not happy.

Any continued help, much appreciated.

Andy

[andydutton]

Originally Posted by Jamie_E92

Hi Andy sorry to hear of your woes, but the N53 early engines weren't the most reliable due to their high pressure fuel injection. They are notorious for eating through fuel pumps injectors & coilpacks much like the N46 320i sadly. Id get it plugged in but the sypmtoms sound simllar to what i had with mine which was two failed injectors. Hope you get it resolved.

I could cry, i was dubious about getting rid of my last car which was really reliable for 4 years for something more interesting. If this is 'interesting' im not interested!

Just out of interest what did your failed injectors cost and was this the end of it?

Going to run it in to my local garage tomorrow to have a look over it.

[whateva411]

It sounds similar to what was happening to my 325i. That turned out to have faulty injectors and coils!

[Jamie_E92]

It cost circa £899 for diagnosing 2 injectors & 2 coilpacks, I'm sure this will be covered under the AA warranty though

[andydutton]

Originally Posted by whateva411

It sounds similar to what was happening to my 325i. That turned out to have faulty injectors and coils!

Do you mind me asking how much it cost to fix and did it do the trick?

Just working out how many banks i need to rob!

[andydutton]

Originally Posted by Jamie_E92

It cost circa £899 for diagnosing 2 injectors & 2 coilpacks, I'm sure this will be covered under the AA warranty though

Im hoping so, it just fills me with dread. Honda Jazz for me next!

[whateva411]

Originally Posted by andydutton

Do you mind me asking how much it cost to fix and did it do the trick?

Just working out how many banks i need to rob!

My car was a 08 325i. Initially I only noticed a mild missfire and the revs kept fluctuating a lot at idle. The car then began to vibrate a lot and the revs weren't stable and there was a lot of smoke coming out the exhaust.

Thankfully I had all the coils and injectors replaced under warranty.

Best thing to do is run some diagnostics on it and see what codes it throws up. Coils were roughly £40 each and injectors were around £150 each from ECP.

[andydutton]

Originally Posted by whateva411

My car was a 08 325i. Initially I only noticed a mild missfire and the revs kept fluctuating a lot at idle. The car then began to vibrate a lot and the revs weren't stable and there was a lot of smoke coming out the exhaust.

Thankfully I had all the coils and injectors replaced under warranty.

Best thing to do is run some diagnostics on it and see what codes it throws up. Coils were roughly £40 each and injectors were around £150 each from ECP.

Have i read correctly on some of the 320i problem pages that they have updated all of these parts and bosch have produced an upgraded part.

Thanks for the info on ECP. How much did the labour come to out of interest?

[eddiem74]

Could you not check with a main dealer to see if there is any quality enhancements (QEC) outstanding on the car?

My 2008 E92 325i (N53) had all coils replaced in 2012 while I had the car in for something else, dealer approached me and asked could they do it. Prior owner also had the Air filter housing and High Pressure Pump done as a result of the same.

[whateva411]

Originally Posted by andydutton

Have i read correctly on some of the 320i problem pages that they have updated all of these parts and bosch have produced an upgraded part.

Thanks for the info on ECP. How much did the labour come to out of interest?

My repair was done under the BMW recall. Just give your local BMW service department a ring and ask them to check any outstanding recalls on your car,

[andydutton]

Originally Posted by whateva411

My repair was done under the BMW recall. Just give your local BMW service department a ring and ask them to check any outstanding recalls on your car,

Could you not check with a main dealer to see if there is any quality enhancements (QEC) outstanding on the car?

My 2008 E92 325i (N53) had all coils replaced in 2012 while I had the car in for something else, dealer approached me and asked could they do it. Prior owner also had the Air filter housing and High Pressure Pump done as a result of the same.

Thanks, i will look into this. Just dropped it off at my local inde just to have a look at the codes for now. I will try my two local BMW service centres to see if they have the same story on the recalls. And failing that get in touch with the AA about the warranty, my local garage just gave a glowing review of these warranties so hopefully should be able to get it sorted.

Have you all had (touch wood) trouble free running since the BMW recall?

Thanks,

Andy

[andydutton]

Originally Posted by whateva411

My repair was done under the BMW recall. Just give your local BMW service department a ring and ask them to check any outstanding recalls on your car,

Also do you mind me asking which dealer you used. Im surrounded by Williams garages in Manchester, so I'm going to ring a few and see if they can get there stories straight.

Thanks,

Andy

[andydutton]

UPDATE - Garage got back to me. Passed on the following codes:

3104, 2AEC, 29D2.

The last code is the cause of the other ones apparently and it shows a failure on the coil on cylinder 6.

I have been advised to change all coils and that the spark plugs are due a change as they are still appear to be on the original set at 48k.

He said the price of the coil directly from BMW has come down a lot recently and one of his connections in the parts office there said they are sending lots out! He gets them for 17 quid plus VAT each and NGK spark plugs for 8 quid each plus VAT. with his labour inc VAT he quoted me £264. The warranty would only potentially cover the faulty part plus id have to pay an excess so it might not be worth it for the hassle.

If that cures it thats not as bad a figure as i have seen elsewhere and i trust the guy 100%.

Im going to give BMW a call to see if they will still cover the coils. Opinions?

[andydutton]

Fair play to BMW Williams Manchester. Booked me in for monday for all 6 coils and security software update. Happy days, hope this solves it. The spark plugs will have to wait until my next service. How much would you expect to get out of them, my service history shows they have never been changed at 48k and I'm expected to be on about 54k by the time of my next service.

Excellent service by BMW, mightily impressed.

[eddiem74]

Result

You could chance trying to get the spark plugs included while they are at it, just play dumb and ask, even if they quote for doing them might be worth it if they were never done and you have your indy price from them as reference plus seen as they are working on it already labour should be minimal, if anything.

Ask and then weigh it up.

[andydutton]

Spoke to my inde garage and he said the sparks will be fine until the next service. Im just happy BMW are doing the coils and dont want to get greedy, i just want a car that works!

BC MOTO M3 Lip spoiler arrived today, so if she behaves herself and is fine after this little hiccup she can have her present!

Will keep you posted, but im hoping once coil 6 is replaced all will be well.

[whateva411]

Result!