[balkanbemve]

I am brand new to this N55 platform so please help me out here.

Car: 2011 E90 N55 335i x-Drive, all stock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qn1XUy1zBE

The car makes the following sound in the 1.8-2K RPM range in park and while driving. Unscrewed the oil filter and noticed metallic-looking swirls in the oil, no obvious metal chips/shavings floating up top. I bought this car a couple of months ago and was not making this noise then. At 32,8K miles, the VANOS gear bolts were replaced under recall. Car is now at 55K, bought with 53K.

To do an oil analysis first would make the most sense. Where do things go from here though? Am I in for some serious repairs? Is it still safe to drive?

I would appreciate some advice. Thanks.

[feuer]

Sound like rid bearings. Don't drive it. We can talk repairs since you are in Chicago.

[Kev0]

Wow. Another N55 with a possible rod bearing issue. Hope it's not but feuer can help you out. When I watched your video and heard the sound, I was thinking to myself, "It doesn't sound good. Hope it's not the rod bearings."

[MartinWake]

I have the same sound man engine swapping soon 62k miles

[balkanbemve]

Originally Posted by MartinWake

I have the same sound man engine swapping soon 62k miles

How much is that going to cost you?

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Those are definitely your rod bearings. Unfortunately your engine isn't long for this world.

I think every instance of these should be sent and reported to BMW. Hopefully they can gather enough data.

[balkanbemve]

Originally Posted by feuer

Sound like rid bearings. Don't drive it. We can talk repairs since you are in Chicago.

What are the options at this point?

[Kev0]

Only 55k miles. BMW should definitely do something about it.

[balkanbemve]

Originally Posted by Kev0

Only 55k miles. BMW should definitely do something about it.

Its my first bmw too. Not even 3 months of ownership.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by balkanbemve

Its my first bmw too. Not even 3 months of ownership.

Ok so definitely I wouldn't be driving the car.

Try emailing BMW or contacting them maybe they can do something.

[feuer]

Originally Posted by balkanbemve

What are the options at this point?

We need to inspect the damage. If you lucky you might get away with just bearing replacement. But don't drive the car. Don't rev the engine. Leave it as is for now.

[Kev0]

Originally Posted by balkanbemve

Its my first bmw too. Not even 3 months of ownership.

Do you notice any oil leaks with the car or check engine light popping up? Maybe the work done while doing the Vanos recall had something to do with it.

[balkanbemve]

Originally Posted by Kev0

Do you notice any oil leaks with the car or check engine light popping up? Maybe the work done while doing the Vanos recall had something to do with it.

No cel and vcg and ofhg were clean (had an oil change last week). The recall was done under previous owner’s possesion.

[MartinWake]

Originally Posted by balkanbemve

How much is that going to cost you?

depends on what route I take 3k and up

[balkanbemve]

Originally Posted by feuer

We need to inspect the damage. If you lucky you might get away with just bearing replacement. But don't drive the car. Don't rev the engine. Leave it as is for now.

Any ball park on how much it will cost me if its just the bearings?

[feuer]

Originally Posted by balkanbemve

Any ball park on how much it will cost me if its just the bearings?

It depends whether is RWD or xDrive but usually 1/3 from an engine swap which I don't really recommend since you mind end up facing the same issue again.

[bbnks2]

thats a rod knock lol

[Pladi]

Originally Posted by balkanbemve

No cel and vcg and ofhg were clean (had an oil change last week). The recall was done under previous owner’s possesion.

Were u tuned ? What mods and boost pressure were u running.

What oil did u use ? When u changed it.

[Pladi]

Sorry this happened to you. These issues are more common than they should be. (German engineering)

Take fuer's advice and try to change them first with king bearings. When done well it might be ok. But metal in oil is very bad news.

[SnapCoupe]

That is the exact same sound in the exact same RPM range that I experienced when my rod bearings went.

Have you driven the car at all since discovering the sound? Did your car seize, die, etc at some point before the sound started to occur? Or did it just randomly start out of the blue?

If the engine did seize or die prior to the knock sound, and if you haven't driven the car since, you might be able to swap the bearings out and save the motor. If you have driven the car since, It would be really risky to try to fix it due to the high potential for a warped crank.

[lwgrenier]

This is like a weekly occurrence on this forum now. Still seems to be only 2011 models.

[Pladi]

Originally Posted by lwgrenier

This is like a weekly occurrence on this forum now. Still seems to be only 2011 models.

i wished we had an explanation for the majority of these fails so that we can try to avoid proactively somehow.

Why would it just be the 2011.

Maybe its related to a manufacturing defect with a site .I am speaking for the fails like the OP and some others. Rod knock but one rod and no seized crank.