[MrDummy]

58000 miles

[infbp22]

JUST and FYI for all you customers walking in with forum info and service bulletins...

If you come into the dealer all hot-headed and know-it-all you'll be placed in the biggest dumbshit of the BMW driving dumbshits category. Trust me, there are some really stupid ones too.

The issue IS in fact the lifters. The root cause is NOT the lifters. The dealer is not to blame in most cases for this issue. The dealers have replaced so many cylinder heads and lifters that BMW has released restrictions and approval requirements to replace parts. Dealers are threatened with audit when too many of these repairs are performed.

It absolutely does not matter one bit to any technician if you waive a bulletin in their face you found on the internet. We are required by BMW NA to duplicate and isolate the noise and follow procedure or the claims will be kicked back and we can lose our jobs.

If it ticks, get your lifters done. If it still ticks... be PATIENT and COURTEOUS. The dealer has a potential to lose millions if audited. If you act like a jack-ass forum reading douche bag, you'll be the first one to be blown out the door.

[2006330xi]

As Mr Dummy has mentioned, what if the vehicle only ticks for a very short time after initial startup, but does not tick 95% of time. Would it be worth it to have a tech take a part half of the engine?

Also, I am sure we are only hearing about a small portion of vehicles on this forum. I wonder how many people have the ticking issue but it isnt loud enough or frequent enough for them to notice. Not everyone loves to freguent forums and I am sure just drive their cars. I would love to know if there are any E90s with 100K miles or more that have a ticking issue.

I am also curious to see if there is any long term effects to the engine that would cause a failure or reduced performance. Mr. Dummy stated he has 58,000 miles on his car, but presumably has not had any performance issues to date.

The 3 series is the most sold vehicle in the world, so there must be a lot of them out there with this issue that people dont even notice. What I am getting at is that, yes there is an issue, but are we only hearing about the worst cases or are there many cars out there that are failing because of this issue?

Sorry for the long rant...

[Rekla]

If you WORK for BMW NA and these are your directions from corporate headquaters, you act accordingly. Thanks for sharing.

If you OWN your BMW you do not want to be subjected to their engineering/design/production flaws. We have paid (for the car, maintenance and warranty) to enjoy a premium sports vehicle for many miles/years to come. In that case you only want the best for your vehicle, and not deal with any ticking and potential long term engine damage - especially when you are within the warranty period. Many thougths and causes have been discussed here, head replacements seem to resolve the issue in 99% of the cases. This is what works, this is what owners want and expect. Therefore, the madness will continue...

Originally Posted by infbp22

JUST and FYI for all you customers walking in with forum info and service bulletins...

If you come into the dealer all hot-headed and know-it-all you'll be placed in the biggest dumbshit of the BMW driving dumbshits category. Trust me, there are some really stupid ones too.

The issue IS in fact the lifters. The root cause is NOT the lifters. The dealer is not to blame in most cases for this issue. The dealers have replaced so many cylinder heads and lifters that BMW has released restrictions and approval requirements to replace parts. Dealers are threatened with audit when too many of these repairs are performed.

It absolutely does not matter one bit to any technician if you waive a bulletin in their face you found on the internet. We are required by BMW NA to duplicate and isolate the noise and follow procedure or the claims will be kicked back and we can lose our jobs.

If it ticks, get your lifters done. If it still ticks... be PATIENT and COURTEOUS. The dealer has a potential to lose millions if audited. If you act like a jack-ass forum reading douche bag, you'll be the first one to be blown out the door.

[mishenka]

Originally Posted by infbp22

JUST and FYI for all you customers walking in with forum info and service bulletins...

If you come into the dealer all hot-headed and know-it-all you'll be placed in the biggest dumbshit of the BMW driving dumbshits category. Trust me, there are some really stupid ones too.

The issue IS in fact the lifters. The root cause is NOT the lifters. The dealer is not to blame in most cases for this issue. The dealers have replaced so many cylinder heads and lifters that BMW has released restrictions and approval requirements to replace parts. Dealers are threatened with audit when too many of these repairs are performed.

It absolutely does not matter one bit to any technician if you waive a bulletin in their face you found on the internet. We are required by BMW NA to duplicate and isolate the noise and follow procedure or the claims will be kicked back and we can lose our jobs.

If it ticks, get your lifters done. If it still ticks... be PATIENT and COURTEOUS. The dealer has a potential to lose millions if audited. If you act like a jack-ass forum reading douche bag, you'll be the first one to be blown out the door.

Do you think that the lifters of

a jack-ass forum reading douche bag

are ticking any bit lees than anyone else's?

Do you think that BMW original warranty should be selectively honored only for certain owners and may be delayed to others if they do not behave good?

Do you think if BMW MADE a design and/or production mistake that causes the lifters to tick on a brand new vehicles, and if as a result of its legal binding agreement with a buyer to fix all manufactures defects the BMW is forced to authorize and PAY for so many pricey repairs the owner/customer/buyer should be at all concerned about the difficulties of honoring such warranty service? Do you really think that I, as a buyer, should care even one little bit, how difficult it is for BMW (or any other entity that sold me a defective product) to fix or rectify the defect?

I knew what I am paying money for: an item and the warranty for this item. That's why I paid as much as I paid. I could have paid three times less to get something cheaper and without the warranty. But I bought what I wanted to buy. BMW knew what its selling me (items and services and their obligations to me). And if you - apparently the individual who is indirectly being paid by BMW to provide such services - is telling me to shut up and pray quietly so my car gets fixed IF my attitude is "acceptable" then you should be ashamed of yourself.

[infbp22]

I definitely do not work for BMW NA and I agree the ticking noise is an issue. I'm not saying that your car shouldn't be serviced if you're a jackass either. What I am saying is, due to the high volume of these issues and the restrictions BMW has put on the dealers, this is the advice I offer to get your car fixed correctly and completely before your warranty expires.

As I said, audit is the last thing a dealer wants and if it takes turning away a few customers and not doing full replacements to keep the warranty index down, of course they will.

Regarding the ticking noise and collapse of the HVAs-
I've heard it on 100k+ E90s. I can honestly say I've never seen any complaints or witnessed and further mechanical failure, reduction of power, loss of gas mileage, etc.

As you may know the concept of the hydraulic lifter is to make up the need for minor adjustment and maintenance needed as would be required with a mechanical lifter set-up. Even if the HVAs collapse slightly and reduce this ability the vehicle is still equipped with valvetronic which can allow valve range opening adjustments of almost 10mm.

Failed HVAs may cause a need for more work from the valvetronic system and TECHNICALLY may reduce throttle response/efficient dynamics but most likely unnoticeable to even the most sensitive driver.

that being said, I really wouldn't want my BMW to tick either, especially if I have a status to uphold in my particular area.

[katsudon]

I had this ticking problem for quite a few months. A few weeks ago, my oil change light came on and off, so I checked the computer and saw that my oil change was -800 some miles OVERDUE! Don't know why the light didn't go off earlier. Anyway, so I took my car in for service and they fixed everything.

Now, the ticking noise is GONE! Literally, gone. So I'm very sure, in my case, it was just that I needed an oil change/refill.

Try that.

[larry175]

Buon Journo People
Just on. I get the ticking noise but I thought it was the tires.

[MrDummy]

Originally Posted by 2006330xi

As Mr Dummy has mentioned, what if the vehicle only ticks for a very short time after initial startup, but does not tick 95% of time. Would it be worth it to have a tech take a part half of the engine?

Also, I am sure we are only hearing about a small portion of vehicles on this forum. I wonder how many people have the ticking issue but it isnt loud enough or frequent enough for them to notice. Not everyone loves to freguent forums and I am sure just drive their cars. I would love to know if there are any E90s with 100K miles or more that have a ticking issue.

I am also curious to see if there is any long term effects to the engine that would cause a failure or reduced performance. Mr. Dummy stated he has 58,000 miles on his car, but presumably has not had any performance issues to date.

The 3 series is the most sold vehicle in the world, so there must be a lot of them out there with this issue that people dont even notice. What I am getting at is that, yes there is an issue, but are we only hearing about the worst cases or are there many cars out there that are failing because of this issue?

Sorry for the long rant...

That was Not a long rant but a well stated post my friend. I can tell you I have not noticed any loss of power or performance or even gas mileage for that matter. I average 21.5 MPG and thats 50/50 split highway/city.

I have another year and a half left on my CPO and I think I will wait to see if it gets worse before I take the chance in having them tear the head off to fix.

[youngnastyman]

i have been hearing this clicking/ticking noise since I bought my car and I have been to the dealer several times now. The first time I brought it the replaced the wastegate actuators - and the noise actually started happening more often. I brought it back complaining and they didn't do a damn thing but say to drive around in it for a while and if it continues to call them back. Brought it back to them today and the SA told me that with these problems they normally first replace the actuators, and if that doesnt work they have to replace the turbos.

--Hoping i get new turbos

[bob.g]

i noticed mine started doing it a few months ago. (im out of warranty). But its not loud, and doesnt do it all the time. WHen i got the car used off the previous owner, it didnt do it at all and he did a ton of highway. I do all city and noticed it about a year after owning. must be something to do with that.

[talisman311]

Just wondering if there has been any solid data on what the root cause of all this is. I've read and heard speculation that it was shoddy assembly to a design defect to running out of the anti-drain back valve in the head.

[youngnastyman]

Just got the car back - They said there was some bolt missing that was causing the transmission cover to rattle ( or something like that i dont have the paper in front of me ).

Said wastegates and turboes and everything were working as they should.

As soon as I got in the car i heard the damn exhaust rattle tho!!!

[tsuma]

youngnastyman and other turbo (335) owners -- the described pinging noise problem in this thread only affects , E82, E83, E88, E85, E86, E60, E61, E70, E90, E91, E92 and E93 vehicles with N51, N52 or N52K engines made before ~ November 31st 2008;, not the turbos!



and see: http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/...p/B110907g.htm

[othomasjr]

Does this cause engine damage and expensive repairs/replacement? Are there any verified accounts of this?
Mine is CPO for 2 more years, but I'm trying to decide what to do (take it in for repair or just drive it like I stole it and not repair) because I don't know yet if I will keep it after the warranty expires. It's just so hard to get BMW to repair things. I'm exhausted by dealing with them and just feeling like letting it go and driving the car.
Any advice??

[Ryan_L_330I]

[QUOTE=othomasjr;7895347]Does this cause engine damage and expensive repairs/replacement? Are there any verified accounts of this?
Mine is CPO for 2 more years, but I'm trying to decide what to do (take it in for repair or just drive it like I stole it and not repair) because I don't know yet if I will keep it after the warranty expires. It's just so hard to get BMW to repair things. I'm exhausted by dealing with them and just feeling like letting it go and driving the car.

othomasjr, this is from my personal experience and probably wont apply to every case in fact i may have a bmw lemon of the century, lol.

I first started noticing the ticking several months ago in my car and was pretty upset about it so i took a video and went to the dealer and they determined that the hva's (lifters) needed to be replaced. During the tear-down of the motor the technician inspected my cam and found that it was scored quite badly and its supporting ledge (bearing) was also damaged. This was my first trip to bmw for ticking noise. 3 weeks after hva and cam replacement the ticking noise returned only this time it was accompanied by a low whooshing sound as well. The whooshing sound is best imagined as an old washing machine with a heavy load all on one side. So as anybody would i took my car back with more video of the noise as these things have a funny way of going away close to the dealership. The technician said that he had never heard a bmw make a noise like that. The service manager made a call to bmwna i guess? something about my car being a repeat noise offender and asking what action they should take. They then took my car and replaced the head. Its been a month now and my car is now making ticking noise whooshing noises and has a very rough idle which almost causes it to stall after sitting for more than a few hours. All that being said, the dealership in halifax nova scotia is very patient with all my requests for someone to look and listen to the various noises. Also they went out of their way to make sure i was looked after and happy, even having the service manager himself drive me to work in his own car and him coming in early to help me out on more than one occasion. The customer service i received is the primary reason that i am still happy to own my BMW even with all the problems.


othomasjr,

Here are a few numbers to think about, in Canadian dollars these are from memory and could be off so dont take these as gospel:

HVA's and cam was roughly 4700 dollars give or take
The head was over 5000 canadian

Now the car is going to bmw in ottawa to be looked at and ill keep everyone up to date on whats happening to the car

cheers ryan

[gr1mmj0w]

Glad I found this, my 2006 325i is doing this. I took it in to the dealer since I'm still under warranty. They "resolved" the problem but I noticed today it is doing it again. I find it a bit troublesome that this is an ongoing problem. Especially since I am BUYING/OWNING my car.

[ttbmer]

I got my car 2 months ago, bought it used, and it started making the same noise, it was getting worst as days get cooler from summer into winter!! Just left the dealership and They told me that is a valve that makes the car warm up faster and that the rattle sound is normal specially in the winter

[Evice]

Originally Posted by ttbmer

I got my car 2 months ago, bought it used, and it started making the same noise, it was getting worst as days get cooler from summer into winter!! Just left the dealership and They told me that is a valve that makes the car warm up faster and that the rattle sound is normal specially in the winter

BULLSHIT -- Go to that dealer and say suck it. They have to change it if it is ticking. They are trying to dodge you, don't let them. Exhaust lifters

[ttbmer]

Originally Posted by Evice

BULLSHIT -- Go to that dealer and say suck it. They have to change it if it is ticking. They are trying to dodge you, don't let them. Exhaust lifters

Really?? ... The sound is not as loud and it goes away after 3 min or so!! Wount really know wa to say to them!! The car feels fine normal and the round is only when starting up the car. At if i rev at idle the sound goes away and when the idle comes down the rattle sounds but then again only when the car is cold. =|

[gr1mmj0w]

I was leaving work around 2am the other night and that's when I noticed it. It was fairly cold that night too (or should I say morning)

[Ryan_L_330I]

Originally Posted by Evice

BULLSHIT -- Go to that dealer and say suck it. They have to change it if it is ticking. They are trying to dodge you, don't let them. Exhaust lifters

"I got my car 2 months ago, bought it used, and it started making the same noise, it was getting worst as days get cooler from summer into winter!! Just left the dealership and They told me that is a valve that makes the car warm up faster and that the rattle sound is normal specially in the winter"

What the dealer has described to you is the operation of the valve in your exhaust pipe, which is used to speed up the heating of the catalytic converter and reduce low end exhaust noise. Just look inside the exhaust pipe closest to the center of the car and you will see it.

As stated above the problem is the hva lifters.

cheers
ryan