Are there pictures of ROD bearings that did NOT fail ?

[Merlin_83]

Greetings,

There's been plenty of pictures of ROD bearing failures many are of mid-to high mileage cars. Some are 'close-calls' where the car had maybe just a few thousand miles left and also peculiar low mileage late model units that were changed at or under 30K.

My question is, has anyone had there car in or the change out of bearings only to discover that the bearings in question are actually just fine and show typical or minimal wear?

Has to be that there have been times that it turned out the bearings were NOT failed.




Cheers,
Merlin

[admranger]

Wheel bearings? Did you mean rod bearings?

[pbonsalb]

I wait to change wheel bearings — when they make noise they still have a long way to go before they fail. I would change as preventative maintenance only if I was doing a lot of work in that area anyway such that the added labor and expense at that time made sense.

[Merlin_83]

Originally Posted by admranger

Wheel bearings? Did you mean rod bearings?

Thank you - oopsie

[ByeFelicia]

2011.5
Taken out at 70K
I am 2nd owner.

Compared to others here and what the shop (SSR) said. Not too bad.
Engine mounts were completely shot though.

In retrospect, probably could have gone further without changing.

But better be safe than sorry as I will hold on to this car.

[pbonsalb]

Most rod bearings have not failed. People change them preventatively and they almost all look bad.

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by Merlin_83

My question is, has anyone had there car in or the change out of bearings only to discover that the bearings in question are actually just fine and show typical or minimal wear?

Mine were changed out at 63K miles are were pretty much fine - some showed signs of wear but overall they likely had a lot of life left.

Still glad I changed them out. No more worrying about it, and it will make the car easier to sell when the time comes.

[Foggins]

Great post OP, I’ve been thinking about the same thing.

[pbonsalb]

I have been following the bearing issues here since I got my car 7 years ago and have seen pictures posted of probably 100 sets of bearings. Maybe 5 sets looked good. The rest looked bad. You can find all the info in the bearing threads and make your own assessment. I wish it was the other way around but it is not.

[ricardofors68]

So is this still under the "not if but when" category?

[Duk996]

OP aren't you a bmw tech? What is your experience with bearings be good/bad?

Edit: Never mind, your avatar is the same as another member who is a tech

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by ricardofors68

So is this still under the "not if but when" category?

I don’t know. My guess is that over 90% of these cars are on their original bearings and driving fine. Maybe 5% have had their bearings replaced. Maybe 1-2% have suffered engine failures. I changed mine in 2014 when the CPO warranty on my 08M3 expired. Had 60k at the time. Did the job myself and downs about $500 and 10 hours. Mine were worn beyond what I would call normal wear but not in any imminent danger. I probably could have driven a few more years. But they did have significant wear patches on the uppers, copper showing a little bit down the sides, and copper showing at the parting lines.

When could be anytime or never. Cars have failed at 6k and been driving fine at 250k.

[M_Three]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

When could be anytime or never. Cars have failed at 6k and been driving fine at 250k.

I suppose it all comes down to how an owner drives the car right? I mean if you are like me and really use the car in a moderate way, meaning rarely revving above 7000 rpm.. That most likely is very different then someone who runs 8400 every day and hits the rev limiter, right? It stands to reason that if there is even the slightest issue with clearances, it will show itself at 8400 more so then say at 5 to 7k on the tach.

I don't look at the M3 as a racing car. I use it every day and to be honest I would never need to mod it to make more power. I am on the street. It is freaking fast enough to get on and off an expressway and in and out of traffic.

Now also understand that I am 59 and remember quite well the days of my 1969 Chevelle with the 454 4 speed. Yeah, almost 40 years ago.. So I respect those that want to mod the M for more power.. But again, all that plays into the rate of failure for any car made.

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by M_Three

I suppose it all comes down to how an owner drives the car right? I mean if you are like me and really use the car in a moderate way, meaning rarely revving above 7000 rpm.. That most likely is very different then someone who runs 8400 every day and hits the rev limiter, right? It stands to reason that if there is even the slightest issue with clearances, it will show itself at 8400 more so then say at 5 to 7k on the tach.

I don't look at the M3 as a racing car. I use it every day and to be honest I would never need to mod it to make more power. I am on the street. It is freaking fast enough to get on and off an expressway and in and out of traffic.

Now also understand that I am 59 and remember quite well the days of my 1969 Chevelle with the 454 4 speed. Yeah, almost 40 years ago.. So I respect those that want to mod the M for more power.. But again, all that plays into the rate of failure for any car made.

No, there actually seems to be ZERO correlation between driving style and bearing wear. None. Zilch. You're only giving yourself false confidence.

[pbonsalb]

It’s like a lottery.

[shimmy23]

This thread is no different than the other RBs threads in this forum. Tons of pictures of failed RBs and tons of pics of minimal, normal, or concerning wear.

The majority of RB pics posted are from engines that have not failed... yet and who is to speculate how much longer these RBs could have lasted?

What is the purpose of this thread? There is already a thread with posted pics of RBs at time of removal.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

It’s like a lottery.

A lottery where you win -$15k. LeL

[deansbimmer]

Originally Posted by Obioban

No, there actually seems to be ZERO correlation between driving style and bearing wear. None. Zilch. You're only giving yourself false confidence.

This.

And failed bearings = engine grenade = lottery winner. Most photos of bearings replaced preventatively are abnormally worn, not failed. So in that sense, there's no need to start another thread over it when the hundreds of pictures posted on this forum already satisfy your request.

So if this thread is about rod bearings again, and not wheel bearings, just let it die. It's sad enough that the forum is getting to be known as a sounding board for rod bearing negativity. It's drowning out all of the positive things these cars have to offer. Just add to one of the many other existing RB threads.

[tdott]

There is a sample thread, you can see many have not failed but everyone single one shows higher than normal wear for the mileage.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Merlin_83

Thank you - oopsie

Merlin, believe you can change the titel under Edit - Advanced. Should you need to.

[LVI]

Originally Posted by Obioban

No, there actually seems to be ZERO correlation between driving style and bearing wear. None. Zilch. You're only giving yourself false confidence.

I am curious to see the evidence confirming what you're stating. Would you be kind enough to point me in the right direction? I ask because I spent the time looking at as much info as possible thats been published related to thw rod bearing issue but i have yet to see anyone make a good argument against frequent and high RPM operation without any impact on rod bearing wear. What exactly are you basing this theory on?

[Dr. Dre]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

A lottery where you win -$15k. LeL

Roastbeef, always with the great response. I completely agree. I can't believe the people even consider rolling the dice on this.

I had mine done after 2 days of ownership. If mine failed and took out the engine I would basically have an e92 M3 paperweight.

I had mine done at MRF engineering and while there he had an e90 that needed a new engine due to rod bearing failure.

The guy still owed $30k on the car and was now have to spend $20k on a used engine including install. That's $50,000 for a car that's worth maybe $25K.

This is a no brainer to spend the $2500 to get them replaced.