S65 Engine Seize at 72k miles, BMW agrees buyback.

[Yellow Snow]

Originally Posted by BMRLVR

The wheels locked up....... This would make it almost 100% sure that a bearing seized and the engine locked up.

That's quite a sweeping statement! Do you have any hard evidence that a bearing seized or is it just a guess?

There are multiple reasons that an engine can seize. Not impossible that it's a bearing but 100%? Surely not.

[4corners]

For BMW and anyone who has product liability, the risk isn't in the product failing, the risk is that you might sue them.

[whats77inaname]

OP, that ROCKS, glad your buddy helped you get that resolved.

Originally Posted by Bmw135er

Nissan will never do that if your GTR fails

*lol* really now? You must not have heard about this:

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...75-coupon.html

Others got shafted completely, and had to fork out more than 25 large after Nissan denied coverage for the GT-R shitting out the tranny.

Or this guy, who had a lsd issue that he tried to have fixed, but they denied him until it broke, then told him that they wouldn't just fix the lsd, that he had to pay out $28k for a complete tranny replacement, as they don't service just the diff.
http://www.gtrlife.com/forums/topic/...rranty-denied/

So that being said, Nissan can be just as bad as any other Co when it comes to warranty claims.

[ZEEM3R]

Originally Posted by whats77inaname

OP, that ROCKS, glad your buddy helped you get that resolved.



*lol* really now? You must not have heard about this:

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...75-coupon.html

Others got shafted completely, and had to fork out more than 25 large after Nissan denied coverage for the GT-R shitting out the tranny.

Or this guy, who had a lsd issue that he tried to have fixed, but they denied him until it broke, then told him that they wouldn't just fix the lsd, that he had to pay out $28k for a complete tranny replacement, as they don't service just the diff.
http://www.gtrlife.com/forums/topic/...rranty-denied/

So that being said, Nissan can be just as bad as any other Co when it comes to warranty claims.

I think that's what he meant lol. when he said Nissan would never do that I thought he meant Nissan would never buy it back? I could be wrong tho haha

[whats77inaname]

Originally Posted by ZEEM3R

I think that's what he meant lol. when he said Nissan would never do that I thought he meant Nissan would never buy it back? I could be wrong tho haha

You might be on to something. The way it's written, it can literally be taken either way.

[aus]

Congrats OP.

Thanks for the tip on the attorney.

You may want top make a separate thread in the Cali section labeled, Blown engine attorney or something like that so it's easier to find. I hope I never need him, but it's good to know there's someone out there that can help against BMW.

.

[Koldun]

Not that I am defending BMW, who I've had my own run-ins with, but... You really think Nissan will be any better about this? Hell, from some stories I hear, you'll need a lawyer to fix shit while still under warranty.

[L4ces]

I would suggest this going on Facebook and make it heard! But then again the consequence might be a drop in resale value and our pockets!

... some are wondering if tomorrow will be the day our car blows up.
Honestly, I sense my inner peace razzed when I think of a road trip from NJ to NC. That might be all it takes.

But I did win a nice Maurice Lacroix watch at the BME meet in Princeton today!

[sensi09]

Glad it worked out for you in the end. After your lawyer friend got involved, how long did it take to get a settlement?

I have similar mileage and with all these threads lately, I keep a close eye on my oil temp. Was hovering around the 3/4 mark today and makes me a bit nervous....before I wouldn't even think about it.

[MilehighM3]

Originally Posted by ZEEM3R

I think that's what he meant lol. when he said Nissan would never do that I thought he meant Nissan would never buy it back? I could be wrong tho haha

Correct

[HeartMD]

Originally Posted by L4ces

I would suggest this going on Facebook and make it heard! But then again the consequence might be a drop in resale value and our pockets!

... some are wondering if tomorrow will be the day our car blows up.
Honestly, I sense my inner peace razzed when I think of a road trip from NJ to NC. That might be all it takes.

[tuxblackedo]

Originally Posted by Bmw135er

In the end they did what was right and fair. I'd consider another one honestly. Nissan will never do that if your GTR fails

Not once did they treat me fairly before I got lawyers involved.

[kiloil]

How long did it take you from the day it happened until you got a check?

[tuxblackedo]

Originally Posted by nmehta211

Awesome--I saw it there and directed you here.
In the end I don't understand why bmw didn't just replace the engine rather than buying this car back.

BMW's legal department would do anything to avoid a lawsuit. On the other hand, I don't think BMW is taking the rod bearing issue seriously. Someone explained it best on fatwallet:

Originally Posted by KYBOSH from fat wallet

I have heard that these days the high end cars are being built primarily for the Lease & Dump market. Gone are the days that they are built to last. Whether it has more to do with quality or the shear complexity of these machines I do not know.

A buyer leases these cars for 2-3 years and dumps it on the second hand market. The original owners (the ones who can actually afford to go and buy a new BMW off the lot) are happy because they never experience a problem that BMW/Mercedes/etc wont bend over backwards to fix because 1) its still under warranty and 2) every single thing is being taken care of by the stealership for the first few years. That includes oil changes, tire rotations, you name it. They even give you a nice loaner car while they do their thing. Its truly a worry free experience. Hell I hear they keep applying that New Car Smell scent while you are still on lease! (I kid)

And then its time to turn it in for a newer model and you are more than happy to do so. After all, you have had no problems. Any problems you might have had was taken care of by the automaker right? All this generates loyalty and good word of mouth the permeates down to the second hand market.

And then comes the next guy who's thinking he's going to score big and save a lot of $$$ by catching this depreciating asset as it levels off from its steep decline right off the lot.
But by that time... the Gremlins start to come out of the wood work. Very expensive gremlins.

It leaves a very bad taste in your mouth and you swear that you will never buy a car like that again...
But it doesn't matter because you probably wouldnt/couldnt buy a new one off the lot anyway.
And in the end... that's the people the automaker really want to please.

Even though I bought the car brand new off the lot, I decided very early that I wanted to keep the car until it died (I was expecting somewhere around the 200k mark, not under 100k)

[tuxblackedo]

Originally Posted by kiloil

How long did it take you from the day it happened until you got a check?

I would say 2-3 months. It took about a month to deal with BMW NA and figure out they weren't going to help. Then it took about another month to get BMW all the paperwork they wanted for the buyback (thank god I saved my sales contract), then it took a few weeks till the appointment with the person that gave me the check.

[JPH704]

Glad things worked out for you OP. Not really the news us new guys wanted to read. Preventive maintenance can only do so much... I'm going to be optimistic

Regarding Nissan and the ridiculous comment. Nissan isn't any better... They didn't bother helping any of the 08 GTR owners with blown trans. Many of the early 350z's had trans issues and oil consumption problems. Many owners had to turn to the BBB and legal assistance like the OP. Information and rants can be found on GTRlife and my350z.

[aus]

BMW really doesn't gain anything by making the bearing that tight. So they're not really gaining anything by making an engine that'll blow up by 100,000 miles.


.

[tuxblackedo]

Originally Posted by Top_Gear

In the 5 years of ownership did you by any chance sent an oil sample for analysis to Blackstone Labs?

No, didn't think to research things about my car until after my engine seized. Had I known the problems with the car I would have taken a sample... actually no.. I would have inspected/replaced the rod bearings every 25,000 miles.

[tuxblackedo]

Originally Posted by sensi09

Glad it worked out for you in the end. After your lawyer friend got involved, how long did it take to get a settlement?

I have similar mileage and with all these threads lately, I keep a close eye on my oil temp. Was hovering around the 3/4 mark today and makes me a bit nervous....before I wouldn't even think about it.

When my lawyer friend got involved it took no more then a few days (under a week) to get a positive response, that BMW was going to buyback and that I should start gathering my documents.

As for your oil temp, when my engine seized my oil temp was right in the middle. Your oil temp gauge will not help you.

Originally Posted by 330indy

OP
Sorry to hear of this unfortunate experience
Would you mind sharing details of the maintenance schedule , OCIs, brand of oil used
Was it DCT or 6 sp, driving routine, etc
Just curious about the details
Thanks
Sorry again

Maintenance Schedule: Whenever the car told me it needed something I would bring it into the dealer. I had an extended maintenance warranty for up to 100k miles, so they were the ones putting the oil and other fluids in my car.

It was 6speed, driving routine: enthusiastic/spirited.

[MilehighM3]

Originally Posted by aus

BMW really doesn't gain anything by making the bearing that tight. So they're not really gaining anything by making an engine that'll blow up by 100,000 miles.


.

Really? How many failures here before 100k vs cars running just fine over that mark? Keep your unsupported opinions to yourself.

[L4ces]

Originally Posted by Bmw135er

Really? How many failures here before 100k vs cars running just fine over that mark? Keep your unsupported opinions to yourself.

One of the goals for a big semiconductor company is to build faster CPUs. The other goal is to find a way to use up the CPU cycles to so that you have the need for their next faster chip. Build in obsolescence so they can have a recurring customer. The proper way to do it is through innovation and added value.

BMW admires Apple, I hope they don't expect to model the iPhone where users tend to upgrade every two years.

[nujabes24]

Glad it worked out OP. Seemed like you were screwed but your bad ass lawyer figured it out.