To buy an e92 M3 or not? Rod bearings

nyfg56 wrote
Definitely have decided it's not worth passing up but now I guess I have to decide whether to do it as preventative maintenance when I get it. Which of it could save me 20k down the road seems to be smart if it's a lottery no matter the odds

Its a great car, and I have had one and also considering getting another one as well. I personally think that you should get a warranty on a car instead of spending the money to replace the bearings. If you spend 2500 on rod bearing replacement, and then something else goes wrong (throttle actuators, water pump, anything really) then you are still on the hook to get it repaired out of pocket. I think you can get an aftermarket warranty that covers the engine and most components for 3-4k and have full piece of mind. When I was shopping at Carmax they had a high deductible plan on an m3 (i think 250 deductible) for like 3800.00. I would apply that 2500 to that instead of chasing ghosts by replacing rod bearings. If the bearings go out and blow the motor, warranty will buy you a new motor.

Dantm3 makes a valid point in regards to repair costs vs the warranty, if that is something you want. Being that it's a forum, you're more likely to see threads of people having issues rather than someone posting about not having an issue. I have 95k miles on my car with oe bearings and do not plan on replacing them.

My 2008 M3 is the most fun car I have ever owned. I would not steer away from it due to the bearing issue. You have heard both sides. You can either replace or not. But trust us, this is a great car, and hard to replace with something else at this price range. But be ready for a high cost of ownership, this is not a toyota.

dantm3 wrote
Its a great car, and I have had one and also considering getting another one as well. I personally think that you should get a warranty on a car instead of spending the money to replace the bearings. If you spend 2500 on rod bearing replacement, and then something else goes wrong (throttle actuators, water pump, anything really) then you are still on the hook to get it repaired out of pocket. I think you can get an aftermarket warranty that covers the engine and most components for 3-4k and have full piece of mind. When I was shopping at Carmax they had a high deductible plan on an m3 (i think 250 deductible) for like 3800.00. I would apply that 2500 to that instead of chasing ghosts by replacing rod bearings. If the bearings go out and blow the motor, warranty will buy you a new motor.

Why did you resurrect a 7 month old thread that has been discussed ad nauseum?

To support the point made here and in other places, when I called around to 5-6 well known Indy shops in my area (I live in a fairly large metro, population around 2.5m) exactly ZERO had ever serviced a e9x M3 for rod bearings either as a break/fix or preventive measure. Not saying it hasn't and doesn't happen, but it is extremely rare.

FWIW, I did replace my bearings as a preventive measure.

Honestly, save a little more, buy an m3 with lower miles and then get a warranty. Aiming to buy a performance car with high-ish miles, with known rod - bearing issues and no warranty of any kind sounds questionable. If the previous owner took good care of the vehicle everything should (could?) be ok, but still should/could brings zero peace of mind. And at 60k+ plus miles, maintainence could get rough. This car is not cheap.

Note: if you do get a newer m3 and get a warranty, modifying it will be difficult since doing so would more than likely void your warranty (it would void mine). So if you are planning to mod, keep that in mind. But then you will have even less peace of mind modding an older, higher milage car that you may not know the entire history of. And a PPI is great, but they don't look at rod bearings. Also keep TA'S in mind at that mileage.

In terms of rod bearing risk, the year or mileage does not matter. I bought a CPO car 6 years ago because I was concerned about potential repair costs. I probably paid an extra $2k for the CPO car. I did the rod bearings wen the warranty expired 3.5 years later. I will do them again in a few years.

Not worth the risk to me of a $10k to $20k failure. I probably wont crash my car, get sick or die prematurely, but I spend money on car, health and life insurance to protect against equally small risks. If you believe there is no risk, then you need not spend money on preventative measures or buy insurance. But I have read enough and seen enough pictures and changed my own bearings myself that I am confident I did the right thing for my situation.

01-04-2017

Mvy wrote
My 2008 M3 is the most fun car I have ever owned. I would not steer away from it due to the bearing issue. You have heard both sides. You can either replace or not. But trust us, this is a great car, and hard to replace with something else at this price range. But be ready for a high cost of ownership, this is not a toyota.

Couldn't agree more, you will be hard pressed to find a car as enjoyable as the M for the price. You can even get a higher mileage example to help justify it if need be. I found a one owner car with all options but cold-weather package with 87k miles and paid 26,500.

The rod bearing issues is real, at least for me. I bought a 2008 M3 with 74k miles, got an aftermarket warranty, 2 years/12k miles. At 87.5k, it hit the self destruct button. Out of warranty, out of luck. If I had to do it all over again, I would have done the $2,500 rod bearing replacment. if you don't, be prepared to spend $25k+ for a new motor.

That said, buy the M3, do the service and enjoy an amazing car.

delirium330 wrote
Why did you resurrect a 7 month old thread that has been discussed ad nauseum?

To support the point made here and in other places, when I called around to 5-6 well known Indy shops in my area (I live in a fairly large metro, population around 2.5m) exactly ZERO had ever serviced a e9x M3 for rod bearings either as a break/fix or preventive measure. Not saying it hasn't and doesn't happen, but it is extremely rare.

FWIW, I did replace my bearings as a preventive measure.

delirium330, I'd like to ask you if you saw what the old rod bearings looked like when you had them replaced? How many miles were on your M3 at the time? Were you experiencing any signs of wear at the time or was this purely preventive? My 2011 E90 currently has 41,000 miles. Any advice on locating a good Indy shop?

I'm at 90k 2011 and wouldn't worry, like others say listen to your engine
she'll tell you when there is a problem

Ely21 wrote
delirium330, I'd like to ask you if you saw what the old rod bearings looked like when you had them replaced? How many miles were on your M3 at the time? Were you experiencing any signs of wear at the time or was this purely preventive? My 2011 E90 currently has 41,000 miles. Any advice on locating a good Indy shop?

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1300528

In regards to finding a good indy shop I would start with Google, Yelp, Local Clubs, etc. First, find a well known reputable list of shops, then call all of them to get input on level of experience with major engine work, including rod bearing replacement on other BMW engines. Place I went to has a lot of experience with non-e9x M3 engines, but had never done the e9x M3.

delirium330 wrote
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1300528

In regards to finding a good indy shop I would start with Google, Yelp, Local Clubs, etc. First, find a well known reputable list of shops, then call all of them to get input on level of experience with major engine work, including rod bearing replacement on other BMW engines. Place I went to has a lot of experience with non-e9x M3 engines, but had never done the e9x M3.

Thanks. Next time I'll check prior threads more diligently. Looks like you made the right decision.

Ely21 wrote
Thanks. Next time I'll check prior threads more diligently. Looks like you made the right decision.

No problem. Another note is that most good indy shops (once you widdle down your list) will have a single mechanic that has the appropriate level of experience to do a RB job, so you'll have some assurance that their best guy will be doing the work (worth validating though, but any good shop who wants your business on a $2.5k job will probably be selling a specific tech's experience).

Also for reference, most shops will not warranty work if you provide aftermarket parts. Also good to do some other work while you're in there:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1258820

Check out the regional threads and ask around for shop recommendations there. Take your time, do some research, find a good place even if you need to drive an hour to get there.

I am a DIYer and did the job in my garage on my lift. There are other DIYers who have done the job on their back, which is much less pleasant since it is harder to avoid the oil drips. I would use someone you are confident in. I was as confident in myself as in any mechanic. Patience and care are perhaps more important than years of experience as a mechanic given that many mechanics with years of experience do not exercise much patience or show much care. There is a very good DIY that SYT_shadow recently posted:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1333638&highlight=rod+bearing+diy

nyfg56 wrote
I have been set on an e92 m3 to upgrade from my 335 for a few months and am ready to pull the trigger but all the rod bearing failure threads have me very concerned as of late. Should I be worried or is it overhyped like some say?

Its considered overhyped by some and then their rod bearings fail. Its prevalent enough to warrant common speculation on the subject but not proven to be a massive, widespread issue as of yet. It was enough of a stink to cause BMW ///M to change bearing materials in 2011 but that didn't fix anything either. In reality if you are seriously ready to buy an m3, either 1. get an aftermarket warranty that has REALLY GOOD power train powertrain coverage . Or 2. put 3k aside for the bearing job and all new fluids front to back and general wear components.

Your rod bearing replacements are horribly expensive. It's around USD800 here in Malaysia, using original BMW bearings and bolts. Labour must be super expensive in the States.

Just the factory parts alone are about $500 USD (bearings, bolts, pan gasket). Maybe parts are cheaper there or labor is much less. It is an 8 hour job for someone who has done it a few times.