[Assimilator1]

I started this list for myself a few months back when I heard a few comments that bearings had failed or were dangerously worn & oil reports had failed to show any problems. To be honest, I didn't really believe them, how could metal being shed not be picked up??
I expressed some doubt that they could miss problems, but largely stayed quiet about it & decided to gather some data. I was expecting to find that the oil reports were done long before the failure/bearing change, or that the bearings weren't in fact dangerously worn (referring to lead/copper bearings only, & by dangerously worn I mean showing copper). And to start with, that's what I found, although largely I was finding oil reports with high lead levels & when bearings were pulled, their were shot, like these.

Oil analysis confirmed bad bearings

nholmes - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...5&postcount=17 and https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1237264 - 2 bearings just gone through to copper, 2k miles on oil, pb 97ppm 103k miles.

tom @eas - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...58&postcount=2 , (3 bearings showing copper & 2 of them breaking up!), pb 52, cu 21 106k miles.

tom @eas - oil report https://www.m3post.com/forums/showth...1#post15421907 - bearing photos (Bmw M3 Guy's car) - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showth...5#post15421055, pb 80, cu 36 53k miles.

tom @eas - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=389 (surewin's car), pb 106, cu 40, 63k miles.

L4ces - bearing photos https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...8&postcount=84, oil report https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...3&postcount=89 , pb 24 ppm, cu 2 ppm, Fe 17 ppm. 0/40 was used for last 100k miles) 145k miles.

Richbot - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=681 (actually don't look that bad, no copper showing!), pb 21 on an earlier report, 102.4k miles.

Peertwelve - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=187 (although oil report not shown, pb 30 ppm) 39k miles.

mmbv1000 - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=394 (although oil report not shown, "higher-than-average" levels of lead) 60.5k miles.

tubedreamer - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=558 (report shows pb 18 ppm, cu 3 ppm, shells fairly badly worn but no copper showing) 43k miles.

TheBreeze - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=563 (report not shown, but pb went from 4 to 10ppm between reports), copper not showing, but bearings quite worn. 87.8k miles.

willie92 - https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threa.../#post-2843648 (4 bearings to copper, pb 37, cu 7) 65k miles.

radiognome - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=838 - Oil reports 'constantly showed higher than usual metals', bearings quite worn but not through to copper. 68k miles

Imapastokitshc - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=858 - 2000km oil report showed pb 19ppm, many bearings through to copper, 1 almost completely. 57k kms, 35.4k miles.

PRJ - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=1007, pb 19, cu 3, a few just gone through to copper. 41k miles.

LeveragedTiger - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=1135, pb 18, cu 4, 1 just worn through to copper 3k miles later. 37.1k miles

tom @eas - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=1338 - alu brgs, report showing slightly elevated levels (including lead bizarrely!), 17k miles.

Yoko22R - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...99&postcount=5, bearings not quite through to copper, pb 35, cu 4, 27k miles.

bvrider1 - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1337803, some bearings showing copper, 77k miles at oil report, pb 53, cu 4, bearings changed at 84k miles.

M3MPH1S - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=1520, 2 bearings showing copper, pb 18, cu 2, 163k miles!

Silos - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=1583 - elevated lead 66 ppm, copper 7 ppm & iron 13 ppm, changed preventatively, 3 bearings mostly down to copper! 97k miles

amrazM - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...07&postcount=1 , approx 1/2 the bearings worn to copper (run in service missed!), elevated levels of Iron & Lead 7ppm. Advised further investigation due to metals showing over just 500 miles! 40k miles (on that 2nd engine).

Brap///M - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=2209 elevated lead 19ppm on last OA, cu 3, comments not shown. 65k miles.


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Oil analysis advised caution & to recheck in near future

wfdecon88 - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...6&postcount=24 - oil report, Pb/cu 32/3 ppm. Photos https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1562310 major wear to lead but no copper visible. 99k miles.

da jemstar - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=1778 - last oil report, pb/cu 17/2 ppm, bearings heavily worn and some showing copper on the edges.

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Photos &/or oil analysis report, no claim either way

anerbe - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=967 - spun bearings, elevated pb (19 and 13 ppm) on 2 reports! High copper (20) on final one. Comments not shown for report prior to spun bearings. 54k miles.

kevin @ eas https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=429 - high wear & some bearings just showing copper, oil report @75.6k miles pb 6, (note significant gap between report and RB change), bearings changed @80k miles.

XKxRome0ox - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=726 - oil report was done 4640 miles before the bearings were changed pb 5, cu 2, the old bearings were very worn, but don't appear to be showing copper. Bearings changed at 58.7k miles.

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Getting close now to missing failures, but not quite!......

Oil analysis stated bearings ok & although they are significantly worn, they weren't through to copper.

blueliner - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=937, pb 1, cu 2, preventatively changed @46k miles.

ThatM3guy - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=1256, pb 1, cu 2, preventatively changed @120k miles.

s14_kev - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=777 - high wear, but no copper showing, report lead levels very slightly raised, pb 9, cu 3, comments conclude ok. Preventatively changed @110k miles.

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These 2 could be said as failed & missed by the reports, but I decided they just barely fell into the camp of not dangerously worn, especially subjective these 2 I know!

Oil analysis stated bearings were ok, were heavily worn but not majorly showing copper

lyzmi - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=673, 1 bearing showing a little bit of copper, report showed a slight pb (14ppm) spike 5k miles earlier, preventatively changed @66k miles.

kimiraikkonen - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=731, high wear, although mostly not through to copper, 1 had a score to copper. Report levels ok, although earlier reports did show elevated lead 7-26 ppm, cu 1-3, comments not shown, 118k miles.

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These 4 are in a grey area if you considered the levels & comments, the comments said ok, but IMO the levels were elevated. If you went by the comments conclusion, you could say they missed bad bearings.

Oil analysis said ok, but pb & Cu levels elevated + shells heavily worn or failed

stevecm3 - https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threa...esults.200149/ - although given all clear, report (Millers 5/18) shows pb was 20 ppm & Cu 9 ppm, 4 shells to copper! 84k miles.

greg_p - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=980 - although given all clear, advised to retest in 1k miles due to raised pb levels. Pb was 22 ppm & Cu 8ppm, a few just gone through to copper, 35k miles.
(Millers 2/19, maybe they tweaked their policy??).

Barnzzz - https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threa...2#post-2883365 - no pics or photos there, says report had elevated copper but 'nothing to worry about', shells gave out 2k miles later (had an injector stick open, then another shortly after!, some months prior to shell failure). In a PM he states pb 41ppm & Cu 31 ppm! Post to link to video of shells - https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threa...2#post-2885098 80k miles.

Burns - https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threa.../#post-3011914 - elevated pb 19, cu 8 and Fe 7 on just 2.2k miles, yet Millers state 'ok'! Photos show copper in many bearings and one bearing breaking up!


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These were the final clincher for me (I found the 1st few late on in my hunting). Oil analysis can miss failed bearings!

***Confirmed analysis missed bad bearings***

delirium330 - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1300528 - Cu/Pb at 1 & 2, yet 1 bearing to copper!! Oil life 3092 miles. Bearings changed just ~1500 miles after report. 62k miles

IIAp3x - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...3&postcount=11 (no photos of engine, but states that it blew up 1k after report! Photo of report), Pb/Cu 12/2 ppm. His extensive thread - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1119912 55k miles.

MMachines - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=2109 - shells 4-8U have partially worn through to copper, last oil report (at 84,079 miles shows Pb/Cu at 3/2 ppm), later oil report -

View post on imgur.com

note on his reports, 'mileage' switches from Kms to miles at 2017, 84.3k miles.

Davisca455 - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showth...2#post27215942 - multiple shells showing large amounts of copper, report at 63.9k miles, bearings changed at 65.3k miles

InnerBlueSkies - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=2211 - multiple shells showing small patches of copper, report at 79.7k miles, pb 5, cu 2, bearings changed at 81.3k miles.

Assimilator1 (yep, me! 2/2021) - Bearing photos https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=2045, oil report pb 4, cu 3, (74.8k miles) https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...postcount=1050 - all upper shells showing copper, 2 showing purple streaks from getting hot! 75.4k miles

kmberger8 - engine blown just 1541 miles after an oil report with a low copper count of 8ppm, appears to be bearing failure but investigations aren't complete yet.

Kevin@eas customer - bearings replaced at 80k, old ones showing some copper, OA was done at 75.5k, pb 6 ppm, cu 3 ppm. Photos and OA shown.

sv848evo - https://www.m3post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=736 - unknown mileage on oil, but more than 2800 miles. 1 bearing mostly worn through to copper! And a few others just gone through to copper. Oil report, pb 7ppm, Cu 3ppm, bearings changed 1k miles later. 75k miles.
His photos :-




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So their you have it, whilst my data collection is relatively small (it still took months to find & collate!, & I will add to it, last list update 13/7/21), it does show that oil analysis won't necessarily pick up problems.

How/why? Mostly, & probably predominantly because the high wear rate occurred at some point before the oil report(s). The only way it can be reliable is if the reports are done from the very 1st oil change, from new onwards!
(I found 1 owner who nearly did this, & he posted the results here, can't remember his name [update], I believe it was someone in the 'Oil Analysis Reports' thread (starts in 2009! Which btw is a good read if you want to get an overview of many oil reports), I'll have to go through it to see who it was. Might have been MTROIS, op of the thread, multiple reports combined here.
For reference m6pwr posted What's in our Castrol 10w-60 TWS' & run in service oil analysed.

If you change your rod bearings (with lead/copper ones) & then oil test with every oil change, then yea you can keep a good eye on them, but it won't necessarily pick up other problems (e.g high main bearing wear, unless you changed them too of course).
Oh incidentally, Iam FODI (whose now posted below), said that it's possible for metal particles to be broken down into such small or big particles that it would be missed by regular oil analysis anyway. I haven't been able to look into this particularly, so I don't know how likely that is. I may look into that further, but as I've decided not to rely on oil reports anyway it has a low priority for me. And I'm going to change the rod bearings anyhow on mine.

Btw, my background to this is that I bought a 2008 M3 e92 in November as my weekend/fair weather/occasional track car (never thought I'd be able to own such an awesome car!).
I joined the forum just before getting it, so a few of you know me now, thanks for all the input & PMs guys! I had wanted to use the oil analysis to keep any eye on my car's rod bearings, as I didn't fancy doing more car work in my spare time , as I'm a full time car tech/mechanic. (25yrs, mostly worked for inde garages, did a couple of 1yr stints at Nissan & Peugeot, now working for a Suzuki dealer (6+ yrs), not that makes much odds to this thread though ).
I've owned BMWs since 2004, and of course I work on them (bar recalls & MoTs).

Further info.
My clean up and update of the blown engine list.
My categorisation of bearings in the rod bearing condition thread and other sources.
LCI bearing I partly rubbed down showing the copper they have, and that this one bearing had not worn through the babbitt layer. Thanks to Helmsman for the bearing .