BMW NA Approves New S65 Engine Replacement Due to Bad Rod Bearings

[zeemy]

Originally Posted by ksteckba

I'm confused...you think you have bearing failure but you're continuing to run the engine regularly?

yeah, and now that i read what you're saying... i feel like a retard for doing it.

[TX]

Dealer charged me $400 to change fluid in rear diff, grind continued....dealer replaced rear diff under extended warranty at the time (but did not refund 400 for fluid change) They said it was part of the deal even though I told them the diff was bad to begin with. Rear grind returned inside 2 year parts warranty on new diff. Dealer refused to replace even though a brand spanking new diff went bad in 2 years. That's just flat out pathetic. I now clutch in when I make a turn so I don't have to hear it anymore. and yeah if you fear rod bearing problems and you're still driving that car --- actually post a video of a cold start and get a black stone oil report done and I'm sure someone here can tell you how that engine is doing.

[zeemy]

Originally Posted by TX

Dealer charged me $400 to change fluid in rear diff, grind continued....dealer replaced rear diff under extended warranty at the time (but did not refund 400 for fluid change) They said it was part of the deal even though I told them the diff was bad to begin with. Rear grind returned inside 2 year parts warranty on new diff. Dealer refused to replace even though a brand spanking new diff went bad in 2 years. That's just flat out pathetic. I now clutch in when I make a turn so I don't have to hear it anymore. and yeah if you fear rod bearing problems and you're still driving that car

only starting it once every 2-3 weeks. not driving it. drove it once since i got it back from the dealership. obviously, i will no longer be running the engine as i realize i was being stupid.

[New2Roundel]

Originally Posted by Dr. Dre

BMW doesn't sell you a car. BMW NA sell cars to it franchise dealerships. The franchise dealership sell the car to the end customer. If a dealership wants to discount cars the manufacturer doesn't care. The manufacturer already got paid for that car.

BMW NA or any manufacturer cannot sell the franchise dealerships the same cars for different prices. A dealership selling you a car below invoice or at some big discount has no impact on BMW NA as the dealership has already paid BMW set price for that car. Let Me say it again. Manufacturer's cannot discount the price of a car to a dealership. If they did they they would get sued by other franchise dealerships.

None of this has any relation to what I'm saying, but I suppose that's ok.

If I were a District Manager for BMW and you were the second owner of an M3 with a rod bearing issue I wouldn't approve any assistance or offer any goodwill. Why? Why should BMW spend thousands to fix your engine when you effectively haven't spent a dime with them. You bought a used car out of warranty.

For me in particular? That's true. I don't like dealers for higher priced, out of warranty vehicles. And I'm like the 6th owner of my car. But theoretically, if I bought a BMW certified pre-owned M3 (as the second owner) and got the car serviced exclusively at the dealer, you can bet I put some money in BMW's pocket. It would not completely surprise me if BMW offered some level of assistance for an expensive repair. There is a lot of gray when it comes to the factors that will get people to go to bat for you.

[TX]

Originally Posted by zeemy

yeah, and now that i read what you're saying... i feel like a retard for doing it.

Zeemy, what makes you think you have bad bearings? I guess I must have missed the original post. Video? knocking? etc?

[zeemy]

Originally Posted by TX

Zeemy, what makes you think you have bad bearings? I guess I must have missed the original post. Video? knocking? etc?

i commented a few pages back, but pretty much heard some knocking and long story short, i took it to the dealership and they found metal in the oil pan

[///M3Fresh]

Originally Posted by zeemy

i commented a few pages back, but pretty much heard some knocking and long story short, i took it to the dealership and they found metal in the oil pan

There could still be a possibility of saving the engine? Metal in the oil pan as in blackstone report or you physically saw metal particulates in the oil/pan?

Might be worth your time to pull the pan and see if anything can be done?

[zeemy]

Originally Posted by ///M3Fresh

There could still be a possibility of saving the engine? Metal in the oil pan as in blackstone report or you physically saw metal particulates in the oil/pan?

Might be worth your time to pull the pan and see if anything can be done?

metal as in the dealership found metal in the oil pan. no black stone report was done.

[SDPLV]

Originally Posted by petar7408

sooo, I have a 2008 M3 with 85K miles on the odo.. no signs of anything, no noises etc.. is there a point one passes that should make you feel like it shouldn't be a worry? If it was bad, it would have failed before 85k right?

No.

[deansbimmer]

Originally Posted by petar7408

sooo, I have a 2008 M3 with 85K miles on the odo.. no signs of anything, no noises etc.. is there a point one passes that should make you feel like it shouldn't be a worry? If it was bad, it would have failed before 85k right?

All S65 bearings are wearing poorly. Just because yours hasn't failed yet doesn't mean anything. You can't know when they might fail. You might get 100k or more out of those bearings, but is it worth the $10k gamble?

Everyone seems to think there will be signs and they can catch it in time. Aside from oil analyses in 08 and some 09 models with copper bearings, There aren't. By the time you hear knock or feel something amiss, your engine is already toast.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by deansbimmer

All S65 bearings are wearing poorly. Just because yours hasn't failed yet doesn't mean anything. You can't know when they might fail. You might get 100k or more out of those bearings, but is it worth the $10k gamble?

Everyone seems to think there will be signs and they can catch it in time. Aside from oil analyses in 08 and some 09 models with copper bearings, There aren't. By the time you hear knock or feel something amiss, your engine is already toast.

Exactly

[nightkrawler]

Originally Posted by SenorFunkyPants

BMW AG does ALL the R&D and has all the exchanged failed engines back for dismantling and examination. It decides on and controls all technical aspects of the entire BMW range including which cars use which oil.
The importer does the paperwork, the marketing, the publicity, sets up courses, liaises with the dealers, runs the customer service dept, the main website and has a technical staff to support the main dealer workshops.
The importer does not do parallel R&D on the M range of cars and can not unilaterally decide to authorise a different oil to that approved by BMW AG...its simply beyond their remit. The BMW AG recommended oil for the S65 is the Castrol 10W-60
The fact that BMW NA has managed to make such a monumental cock up with regard to what oils are approved for what M cars and have yet to rectify it, is proof only of incompetence.

Here is something I posted in the Mobil 1 thread on the same subject.
....bulletin from August where they also say that the Castrol Edge OE 5w30 Synthetic is OK to use.

" if you must drive the M6 in winter and you want to run 5W-30 I cannot say that would be a bad idea – for winter only. HOWEVER, you should avoid high-rpm driving at any oil temperature because 5W-30 does not have the shear strength of higher-viscosity engine oil; it is low-rpm/extreme cold engine oil that has become popular among car manufacturers because it leads to slight fuel economy and emissions improvements." Mike Miller.

Please don’t take anything Mike Miller says as the word of god. Mike lives 15min from me, know him personally and while he is not a bad guy he doesn’t know half as much as you think. He hits up his buddy for answers on tech talk who works at the same dealer I do. He lives at home with his mom, or at least used to and sits around trolling the net for his info. He owns a 330 e46 and an old ass 2002 or something like, never owned any M car. Make you own decisions from info you find here, not from Miller for god sake.

[pbonsalb]

That was my impression of him. Now it’s confirmed.

[wildwestm3]

Originally Posted by nightkrawler

Please don’t take anything Mike Miller says as the word of god. Mike lives 15min from me, know him personally and while he is not a bad guy he doesn’t know half as much as you think. He hits up his buddy for answers on tech talk who works at the same dealer I do. He lives at home with his mom, or at least used to and sits around trolling the net for his info. He owns a 330 e46 and an old ass 2002 or something like, never owned any M car. Make you own decisions from info you find here, not from Miller for god sake.

Man that's calling someone out in a BIG way...I'd never post in here again...LOL

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by nightkrawler

Please don’t take anything Mike Miller says as the word of god. Mike lives 15min from me, know him personally and while he is not a bad guy he doesn’t know half as much as you think. He hits up his buddy for answers on tech talk who works at the same dealer I do. He lives at home with his mom, or at least used to and sits around trolling the net for his info. He owns a 330 e46 and an old ass 2002 or something like, never owned any M car. Make you own decisions from info you find here, not from Miller for god sake.

Wait...Is SenorFunkyPants...Mike Miller!?

[nightkrawler]

Originally Posted by wildwestm3

Man that's calling someone out in a BIG way...I'd never post in here again...LOL

First off I’ll post wherever I please. Second I’m not calling anyone out, just clarifying some facts. Mike is not a bad guy, not a bad guy to talk to and he is knowledgeable. But what he says should not be taken as the word of god. He’s not a tech, had no training from bmw etc. He does commentary in a magazine with a small reader base. Just pisses me off when I hear “Mike Miller said” so it must be right. Do your own research and make your own decisions what’s best for your car.

[srmast1]

Who is Mike Miller again?

[pbonsalb]

Honestly, I’ve thought the same of Mike Miller for years without knowing anything about him other than what I read him writing in various magazines. It’s great he takes the time and makes the effort to contribute to the BMW community but he is not necessarily the most knowledgeable source.

[zeemy]

update on my end. Sold the m3 to carmax and got 18k. Cashed that sob first thing the next day, lol. i had warmed up the car prior to taking it there so the knocking wasnt AS noticeable. it was about 730pm and had gotten dark out. guy did a quick carfax/autocheck verification, felt the car and looked for frame damage, took it for a quick spin (went less than a mile and turned around). in and out in roughly 1-1.5 hours.

[BOOF-M3]

Originally Posted by zeemy

update on my end. Sold the m3 to carmax and got 18k. Cashed that sob first thing the next day, lol. i had warmed up the car prior to taking it there so the knocking wasnt AS noticeable. it was about 730pm and had gotten dark out. guy did a quick carfax/autocheck verification, felt the car and looked for frame damage, took it for a quick spin (went less than a mile and turned around). in and out in roughly 1-1.5 hours.

Ouch

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3

Nothing like taking responsibility for your own stuff. So either the dealer gets stuck with a possible huge repair bill or they don't catch it and some poor sap fries the engine in a week? If you are a day older than 15 I would be shocked because a man wouldn't do that. I hate to put myself out there calling you out because I do not know you but shit dude I'm embarrassed for you. Or am I alone here and I'm the asshole?

I saw that post earlier today and was lost for words. I have never heard of something more shameless than this.

BOOF-M3, you are not alone. The guy is a dueche. Karma can truly be a bitch though.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3

Nothing like taking responsibility for your own stuff. So either the dealer gets stuck with a possible huge repair bill or they don't catch it and some poor sap fries the engine in a week? If you are a day older than 15 I would be shocked because a man wouldn't do that. I hate to put myself out there calling you out because I do not know you but shit dude I'm embarrassed for you. Or am I alone here and I'm the asshole?

I’m with you but I think a lot of people get rid of cars because they start to develop problems that they either can’t afford or fix. Typically the ethical thing to do is to disclose the issues to the potential buyer so they can determine if they want the risks.

If Carmax decides to sell it on their lot, at least they have a 30 day warranty or 5 day money back policy.

Put the VIN on here so we can all avoid this car lol