Another one bites the dust! Value of M3 with a blown engine?

[BOOF-M3]

Originally Posted by deansbimmer

It certainly can, and in my experience it has. It would at least cause a slower sale. An informed buyer would want to know why the engine was replaced (neglect? poor maintenance?) but also information about the donor car and its ownership/miles/maintenance history, who did the replacement, were new RB's installed, etc as they're now assessing details of two cars... Often as a result they'll want to negotiate a lower price. Many buyers would just keep looking to avoid a car with "stories".

Agreed, but if the seller stated "I don't know much about the donor engine but I got it from this guy Dean".... End of story, I'll take it. But like a conscientious buyer I would still ask for money off. On a side note I just saw a receipt for bearings. The shop charged $3k. $1,250 for parts and $1,750 for labor which is $800 to $1k higher than I have typically seen. And this is Florida, it's not San Fran or the Tri State area.

[anerbe]

Originally Posted by Honda

then how do you determine if the rod bearings are about to fail? and where is "usually" the weakest point in the rod bearings?

I think the oil analysis isn't a tell all, but it's definitely not "useless" as many point it out to be.

Scenario 1: If your lead/copper levels are low, it doesn't mean you are safe from rod bearing failure. You just don't know what level of wear would cause enough friction to spin a bearing.

Scenario 2: If your lead/copper reading suddenly spike up to double the levels, it's pretty clear there's a issue about to rear it's ugly head. Ignoring such a significant spike is completely irresponsible.

In Scenario 2, oil analysis can definitely help. Oil analysis can point a potential problem, but it doesn't indicate you are fine.

[PACarGuy]

Originally Posted by DSilk

The reason that the math doesn't work is that:

1. Not all M3 rod bearings are failing. In fact it is a relatively small percentage that do.

2. Replacement bearings are not failure-proof either.

The math MAY work, but no one really knows for sure. The problem is that no one knows accurately what the % of failure is. And, as with life insurance, the odds of a RB failure likely do increase with age and mileage of the motor. It's simply the nature of machinery.

[BOOF-M3]

Originally Posted by anerbe

I think the oil analysis isn't a tell all, but it's definitely not "useless" as many point it out to be.

Scenario 1: If your lead/copper levels are low, it doesn't mean you are safe from rod bearing failure. You just don't know what level of wear would cause enough friction to spin a bearing.

Scenario 2: If your lead/copper reading suddenly spike up to double the levels, it's pretty clear there's a issue about to rear it's ugly head. Ignoring such a significant spike is completely irresponsible.

In Scenario 2, oil analysis can definitely help. Oil analysis can point a potential problem, but it doesn't indicate you are fine.

Not sure if I posted this recently or if it was only through conversations via PM or text.

But I recall someone posting that they had a blackstone analysis performed. The report showed no/minimal wear and it came with a little note that said these are some of the best numbers that we have ever seen, or perhaps it said these numbers are good and consistent with your last few reports blah blah blah. Either way, apparently you couldn't ask for a better report. The problem is that while waiting on this report his rod bearings blew. The actual report arrived in the mail a few days after they grenaded. So that just pretty much added salt to the wound.

I do see people stating in for sale ads in AutoTrader etc... "I had the bearings tested and the results were great". When I ask how did you have them tested they either state that they had an oil analysis performed, which we know means almost nothing or they say they had the bearings looked at. Which makes little to no sense. This whole bearing issue is a shame. Why can't we have defective windshield wiper arms or something like that instead?

[dparm]

Once again, we see that UOA is not really a great predictor at engine longevity or problems developing, and that oil selection/interval doesn't play a big factor either. It can certainly help us understand what the appropriate interval is, but it is a poor proxy for engine health.

Hindsight is 20/20 so I don't see the need to beat up the OP for not changing bearings on a 122k mile car.

OP, sorry to hear about the motor. I'd find a used motor that's in good shape, make sure it has new bearings, and have it installed.

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3

I do see people stating in for sale ads in AutoTrader etc... "I had the bearings tested and the results were great". When I ask how did you have them tested they either state that they had an oil analysis performed, which we know means almost nothing or they say they had the bearings looked at. Which makes little to no sense.

Gotta love the ignorance that runs rampant in the auto enthusiast community. People can't be bothered to research and learn things.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

Believe it or not folks, spending $2500 to avoid a potential $14k repair is not good math.

I would agree the odds are heavily in your favor that your rod bearings will not fail and ruin your motor. No one knows the number of failures, but a guess might be 1%. It would definitely suck to be among the 1%.

I did mine after my warranty ran out, although I spent only about $500. To me, that was way better than even a small risk of rod bearing failure. When I bought my car, I paid extra to get a CPO car. A major mechanical failure would have been uncomfortable financially at the time.

[rdoctor]

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3

he shop charged $3k. $1,250 for parts and $1,750 for labor which is $800 to $1k higher than I have typically seen. And this is Florida, it's not San Fran or the Tri State area.

Boof...despite some shops having sales on RB jobs as low as $2100 (for non BE replacement shells and bolts BTW) I actually think the national average is between $2,500 and $3,000. I had my RB's done here in Charleston at ERR recently with BE shells and BE ARP bolts along with (IMO) the mandatory motor mount replacements (not expensive) and it was right at $3,000 for all. I would do it again in a heartbeat as my 50K mile RB's looked like shit.

[shmad]

I'm prepping to do my bearings (I'm in FL) and that portion of my work will be about
$2600

[BOOF-M3]

Originally Posted by rdoctor

Boof...despite some shops having sales on RB jobs as low as $2100 (for non BE replacement shells and bolts BTW) I actually think the national average is between $2,500 and $3,000. I had my RB's done here in Charleston at ERR recently with BE shells and BE ARP bolts along with (IMO) the mandatory motor mount replacements (not expensive) and it was right at $3,000 for all. I would do it again in a heartbeat as my 50K mile RB's looked like shit.

I stand corrected then. I THOUGHT I recall seeing threads and the going rate was $2k. If I do find those threads and posts I will lash out at every one of you... Just kidding Doc.

But I will leave this here for debate.

AutoTalent | BE Bearings + ARP Rod Bolts + Install in SoCal $1900 https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1461633

OP have you spoken to Dean or looked into the one for sale here in the threads? We want to read about a success story.

[quiksi]

have they perfected the E9x M3 N54/N55 swap yet?

[shmad]

Originally Posted by quiksi

have they perfected the E9x M3 N54/N55 swap yet?

that defeats the purpose of this NA car. personally I'd do a LS swap over a turbo 6 in this car
edit: jokes! I get jokes!

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

I don't know that replacing an engine automatically decreases the value of a car.

well it does. the car has a story now.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by quiksi

have they perfected the E9x M3 N54/N55 swap yet?

LOL!

[austinhuffzz]

i would part the car out over time, sell the interior, bumpers and all that shit. it would take a year but you would turn a shit situation into alot more cash than just the car. good luck to you

[pbonsalb]

If you are comfortable dismantling a car, you can DIY an engine swap. That is what I would do before I would spend a year stripping a car and doing 50 transactions on Craig’slist and eBay.

[Dr. Dre]

Originally Posted by austinhuffzz

i would part the car out over time, sell the interior, bumpers and all that shit. it would take a year but you would turn a shit situation into alot more cash than just the car. good luck to you

Imagine if he had just replaced the bearings. No reason to do that. It only happens to less than 1%.

[Honda]

Originally Posted by Dr. Dre

Imagine if he had just replaced the bearings. No reason to do that. It only happens to less than 1%.

What's with your pointless comments that is not adding any vaue to this thread?!

[bimmer414]

Well, hindsight is always 20/20. No sense dwelling on what has passed. I am fully aware of the costs and risks of owning a high performance car out of warranty and have the funds needed to maintain and repair it. I took a gamble not replacing the rod bearings and lost. Others will come out ahead. I also do not get track insurance when I go out, I "self-insure" myself.

Regardless, I found someone to do the engine swap (and bearings since it will be on a stand) for way less than the $14k. If I can find a good price on the engine, I am aiming to be back in business for less than $8k. I like the E9X M3 and want to keep it going.

[carenthuziast]

Originally Posted by lat77

Agreed.

Seemingly worthless even with a few consecutive reports.

I had one done. 32k miles on the car and everything was well below the avg range.

Bearings looked like someone took a grinder to them...

Assume you had the copper tin bearings, not the updated ones.

Are you the only owner and was it driven hard?

[bimmer414]

Originally Posted by carenthuziast

Assume you had the copper tin bearings, not the updated ones.

Are you the only owner and was it driven hard?

No, I bought it from a Porsche dealer, it was traded in for a Cayman GTS. Previous owner likely drove it hard based on that, and I put on about a dozen track days personally. Most of the other miles I put on were freeway or country roads.

[msan]

Don't blame you for not changing out bearings. Just bad luck. But here's a good engine it's new bearings. The seller is legit as I have bought parts from them and they were super helpful.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F232811041668