Blackstone on a dealership oil change?

[pcohen15]

I'd like to get a Blackstone analysis. I get my oil changed at local BMW dealer, and I'm interested in knowing if anyone on here has had their dealer pull the sample for you during a change.

Thanks.

[Scrippy]

Go to black stone before your next oil change and have them ship you their container. Ask your dealer to fill it while draining your oil and then give it to you to mail back. Tech rate is $150 and hour so let us know if they do it for free which I doubt.

https://m.blackstone-labs.com

[Mvy]

If they attempted to charge you for this I would have a fit. It does not add any labor to the whole process.

[PKL]

Just had exactly this done, of course they did not charge me to put a little used oil in a container.

[elvism]

Had mine done last week at the dealership when I had an oil change done to my car.. no charge to put in a sample jar. I got my results today and they are great!

[last1left]

Make sure they get the oil out of the filter.

[PKL]

Originally Posted by elvism

I got my results today and they are great!

What does that mean? The consensus seems to be that no matter what the oil analysis says, you should change your rod bearings.

So how many miles do you have, and since your analysis turned out "great" - when is your plan to have the bearings changed?

[elvism]

Originally Posted by PKL

What does that mean? The consensus seems to be that no matter what the oil analysis says, you should change your rod bearings.

So how many miles do you have, and since your analysis turned out "great" - when is your plan to have the bearings changed?

I have a 2011 w/ 42,700 miles. Had 5900 miles on the oil tested. No plans for rod bearings .As far I recall it was an early production issue.

[pcohen15]

Originally Posted by Scrippy

Go to black stone before your next oil change and have them ship you their container. Ask your dealer to fill it while draining your oil and then give it to you to mail back. Tech rate is $150 and hour so let us know if they do it for free which I doubt.

https://m.blackstone-labs.com

Thanks to you and everybody else who chimed in on this issue. It's on my list to get done at the next Oil Change!

[PKL]

Originally Posted by elvism

I have a 2011 w/ 42,700 miles. Had 5900 miles on the oil tested. No plans for rod bearings .As far I recall it was an early production issue.

I think you need to do more research. I think the overwhelming majority agree that the rod bearings need to be changed to coated or treated aftermarket bearings regardless of the mileage.

I have a 2011.75 with 35k miles and plan on getting the job done, for peace of mind, and I intend to keep the car forever

[Mr. BMW]

Originally Posted by last1left

Make sure they get the oil out of the filter.

I think they recommend you take the sample from the pan while its draining and not from the filter housing.

[JPSurratt2005]

Originally Posted by Mr. BMW

I think they recommend you take the sample from the pan while its draining and not from the filter housing.

This is where I pull my sample from. I wonder if it matters which drain to pull from.

[R3dliner]

Originally Posted by elvism

As far I recall it was an early production issue.

If you're not sure I wouldn't make those claims. LCI cars with bearing material changes from tin/aluminum are pointless in blackstone test. Only the early ones with copper/lead are traceable with oil analysis. Every E9X has bearing problems but only a small percentage of cars are affected. Go look at pictures from the ACM thread where they show bearing wear on LCI cars.

[elvism]

Consumers Want Nationwide Data In BMW Engine Defect Suit
By Linda Chiem

Law360 (May 3, 2018, 6:53 PM EDT) -- A proposed class of consumers on Thursday asked a New Jersey federal judge to force BMW of North America to produce nationwide data — not just California data — on an alleged defect in certain M3 vehicles that can cause catastrophic engine failure, saying they are not asking for much.

The consumers said in a letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda D. Wettre that they are entitled to the requested discovery on nationwide data related to the design, specifications and other facets of the allegedly defective...

[elvism]

Different complain:

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2...w-jersey.shtml

July 19, 2018 — A BMW M3 connecting rod and main bearings lawsuit has been filed as a class-action complaint for New Jersey owners and lessees of 2008-2013 M3 cars equipped with S65 engines.

According to the lawsuit, the S65 is a 4-liter V8 double overhead camshaft piston engine with defective connecting rod bearings, main bearings, rod clearances and insufficient oil lubrication. The lawsuit refers to these things combined as the rotating assemblies.

Plaintiff Joselyn Urena purchased a used 2011 E92 BMW M3 in 2014 from a BMW dealer in New Jersey when the car had nearly 30,000 miles on the odometer.

Urena says the M3 experienced total engine failure when it had 36,395 miles and was towed back to the BMW dealership that said the engine seized from "over-revving." The plaintiff says the dealer declined to repair the car under warranty, so she had it towed to a different shop that said it would cost $15,000 to replace the S65 engine.

Urena says she refused to pay for an engine replacement and lost the use of the car. She also stopped making payments on the vehicle by claiming BMW knew the rod and main bearings were defective.

According to the plaintiff, the M3 was eventually repossessed by BMW Financial, even though the automaker allegedly knew dozens of owners had complained about engine problems.

Numerous M3 owners have allegedly complained about rattling and ticking noises coming from the engines, symptoms of rod bearing failures. And many of those owners also allegedly reported the engines completely failed.

Based on court documents, the connecting rod bearings and main bearings fail and cause metal debris to enter the engine oil which is then circulated through the engines.

The plaintiff claims the defects existed from the time the cars were manufactured and typically start showing symptoms during or shortly after the warranty periods. The risk to safety while driving is allegedly real because the engines stall and fail while driving and sometimes without warning.

In addition, catastrophic engine failure may cause a physical hole in the engine block and allow hot engine oil to escape, leading to possible fires or oil leaking onto the tires and road.

According to the plaintiff, BMW knows about the engine problems but has refused to admit it because it would lower the value of the cars. The automaker has also allegedly refused to repair damage to the rod and main bearings under warranty, often ignoring symptoms of engine damage to the point the engine must be replaced.

Despite alleged knowledge of rotating assembly defects, BMW refuses to reimburse owners and lessees who have suffered from S65 engine failures and won't recall the cars to finally fix all the problems.

The BMW M3 rod and main bearings lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen Division - Joselyn Urena, et al., v. BMW of North America.

The plaintiff is represented by Lite DePalma Greenberg.

[tooloud10]

I doubt they'll get what they want out of this. I just went through a similar situation with the N20 engine in my wife's '13 X3, where it stopped on the freeway dead in its tracks with the well-documented timing chain failure. BMWNA's solution to the problem was to quietly extend the warranty on the engine to 7/70k, so mine was covered in full. They did not issue a recall or admit any fault with anything.

[last1left]

Originally Posted by Mr. BMW

I think they recommend you take the sample from the pan while its draining and not from the filter housing.

I always pull mine from the oil filter housing with a suction I do my own changes it's easier for me this way not sure if you take the sample from the pan if it makes a difference.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Scrippy

Go to black stone before your next oil change and have them ship you their container. Ask your dealer to fill it while draining your oil and then give it to you to mail back. Tech rate is $150 and hour so let us know if they do it for free which I doubt.

https://m.blackstone-labs.com

Dude, this will take the tech all of 5 seconds to do while the oil is draining from the pan. I have NEVER had a tech say "no" or charge me extra. In fact, they've often asked me the next time what the results were. Now if you roll in there and ask them to get a sample without doing a change, then yes, they'll probably charge you.

The optimal way to collect is mid-stream on warm oil, per Blackstone.

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by dparm

Dude, this will take the tech all of 5 seconds to do while the oil is draining from the pan. I have NEVER had a tech say "no" or charge me extra. In fact, they've often asked me the next time what the results were. Now if you roll in there and ask them to get a sample without doing a change, then yes, they'll probably charge you.

The optimal way to collect is mid-stream on warm oil, per Blackstone.

I'm glad your experiences with dealers have been good. My experiences have been less than impressive. I have owned a lot of cars and have been through many dealerships and one hand has not washed the other when it comes to BMW. So would I pay for this....no. Would I be shocked if my local dealer raised some fuss about this.....no, I'd actually expect it and grin. Maybe if they weren't getting a facelift on their NEW building to emulate and art gallery they wouldn't gouge like they do? The only good thing about my dealer is my service advisor. He's super cool and tries to help me but his keystrokes are vetoed by the computer.

[deansbimmer]

You’re supposed to sample the oil mid stream from the pan. Oil from the filter housing will have a higher concentration of metals in it which can skew your results.

Most techs won’t bat an eye at your request to get a sample during the oil change. It shouldn’t cost extra.

[bimmerzone]

it would cost $3.50 for the labor

Originally Posted by Mvy

If they attempted to charge you for this I would have a fit. It does not add any labor to the whole process.

[nrubenstein]

Originally Posted by elvism

I have a 2011 w/ 42,700 miles. Had 5900 miles on the oil tested. No plans for rod bearings .As far I recall it was an early production issue.

My late 2011 production engine seized with 68k miles. Based on the (admittedly limited) statistics that have been compiled, if anything, the later engines are more prone to failure.

Keep in mind:
Oil test results aren’t very informative on the tin/aluminum bearing engines as you no longer have an obvious lead/copper contamination line. Also, I’m not sure why you posted the extremely uninformative Blackstone commentary instead of the actual results.