Official S65 Rod Bearing Condition Example Thread

[ItsGary]

Originally Posted by Siajoon

Probably sitting under a stack of papers on a lawyers desk somewhere.

Is that the one that some are speculating went quiet with everyone signing an NDA.

[pbonsalb]

Class actions often with the lawyers getting paid and the victims getting a coupon. Maybe it will be for a free car wash.

[ItsGary]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Class actions often with the lawyers getting paid and the victims getting a coupon. Maybe it will be for a free car wash.

i got one from the dealership cause they were replacing their current wash system with a brand new one

[MrMicko]

New member from Finland joining the thread!

M3 DCT -08, 142 000km (88 000 miles), original bearings and tracked propably every summer.

Bearings almost in correct order, you can spot the top ones quite easily...

[SSR Performance]

Contact us to today to schedule your appointment!
(800) 438-2808 or info@SSR-Performance.com

5/20/19

[tdott]

This was an odd one, car was a 2012 with 62k on the dash.

But 088/9 bearings were removed. 4th owner doesn't know the history. My theory is that motor might have blown early in it's life and BMW had a longblock with older bearing put in. It would also make sense since these 088/9 bearings look not so terrible for older copper bearings (still worn, but considering, only one starting to show signs of copper under) as they probably have less miles on them.

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by tdott

This was an odd one, car was a 2012 with 62k on the dash.

But 088/9 bearings were removed. 4th owner doesn't know the history. My theory is that motor might have blown early in it's life and BMW had a longblock with older bearing put in. It would also make sense since these 088/9 bearings look not so terrible for older copper bearings (still worn, but considering, only one starting to show signs of copper under) as they probably have less miles on them.

Wow, I would have to agree that it is a different engine than the one that would have shipped with the car.

That said, does the E9x M3 have any way to trace the block serial number to the VIN? IIRC when I scan my car with Carly, it seems to report the VIN from the engine somehow (might be losing my mind here). How would Carly know the engine VIN? Or is it just displaying the ECU VIN?

Cheers,

[deansbimmer]

Originally Posted by Scharbag

That said, does the E9x M3 have any way to trace the block serial number to the VIN?

Yes, Licensed versions of ISTA with net access will identify the serial number of the VIN as installed by BMW. If BMW performed a replacement authorized by BMWNA, it should have had the new serial entered into the database.

You can also look at the date stamp of the block/head castings and other clues from the engine to determine about when it was made or installed.

Code readers report the VIN of the associated module that stores such info (DME, CAS, FRM, KOMBI, DSC). If they didn't all match within a vehicle then there would be faults stored for that.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by deansbimmer

More from this week. One engine locked up with seized mains/rods.

There's a reason I towed my car from Oak Ridge, TN to McKinney, TX when it broke down and sounded like it had massive rod knock (turned out to be the AC compressor, but hey, better safe than sorry). deansbimmer cranking out the rod bearing jobs (and, ugh, engine replacements when mains die...).

[Mvy]

OMG its rod bearing porn. I cant stop looking.

[SSR Performance]

Contact us to today to schedule your appointment!
(800) 438-2808 or info@SSR-Performance.com

5/23/19

[Ximian]

78k miles







For sale: gently used bearings. No low-ballers, I know what I have.

[415cpa]

2008 M3 150k Miles. What do you guys think of these bearings?

[IamFODI]

Originally Posted by Ximian

78k miles

...

For sale: gently used bearings. No low-ballers, I know what I have.

Originally Posted by 415cpa

2008 M3 150k Miles. What do you guys think of these bearings?

Would you guys care to share maintenance history, driving habits, etc. as additional data points?

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by 415cpa

2008 M3 150k Miles. What do you guys think of these bearings?

Those look like they are made out of some kind of exotic hardwood... Yikes.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Ximian

78k miles







For sale: gently used bearings. No low-ballers, I know what I have.

Looks similar to mine when out at 37k. Worn but not crazy bad. What did you replace with mate?

[mapster37]

just finished installing new rod bearings. BE bearings, BE bolts. 08 M3, 69k miles. glad i did it when i did! anyone who owns one of these cars must get it done. here are some pics of original bearings

[pbonsalb]

That is similar to what my 08M3 bearings looked like at 60k. No copper showing in center of bearings but wear patches in most and a copper showing along the parting lines and a little down the sides.

[Ximian]

Originally Posted by IamFODI

Would you guys care to share maintenance history, driving habits, etc. as additional data points?

What I did is warm it for at least 5 minutes in the morning, don't drive it below 40F. Let it warm up gradually, never exceeding 3k RPM until the oil temp is nearly 210F.

Oil changes every 5k miles or so. The last oil change was Rowe 10W-60 with a track day on it, winter storage, daily driving, and two days each with a 13 hour drive. Should be interesting to see how it has held up.

I think I just got lucky with my engine. Based on the build date, it was well after the summer holidays and Octoberfest so everyone was focused and sober.

[Ximian]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Looks similar to mine when out at 37k. Worn but not crazy bad. What did you replace with mate?

BE bearings, BE-ARP bolts, OEM motor mounts. The motor mounts weren't in bad shape, but the new ones make it feel like a luxury car.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by Ximian

Warm it for at least 5 minutes in the morning, don't drive it below 40F.

That is funny. What do I do when it’s 0 degrees F outside? Great instructions for someone who is retired and does not drive much so 5 minute warmups before each drive are no problem, and lives in a warm area so he does not have to drive in the cold or who buys another car to drive half the year when it is cold. This would not work for my lifestyle.

[Ximian]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

That is funny. What do I do when it’s 0 degrees F outside? Great instructions for someone who is retired and does not drive much so 5 minute warmups before each drive are no problem, and lives in a warm area so he does not have to drive in the cold or who buys another car to drive half the year when it is cold. This would not work for my lifestyle.

Try 0w-40 when it’s cold. The 5 minutes of warm up starts after I take my son to the bus stop, then go back in to get my bag. The car even has a remote start, but I rarely use it.

As it frequently gets to -20F for long stretches of time where I live, it’s painful hearing any car start in the morning. The set of winter tires that car would need isn’t cheap and would take away from my track tire budget. Not to mention the M3 is low enough to make the front bumper into a snow plow until it’s completely demolished. It’s more practical having a crossover or SUV for the winter months than trying to make the M3 work.