Broken VANOS Bolts

swmrdrn · 07-18-2013, 11:52 AM

No they didn't change the oil until after they replaced the Vanos units. Unbelievable isn't it! When I asked the mechanic about the the long range issue of running the motor with metal shavings in it he told me not to worry because the oil filter will pick them up. To this I reply, "then how did the metal shavings reach the solenoid if the oil filter would pick them up?". He didn't have an answer to this question. I think that this car is going back at the end of the lease.

What really bugs me is that nobody at the dealership will say when the N55 was changed over to the newer Vanos parts. BMW must know that there are a bunch of these time bombs waiting to detonate. They could easily release the production dates in question.

Is it just the first few months of the N55 or is it the first few years????

ken1137 · 07-19-2013, 07:23 PM

Wasn't there an owner in Hawaii that encountered the same problem earlier last year ? BMW blamed his tune and he got screwed...he was out $7500. OP...that really sucks. FYI...change your oil if you have not done so already. GL !

worries · 07-20-2013, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken1137

Wasn't there an owner in Hawaii that encountered the same problem earlier last year ? BMW blamed his tune and he got screwed...he was out $7500. OP...that really sucks. FYI...change your oil if you have not done so already. GL !

Oh man I hope this isn't true.

ken1137 · 07-20-2013, 10:12 AM

Found it...he must have been the 1st...

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...light=markr171

doublevanosrc · 07-22-2013, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken1137

Wasn't there an owner in Hawaii that encountered the same problem earlier last year ? BMW blamed his tune and he got screwed...he was out $7500. OP...that really sucks. FYI...change your oil if you have not done so already. GL !

For $7500 I would of said to them "just keep the car".

swmrdrn · 07-23-2013, 02:22 PM

I had the car back for 4 days and drove perhaps 60 miles when it threw a yellow engine light again. Dropped it at the dealer the next morning and it turns out that the second VANOS Solenoid failed. As I documented earlier, one of the two Solenoids failed due to contaminated oil on the test drive immediately after the VANOS system was rebuilt with the new controllers. The dealer will not say why the second Solenoid failed but did admit that it was likely due to contaminated oil. They also did NOT change the oil and filter this time which I find simply stupid.

At the suggestion of the SA I called BMW NA and requested an extended warranty on the engine due to the high potential for damage that oil contaminated with metal shavings presents. BMW NA "understood my position" but declined to offer any additional warranty since the car is still under warranty until April 2015. They believe that if there is an issue it will show up while still in factory warranty. This is the just get the liability off our books mentality.

Bottom line... This car goes back at the end of the lease which is a damn shame because it is one of my favorite cars and I have had some nice cars.

swmrdrn · 07-25-2013, 08:49 AM

I got the car back on Monday afternoon and Wednesday night it gave me another yellow engine light. I've been taking photos of the light to document the milage, time and location when it occurs. It made it 59 miles since they "fixed it". Back to the dealer this morning... I'll bet the house that it is another failed Solenoid caused by contaminated engine oil. At this point I think the only real solution is to replace the engine. If there are still medal shavings floating around in the engine oil then who knows what other internal damage the oil has done.

CRuben09 · 07-25-2013, 05:35 PM

Quite strange. They replaced both VANOS in my car, made an oil change, and the car have been running fine with no issues. Probably they didn't fixed it right. Probably when you continued driving after the failure affected the engine. Mine just stalled when it broke down.

swmrdrn · 07-31-2013, 10:03 AM

Good thing I didn't bet the house. I get my car back today and it wasn't a failed solenoid but rather another broken Vanos controller. For those keeping score so far this repair has required 3 extended shop stays at the dealer and gone through 3 Vanos controllers and 2 Vanos Solenoids.

I have no faith that this car will run for more than a few days before braking again. Yesterday I called BMW and spoke with a "resolution specialist". The issue has now been escalated to "senior management".

e36addict · 07-31-2013, 11:20 AM

Yes, there is a bulletin out about this issue, and if effects E82 and E88 produced from 2/2010 to 12/2010.. I wouldn't say it's exactly a "common" issue, as I've only personally seen 4 or 5 cars in the shop in the last 7 months with this failure. I don't understand why your dealer only installed one gear assembly, as you are required to replace both. And as far as the oil.. there shouldn't be any metal "flake" since it's just simply a bolt head shearing off. No flake should be produced here, and if there is some, it would be SO minimal that it would cause absolutely no harm.

CRuben09 · 07-31-2013, 03:49 PM

My Check Engine light came on Today. I just took it in. I'll keep you posted. It lasted two weeks since the Broken Vanos bolt repair :S

I called BMW NA for a possible Lemon Car, and all I was told is that they were going to investigate, but since the car is under warranty, everything is being covered and taken care off by them. I hate being without a car.

swmrdrn · 08-01-2013, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by e36addict

Yes, there is a bulletin out about this issue, and if effects E82 and E88 produced from 2/2010 to 12/2010.. I wouldn't say it's exactly a "common" issue, as I've only personally seen 4 or 5 cars in the shop in the last 7 months with this failure. I don't understand why your dealer only installed one gear assembly, as you are required to replace both. And as far as the oil.. there shouldn't be any metal "flake" since it's just simply a bolt head shearing off. No flake should be produced here, and if there is some, it would be SO minimal that it would cause absolutely no harm.

Thank you for the informative post. Would you happen to know where I can find a copy of this bulletin?

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my earlier post. The first repair did replace both the intake and exhaust Vanos controllers. Then the first solenoid failed, then the second solenoid failed, and then one of the new Vanos controllers failed. It has been running problem free for 2 days now...

e36addict · 08-02-2013, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swmrdrn

Thank you for the informative post. Would you happen to know where I can find a copy of this bulletin?

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my earlier post. The first repair did replace both the intake and exhaust Vanos controllers. Then the first solenoid failed, then the second solenoid failed, and then one of the new Vanos controllers failed. It has been running problem free for 2 days now...

Geez sounds like you've been through hell.. I'm not sure where you'd find a copy of the bulletin.. technically I can get in trouble for sharing that stuff or else I'd help.

CRuben09 · 08-03-2013, 10:59 PM

Hi Guys,

I just got my car back and they replaced the Intake VANOS Controller. Apparently it malfunctioned. They did this repair through a PUMA case they opened.

I was wondering... What is a PUMA case? and how does this affect my car?

Thanks,

Slyncka · 08-21-2013, 12:53 PM

Just saw this thread and from the looks of it this is more common than we might think.

My parents just sent their 2011 X5 to the shop. Got the yellow warning and then were told to drive it down, on the way there it shut off without warning, had to be towed the last few miles.

From what they told me about it I thought it might be the VANOS issue after digging through bmwtechinfo. I was never able to see the car since I'm in Minnesota and they're in PA but it seems that's been confirmed.

The car is still at the dealer as of right now, they've been driving around a Kia rental for a week for some reason. I'll keep you guys updated as well.

N55 engine, manufactured 6/30/2010

doublevanosrc · 08-21-2013, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slyncka

Just saw this thread and from the looks of it this is more common than we might think.

My parents just sent their 2011 X5 to the shop. Got the yellow warning and then were told to drive it down, on the way there it shut off without warning, had to be towed the last few miles.

From what they told me about it I thought it might be the VANOS issue after digging through bmwtechinfo. I was never able to see the car since I'm in Minnesota and they're in PA but it seems that's been confirmed.

The car is still at the dealer as of right now, they've been driving around a Kia rental for a week for some reason. I'll keep you guys updated as well.

N55 engine, manufactured 6/30/2010

Wow I got a feeling this might be a serious issue down the road, BMW should man up and do a recall asap.

Slyncka · 08-21-2013, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swmrdrn

Good thing I didn't bet the house. I get my car back today and it wasn't a failed solenoid but rather another broken Vanos controller. For those keeping score so far this repair has required 3 extended shop stays at the dealer and gone through 3 Vanos controllers and 2 Vanos Solenoids.

I have no faith that this car will run for more than a few days before braking again. Yesterday I called BMW and spoke with a "resolution specialist". The issue has now been escalated to "senior management".

The law doesn't have faith it will either, three visits to the shop for the same related repair allows it to be covered under the lemon law. It probably went to senior management since they know you now have the ability file a claim.

Also a PUMA case is when higher management approve repairs beyond the shop level I believe.

Slyncka · 08-21-2013, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

Wow I got a feeling this might be a serious issue down the road, BMW should man up and do a recall asap.

I agree, the bulletin from last month I posted replaced one that was a software update fix I think, so they're internally acknowledging that its a more serious problem. Just by the number of posts I've seen alone should be enough, and that doesn't account for the cases no one ever mentioned.

Along with your recall idea, like I said the X5 just shut down without warning which I've never seen in any car I had (not even an old Pontiac that was on its last leg). There are some inherent safety concerns there.

CRuben09 · 08-21-2013, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slyncka

Quote:

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

Wow I got a feeling this might be a serious issue down the road, BMW should man up and do a recall asap.

I agree, the bulletin from last month I posted replaced one that was a software update fix I think, so they're internally acknowledging that its a more serious problem. Just by the number of posts I've seen alone should be enough, and that doesn't account for the cases no one ever mentioned.

Along with your recall idea, like I said the X5 just shut down without warning which I've never seen in any car I had (not even an old Pontiac that was on its last leg). There are some inherent safety concerns there.

When my car broke down it happened in the highway at highway speed. I was parked at a restaurant and when I turned on the car the service engine light went on 2 minutes later I was at the highway and it just shut. I still could drive the car to a stop but the brakes were so hard. I was lucky there wasn't traffic around.

kits135i · 08-21-2013, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slyncka

The law doesn't have faith it will either, three visits to the shop for the same related repair allows it to be covered under the lemon law. It probably went to senior management since they know you now have the ability file a claim.

Also a PUMA case is when higher management approve repairs beyond the shop level I believe.

There is a lot more to the lemon law than three times for same repair. The fine print is if the car puts his life in danger. Just three times and the dealer is repairing it makes it hard for lemon law as this does not seem to put his life in danger. I had a car put my life in danger and it still took a year to get lemon law to take care of it.

shah269 · 08-22-2013, 08:03 AM

Why do i recall VW having some issues with the oil going bad before 10k miles and causing major issues with their cars?
This is why I have my oil changed every 5k miles with Elf full syn.
Yeah sure maybe it's a waste of money but....well......I need this car to work every day 100% of the time.

swmrdrn · 08-23-2013, 10:25 AM

Well it has been an interesting last few weeks. 7 days ago BMW NA called to tell me that they approved the "repurchase" of the car. I signed the agreement and yesterday I was notified that my check has been forwarded to the return agent. The car will be going back to BMW next week and I'm sorry to see it go. It has been one of my favorite cars of all time and I have had many many cars over the years.

On a positive note, I have never had a better experience with a large company. The good people at BMW NA were exceedingly polite and helpful. Never did I have to raise my voice or argue my point. They simply gathered the needed information and arrived a the logical conclusion. Because of their straightforward and honest approach I am actually considering replacing this car with a 335i M-Sport... although the S4/5 also is appealing. Has anyone had issues with the newer production N55 engines?

07-18-2013, 11:52 AM	#23
swmrdrn Enlisted Member 40 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2017 M3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pasadena iTrader: (0)	No they didn't change the oil until after they replaced the Vanos units. Unbelievable isn't it! When I asked the mechanic about the the long range issue of running the motor with metal shavings in it he told me not to worry because the oil filter will pick them up. To this I reply, "then how did the metal shavings reach the solenoid if the oil filter would pick them up?". He didn't have an answer to this question. I think that this car is going back at the end of the lease. What really bugs me is that nobody at the dealership will say when the N55 was changed over to the newer Vanos parts. BMW must know that there are a bunch of these time bombs waiting to detonate. They could easily release the production dates in question. Is it just the first few months of the N55 or is it the first few years????
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07-19-2013, 07:23 PM	#24
ken1137 Brigadier General 89 Rep 3,732 Posts Drives: BMW S1000XR Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Gilbert, AZ iTrader: (7) Garage List 2009 e90 335i [6.40]	Wasn't there an owner in Hawaii that encountered the same problem earlier last year ? BMW blamed his tune and he got screwed...he was out $7500. OP...that really sucks. FYI...change your oil if you have not done so already. GL ! __________________ BMWCCA member
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07-20-2013, 10:12 AM	#26
ken1137 Brigadier General 89 Rep 3,732 Posts Drives: BMW S1000XR Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Gilbert, AZ iTrader: (7) Garage List 2009 e90 335i [6.40]	Found it...he must have been the 1st... http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...light=markr171 __________________ BMWCCA member
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07-23-2013, 02:22 PM	#28
swmrdrn Enlisted Member 40 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2017 M3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pasadena iTrader: (0)	Second Vanos Solenoid I had the car back for 4 days and drove perhaps 60 miles when it threw a yellow engine light again. Dropped it at the dealer the next morning and it turns out that the second VANOS Solenoid failed. As I documented earlier, one of the two Solenoids failed due to contaminated oil on the test drive immediately after the VANOS system was rebuilt with the new controllers. The dealer will not say why the second Solenoid failed but did admit that it was likely due to contaminated oil. They also did NOT change the oil and filter this time which I find simply stupid. At the suggestion of the SA I called BMW NA and requested an extended warranty on the engine due to the high potential for damage that oil contaminated with metal shavings presents. BMW NA "understood my position" but declined to offer any additional warranty since the car is still under warranty until April 2015. They believe that if there is an issue it will show up while still in factory warranty. This is the just get the liability off our books mentality. Bottom line... This car goes back at the end of the lease which is a damn shame because it is one of my favorite cars and I have had some nice cars.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-25-2013, 08:49 AM	#29
swmrdrn Enlisted Member 40 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2017 M3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pasadena iTrader: (0)	59 miles and another engine light I got the car back on Monday afternoon and Wednesday night it gave me another yellow engine light. I've been taking photos of the light to document the milage, time and location when it occurs. It made it 59 miles since they "fixed it". Back to the dealer this morning... I'll bet the house that it is another failed Solenoid caused by contaminated engine oil. At this point I think the only real solution is to replace the engine. If there are still medal shavings floating around in the engine oil then who knows what other internal damage the oil has done.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-25-2013, 05:35 PM	#30
CRuben09 Second Lieutenant 119 Rep 264 Posts Drives: 2021 M3 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: San Juan iTrader: (0)	Quite strange. They replaced both VANOS in my car, made an oil change, and the car have been running fine with no issues. Probably they didn't fixed it right. Probably when you continued driving after the failure affected the engine. Mine just stalled when it broke down. __________________ 2019 X3 2011 135i Alpine White DCT N55 All Stock Built on 10/10 Proud owner since 12/12.
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07-31-2013, 10:03 AM	#31
swmrdrn Enlisted Member 40 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2017 M3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pasadena iTrader: (0)	Good thing I didn't bet the house. I get my car back today and it wasn't a failed solenoid but rather another broken Vanos controller. For those keeping score so far this repair has required 3 extended shop stays at the dealer and gone through 3 Vanos controllers and 2 Vanos Solenoids. I have no faith that this car will run for more than a few days before braking again. Yesterday I called BMW and spoke with a "resolution specialist". The issue has now been escalated to "senior management".
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-31-2013, 11:20 AM	#32
e36addict Captain 137 Rep 952 Posts Drives: 2013 X1 35iX Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Tim @ BMW of Dallas iTrader: (5)	Yes, there is a bulletin out about this issue, and if effects E82 and E88 produced from 2/2010 to 12/2010.. I wouldn't say it's exactly a "common" issue, as I've only personally seen 4 or 5 cars in the shop in the last 7 months with this failure. I don't understand why your dealer only installed one gear assembly, as you are required to replace both. And as far as the oil.. there shouldn't be any metal "flake" since it's just simply a bolt head shearing off. No flake should be produced here, and if there is some, it would be SO minimal that it would cause absolutely no harm.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-31-2013, 03:49 PM	#33
CRuben09 Second Lieutenant 119 Rep 264 Posts Drives: 2021 M3 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: San Juan iTrader: (0)	My Check Engine light came on Today. I just took it in. I'll keep you posted. It lasted two weeks since the Broken Vanos bolt repair :S I called BMW NA for a possible Lemon Car, and all I was told is that they were going to investigate, but since the car is under warranty, everything is being covered and taken care off by them. I hate being without a car. __________________ 2019 X3 2011 135i Alpine White DCT N55 All Stock Built on 10/10 Proud owner since 12/12.
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08-03-2013, 10:59 PM	#36
CRuben09 Second Lieutenant 119 Rep 264 Posts Drives: 2021 M3 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: San Juan iTrader: (0)	Hi Guys, I just got my car back and they replaced the Intake VANOS Controller. Apparently it malfunctioned. They did this repair through a PUMA case they opened. I was wondering... What is a PUMA case? and how does this affect my car? Thanks, __________________ 2019 X3 2011 135i Alpine White DCT N55 All Stock Built on 10/10 Proud owner since 12/12.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-22-2013, 08:03 AM	#43
shah269 Major 315 Rep 1,035 Posts Drives: 2009 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	Why do i recall VW having some issues with the oil going bad before 10k miles and causing major issues with their cars? This is why I have my oil changed every 5k miles with Elf full syn. Yeah sure maybe it's a waste of money but....well......I need this car to work every day 100% of the time.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-23-2013, 10:25 AM	#44
swmrdrn Enlisted Member 40 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2017 M3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pasadena iTrader: (0)	Well it has been an interesting last few weeks. 7 days ago BMW NA called to tell me that they approved the "repurchase" of the car. I signed the agreement and yesterday I was notified that my check has been forwarded to the return agent. The car will be going back to BMW next week and I'm sorry to see it go. It has been one of my favorite cars of all time and I have had many many cars over the years. On a positive note, I have never had a better experience with a large company. The good people at BMW NA were exceedingly polite and helpful. Never did I have to raise my voice or argue my point. They simply gathered the needed information and arrived a the logical conclusion. Because of their straightforward and honest approach I am actually considering replacing this car with a 335i M-Sport... although the S4/5 also is appealing. Has anyone had issues with the newer production N55 engines?
	Appreciate 0 Quote