Broken VANOS Bolts

[mawtu]

I also had the same issue. October 2013 I got in my car and had the Engine running at reduced power error. I drove straight to the dealership. My build date is 4/10 with 31K mileage at the time Here was the ticket info below. I was sitting in traffic and floored it to move to the next lane and parked when I got home the next time I started the car I got the light. No issues since repair. I'm glad it happened under warranty.


Vanos Adjustment Units Faulty
ISTA/D Batter Voltage:12.00 Connected Battery Charger
Vehicle Test FCS:002D55 Stored Test Plan Leads to Checking
Timing, and removing both Vanos Adjustment Units and Checking
Bolts for tightness. Found 2 Bolts Broken. Per SIB 12 14 12
Drained Oil and removed Oil condition sensor used borescope
to locate and remove bolt from oil pan. Second bolt head not
Identifiable in pan located bolt head under intake camshaft
removed intake camshaft to retrieve bolt head. Replaced both
Vanos adjustment units. filled new oil and test drove to verify.

[Jettt]

All these posts are getting me worried lol I'm only 20,000 km away from being out of warranty. My cars a 2012 with what I believe is a late 2011 build date so hopefully I won't have to deal with this. Good luck to everyone who's having issues with it.

[knc]

My build date falls in this range. 33K miles on the car no issue yet. Once I'm out of the 4yr/50k normal warranty, this should be something covered by my CPO warranty should things go poorly yes?

[128Convertibleguy]

Originally Posted by knc

My build date falls in this range. 33K miles on the car no issue yet. Once I'm out of the 4yr/50k normal warranty, this should be something covered by my CPO warranty should things go poorly yes?

It absolutely SHOULD be.

Could people with build dates 2/10-12/10 go to my VANOS poll on this forum?

[Slyncka]

Keep in mind that the VANOS is considered an emissions part and is likely to have a longer warranty. If anything happens make sure the dealer knows this as well. Your warranty book will show this (you can find it online as well). Depends on your state how much longer.

[rsr552]

This thread is crucial....

I just realized my build date on my 2011 135i is July 1, 2010 -__- Definately considering trading in this car soon now...

[dcaron9999]

After sending in my complaint letter to BMW Canada regarding my May 2010 N55 production date listed in this post: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=112 ...
I got a call back 2 days later from a polite lady. Cant say I was impressed by the response though. It went something like this ...

BMW Customer Service Rep: "We understand your concern with the safety of your vehicle, we have verified your VIN number against our database, and your car is not affected by this, so your vehicle is safe ..."

Me: "...but the SIB clearly indicates that all N55 engines produced between Feb 2010 and Dec 2010 date are affected ..."

BMW Customer Service Rep: " ... we have specifically verified your VIN number and even though you engine Production date falls within this range, not all N55 engines are affected. Also, there are no other outstanding recalls for your VIN at this point ..."

Me: " ... pause ... sigh ... OK then. Thank you for your call ..."

[MDRex]

Has anyone with an N54 135i had broken VANOS bolts? Or is this mostly just a concern to N55 owners?

[128Convertibleguy]

Originally Posted by rsr552

This thread is crucial....

But, crucially, is this rare or not? One last plea to participate in the poll, if your build date is 2/10-12/10:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=959195&

Has anyone had this happen on a 128? Has anyone had it happen on a car not built 2/10-12/10?

[Slyncka]

Originally Posted by 128Convertibleguy

But, crucially, is this rare or not? One last plea to participate in the poll, if your build date is 2/10-12/10:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=959195&

Has anyone had this happen on a 128? Has anyone had it happen on a car not built 2/10-12/10?

Not rare at all, even with your poll having a small sample size the result is very interesting. They mirror the national complaints where it spikes with vehicles having the N55 engine.


Also, I saw this the other day. Should be interesting to a lot of us.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0MB2TH20140314

[128Convertibleguy]

Originally Posted by Slyncka

Not rare at all, even with your poll having a small sample size the result is very interesting. They mirror the national complaints where it spikes with vehicles having the N55 engine.


Also, I saw this the other day. Should be interesting to a lot of us.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0MB2TH20140314

Good info.

It highlights the fact that anyone with VANOS bolt failure should report it at:

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

That's where recalls start.

[Slyncka]

Originally Posted by 128Convertibleguy

Good info.

It highlights the fact that anyone with VANOS bolt failure should report it at:

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

That's where recalls start.

This is excellent advice, couldn't agree more.

[dcaron9999]

Originally Posted by Slyncka

Not rare at all, even with your poll having a small sample size the result is very interesting. They mirror the national complaints where it spikes with vehicles having the N55 engine.


Also, I saw this the other day. Should be interesting to a lot of us.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0MB2TH20140314

Excellent article! Thanks for the link. Let's hope this turns into an official recall campaign one day, and travels to North America ...

Originally Posted by 128Convertibleguy

...anyone with VANOS bolt failure should report it at:
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/
That's where recalls start.

My N55 was produced May 2010, and I have filed a complaint to both Transport Canada & BMW Canada.

[dcaron9999]

Originally Posted by 128Convertibleguy

But, crucially, is this rare or not? One last plea to participate in the poll, if your build date is 2/10-12/10: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=959195&

Voted No ...

[fe1rx]

Originally Posted by dcaron9999

Voted ...

You voted "no", right? If so, what is your complaint to BMW and TC?

[dcaron9999]

Originally Posted by fe1rx

You voted "no", right? If so, what is your complaint to BMW and TC?

Voted no.

Here's my letter to BMW Canada:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=112

...and to TC ...
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=109

[rsr552]

Quick question for yall....for USA ppl in particular...

I want to write a similar letter to BMW as well...Not sure what address to send the letter to.

Can anyone confirm BMW NA Customer Service address? I found the following address below from the website, but not sure if that is the correct address to write to:

http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/ContactUs/

BMW of North America, LLC
300 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677-7731

Thanks yall...I really am worried about this now and would like to find out ASAP so I know whether or not to trade in the car later down the line....Sad since this is my 1st BMW and I really like the 135i so far.

[Jockey]

Good news for you guys, BMW announced a recall for this failure finally.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=970554

[dcaron9999]

Originally Posted by Jockey

Good news for you guys, BMW announced a recall for this failure finally.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=970554

Just sent my Service Advisor this article! Hope that this recall will occur in Canada as well!!!

Thanks for this !!!

[128Convertibleguy]

{crossposted from the recall thread}

Until the recall is actually issued, it's really impossible to determine if your particular car is part of it. So far it's just an email by BMW to NHTSA with some models and a total number of cars. Your dealer may or may not have more info. They may or may not be willing to share before the formal announcement.

"German carmaker BMW (BMWG.DE) said it would voluntarily recall more than 156,000 vehicles in the United States, including its popular 3 Series compact sedan, to check for potentially defective bolts that could lead to engine damage.

BMW said it would check whether bolts holding a certain component in vehicles with six-cylinder engines were prone to loosening or breaking.

The vehicles, which also include the Series 5 and the Z4 sports cars, are from model years 2010 to 2012, the company said in an email."

The total number of cars produced in those series exceeds 156,000. Just BMW 3 series sales in the US for 2010-2012 were about 300,000. So it's not everyone. To answer the above question, it won't be linked to usage, it will be specified by specific model, production date, and maybe VIN number.

But even that would be reassuring. If you're not included, presumably BMW thinks your car is OK. They could be wrong, but it's far from nothing.

[dcaron9999]

Just heard back from my Service Advisor in Canada ... No recalls yet. Cannot proceed to inspect/fix your car,,, yet ...

To be continued ..

[pj.rodriguez]

I don't know how they decide which cars in the same build year get the recalls and don't. But I have an N52 and doesn't seem like recalls will be happening for me since I'm an 08. What changed from 08/09 to 10-12 that would cause the recall?