2011 128i engine replacement options

[ArtWillTravel]

Hello! This is my first post and I hope to glean a little insight and opinions. I purchased a 2011 128i with auto transmission, 1 owner with less than 50,000 miles. After driving it for about a month, I began to notice a vibration of sorts around 1500-1800 RPM. I took it to a well established and reputable foreign auto mechanic. Their big concern was the discovery of metallic particles in the oil. They didn’t really offer any other diagnosis. I did a fresh oil change with the plan to return after 500 or so miles and see how it looked. That never happened.

Somewhere I found an article about a 10 year warranty on engine camshaft VANOS and the symptoms seemed very similar to what I’m encountering. So, I made an appointment with a nearby BMW dealer for service. Their diagnostics found the following:

Cause: FAILED EXHAUST VANOS GEAR, FAULTED INTAKE VANOS SOLENOID . METAL GOING THROUGH ENGINE OIL CIRCUIT CAUSING ACCELERATED WEAR.

Correction: VALVETRAIN NOISE PRESENT. FAULT FOR EXHAUST VANOS MECHANISM FAULT (STORED 109 TIMES), CAM POSITION EXHAUST, VANOS INTAKE (6). QUOTE TO REPLACE EXHAUST VANOS GEAR UNIT, INTAKE VANOS SOLENOID, REMOVE OIL PAN TO CHECK FOR BOLT HEADS FROM THE VANOS GEAR, REPLACE INTAKE VANOS GEAR BOLTS AND CHANGE OIL/FILTER. AFTER REMOVING THE OIL PAN FOUND A METALLIC PASTE COATING THE PAN. INSPECTED OIL PICKUP TUBE AND FOUND SILICONE PIECES IN THE SCREEN. REMOVED THE SILICONE AND CLEANED OUT THE PAN. REPLACED EXHAUST VANOS GEAR, REPLACED INTAKE VANOS GEAR BOLTS. INSPECTE VALVETRAIN, NO HOT SPOTS SEEN. CHANGED OIL/FILTER AND PRIMED OIL CIRCUIT . CLEARED FAULTS/ADAPTATIONS. PERFORMED VANOS TEST, BOTH INTAKE AND EXHAUST SHOW TO BE WORKING PROPERLY NOW. THERE IS STILL VALVETRAIN NOISE, POSSIBLY DUE TO METAL GOING THROUGH THE OIL CIRCUIT CAUSING ACCELERATED WEAR.

This repair was performed and now the car seems to continue with the vibration and excessive noise. My fear is that whatever bolt head got loose, it has done extensive wear on the engine. SO…… what are my options? It’s an awesome car and the mileage is low. Is a remanufactured engine a possibility? Does anyone have experience with this? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Lester]

You have options, including having the repairs done to bring back the valve train to as new.

You could look for a replacement, used engine from a vehicle rendered unroadworthy by accident.

You could also install a BMW factory replacement engine.

The last two options would have increased costs.

You'd have to compare to option 1, having the existing engine repaired.

Or, you could take your chances with the current engine, and see if it gets any worse.

[racerhawk]

So did BMW cover the repairs done so far to the VANOs? Maybe you could get BMW to repair the valvetrain damage caused by the failure. I doubt they will but it doesn't seem like the bottom end was damaged by the metal particles just the sliding contacts of the valvetrain maybe.

[ArtWillTravel]

Originally Posted by Lester

You have options, including having the repairs done to bring back the valve train to as new.

You could look for a replacement, used engine from a vehicle rendered unroadworthy by accident.

You could also install a BMW factory replacement engine.

The last two options would have increased costs.

You'd have to compare to option 1, having the existing engine repaired.

Or, you could take your chances with the current engine, and see if it gets any worse.

Thanks. These pretty much run the range of possibilities. I'm trying to research some options. I'll get back with the dealer to discuss repairing the drive train. That's a great start since they supposedly did the above mentioned repairs but the car still behaves as it did going into it.

As a second option, I am finding remanufactured engine prices to be a challenge. Any guideance on that is welcome.

[ArtWillTravel]

Originally Posted by racerhawk

So did BMW cover the repairs done so far to the VANOs? Maybe you could get BMW to repair the valvetrain damage caused by the failure. I doubt they will but it doesn't seem like the bottom end was damaged by the metal particles just the sliding contacts of the valvetrain maybe.

They did not cover these repairs, and I believe this needs further probing. I threw my question out to this community in the hopes that better heads than mine might have some thoughts on this. I very much appreciate your input. I'll keep pushing on this. Thanks!

[apexwerks]

What's your goal for the car? EG, are you trying to get it back as close as you can to a new car, or to a 50k mile car? Or are you looking for a cost-effective way to get back on the road? Also, what is your mechanical skill level and what access do you have to tools?

Biggest question for me - did BMW do the service under warranty? If so, I'd be pushing for them to correct the collateral damage as well. Escalating with BMW NA would be my first choice.

Barring that, I see a couple of potential paths:

1. Reman. There are a few folks out there offering reman N52s. Looks like everyone is around $4k, plus figure 10 hours? shop time for the swap.

2. Junkyard. BMW put the N52 into a lot of cars- the pick and pull by me has at least 8 in stock. Carfax the VIN, see the mileage and the service history, and pick the best one to pull. $299 + a core charge with no accessories. Re-seal it while it's out of the car, replace all the accessories. You can DIY for under $1k I'd wager, but it won't be a 50k mile motor.

3. New. RealOEM shows a new N52 shortblock for a little over $10k, but I'd be willing to bet that it's really a long block.

4. Drive it and see what happens. This is where I'd end up coming down if it were mine. Can't do any worse than have to replace the engine, so let it ride and see what happens.

[racerhawk]

Originally Posted by apexwerks

Biggest question for me - did BMW do the service under warranty? If so, I'd be pushing for them to correct the collateral damage as well. Escalating with BMW NA would be my first choice.

.

That was what I wondered but the poster said they did not do the service under warranty leave alone cover the collateral damage. I agree trying to get BMW to cover all the repairs would be my first option to pursue but seems like a long shot now.

[apexwerks]

Originally Posted by racerhawk

That was what I wondered but the poster said they did not do the service under warranty leave alone cover the collateral damage. I agree trying to get BMW to cover all the repairs would be my first option to pursue but seems like a long shot now.

Thanks, Racerhawk. I must have missed that in OP's post.

[NorthernDancer]

apexwerks above has provided many good options.
I would add: join BMWCCA. SO many benefits and access to your closest chapter. https://hoosierbmw.com/
CCA have 3 ombudsman, and they deal with issues like this every day. Right now you're alone without much "push" [for sake of a better word] behind you. It's like getting a lawyer for free. Your closest guy is Barry K. in Texas.
Also access to Mike Miller, their technical expert.

[ArtWillTravel]

Thanks all. I had to step away for a day. Very good guidelines here and I'll check out the BMWCCA groups. My goal is to keep the car as long as realistically possible. 50,000 miles is low for a ten year old car.

[ArtWillTravel]

Originally Posted by apexwerks

What's your goal for the car? EG, are you trying to get it back as close as you can to a new car, or to a 50k mile car? Or are you looking for a cost-effective way to get back on the road? Also, what is your mechanical skill level and what access do you have to tools?

Biggest question for me - did BMW do the service under warranty? If so, I'd be pushing for them to correct the collateral damage as well. Escalating with BMW NA would be my first choice.

Barring that, I see a couple of potential paths:

1. Reman. There are a few folks out there offering reman N52s. Looks like everyone is around $4k, plus figure 10 hours? shop time for the swap.

2. Junkyard. BMW put the N52 into a lot of cars- the pick and pull by me has at least 8 in stock. Carfax the VIN, see the mileage and the service history, and pick the best one to pull. $299 + a core charge with no accessories. Re-seal it while it's out of the car, replace all the accessories. You can DIY for under $1k I'd wager, but it won't be a 50k mile motor.

3. New. RealOEM shows a new N52 shortblock for a little over $10k, but I'd be willing to bet that it's really a long block.

4. Drive it and see what happens. This is where I'd end up coming down if it were mine. Can't do any worse than have to replace the engine, so let it ride and see what happens.

My mechanical skills are none (and I truly admire what you're doing with your skills!). My goal is simply to try and alleviate the annoying vibration and wondered if it would be futile to keep probing for some silly bolt head loose in the engine. That's a serious needle in the haystack. The car runs great and is a thrill to drive, so maybe I'll just run it as is for as long as it can and then venture into engine replacement at a later date. Thanks for your sound advice.

[Olgeezer1]

Some good advice above. "Northern Dancer" especially with his BMWCCA advice. Best $60. you'll spend and cool magazine to boot. Was it passage of time , more than 10 yrs. that caused BMW to not honor the warranty? As to related drivetrain damage, the notice I got some years age from BMW Canada, said : " ...BMW will cover all necessary repair costs related to this issue."

[ArtWillTravel]

Originally Posted by Olgeezer1

Some good advice above. "Northern Dancer" especially with his BMWCCA advice. Best $60. you'll spend and cool magazine to boot. Was it passage of time , more than 10 yrs. that caused BMW to not honor the warranty?

I never questioned warranty coverage, as it was a used car with no known repair history. Some of the symptoms are still occurring, so I'll inquire with the dealer about additional repair options. And... yes, I agree, doing BMWCCA is a great recommendation.

[apexwerks]

Originally Posted by ArtWillTravel

I never questioned warranty coverage, as it was a used car with no known repair history. Some of the symptoms are still occurring, so I'll inquire with the dealer about additional repair options. And... yes, I agree, doing BMWCCA is a great recommendation.

Let us know what you find out!

[ArtWillTravel]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

apexwerks above has provided many good options.
I would add: join BMWCCA. SO many benefits and access to your closest chapter. https://hoosierbmw.com/
CCA have 3 ombudsman, and they deal with issues like this every day. Right now you're alone without much "push" [for sake of a better word] behind you. It's like getting a lawyer for free. Your closest guy is Barry K. in Texas.
Also access to Mike Miller, their technical expert.

Thanks for the recommendation. I just joined BMW CCA and feel like I'm in good company.

[ArtWillTravel]

I have returned the car to a dealership to look further into this. Major stuff to report here.

The vibrations at certain RPMs still persist and the dealer said a torque converter replacement is necessary ($4929). They then said a new transmission (which includes the torque converter) might be better, in case the transmission is failing. The new transmission is $8592. Finally, since there appears to have been damage in the engine from a missing bolt head, they feel the engine life may be limited. A brand new N52 engine is $20,300.

The car is a 2011 128i with 52,000 miles on it. I can reach out to the BMW CCA community as well but I wanted to put this here in case anyone has any thoughts on this. I REALLY appreciate @apexworks lending some suggestions in an earlier comment. If anyone has some words of wisdom, please let me know. Thanks!

[tracer bullet]

Well, you said you had no mechanical skills, so... it's probably time to sell it.

[Suprgnat]

Walk away if you can. If not, run.

[NorthernDancer]

Have you reached out to 1 of the 3 ombudsman? You do it online: go to Benefits>Club Services or bmwcca.org/ombudsman.

[apexwerks]

Originally Posted by ArtWillTravel

I have returned the car to a dealership to look further into this. Major stuff to report here.

The vibrations at certain RPMs still persist and the dealer said a torque converter replacement is necessary ($4929). They then said a new transmission (which includes the torque converter) might be better, in case the transmission is failing. The new transmission is $8592. Finally, since there appears to have been damage in the engine from a missing bolt head, they feel the engine life may be limited. A brand new N52 engine is $20,300.

The car is a 2011 128i with 52,000 miles on it. I can reach out to the BMW CCA community as well but I wanted to put this here in case anyone has any thoughts on this. I REALLY appreciate @apexworks lending some suggestions in an earlier comment. If anyone has some words of wisdom, please let me know. Thanks!

Same dealership, or different? A quote that high sounds to me like they want you to go away.... The odds that you have a catastrophic VANOS issue, a failing tranny and a bad torque converter seem unlikely at 50k miles.

Definitely reach out to the CCA Ombudsman.... that's a great suggestion. I'd also heartily recommend you get a recommendation for a legit indy near you and get a second opinion. This sounds like the dealer version of throwing parts at a problem, and the fact that they've diagnosed everything but the brakes and sunroof probably means they have no idea and can't be bothered.

[ArtWillTravel]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

Have you reached out to 1 of the 3 ombudsman? You do it online: go to Benefits>Club Services or bmwcca.org/ombudsman.

On it! Thank you.

[ArtWillTravel]

Originally Posted by apexwerks

Same dealership, or different? A quote that high sounds to me like they want you to go away.... The odds that you have a catastrophic VANOS issue, a failing tranny and a bad torque converter seem unlikely at 50k miles.

Definitely reach out to the CCA Ombudsman.... that's a great suggestion. I'd also heartily recommend you get a recommendation for a legit indy near you and get a second opinion. This sounds like the dealer version of throwing parts at a problem, and the fact that they've diagnosed everything but the brakes and sunroof probably means they have no idea and can't be bothered.

Yes, same dealership. Your premonition echoes mine. I'm heading over to BMW CCA now, as well as looking at some independent mechanics. Everything else about the car is in excellent shape.