Blown Turbo

[Mr Marcus]

Hi guys, my turbo has blown and I'm facing a huge bill. Any ideas on what cause them to blow and where you think I stand?

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by Mr Marcus

Hi guys, my turbo has blown and I'm facing a huge bill. Any ideas on what cause them to blow and where you think I stand?

you have a 2011....you're out of warranty?

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by Mr Marcus

Hi guys, my turbo has blown and I'm facing a huge bill. Any ideas on what cause them to blow and where you think I stand?

Can't be too far out of warranty, if the car was stock then I think you should be able to succesfully argue for a replacement anyway.
If you were tuned then you might struggle. I have a spare N55 turbo at the moment, PM me if you end up needing one.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by Mr Marcus

Hi guys, my turbo has blown and I'm facing a huge bill. Any ideas on what cause them to blow and where you think I stand?

if you can give us some background we can help you figure out the cause

[Mr Marcus]

Yep just out of warranty by a few months, 2011 E82 N55.

I had the DCT re-flashed by BMW two years ago and ever since then complained that the engine felt de-tuned and a huge lag had appeared. Pressing the pedal to the floor from standing (in 1st gear) the car would slowly move but not leap until at least 3,000rpm, the claimed 1,400rpm.

It's been getting worse for two years, each time I take the car in BMW say they can't find the fault and off I go again. Now it's gone into limp mode and apparently the fault has been traced to the turbo unit, which in turn has damaged something else expensive.

Hope that helps.

[MarkkyyMan]

Maybe the dealership made a note about your issue while under warranty, which may get them to cover part of the cost. Good luck.

[Mr Marcus]

Originally Posted by Ian///M

Which dealership and what was their actual technical assessment?

Ian it's the big one in the city. They've not given me many details other than above, except that the bill so far is north of $10,000. The car has been there since Thursday while the regional tech stripped it down. You now know as much as I do.

[dcaron9999]

How often did you change your oil? Did you trsck your csr? Did you let your oil temp cool down after hard runs?

[Mr Marcus]

Originally Posted by dcaron9999

How often did you change your oil? Did you trsck your csr? Did you let your oil temp cool down after hard runs?

Never tracked the car one, not my thing. As for oil, it's been changed at every service by BMW I think.

[FactorX81]

Originally Posted by Mr Marcus

Ian it's the big one in the city. They've not given me many details other than above, except that the bill so far is north of $10,000. The car has been there since Thursday while the regional tech stripped it down. You now know as much as I do.

10K? How is it so expensive? Sounds like they are scamming unless the engine is toast too.

[e36addict]

My turbo blew out.. Cost on factory replacement is $1800. pureturbos.com

[Andrewcoja]

If you've been having problems since you were in warranty, demand that they warranty it. If they won't, call BMW of North America and complain that your dealer never noticed the problem with your car until it was out of warranty despite you continuously trying to get them to fix the problem you had. BMWNA will probably be more inclined to want to help you and they can pull more weight with the dealer.

[BGR]

Originally Posted by Andrewcoja

If you've been having problems since you were in warranty, demand that they warranty it. If they won't, call BMW of North America and complain that your dealer never noticed the problem with your car until it was out of warranty despite you continuously trying to get them to fix the problem you had. BMWNA will probably be more inclined to want to help you and they can pull more weight with the dealer.

Looks like he is in AU?

[Andrewcoja]

Oh whoops, Sorry. Is there BMW Australia?

[Mr Marcus]

Originally Posted by Andrewcoja

Oh whoops, Sorry. Is there BMW Australia?

I hope so!

Thanks for all the advice, I feel better equipped for the conversation.

I will update afterwards

[cheshirecat79]

I would get a detailed breakdown on what actually happened. If they're telling you that the turbo "blew" and then damaged other items, they may be referring to catalytic converter damage as well, which would kick the price of the repair way up.

If it were me, I'd be raising hell with the dealership and regional rep as well as corporate to get this covered under goodwill, especially since you've had the dealership perform the required service and you've complained about issues in the past which may be related to premature turbo failure.

barring that, I wouldn't let the dealership perform any 10k repair. Pull the car out of that place and take it to an independent mechanic. If it's truly a "blown turbo" (which is weird by itself), get it replaced and throw some downpipes and a catback on that bastard and call it a day.

[JimD]

The "$10K" may be inflated to set up up for a "let's split it" settlement where they at least cover their cost. I'd ask for a detailed breakdown of the work and get another quote to be sure you're really getting something.

This is if you can't convince them to cover under warranty. By law, at least in the U. S., if you bring the car in during the warranty period for an issue it is covered. It doesn't matter that they didn't correctly diagnose it until later. They can argue it isn't the same issue as it had when you brought it in but it seems like you also have a case that it is.

[CGMike]

Sounds almost like a boost leak issue. Is the car blowing smoke under acceleration or at idle? When turbos "blow" they smoke A LOT! And consume oil like no other. If you broke the fins because the turbo injested something, thats a different story. I would ask to look at the turbo before they replace it. Check for shaft play and smoke out the tail pipe. Even with a cat the car will smoke. I have known turbos with 200k miles on them that smoked a little at idle but still werent "blown". Change your oil often (more than every 15k) for healthy turbo life.

[Mr Marcus]

Originally Posted by CGMike

Sounds almost like a boost leak issue. Is the car blowing smoke under acceleration or at idle? When turbos "blow" they smoke A LOT! And consume oil like no other. If you broke the fins because the turbo injested something, thats a different story. I would ask to look at the turbo before they replace it. Check for shaft play and smoke out the tail pipe. Even with a cat the car will smoke. I have known turbos with 200k miles on them that smoked a little at idle but still werent "blown". Change your oil often (more than every 15k) for healthy turbo life.

I've not seen any smoke so that's really interesting. Would that always happen if the turbo blew regardless?

Tell you what though, I was about to get rid of the car as it's hit that 3 year point, but now I just want my baby back!

[CGMike]

There are usually a couple way a turbo can fail. The oil seal fails and it smokes (most common), the bearing takes a poop the turbo has all kinds of shaft play (then it takes out the oil seal and smokes), or the fins get destroyed cuz the turbo injested something. I would go take a look at it if you can. Pull the complete intake off and grab the wheel of the turbo. Move it in and out, up and down. Any movement? If its bad enough to hit the inside of the housing, the bearing is shot. They normally will make a loud whirring/whinning noise if this is happening under boost. You can also pull the intercooler pipe and check for oil. There will be SOME oil but it shouldnt be a BOAT LOAD of oil. If there is a lot, then the oil seal is gone and the car should be smoking. Also look at the wheel for chipped or broken fins. If none of these things happen, check all the connections from the turbo to the throttle body. Make sure none of the intercooler pipes have tears or breaks, and that all the hose connections are tight and sealed. Even a "BLOWN" turbo will build some boost, it will either smoke or make a bunch of noise. This is my experience with the 6 or 7 turbo cars I have owned in the past and numerous ones that i have helped work on. Ive had a turbo car since 2002 in some form or another.

EDIT: here is my theory. You took the car in for a reflash. The dealer went and beat on it a little bit or even removed an intercooler pipe for some reason. While beating on it, the pipe came loose. You felt the "lag" and it has never fully sealed correctly. Then you got on it one day and the pipe let go. Now the car wont run right because there is a huge boost leak. Either a coupler came off or the upper intercooler pipe split (its only plastic and a common thing). Did it make any weird noise right before you limped it home? An intercooler pipe coming off will sound like a loud BANG then a blow off valve noise. Kind of like popping a baloon followed by the turbo spooling down. If I was in Syndey, I would love to help you diagnois it. I hope everything works out

[..]

I'm not understanding where the $10k or $5k is coming from?....

I can't see a turbo replacement being more than $1,500. Parts and labor included.

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by DurimOne54

I'm not understanding where the $10k or $5k is coming from?....

I can't see a turbo replacement being more than $1,500. Parts and labor included.

lol wut?