HVAC Blower Motor

1speedbike · 05-28-2015, 01:22 AM

Hi guys. Haven't been around for a while, but I do have a few questions for anyone that's willing to answer. This is a bit of a long story, so you can skip to the end for the actual questions.

************************************************** *************

I have a 2008 135i. Lots of mods. Most of them were put on recently / after the warranty period. I brought my car to the dealership for an unrelated issue - my steptronic shifter doesn't want to shift into DS mode or up/downshift. I'm stuck with paddleshifting in "D" mode, which doesn't hold gears, so it sucks. I ask them to replace the circuit board under the shifter because I had previously asked my regular shop to help me out, and they narrowed down the problem to that specific part. However, this isn't the problem at hand in this thread... that's a whole 'nother thread worth of questions.

THAT MORNING, a little piece of gel from an air freshener (basically this) I installed in my vent fell in as I was taking the freshener out. Right then and there the HVAC system started making a noise, like the gel insert was repeatedly being hit by a fan. I told myself, well, at least I'm taking the car in anyway. Maybe they can just fish it out.

Here's where it gets interesting. This is my first time to the dealership since my extended warranty expired. I have a 2008 N54, bought super early, year 1 of the 1, etc etc. This is the first time that I'm going into the dealership full-retard. My meth tank is in the trunk. My JB4 is still in (de-activated, but still installed). No more BSing the dealership like so many other people do, taking their tunes out, clearing codes, etc. It doesn't matter any more. I also learn that my regular and ridiculously cool and friendly SA has apparently left the dealership. I get some uptight guy with a fake smile. Whatever.

I get a call later in the day. They need to keep the car a while longer. Okay. I get a call the next day, and I can already tell by this SA's tone of voice that I'm not going to like what I hear...

Number 1 - the problem I originally came in for - the shifter. They refuse to do what I asked. Instead they claim it's a software issue (it isn't) and want to run a $200 some odd dollar ECU reset diagnostic mumbo jumbo bullshit. And that's just to TEST whether or not the issue is in the software. I tell them no. The issue isn't the software and I know this. Next.

Number 2 - Apparently my A/T fluid pan is leaking due to a crack. This is news to me. They want to set me up with this exact $143 OEM replacement (including gasket and magnet) for $800 including labor. No thanks. I had this checked out by a friend who is a BMW tech and there was no crack. He said sometimes there's excess fluid around the gasket seal, and maybe a dealership tech will notice fluid on the outside of the pan, and the dealership will claim it's a leak so they can charge you to fix it.

Number 3 - the HVAC blower. The reason for this post. They claim there's a "bad seal" and the whole blower motor must be replaced. The actual A/C unit is fine; just the blower is bad. Strange. The day before, the blower was quiet as can be. I assumed the sound was because the little gel piece was stuck in the blower or something.

What the SA told me was that there were actually LEAVES and "debris" stuck in the motor. I was under the impression that there was a relatively effective HVAC filter in place to.. you know... stop leaves and debris from getting into the HVAC system.

The only thing I can think of is when installing a JB4, you do remove that HVAC filter and ducting, but that was YEARS ago, and I did it under conditions in which leaves couldn't possibly have made their way in.

I've had no problems with the HVAC system at all in the intervening years. The only time the blower made noise was after I dropped the gel in, and now the SA is blaming leaves and debris? He told me it would cost somewhere around $400 to replace the $136 OEM HVAC blower including labor, and I also declined this.

So I got the car back. I basically paid a few hundred dollars for the dealership to do nothing.

************************************************** *************

So here are my questions:

Can leaves / debris actually get into the HVAC blower motor?

Furthermore, can a gel piece from an air freshener and/or leaves/debris cause a "seal" to "go bad" in the blower motor?

Can a "bad seal" cause the blower motor to make noise?

And finally, do you think a dealership could/would actually just leave the problem there (the gel or whatever was causing the noise), so that I would be compelled to replace the blower?

At first I thought "no way!" because this is a legitimate BMW dealership we're talking about here. I assume that since this is my first post-warranty visit, they'll fish for some cash, but I didn't think a dealership would just lie. However, after learning that I don't actually have an A/T pan leak when they claimed I did... I don't know any more. I'm just disappointed overall.

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks everyone for taking the time to read!

GR1P · 06-04-2015, 01:21 PM

Everything sounds like a red flag with this dealer.

Have an indy do the work.

1speedbike · 06-18-2015, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GR1P

Everything sounds like a red flag with this dealer.

Have an indy do the work.

Wow i'm sorry for the super late reply. Yes, that's the route I'm going! This dealership is a high volume dealership that doesn't even order RWD vehicles without special orders because all the customers are yuppies who order AWD only because they can't be bothered to change to winter shoes. It seems like they're just in the business of making money. Thank you for the feedback buddy

NihonX · 07-17-2015, 07:07 PM

Any update on this?

My A/C is very loud with a deep hum while the fan is on full blast. It's been this way for the past two months or so.

I prefer not to go to the dealer for any maintenance related issues since I'm far past my mileage limit on the warranty.

MightyMouseTech · 07-18-2015, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NihonX

Any update on this?

My A/C is very loud with a deep hum while the fan is on full blast. It's been this way for the past two months or so.

I prefer not to go to the dealer for any maintenance related issues since I'm far past my mileage limit on the warranty.

Once you remove the cabin filter and cowl panel you can see inside the blower motor. Clean it out yourself, takes about 30 min.

MZWIE · 01-19-2016, 07:32 AM

Did you ever get the shifter fixed. I know how to do it. Had same problem in mine. PM for info if you l ike.

05-28-2015, 01:22 AM	#1
1speedbike Brigadier General 732 Rep 3,274 Posts Drives: 2022 X4 M40i, 2008 135i Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: MKE iTrader: (15)	HVAC Blower Motor - is the dealership BSing me? Hi guys. Haven't been around for a while, but I do have a few questions for anyone that's willing to answer. This is a bit of a long story, so you can skip to the end for the actual questions. ************************************************ ********* I have a 2008 135i. Lots of mods. Most of them were put on recently / after the warranty period. I brought my car to the dealership for an unrelated issue - my steptronic shifter doesn't want to shift into DS mode or up/downshift. I'm stuck with paddleshifting in "D" mode, which doesn't hold gears, so it sucks. I ask them to replace the circuit board under the shifter because I had previously asked my regular shop to help me out, and they narrowed down the problem to that specific part. However, this isn't the problem at hand in this thread... that's a whole 'nother thread worth of questions. THAT MORNING, a little piece of gel from an air freshener (basically this) I installed in my vent fell in as I was taking the freshener out. Right then and there the HVAC system started making a noise, like the gel insert was repeatedly being hit by a fan. I told myself, well, at least I'm taking the car in anyway. Maybe they can just fish it out. Here's where it gets interesting. This is my first time to the dealership since my extended warranty expired. I have a 2008 N54, bought super early, year 1 of the 1, etc etc. This is the first time that I'm going into the dealership full-retard. My meth tank is in the trunk. My JB4 is still in (de-activated, but still installed). No more BSing the dealership like so many other people do, taking their tunes out, clearing codes, etc. It doesn't matter any more. I also learn that my regular and ridiculously cool and friendly SA has apparently left the dealership. I get some uptight guy with a fake smile. Whatever. I get a call later in the day. They need to keep the car a while longer. Okay. I get a call the next day, and I can already tell by this SA's tone of voice that I'm not going to like what I hear... Number 1 - the problem I originally came in for - the shifter. They refuse to do what I asked. Instead they claim it's a software issue (it isn't) and want to run a $200 some odd dollar ECU reset diagnostic mumbo jumbo bullshit. And that's just to TEST whether or not the issue is in the software. I tell them no. The issue isn't the software and I know this. Next. Number 2 - Apparently my A/T fluid pan is leaking due to a crack. This is news to me. They want to set me up with this exact $143 OEM replacement (including gasket and magnet) for $800 including labor. No thanks. I had this checked out by a friend who is a BMW tech and there was no crack. He said sometimes there's excess fluid around the gasket seal, and maybe a dealership tech will notice fluid on the outside of the pan, and the dealership will claim it's a leak so they can charge you to fix it. Number 3 - the HVAC blower. The reason for this post. They claim there's a "bad seal" and the whole blower motor must be replaced. The actual A/C unit is fine; just the blower is bad. Strange. The day before, the blower was quiet as can be. I assumed the sound was because the little gel piece was stuck in the blower or something. What the SA told me was that there were actually LEAVES and "debris" stuck in the motor. I was under the impression that there was a relatively effective HVAC filter in place to.. you know... stop leaves and debris from getting into the HVAC system. The only thing I can think of is when installing a JB4, you do remove that HVAC filter and ducting, but that was YEARS ago, and I did it under conditions in which leaves couldn't possibly have made their way in. I've had no problems with the HVAC system at all in the intervening years. The only time the blower made noise was after I dropped the gel in, and now the SA is blaming leaves and debris? He told me it would cost somewhere around $400 to replace the $136 OEM HVAC blower including labor, and I also declined this. So I got the car back. I basically paid a few hundred dollars for the dealership to do nothing. ********************************************** *********** So here are my questions: Can leaves / debris actually get into the HVAC blower motor? Furthermore, can a gel piece from an air freshener and/or leaves/debris cause a "seal" to "go bad" in the blower motor? Can a "bad seal" cause the blower motor to make noise? And finally, do you think a dealership could/would actually just leave the problem there (the gel or whatever was causing the noise), so that I would be compelled to replace the blower? At first I thought "no way!" because this is a legitimate BMW dealership we're talking about here. I assume that since this is my first post-warranty visit, they'll fish for some cash, but I didn't think a dealership would just lie. However, after learning that I don't actually have an A/T pan leak when they claimed I did... I don't know any more. I'm just disappointed overall. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks everyone for taking the time to read! __________________ 2022 X4 M40i - 2008 135i - 2015 F700GS On Order - 2024 i4 M50 Scruffy's gonna die the way he lived... Mmhm.
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06-04-2015, 01:21 PM	#2
GR1P Private First Class 33 Rep 161 Posts Drives: 135is Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Corona, CA iTrader: (0)	Everything sounds like a red flag with this dealer. Have an indy do the work.
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07-17-2015, 07:07 PM	#4
NihonX Captain 63 Rep 901 Posts Drives: 2011 VO 1M Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Antioch iTrader: (8)	Any update on this? My A/C is very loud with a deep hum while the fan is on full blast. It's been this way for the past two months or so. I prefer not to go to the dealer for any maintenance related issues since I'm far past my mileage limit on the warranty. __________________ 2011 VO 1M
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01-19-2016, 07:32 AM	#6
MZWIE Lieutenant Colonel 388 Rep 1,660 Posts Drives: M2 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: GEORGIA iTrader: (0)	Did you ever get the shifter fixed. I know how to do it. Had same problem in mine. PM for info if you l ike.
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