My Hooptie Broke!

[Happy Jose]

As all of you are aware, I want to keep you informed of the saga of my 2010 135i Sport Package.

Yup it broke. I took it into the dealer this morning, 10/3/19, because the A/C was blowing warm air. Just to check it out was $325, that really blows! While it was in there, the tech discovered two oil leaks, the valve cover gasket and the OFHG.

The valve cover gasket is a real PITA to fix, so I'm glad I have the Gold Warranty which expires 5/22/20. The Oil Filter Housing has two gaskets, one between it and the block and the other the oil cooler. Only the block gasket was leaking, so the warranty will only cover it. It would have been nice if they had done both, since they were already in there. The oil pan gasket was OK, and the DCT wasn't leaking.

The A/C was low on freon or whatever they now use. They charged the system up, and it is now blowing cold air. They did put a dye in the system, but they haven't detected a leak. I have a problem with this, because the refrigerant doesn't just mysteriously disappear into the atmosphere without a path.

Anyway, I hope some more stuff breaks before the warranty expires. Come on water pump fail!

[a4nut]

Originally Posted by Happy Jose

As all of you are aware, I want to keep you informed of the saga of my 2010 135i Sport Package.

Yup it broke. I took it into the dealer this morning, 10/3/19, because the A/C was blowing warm air. Just to check it out was $325, that really blows! While it was in there, the tech discovered two oil leaks, the valve cover gasket and the OFHG.

The valve cover gasket is a real PITA to fix, so
The A/C was low on freon or whatever they now use. They charged the system up, and it is now blowing cold air. They did put a dye in the system, but they haven't detected a leak. I have a problem with this, because the refrigerant doesn't just mysteriously disappear into the atmosphere without a path.

Anyway, I hope some more stuff breaks before the warranty expires. Come on water pump fail!

it disappears if it's the evaporator inside the car....my E90 had the same issue, blowing warm and no sign of the dye. it's a BIG job.

[Happy Jose]

Originally Posted by a4nut

it disappears if it's the evaporator inside the car....my E90 had the same issue, blowing warm and no sign of the dye. it's a BIG job.

How did they determine it was the evaporator?

[a4nut]

Originally Posted by Happy Jose

How did they determine it was the evaporator?

Since there were no other signs of obvious leaks, the put a "sniffer" near the A/C drain that sniffed freon....so it was the likely cause. Sadly, there's no way to know for sure until you pull the dash and look at it.

We had filled it several times, and there was a terrible haze on the inside of the windows. I had read on here that was a sure sign of leaking freon in the cabin.

[zx10guy]

Wouldn't need to put the sniffer near the A/C drain. Just need to stick it in the center vents. It'll detect if it sees any refrigerant being leaked out from the evaporator coil. My mechanic friend who has one of these tools diagnosed a leaking evaporator coil in one of my previous cars by sniffing what was being blown out through the center vents.

[Happy Jose]

I don't think the A/C repair they did is working. I'm going to check the compressor PSI with my scanner. I'll mention to them about using a sniffer to check the evaporator.

The SA was wrong about replacing the gaskets on the OFH. They did replace both. For your information and horror here was the cost of these repairs:

Valve cover gasket: $810
OFHG: 765
Total $1,575

I had a previous repair, replacing cylinder #2 injector, so I might recover the cost of the Gold Warranty. I have 7 months left on it. The warranty is kind of handy, since I don't have to worry about forking over any cash. One thing is clear to me. An extended warranty is a must if one owns a BMW and doesn't care much for wrenching.

[fun2drv]

The A/C problem is the evaporator and you will be GLAD that you have that warranty. It is a very expensive repair indeed. It is a very well known problem with these cars.

Good luck!!!

[minirips2]

Originally Posted by Happy Jose

I don't think the A/C repair they did is working. I'm going to check the compressor PSI with my scanner. I'll mention to them about using a sniffer to check the evaporator.

The SA was wrong about replacing the gaskets on the OFH. They did replace both. For your information and horror here was the cost of these repairs:

Valve cover gasket: $810
OFHG: 765
Total $1,575

I had a previous repair, replacing cylinder #2 injector, so I might recover the cost of the Gold Warranty. I have 7 months left on it. The warranty is kind of handy, since I don't have to worry about forking over any cash. One thing is clear to me. An extended warranty is a must if one owns a BMW and doesn't care much for wrenching.

OFHG is a one hour job and around 25 bucks in parts, plus maybe 10 bucks for a 1/4" drive E10 socket. I tell people all the time that if you can't turn wrenches, and don't have a quality set of them, then a used BMW will break your heart. Extreme driving pleasure punctuated by failures. Use that warranty for all you can get out of it.