I understand what you were saying JCL, and you have been very helpful. I am a bit frustrated with BMW now, and have contacted BMWNA about the issue. I've read about a similar case in Canada where BMW paid for parts on the engine replacement and the owner paid for labor.

It's sad that I am hoping to "just" pay over a thousand in labor for a problem that BMW has known about for years and continues to subject their customers to. Just looking at the front page of the forum here shows 6 separate threads related to this issue. It would seem that this is a widespread enough problem to put together a class action suit.