HUGE engine problem!

[asawadude]

Houdaman -

$880 for what amounts to pulling up the engine scan codes and a $100 set of plugs? That sounds excessive to me. What exact services did they perform to hand you a bill of $880? Did you get a chance to talk face to face with the mechanic?

The engine failsafe prog is triggered by one of the sensors - cam position sensors, crank position sensors, oil pressure sensor, oxygen sensors, MAF sensor, etc. If all of these checked out, then it's possible the sensors themselves or the ECU could be failing. The DIS/MODIC printout didn't find a fault with any of the functions that the sensors monitor, but if one of the sensors are faulty, that may not appear on the printout.

Regards, Mike

[houdaman]

plugs were 129$.
the rest was diagnostics and to find out where the problem was occuring, the swapped the injectors with others to see if that was the problem, and so on....basically the rest was tax and labour for what they "did"

As for the "face to face" part, the shop foreman came with me for a ride to see what exactly was happening and he was stumped himself.

ENGINE FAILSAFE PROG DOESNT appear anymore, now its just a flashing check engine light triggerd at 5100rpm, but you can hear the car misfire when its lightly being reved from the exhausts.

Originally Posted by asawadude

Houdaman -

$880 for what amounts to pulling up the engine scan codes and a $100 set of plugs? That sounds excessive to me. What exact services did they perform to hand you a bill of $880? Did you get a chance to talk face to face with the mechanic?

The engine failsafe prog is triggered by one of the sensors - cam position sensors, crank position sensors, oil pressure sensor, oxygen sensors, MAF sensor, etc. If all of these checked out, then it's possible the sensors themselves or the ECU could be failing. The DIS/MODIC printout didn't find a fault with any of the functions that the sensors monitor, but if one of the sensors are faulty, that may not appear on the printout.

Regards, Mike

[houdaman]

What do you think i should do guys?

Heres what im thinking so far...wait for until monday and take my truck to these guys www.nixonautomotive.com . they are a independent BMW shop that has been at the same place for over 20 years, and ill see what they have to say.

If it does turn out to be something simple.. what should i do about Brian Jessel BMW taking my $880!?

[Mackskibum]

I would take a hard look at the cam and crank sensors- these are just a magnetic pickup, and if you have a bad one, they will not pick up a clean signal at high RPM. It seems to me if the trigger is high RPM. they should be able to look at the data stream and see the misfire trigger. Also, what is fuel pressure and volume? Maybe you have a fuel pump going south.

[powers1]

Originally Posted by houdaman

What do you think i should do guys?

Heres what im thinking so far...wait for until monday and take my truck to these guys www.nixonautomotive.com . they are a independent BMW shop that has been at the same place for over 20 years, and ill see what they have to say.

If it does turn out to be something simple.. what should i do about Brian Jessel BMW taking my $880!?

I feel relly sorry for your experience!Those guys at Jessel BMW not only conned you out of 880 usd but they still coildnt tell you what the problem is!
Where I come from at a reputable Bmw dealer you pay for material + labour and some diagnostic!Its ludicrous that They have charge you 129 usd for materials and 751 usd for diagnostic and labour!
They have to justify the labour charges?To change spark plugs=0.5 hr,to swap over injectors 0.5 hour,DIS diagnostic 0.5 hour.This cant add up to 751 usd!

My advice to you and what I would do.Take copy of your invoice for the 880 usd and write a letter/e-mail to BMW NA with your complaint explaining what you said here and what the guys at Jessel said that it would be better to sell the car or expect to pay 5000 usd.
Get BMW NA to recommend you a local BMW dealer to look at your car and advice you on your problem.

Doesnt make sense them having to swap over injectors when the DIS will be able to read the parameters and tell which are outside the normal readings!

[X5Flyboy]

Originally Posted by houdaman

apparently the guy was a 18 year vet that was working on mine...

Sometimes age has nothing to do with it. My dealer's mechanic must be in his mid 20's, but he really knows his stuff.

[Dr_Smith]

I've had nothing but problems with Brian Jessel, they're a bunch of crooks and I'll never take my bimmer back there, or buy another from them. Sorry about your problems, hope you get it worked out.

[Quicksilver]

Yep get a second opinion and keep your accurate records. If the indepandent fixes the problem go back to the dealer and demand the return of your money. If they don't give it to you remind them of your options regarding legal action. Be nice but be firm.

[houdaman]

alright, thanks for the advice guys.... but again its not USD, its CAN...i live in Vancouver BC, Canada!

Oh, and Jessel said they did check the fuel pump

[asawadude]

I don't know anything about Nixon Automotive, but looking at their shop pix on the website, it looks like a place where I'd take my cars. Nice big clean shop with a whole lotta Bimmers! No MB, no Porsches, no Audis, no VWs.

If you find out there was a problem that Jessel either misdiagnosed or failed to diagnose, then I think you have legit beef since you spent so much money on failed readings and a set of plugs you may not have needed. It seems to me that they charged you the price of a half-assed inspection 2 service.

Here's the BMWNA contact numbers in case you need it:
Customer Relations
BMW of North America, Inc. Corporate Office
300 Chestnut Ridge Rd.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07675
201-307-4000
Toll free: 1-800-831-1117
Fax: 201-930-8362

Regards, Mike