Can anyone recommend a good mechanic?

[LVR]

Hi all


It's been a long time without posting..... but....

I wonder if anyone can recommend a good independent mechanic in Dallas? I have a mate who has metal in the oil and needs to make a decision re repairing vs parting out....

It's at the dealer at the moment and he's been given the $6K to replace with a used engine price....

It's a 2015 528 (yes I know it's the wrong forum but I said I would ask the most knowledgeable community around.....)

Any advice on a mechanic or best way to part out would be very much appreciated.... cheers

[Salty B.]

N20/N26 engines are known for timing chain guide failures among others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N20

If the rest of the car is in GOOD shape it might be worth saving. Sorry I can't help with a mechanic in the DFW. Good used N20s are scarce. Try to find out if it's had the timing guides replaced.

(no idea why BMW thought putting a gritty little 4-pot in such a heavy-ass car was a good idea...)

https://youtu.be/4tLR24WL9jc?si=IlB01uSsYg1FAViD

[tempest411]

Don't buy any BMW made after OBD2.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by tempest411

Don't buy any BMW made after OBD2.

So... after '96?

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by tempest411

Don't buy any BMW made after OBD2.

So, why are you telling that to us, on Xoutpost,


as most all the X cars are OBD2 compatible (at least the North American cars), since inception? OBD2 was the standard for North American cars/trucks before the first X was built, so I guess you must mean that all 1996 and later BMW's are junk.

If you mean that those with the underdash 16-pin OBD2 connector are suspect, how about the 1996 and later models that got the 20-pin connector, underhood? The 20-pin connector will give some OBD-type data, most probably only engine-related, possibly without body or chassis module data, but, I'm not 100% sure about the 1999-2000 X5's that got the 20-pin connector underhood, but then, I really haven't seen anyone on the forum with one.

But, either way you meant it, I differ with you, as I've always loved BMW's, despite their faults (mostly from afar, being a pecuniarily-challenged person, historically), possibly excepting the Isettas, EV's, and the newest models with the massive grilles. But I'm new to owning any BMW, so maybe I'll grow less fond of it/them later.

Here's a chart from Bavarian Technic showing which models got the 20-pin underhood connector, and which got the underdash 16-pin OBD2 https://www.bavariantechnic.com/RoundConnector.aspx

Side note: I bought my Foxwell Scan tool with the 16 to 20-pin adapter, since I hadn't yet checked-over the '01 X5 I was going to receive five months later, and didn't learn which years needed the 20-pin connector. Because Foxwell sold it alongside their scan tool & BMW-specific software, I assumed that I needed the adapter, and had missed seeing it when peremptorily looking under the hood of my X5, while it was torn apart, whilst my neighbor was preparing it for the vehicle swap upcoming. The underhood area was a complete mess, as he was rebuilding or replacing most everything, and had been that way for many months, so even he wasn't sure if there was a 20-pin connector hidden somewhere.

[tempest411]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

So... after '96?

Yes.

[tempest411]

Originally Posted by workingonit

So, why are you telling that to us, on

I'm no stranger to higher maintenance vehicles, having always owned older cars since day one. My very first car was a '70 Chevelle back in 1988. I've also owned a '78 Dodge W100, an '88 Jeep Cherokee (which I still have), a 2000 Audi TT, and my current daily driver in an '87 Porsche 924S. I bought our '03 X5 4.4 back in 2018 as a family hauler vehicle. None of the previous vehicles I've owned has given me the headaches the X5 has, though I do admit most of it has come down to bad luck with the quality of parts I've been having with it. From rear wheel bearings (FAG) that were machined with the wrong size threads, to heater hose assemblies that leaked from new (BMW), to thermostats that stuck shut after a few days of use (Bremmen), and so on. but there are plenty of dumb design choices in these SUVs, such as the timing chain guide assemblies, poor gasket sealing, belt tensioners, unreliable transmissions, transfer case output shafts that strip out, various control modules that fail, side mirrors that get their fold-in mechanisms from 80s vintage Chinese toys, door handle carriers that fail, window lift mechanisms that fail, dash and radio displays that fail, and on and on. It seems never ending. From everything I've read, most BMWs since the late 90s seem to be this way. A friend of mine had an mid 80s 3 series a long time ago. It was far simpler, easier to work on, and very robustly constructed...He was not kind to it, but it never failed him.

[Henn28]

This went sideways quickly. Dallas anyone? Bueller…..Bueller….anyone….

[tempest411]

Originally Posted by Henn28

This went sideways quickly. Dallas anyone? Bueller…..Bueller….anyone….

My apologies...

[Salty B.]

The 2014 F30 that I bought new has been flawless.

So I think you know how much I value your advice...