ohhh no.....Passenger side head destroyed...Chunk of head, roller and oil on ground

[Lexicon740iL]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Wow...looking at the broken part made my heart sink...I can only imagine how awful that discovery made you feel.

Before throwing in the towel...with only 96k and a maintenance history...I would call BMW customer service 800-831-1171 and ask to speak to a customer service rep (aka the goodwill cluster spiel). I would tell them what happened, and about the vehicle and it's maintenance history (be prepared to fax maintenance documents, BMW dealership receipts where it was serviced or Indy receipts etc, & pics of the recent damage).

You may be able to get some "goodwill" toward repair...or may even be under one of the warranties...I know the tranny & paint/rust-through warranties run beyond the original 4 yr/50k warranty.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained...all they can say is "no, we can't help you"...or "yes, we may be able to offer you some ..." .

Good luck.

Thanks for posting Q I always appreciate your insight. I do plan on contacting BMWNA about my issue. Like you said it's worth a shot!

[Lexicon740iL]

I just got an update for my friend. The truck made it up to his shop and he just pulled the covers.

It did break the passenger head

[J.Belknap]

Any other damage? Wonder if someone like VAC can weld up the one head, for less than a new head would cost.

[Lexicon740iL]

Originally Posted by J.Belknap

Any other damage? Wonder if someone like VAC can weld up the one head, for less than a new head would cost.

Not sure about any other damage yet. He txt'd me about the head and said he's still investigating things.

I currently have my fingers and toes crossed

I took your advice last night and had a few rum and cokes and I feel much more optimistic today.

Maybe I wont have to drop a engine in...

If I do I was wondering if I can replace it with a 4.8l while I'm that far in and get my self a few more NA horses out of the deal?

[bcredliner]

The 4.8 will fit. However, there will be differences that you would need to address that will be additional cost over and above the 4.4 replacement.

I would stay with the 4.4 engine. The 4.4 will be more plentiful and you would be more apt to find a good one with less miles. There are mods that will increase the performance of the 4.4 to that or greater than a stock 4.8. It is possible that a 4.4 with mods would still be less than a stock 4.8 total cost of replacement.

Most engines will come with a warranty of some sort. if you mod either engine I suspect the warranty will be voided.

Unless your exiting engine can't be rebuilt, I would get an estimate to repair the 4.4 engine you have. Rebuilding your existing engine, with at a minimum used parts, should be the least expensive overall option.

[TerminatorX5]

what did the BMW NA say?

[Lexicon740iL]

Originally Posted by TerminatorX5

what did the BMW NA say?

They played me off....No Warranty, Purchased Private party ect.....

This has really got me frustrated Term... No warning, well maintained, service records.... Owned 7 months. My engine self destructs... I haven't even put 7,000 Miles on since I've owned it and now I need to replace my engine....

WTF!!!

I specifically purchase my BMW's from enthusiasts and people with money who always service at the dealership. So I know the vehicle has gotten the specialized service/attention it needs. I had a PPI done and no red flags. I have a binder full of service history.

I've been a card carrying member of the BMWCCA for 8 years. And owned several BMW's and I have never experienced anything even close to this level of severe catastrophic engine failure on a vehicle with absolutely no warning signs...

How do I ever trust BMW again?

[X5Ghost]

Originally Posted by Lexicon740iL

They played me off....No Warranty, Purchased Private party ect.....

This has really got me frustrated Term... No warning, well maintained, service records.... Owned 7 months. My engine self destructs... I haven't even put 7,000 Miles on since I've owned it and now I need to replace my engine....

WTF!!!

I specifically purchase my BMW's from enthusiasts and people with money who always service at the dealership. So I know the vehicle has gotten the specialized service/attention it needs. I had a PPI done and no red flags. I have a binder full of service history.

I've been a card carrying member of the BMWCCA for 8 years. And owned several BMW's and I have never experienced anything even close to this level of severe catastrophic engine failure on a vehicle with absolutely no warning signs...

How do I ever trust BMW again?

Use your dealer to help you get something from BMWNA, he wants your business and will go to bat for you. BMWNA may throw something towards the repair. Ask the dealer then for some additional discount. If you don't ask, you won't know? Worst case they say no.

I know in many cases they said yes and offered something. If you are not prepared to have your car fixed at the dealer, you can kiss whatever they might be able to get you from BMWNA goodbye. Good luck and report back.

[TerminatorX5]

Originally Posted by Lexicon740iL

They played me off....No Warranty, Purchased Private party ect.....

This has really got me frustrated Term... No warning, well maintained, service records.... Owned 7 months. My engine self destructs... I haven't even put 7,000 Miles on since I've owned it and now I need to replace my engine....

WTF!!!

I specifically purchase my BMW's from enthusiasts and people with money who always service at the dealership. So I know the vehicle has gotten the specialized service/attention it needs. I had a PPI done and no red flags. I have a binder full of service history.

I've been a card carrying member of the BMWCCA for 8 years. And owned several BMW's and I have never experienced anything even close to this level of severe catastrophic engine failure on a vehicle with absolutely no warning signs...

How do I ever trust BMW again?

being on this forum for a few years, and being on the other forums even longer (since the E34 days), I always knew that the BMW has issues with things, like Alusil/Nikasil issues, if anyone remembers, like skewed seatbacks on the older beemers, missing pixels, CCV issues with the blue smoke, the valve guides... however, some issues were addressed by the BMW NA/BMW AG, some were addressed by the enthusiast base, and most things were repairable... even the chain guide nightmare...
so, those things did not phase off me off the marque, things happen, some brands are better, some are worse than the others...


however, a sudden death of an engine, without any warning - that is very upsetting... at least, what i would hope to hear, that the BMW NA would send out a COMPETENT factory engineer to come out and INVESTIGATE the reason for such an epic, catastrophic failure - such a sudden death can deter many potential buyer, both new to the marque, and old veterans...
a failure of something that was neglected, abused or otherwise leading to the failure - it is understandable.

a failure of a pampered car - it is so damn serious that we all should worry about this, and the reason for the failure should be investigated.

Lex, try to escalate the issue, and even seek some media attention - there is another thread here with Bnagy, where a dealer killed his engine... that case is very bad, but we all know what happened there.

in your case - it is the UNKNOWN factor that scares the ownership base...

If the COMPETENT engineer from BMW NA or BMW AG determines the cause of the failure, we all need to know what it was, so it can be mitigated.

if we all start "dumping" our cars on the market, it will drop their value, it will drop the resale value of the new cars, and the word of mouth will damage the reputation of the brand.

I do not know if we can start a petition to the BMW NA, but i know for a fact, that the membership base of the xOutpost is in tens of thousands registered members, and thousands upon thousands of people who troll, this forum is visited by people from other series and even other marques... I sure hope that the BMW corporate is reading these threads, these posts and somebody high enough on the ladder can make an executive decision in reference to your problem...

we can't just let an unknown cancer kill an engine, and just walk away from it...

what do other members think?

[J.Belknap]

Apparently, they knew about the issue in '02-'03. (745i)

no compression in cylinder 2 - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums