Bought '09 E70, 3 weeks later catastrophic HPFP failure...

[Eric_S]

Well, isn't this a lovely first post.

Bought from an independent dealer with extensive notes on service and repair history, all of which was BMW facilities. Felt pretty good, even though she's a 2009 and had 97k miles on her. The diesel engine ran great, had no standing or pre-existing codes to deal with, but has not received the airbag repair.

Set an appt at the local dealer for the 100k service because the wife wanted it dialed in and ready for the next 100k miles.

3 days prior to appt, vehicle has a stumble, then on comes the CEL. I have since learned the code that would have appeared, if they checked, was:

004CE7 DDE Misfire detected, cylinder 2

Wife is in town at this point, and drives approximately a mile to the dealer. Dealer states 'it's not a big deal', and never connects the vehicle to a diagnostic device. She is sent home, to return 3 days later for the 100k service. At this point we don't know that it was the 004CE7 code.

2 days later, vehicle completely disabled on the side of the road, requiring a tow, with a complete fuel system failure. 2 full pages of codes are thrown at this point per the subsequent investigation.

-----

Dealer has reported this is a complete HPFP failure, with unknown upstream and downstream distribution of metal shards from the pump disintegrating. Apparently this is something that has been seen in the 335D's. Currently stating a $3500 repair to replace the HPFP and flush the fuel system, however it may not resolve the issue due to distribution of fuel pump fragments. Most effective repair per the shop would be to replace pump, confirm whether it is in fact repaired, or not. If not, complete fuel system replacement to include tank, lines, low and high pressure fuel pumps, hard lines, injectors, etc, for a total cost of $14,950. I have a printout of the complete failure list, but obviously all codes came about almost simultaneously with the major failure.

You all have owned these things, I'm new to it. Lay upon me a bit of knowledge. I suspect the dealer could have seen the early code and prevented a much more catastrophic failure.

Thanks for input or similar experiences.

E

[smassey321]

Sorry you have had such bad luck. If I got that code I doubt I would have thought much of it. I would have cleared it and hoped it did not come back. Search around and read about what happens when people accidental put gasoline in the tank. Perhaps that will give you some ideas for a more affordable repair. I assume you got zero warranty from dealer. Have you contacted them? Sometimes they surprise you.

[ard]

1. See if the dealer will help. It is massively out of warranty and you are a new owner- but stress it was always sertviced at BMW **and** you were there for the 100k service.

If they dont help, in a very significant way, then:



2. Get it away from that dealer.

A decent diesel mechanic will be able to cut that cost in half. I would not want to commit to 3500 until they tell you the extent. Absolutely NO WAY I would let them fcuk me for $15k with an open ended check and the car in pieces with a $3500 approval!

It is beyond my comprehension why they woudl say hard lines, tank, etc, etc need replacing- other than to scare you into the 3500 bill.

Get a second opinion. Pay the money, winch it onto a flat bed. Find another shop in Spokane- lots of diesels up there, no????

Edit: the more I think of this, the more distrustful I am becoming of this diagnosis...

[bawareca]

^^^+1 on all points. I wouldnt have paid more attention if i got this code. Didnt hear of this kind of failure on this particular engine, guess it is just your bad luck.
I have the complete fuel system from a 20k miles flooded 2011 35D, except the injectors are probably useless. May help you a lot if you decide to repair it.

ARD, I was typing your post as you did yours. Absolutely agree on the dealer points. [Some] Direct gasoline and diesel high pressure pumps are known to destroy themselves and distribute fine metal shavings through the whole fuel system. It has to be replaced completely if this has happened, no other way. Our engines do not have the type that is particularly prone to self destruction, but it happens anyway.

[ard]

Also, there is more action at bimmerfest AND a dedicated diesel forum. Check that out.

If you are looking for shops, learn how to search. You can do advanced member search for someone with "spokane' in their location, THEN sort by either last visit date or # of posts. Send a pm. Or just search for 'shop' and 'spokane', etc, etc.

[Eric_S]

I have a meeting set for the first available time that I am free with the Asst mgr (the guy handling the issue) and the mgr. Obviously bringing all the service records I possess from previous owners, plus other information to make my point. They're already offering BMWCCA special parts pricing.

I'm distrustful, obviously.

The pump probably did fail, as there are rail pressure failures, power management, delivery control valve, etc.

Where I have concerns is having the fuel system voided and flushed, new pump put in place, and the current injectors spewing the remnants into the combustion chambers. That, or having the lift pump become intolerant of the particulate and letting go as well.

This all said, we do have some indys that do good work, and that specialize in German makes.

E

[RDAvena]

$3500 is less than half of the $9K that the audi dealer wanted to charge me for the HPFP failure on the tdi. I ended up fixing it for less than $1k. If you find yourself more handy than handsome you might want to look into repairing it yourself. It takes a while to scrounge up clean parts but in the end you know the work you put into it.

[Eric_S]

I've done most of my own wrenching on my '30 Ford and my '52 Chevy, as well as the turbo replacement on my Passat. Not too concerned about turning a wrench.

That said, it's already disassembled at the stealership, so I may just bite the bullet on the fuel pump and handle the fuel injectors myself.

E

[ard]

Originally Posted by Eric_S

I've done most of my own wrenching on my '30 Ford and my '52 Chevy, as well as the turbo replacement on my Passat. Not too concerned about turning a wrench.

That said, it's already disassembled at the stealership, so I may just bite the bullet on the fuel pump and handle the fuel injectors myself.

E

How can you do that?????? They would void the warranty immediately on the whole job, if you were to say "you do the pump, I'll do the injectors later".

Id have an alternative shop in mind, EVEN if it is a bluff. If the conversation is going poorly, I'd tell them it is getting towed elsewhere- what condition will the car be in if I have it picked up? Is is assembled? If not where are all the parts? How will they be organized, labeled and categorised? Etc.

Also, it would be good to find out if there was a fuel contamination issue.

Oh. lots of online parts pricing sites, you shouldnt pay more than that. One local BMW dealer to me charges 15-20% more than MSRP, then gives a 20% CCA discount

Best of luck

[Eric_S]

Don't know that I'd say that to them, but I do quite a bit of my own work and feel pretty comfortable working on almost any vehicle. The BMW is just new to me and I'm not intimately familiar with it at this point, so it's at the dealer.

We have two indy shops that are bigger establishments that specialize in German vehicles. I have one in mind to do the work, and could have them receive the tow.

On this recommendation, I've contacted both the indys and hopefully tomorrow will have a pair of bids in hand to compete with.

Fuel tank was dipped, found to be diesel only (wife's pretty dialed in on not putting gas in it), not contaminated, though some metal shavings from the return line were present in the tank.

I'm really curious about whether the dealership will rock up on the injector replacement or not. Injectors were fine when she attempted to drop the rig off for the service, but they may be toast after attempting to inject diesel and parts of the fuel pump into the cylinders.

E