Thank you very much for that Info J. !

I really appreciate your help. I wish I was closer and we could rip into this beast together :) I was reading some of you post's and look to be no stranger to this kind of adventure.

Sometimes even when you do all the right things s$&t happens. Has it been confirmed the engine is history?

Sorry to hear about the engine failure.

If there is a known problem with a component that causes an identical failure, then you might have a chance with BMW. Short of that, given that the vehicle is coming up on 8 years old, meaning 4 years out of warranty, and that it wasn't purchased used from a dealer, I see no reason for BMW to contribute anything towards the repair. There are far more deserving cases for them to spend their policy dollars on, usually on people who have dealt with a dealer for the life of a vehicle from when the vehicle was purchased new, and where the dealer is willing to split the repair cost with the BMW marketing organization. The dealer has to fight for you, that is how BMW decides how to identify the deserving cases. You don't have a dealer in this discussion, so there is no reason for BMW NA to pay anything, according to their internal processes.

It sucks that your new to you vehicle had a major failure. But that is the downside of not having bought a newer vehicle with a warranty. You win some, you lose some. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that is the real world.

I wouldn't be looking for an engine at this point. The cause of failure has yet to be diagnosed. You don't know how extensive the damage is. If it is one cylinder head, you should fix it. If it has minimal damage to the lower end, you should still fix it. If the lower end is damaged beyond economic repair, then look for a used engine. All IMO.

I would also be looking closely at the service history. Look for a repair that was done in the same area of the engine. A service issue is more likely than a design and manufacturing issue, for any engine with catastrophic failure with those miles and years on it. If head work was done at some time, then that is where you should focus the investigation. And if you find something in the service records, then that will lead you to who you should be asking for a contribution from, and it isn't necessarily the people who sold the car to a dealer in 2006.

I wouldn't waste time towing it to the dealer in the hope that the dealer will give you a freebie, either together with BMW or independently. If you have a shop you trust, use them for the failure analysis.

Good luck.

I am really sorry this happened. I hope you get a reasonable resolution quickly & economically.

:iagree:

Listen to this man, he knows what he is talking about.

If you do find a service for the head and it was done at a Dealer, I would start there. Just because it was service at a Dealer doesn't means they did it right. Plus if it was service within the last two years, they do guarantee it for two years and unlimited miles.

Your situation is unfortunate but I don't believe it's indicative of BMW quality. I've been following BMW forums for a few years now and situations such as yours are atypical. I wouldn't let one really bad experience sour you on the brand.

Could you post the last seven of your vin if you don't mind?

It's no problem man, I have a really awesome mentor and I'm sure whoever you work with to get through this will answer your questions and hopefully get some N62 training. I believe it is able to be saved. I wouldn't purchase anything yet until you get that head(S) off and also look at your cylinder walls.

My X5 is an '01 with the 4.4 motor. IT DOES NOT HAVE ROLLER TAPPETS - direct contact between the cam lobe and the bucket, thence the hydraulic lifter thingie, thence the valve. Did they make a change between then and '06? I'm suggesting the part may not be from that car.

Maybe a stooopid question - so sue me.

imbvl, in Florida

Different motor, M62 vs. N62 which they started using in 2004.