Replacing cylinder head
 

My X5 has been in the shop and the service manager just called to tell me he heard a ticking noise. They will replace the cylinder head (under warranty)... I'm glad they found it and are replacing it.

Have any of you had the cylinder head replaced? Is that major?

I've replaced quite a few of them. It is a pretty big job considering, but this particular engine is one of the easiest ones to work on for this particular job. Simply the easiest timing setup BMW has used since the inception of vanos.

I'm honestly surprised they added that repair without having a complaint on the RO for ticking! Most warranty repairs are by complaint only unless it is a safety related issue, which the HVA ticking isn't.

I'm thinking I should ask for a different car... I wouldn't have bought this one if all these repairs were on the service record... and how will I be able to resell it in 2 years? Ugh

Talked to the sales manager... now say they'll return the money I paid for the car but I can't get the lojack & extended service refund. They don't have a car with all the options available and won't make a trade for another one at the same price.

Not sure what to do.

Why is this turning you off of the vehicle? It is a straight forward repair an it will run smooth as can be after... no worries with this repair.

:iagree: Plus, the dealer seems to be very upfront with you - more than many of his peers would be!

I guess I am just worried that it means there are other things lurking around the bend with the engine. I mean, I purchased an X5 just a few days ago and it already has engine problems.

It seems like a crazy amount of hassle to go through for a certified pre-owned vehicle bought a few DAYS ago. BMW is putting their rep behind a used car when a dealer sells it as certified pre-owned. Now I can't trust this car is certified. I am glad they are making the repairs but how can I be assured that it was really certified?

Anyway, I talked to the used sales manager and he won't exchange for another X5 with same options.... there is not one available. He won't have it certified by another dealer. He won't refund what I paid for the car + the extended service.

He says the only options I have are:

1. Take the X5 with the repairs that are covered under warranty, if it has more problems in the next 2 years, they fix for $50 under warranty
2. Return the X5 and only get refunded the purchase price ( but not the lojack & extended service)
3. Exchange the X5 for a more expensive X5 and transfer my options to that vehicle

.

Certified just means it has a warranty. You can be sure that it is a certified pre-owned because they are fixing it at their cost.

Just drive it. This failure is not indicative of it having been abused or crashed, it is just a mechanical repair, which is what the CPO warranty covers.

The ticking noise is a known issue with known fix using updated parts, with no other symptoms besides the ticking noise. Sounds to me like the dealer is taking active steps to ensure as few problems as possible in the future by taking care of something they see now. You really should see this as great dealer service rather than anything indicative of problems.

I'd go with option #1 with a good sound mind, especially since the dealer's service department went out of it's way to get a repair done before you would have had to pay the co-pay.

Now stop worrying and enjoy that nice machine! (when it's done of course)

Not to scare you but after I had my engine operated on for the noise, it had developed a cylinder misfire symptom that the dealer could not fix completely even after many weeks of keeping the vehicle. The vehicle's rpm tach needle moves in an erratic way right after the ignition from time to time.