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      07-27-2020, 10:06 AM   #1
SunshineSail
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Dreaded Timing Chain Issue Destroyed Engine

Hi all,
I have a 2013 X3. Got the dreaded low oil pressure warning. Dealer says there are metal shavings everywhere and that the engine needs to be replaced. There is the existing service bulletin noting the design defects (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...46526-9999.pdf, but that only extends the warranty to 70k miles. I have 75k.

The dealer / regional NA rep is offering 40% off the $10k repair bill. That's insane to me considering this was a known design deficiency.

Anyone know the best angle to have BMW replace this engine on their dime?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
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      07-27-2020, 10:40 AM   #2
Iowa X3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SunshineSail View Post
Hi all,
I have a 2013 X3. Got the dreaded low oil pressure warning. Dealer says there are metal shavings everywhere and that the engine needs to be replaced. There is the existing service bulletin noting the design defects (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...46526-9999.pdf, but that only extends the warranty to 70k miles. I have 75k.

The dealer / regional NA rep is offering 40% off the $10k repair bill. That's insane to me considering this was a known design deficiency.

Anyone know the best angle to have BMW replace this engine on their dime?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
The class action lawsuit regarding the N20 timing chain issue is scheduled to be settled on August 3rd:

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showt...1556009&page=4

You may want to let the stealership and BMW NA reps know you're aware of this lawsuit being out there and, like you said, BMW already knew of the potential catastrophic issue present within these engines.

If you have good maintenance records and history you may be able to get a better deal out of them. $6k for an engine replacement on that vehicle is probably at least half of the vehicle's actual value, and you could probably get it done for less by an indy shop anyway.

Also - Did the engine lock up? Or did you shut it down as soon as you saw the low oil pressure warning? If you shut it down right away I'd ask the stealership to determine where the metal shavings came from rather than just assuming the entire engine is shot. The metal they found may just be from the oil pump, gears and chain.
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      07-27-2020, 11:10 AM   #3
SunshineSail
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa X3 View Post
If you have good maintenance records and history you may be able to get a better deal out of them. $6k for an engine replacement on that vehicle is probably at least half of the vehicle's actual value, and you could probably get it done for less by an indy shop anyway.

Also - Did the engine lock up? Or did you shut it down as soon as you saw the low oil pressure warning? If you shut it down right away I'd ask the stealership to determine where the metal shavings came from rather than just assuming the entire engine is shot. The metal they found may just be from the oil pump, gears and chain.
This was a CPO so all but the last oil change or 2 were done at a dealer. We stopped immediately so the engine did not lock up. Thanks for the tip on the Class Action suit, I didn't know about that.
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      07-28-2020, 07:25 PM   #4
SunshineSail
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Ugh update.

So the regional NA rep is only offering 40% goodwill discount, so I'm stuck with a $6k repair bill. The shop has confirmed that this was a timing chain guard failure.

Anybody else think that is absolutely absurd when I'm 5k miles over the already extended warranty for a proven faulty design?

I've got case going with Customer Relations, but I don't expect much from that. Anybody else have any other suggestions? This is my 5th Bimmer, might just have to be my last.
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      07-29-2020, 01:21 PM   #5
deyrag
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Does your local tv news station have a "/investigation/consumer reports" department? Maybe give them a call and see if a little bad publicity helps your dealer see the light
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      08-01-2020, 10:53 AM   #6
ExGMan
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Well, sometime on this coming Monday afternoon, the details of the settlement in the class action will be made public in US District Court in NJ. Some have been speculating that BMW NA might extend the warranty to 10 years and 150K miles. Seems unlikely but we'll all know on Monday.
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      08-06-2020, 03:48 AM   #7
ExGMan
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The court extended the settlement date to September 2, 2020 at the request of the plaintiffs.
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