[m34m]

I have a 2013 with the N20 with 40,000 km. It just started making a slight whining noise. A good friend who's a mechanic at a BMW dealer tells me the N20 is known for this and is related to timing belt. He said engine could blow at a cost of $15g. The alternative is to make preemptive repairs for $6g at the dealer or half that at a private garage. Anyone heard of this bullshit? I'm pissed I was planning to run this thing for several more years.

[hunterf25]

there is a recall for this but not in Canada. You want to talk about being pissed! I had to replace my engine. BMW Canada did cover 80% but I still had to kick in 6200.00 They told me it would be 34000 to put in a rebuild. And it's not a belt but a chain drive.
Do some searchs on the N20 it seems the years 2012-14 are the bad ones.

[m34m]

Originally Posted by hunterf25

there is a recall for this but not in Canada. You want to talk about being pissed! I had to replace my engine. BMW Canada did cover 80% but I still had to kick in 6200.00 They told me it would be 34000 to put in a rebuild. And it's not a belt but a chain drive.
Do some searchs on the N20 it seems the years 2012-14 are the bad ones.

That is such bullshit. Totally unreliable and irresponsible of BMW. They produce a piece of garbage and don't assume the responsibility? This brand is severely testing my patience and with four in the driveway I may be done with them for good.

[supernova1]

I got 2013 X3 with n20, and was able to replace timing chain under CPO warranty. BMW issued TSB on this matter valid for up to 60K.

It is a know problem - 2013 - 2014 n20 engines had defective timing chain and oil pump chain that stretch with time too much - eventually breaking, and plastic chain guides that may crack and break, clogging oil pump with plastic bits.

So you have a good case for chain replacement - almost all parts dealer has to replace had been re-designed recently. This gives some assurance that they will last longer than original ones.

In my case repair was done in a week, and I got a free loaner car.

[m34m]

Originally Posted by supernova1

I got 2013 X3 with n20, and was able to replace timing chain under CPO warranty. BMW issued TSB on this matter valid for up to 60K.

It is a know problem - 2013 - 2014 n20 engines had defective timing chain and oil pump chain that stretch with time too much - eventually breaking, and plastic chain guides that may crack and break, clogging oil pump with plastic bits.

So you have a good case for chain replacement - almost all parts dealer has to replace had been re-designed recently. This gives some assurance that they will last longer than original ones.

In my case repair was done in a week, and I got a free loaner car.

My service advisor claims this is not a known issue nor is there a service bulletin. Of course I am in Canada where we have a culture of getting reamed and saying nothing. Any detail about the bulletin would be appreciated.

[Bruce24]

Originally Posted by m34m

My service advisor claims this is not a known issue nor is there a service bulletin. Of course I am in Canada where we have a culture of getting reamed and saying nothing. Any detail about the bulletin would be appreciated.

Here is a link to pictures of the 4 page service bulletin: https://bmwtechnician.com/2017/08/02...-bmw-bulletin/

Hope this helps you.

-Bruce

[Brad13x328i]

I got my 2013 x3 28i in Oct 17 from the Kingston BMW dealer. Today I dropped it off for regular service and winter/3 season tire swap. I was later advised the timing chain and oil pump drive chain were stretched and needed to be replaced. The tech was surprised the engine had not stopped. They said it was repairable under warranty. I was asked about a whining sound but did not hear anything abnormal...mind you this is my first BMW so I was not sure what normal sounded like. There did not seem to be anything out of the ordinary and I had put about 500 km on it this past weekend, the majority at highway speeds. From reading many of the posts I think perhaps a bullet has been dodged. So far, the guys at the Kingston ON dealership have been very helpful!

[02420X3]

Originally Posted by Brad13x328i

From reading many of the posts I think perhaps a bullet has been dodged. So far, the guys at the Kingston ON dealership have been very helpful!

You're a lucky man today. Don't waste any money on a lotto ticket - I think that your luck for today may have been used up at Kingston BMW. And yes, a bullet has been dodged.

[m34m]

Originally Posted by 02420X3

You're a lucky man today. Don't waste any money on a lotto ticket - I think that your luck for today may have been used up at Kingston BMW. And yes, a bullet has been dodged.

Unfortunately mine is out of warranty and my dealer is giving me the runaround. They claim it's not a known issue or a recall. This is a huge repair cost and it's very sad that BMW makes an engine that is so disposable. I thought this vehicle would last me for many years to come being a 2013 with only 40,000km.

[Aspen235]

yeah it sucks that BMW Canada is full of BS on this one. I knew about this issue before I bought my car so I got an N55. I asked my salesman about the timing chain issue on the N20 and said he had never ever heard of such a thing on a BMW, but yes on MINIs. They must practice their acting skills on how to respond to customers.

[m34m]

Originally Posted by Aspen235

yeah it sucks that BMW Canada is full of BS on this one. I knew about this issue before I bought my car so I got an N55. I asked my salesman about the timing chain issue on the N20 and said he had never ever heard of such a thing on a BMW, but yes on MINIs. They must practice their acting skills on how to respond to customers.

Any advice on how to proceed? They quoted me $7g for the repair and I'm certainly not paying them that.

[Aspen235]

A BMW Indy shop would cost less. What city are you in? Ask or search in the f30 forum for a good local shop.

[p4t4p0uf]

Hi all!

New X3 owner here. Got one last march with 83000 km on it for a good price. Car was in almost perfect shape. Almost with that whining noise that started somewhere in the last few months I guess. Always assumed it was the turbo.

Yesterday, had an inspection made and tech guy was not sure what the noise was but is talking about maybe the tensioner... But definitely not the turbo...

Well I didn't need more to start poking around for this and discover that I maybe should have avoided the car altogether. Discovered that my timing chain is about to break which freaked me out. Good news is I took an extended warranty when I got the vehicle. Called them and they would have covered the repairs. But the guy advised to call BMW Canada about it. Since every post on forums about this seemed to end in 2017, I went why not! The guy on the phone was super nice.

Good news is: this issue is covered up to 84 months, or 112000km!!

Called my dealer and he had some research to do, but it looks like my car could be in the shop as soon as next week !

First of all thanks guys for all the information you provided and if you're like me, in the same sh*t, then call BMW Canada and they might do something.

[Riick]

Did I just read that someone was quoted $6000 to replace a timing chain in a perfectly fine running engine?

I need to be confirmed, because either my bullshit meter is going off so hard it's broken or someone is dumber than a box of blonde hair.

This has to be a troll post. No fucking way. BMW has computerized quoting that's standard worldwide and the parts and labor to replace a timing chain and guides on a running N20 does not even cost 1/4 that.

I hate the fucking internet, too much bullshit.

[Bimmer North]

Was looking to get the used X3 and now this timing belt issue freaking me out. From what I read, has to be built Jan 2015 onwards which has an upgrade.
Budget wise have to look at 2016 X1 now, or leave for another brand SUV.

[Riick]

There's no timing chain issue, it's as fake as Trump's russian collusion. The issue affected like 0.001% of engines and BMW warranty fixes them all.

The whining noise? Probably low on power steering fluid.

[________]

Originally Posted by Bimmer North

Was looking to get the used X3 and now this timing belt issue freaking me out. From what I read, has to be built Jan 2015 onwards which has an upgrade.
Budget wise have to look at 2016 X1 now, or leave for another brand SUV.

Timing chain, not belt.

And the part has a warranty from BMW. Why does that scare you?

[Bruce24]

Originally Posted by OnerDriver

Timing chain, not belt.

And the part has a warranty from BMW. Why does that scare you?

FWIW, the service bulletin for this issue lists as the correction..."Replace the engine oil pump chain drive module, timing chain, timing chain tensioner, side rail, tensioning rail and guide rail." So BMW seems to be calling it a Chain. See: https://bmwtechnician.com/2017/08/02...-bmw-bulletin/


I'd imagine the concern is the the extended warranty is 7Y/70K miles. Depending on the mileage of the 4 year old car the poster is looking at, there might not be much extension left

-Bruce

[________]

Originally Posted by Bruce24

FWIW, the service bulletin for this issue lists as the correction..."Replace the engine oil pump chain drive module, timing chain, timing chain tensioner, side rail, tensioning rail and guide rail." So BMW seems to be calling it a Chain. See: https://bmwtechnician.com/2017/08/02...-bmw-bulletin/


I'd imagine the concern is the the extended warranty is 7Y/70K miles. Depending on the mileage of the 4 year old car the poster is looking at, there might not be much extension left

-Bruce

Well they have to call it a chain, right? Because of what it is...

And in regards to the warranty, it seems the chains that were to fail did so until 70k miles (mine went before that).

So it's unlikely to find a vehicle that will:

- not have failed until 70k and fails later
- not have run 70k miles in 7 years
- failed before 70k miles and fail again after

I suppose it could happen, but it's just like any other used vehicle, where things can go bad. it's not the end of the world, it's a 1,000 repair at the dealer (cheaper outside), and the chain will make noise and give plenty of warning before breaking something, I believe (mine was replaced without much fuss).

[Bimmer North]

Well a 2015 with 35000 km N20 engine. A warranty will cost $4,000 CDN and will give me 3 years of coverage. If it only has 35000 km do I even need to get the extended warranty?
Specifically, does the timing chain issue creep up later 100,000KM + or can it happen anytime ?

[________]

Please read the thread.

The warranty on a 2015 is expired or about to expire. You can choose to buy the insurance if you'd like to be protected (extended warranty). As with any insurance, YMMV.

BMW has a warranty on the timing chain until 110,000 km or 7 years (or around 2021 for a 2015).
It remains to be seen if this extended warranty on the timing chain is extended to Canada as well, consult your dealer or BMW directly.

Again, if you choose to do the work by yourself it'll be around 1000~1200 CAD at the dealer if out of warranty.

[Wgosma]

The plastic chain GUIDES can fail, break into to pieces....this is not the first time BMW has had this occur; it was a fairly common issue on the 4 liter V-8's back in the early 2000 era cars when they hit the 100K or so mile mark.

If the guides break into pieces that can create more than a bit of an internal mess inside the motor. The N20 failure rate is pretty low, but I've read a couple of remarks from BMW technicians who have indicated it's significantly more common on these motors in the X3's compared to N20's in sedans - makes some sense as the X3 is a heavier load to move by several hundred pounds compared to say a 3-Series sedan.