Hi,

about 10 weeks ago i started getting drive train error msgs telling me that i could continue my journey but to get the car looked at.
The msg would pop up, i would lose a good amount of power to the car.
i would pull over, turn the engine off, start up again and the car would be back to normal.
Shortly after this (2 weeks) i started getting a 'Low engine oil pressure' msg telling me to pull over immediately.
I booked the car in for a full service ( it was 4000 miles past its service)
got the car done, no issues, low engine oil msg had gone.
At this point i called BMW about a separate issue regarding my Sat Nav and they informed that there was a safety recall on the car for the EGR to be replaced.
The next available appointment was 8 weeks later but they told me to specifically look for symptoms such as 'Drive Train' messages and loss of power!
When i told them i had been experiencing them lately and more frequently, they said to just keep an eye on it and i know how my car drives so if the power loss etc gets worse then to give them a call and bring it in.
jump forward 1 week and im joining the motorway heading to work and the drivetrain msg appears along with a big loss of power.
i pull over on the slip road to turn the engine off and restart.
this time as i restart, i accelerate hard and immediately get the low oil engine pressure message (hadnt happened again since the service), the car lets off a massive cloud of white smoke out the exhaust and all power dies to the car an i break down.
The car is now in with BMW who have come back and said there is a fault with the swirl flaps, engine is hydrolocked due to a turbo charger fault and the engine wont crank.
what i would like to know is, can i trace all these issues back to the EGR recall and ultimately BMW so it doesnt cost me a fortune.
BMW are saying that the breakdown isnt linked to the EGR but i find it amazing that the symptoms they told me to look out for, happened exactly as i broke down.
Any advice / info would be greatly appreciated

I'm no specialist but I'm an engineer and EGR definetely has no link to powertrain itself. But it does/will effect the power.

The recall is only for EGR cooler and not EGR itself as a whole, unless your vehicle has a specific requirement.

At least from the symptoms you mentioned, I fear the problems you're facing is something bigger than just EGR cooler. Unfortunately, it is not easy to guess from symptoms and needs thorough check-up. Smoke from exhaust definetly means something not right either with Turbo charger or with the engine itself. It explains why you notice the power loss. If I were you, I would also ask BMW to check DPF if it's clogged because of the smoke.

Also the low engine oil pressure preumably resulted from drive train errors. The cause of drive train errors is again mysterious issue. I belive it has something to do with the lack of power or the drive train itself. How many miles/km did your vehicle has? Did you change the transmission fluid? Maybe something/metal in transmission? could be mayn things.

I wish you good luck!

I had similar issue happen around last september. Heard a “pop” while on freeway, immediately received drivetrain system warning and power loss. Ended up being a blown charge pipe (turbo pipe). I never received the low oil warnings but i also have another car and wasnt driving my bmw at the time. I’ll tell you what, though, I will never return to a bmw dealership after this experience.

I am 200% convinced they deliberately dont tell you everything so that you end up causing more damage that they make money fixing. Document every phone call, in person discussion, save every receipt and text message, write down every date/time your car gave a warning and detailed notes on what happened and what the dealership did and especially what they told you. Good luck.