The General's F13 640d MSport

[General.Massacre]

***UPDATE***

Hi guys, been a while since my last update, and a few things have happened.

Firstly, beginning of October i sent my car to Carbon Doctor for a carbon clean, i will update with the images of the valves etc soon as i get them, i forgot to ask for the pics.
With the carbon clean i also opted to change to new Glow Plugs as i was getting an error on Cylinder 4 for Glow Plug resistance or something.
So purchased 6 new Glow Plugs from GW,
Dropped the car off at Marchand. and within the first day, the carbon clean was completed, Intake Manifold cleaned and EGR system cleaned.

However, as seems to be the case with so many diesel motors, the inevitable happened, and 3 of the 6 Glow Plugs snapped in the head, which made my heart pound as if you cant extract them, its a head off job. but Marchand and his contact managed to make a tool to extract them, took some time, but they came out, and the new ones were put in.

When i got the car back, i was getting errors for boost, but Marchand and i already discussed an issue prior to me dropping the car off whereby i was getting only a max of 3psi when monitoring with ProTool (More on this later). and we suspected the Small turbo to be at fault.
So i had begun preparing to send the car in for a turbo repair. but Marchand had been fully booked.

So while i was waiting for a gap, i decided to contact Grease Monkey Motor Garage, and they could fit me in on the 17th Oct and asked me to bring it in. so i arranged to do so and the car got delivered. i requested the following:
Vacuum System test (If failed they were to replace all vacuum lines)
Check Small turbo and recondition)

I checked in with progress on the first day, and they hadnt started yet, checked in the 2nd day, and they said the vacuum system is holding vacuum correctly as it should with no issues, an they were going to check the turbo next.
The small turbo was initially checked having no shaft play, and the shaft had not seized. and spinning freely. so it was now to check the large turbo.
This is what was found:

No i cannot see how a full rag got into the intake system, i can understand where, and the possibilities, but where, i cannot say, so i contact Marchand who from the Carbon Clean were the last to work on the car, but according to him and his camera footage etc couldnt see how they could have left this in in the system.
But, true to the absolute great man that he is, he took responsibility and offered to pay for the hardware repair on the turbo. so anyone reading this, this part of the post is NOT a slate to Marchand or Carbon Doctor, but just a step by step happening of all the events that happened. i respect Marchand 10000% and will undoubtedly use him and his services again, Accidents happen, and he offered to make right on this one, even with the uncertainty that it was his fault. So sir, if you read this, I thank you.

Now, with the issue found, it was case of stripping the turbo out the car, which, unfortunately, from drop off of the car, to having the turbo removed, had taken 3 WEEKS. i was very frustrated and irritated with the time taken, but gary (Grease Monkey) said that due to the queue of cars, they had obligations to get those cars out before month end, which, judging by his amount of cars in the shop, I understood, so had to be patient.
Once the Turbo was out, the aftermath is as below:

The rag had plasticized itself to the turbine blades.

I agreed on going ahead and the Turbo was repaired and put back together:


I eventually got the car back, drove it from Centurion to Fourways (to gym, boet thing to do i know), when i left gym, i is tarted the car and got a Low Coolant message, and when i opened the bonnet i noted the coolant bottle lid was not closed, but instead only on about 2 threads. so i lost all the coolant in the bottle, if i had been stuck in highway traffic, id have overheated for sure.
i showed this to Gary, and he took responsibility and apologized, and offered to pay for the new coolant and flush.
Anyways, since i topped up with new coolant and distilled water mix, I've monitored it, and it hasn't dropped again, so all good.

I was however still monitoring my boost with the car running well again, and i was still showin only 3psi on the ProTool logging.

So i contacted @DannyBoyOPC and he offered to come around to my place after his customer on Saturday, while i was waiting for him, i went to Adendorff and purchased a vacuum hand pump so i can test the Vacuum and Solenoids myself.


Actually a great bit of Kit, and ill create a new thread for the Diesel guys on how to test your Vacuum systems.
Thread here:

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/threads/n57-m57-vacuum-system-maintenance.98798/

Danny arrived, and we tested the solenoids, and vacuum lines, all held boost perfectly as gary stated it did, so thank you.
We decided to strip the Solenoids out the car, and we noticed one was repaired with QBond at some point in its life.


Tested these manually to battery power, and they seems fine, but still bled vacuum, which is normal, but a little faster than id have liked, so i will be replacing these soon in anyways. along with all new vacuum lines, so stay tuned for that post.

Danny and i put everything back together, and decided to go for a drive, and he used ISTA to monitor the boost parameters, which were perfect, i was targeting 1700mbar (1.7bar/26psi), and reaching 1700mbar of boost,
So decided to reconnect my protool and it was still reading only 3psi max boost.
Switched the reading value over to BAR and it was reading the same as ISTA, all perfect, we then realized that protools data whether either BAR or PSI was reading in BAR, so i have logged a issue with Bimmergeeks and they have accepted the issue and are correcting the software with a new update release on its way.

So far the car is driving very very well, and i think after new solenoids and vacuum lines, it should be a fair bit more responsive.

but for now, the car is error free, boosting, and a pleasure to drive again.

So for everyone involved:
Marchand @Carbon Doctor, thank you for being an absolute gent and so professional.
Gary @GreaseMonkey Garage, the work was done well in all fairness, and none of the oil or coolant lines are leaking (i was sure to check this very closely lol)
Danny @DannyBoyOPC from DSC Motorsport, thank you for always helping and coming out of your way to check the car with me. your sene checks and experience go a long way.

Thanks for reading guys.

 

[General.Massacre]

Morning everybody.

So quickie update, @osiris being the great buddy as always took a trip to MD House yesterday, and told me there was a 6 series being stripped, so i naturally asked if there were good condition rear bootlid lights as mine had burned out LED Bars in them, and they really let down the back end of the car.
As luck would have it, he said there was a mint set available, so i snapped them up, so big thank you to @osiris for coming through on the help, much appreciated.
So i went to collect and fit in the evening last night, and this is the result:
Burnt Right:

Burnt Left:

Progress of Bootlid being dismantled:



New Right:

New Left:


All fitted and looking complete:



Very happy with how it turned out, and the back end looks so much better.

Thanks everyone

 

[osiris]

It's always a pleasure man! Glad it worked out for the best, it looks 100 times better!

 

[Moto_GP]

How has general maintenance been on the 6er? Things like brakes, bushings and anything that isn't motor related?
I'd like to get a 640i when the right spec comes along.

 

[General.Massacre]

How has general maintenance been on the 6er? Things like brakes, bushings and anything that isn't motor related?
I'd like to get a 640i when the right spec comes along.

I havent replaced bushings or anything of the like as yet, all ive done so far is Brake Pads front and back.

I would like to check, and replace the engine mounts, as i read they collapse, (oil filled mounts that are vacuum controlled). and this causes some vibration. so its on the list to get done.

 

[Moto_GP]

I havent replaced bushings or anything of the like as yet, all ive done so far is Brake Pads front and back.

I would like to check, and replace the engine mounts, as i read they collapse, (oil filled mounts that are vacuum controlled). and this causes some vibration. so its on the list to get done.

Thanks, what did the brake job cost you? You're welcome to DM.

 

[General.Massacre]

Thanks, what did the brake job cost you? You're welcome to DM.

Nah doesn't bother me, I'm not gonna hide what i spend.

I cheaped out a bit as I was in a bind before going to Cape Town, had to do a skim on the discs, so Marco at TrackRecon assisted me, and i opted for a set of new Pagid Pads that I purchased from Midas, as they all who had for immediate purchase, and that set me back just over R2000 for the front and rear pads and Sensors.

The not the greatest pads ill be honest, for what I needed they doing fine. when needed, ill be putting in EBC pads to replace the Pagids. I'm not sure on the pricing yet, but ill be using Marco for them again when the time comes.

 

[General.Massacre]

Sup guys and Girls (if there are any reading lol)

So the only updates I can give here are that I removed the rear spoiler due to it not sticking down and lifting, probably what I get for cheaping out and buying the cheapest kak available.

The car was sent in for a Service at JSN to bring the Service History up to date, as well as to be assessed for the EGR Recall, the Claim was submitted and approved and the EGR Cooler and Valve assembly was placed on order back in May, and i received the call today that its arrived and my car is now booked back at JSN to have the recall carried out and he new EGR assembly fitted.

Also, I finally bit the bullet and bought 2 new Pressure Converters and fitted them to replace the one that was cracked, and the other one, since i don't know the age, and best to have 2 new units in any case, ill keep the other working unit as a second hand spare for any purposes in the future.
After fitting it, the drive changed tremendously, the car was smoother, i felt a decent increase in low down power back, and the initial responsiveness has returned.
Next will be a full Vacuum line replacement as mine are still original, and need replacing, so that refresh should make a decent different also in case of ay slight vacuum leaks on the perished lines.

Soon as the car has returned from the EGR fitment, i can report back, I don't think ill feel a different, except have the peace of mind that its a brand new OEM part, which will be the 2nd EGR unit replaced on my car under OEM Campaign Recall.

I do feel that i will need to replace shocks and shock mounts at some point as the ride is getting harsher also. but thats another days problem.

 

[General.Massacre]

So my car was booked in Yesterday for the EGR Recall, and i collected yesterday evening, they were running a bit late so i had to wait which i didnt mind as i wanted the job done properly and not rush them.

Anyways, i got into the car, went home, and decided to check the engine bay, i immediately noticedissues:
1. Electrical Cradle that runs above the EGR cooler that bolts to the head was loose and the bolts missing
2. The little rubber grommet that keeps it in place was also missing.
3. The Engine cover had a broken lug, and one corner Rubber grommet was missing also.
4. Engine coolant was now green instead of Blue, and was overfilled to the brim.
5 Broken bolt for the cross member found, and they tried to hide it with Silicone.

So i sent off an email this morning to Viz who is the Workshop manager with all the issues and how irritated i was, he called me a few minutes later apologizing, and i said i will see him and his team in the morning and i expect things replaced with the correct parts.

I arrived at JSN, and decided to not go to the service desk, i drove my 640d straight into the workshop, and parked in the open bay right outside Viz window, hooted and called the foreman and Viz to let them know i was there, and went through he car with my issues. He apologised again, and called the techie over who was a young kid right out of technical college finishing his 4th year, i shat them out saying how can he leave things not the way he found it, and expect the customer not to notice, especially a customer that is always working on his own car, have some fuXXking pride, Vis apologised again and said he will replace all the broken parts with new items, and will let me know when the car is ready this afternoon and we will go over the car together before i leave.

Will give another update when all is done and dusted.

 

[MR_Y]

We spend a lot of money going to dealer workshops and this level of workmanship is not acceptable.
Good on you for calling them out.
One has to wonder how many cars are treated this way without owners knowing any better.

 

[General.Massacre]

We spend a lot of money going to dealer workshops and this level of workmanship is not acceptable.
Good on you for calling them out.
One has to wonder how many cars are treated this way without owners knowing any better.

Absolutely, i said exactly that to Viz, that im one of those customers that actually checks the work done because i understand what has been done, whereas 80% of dealer customers leave the dealer and the bonnet never gets opened again until the next service booking.
So why not just execute the given jobcard with pride knowing that the work done was yours, and you will have a happy customer. but sadly that work ethic no longer exists.
My car is far from perfect, but i expect that the condition in which i hand them my car, is the same condition i receive my car again when any given job has been completed.

 

[Spanky]

How frustrating!

Good on you for letting them know

 

[TBP88]

Absolutely, i said exactly that to Viz, that im one of those customers that actually checks the work done because i understand what has been done, whereas 80% of dealer customers leave the dealer and the bonnet never gets opened again until the next service booking.
So why not just execute the given jobcard with pride knowing that the work done was yours, and you will have a happy customer. but sadly that work ethic no longer exists.
My car is far from perfect, but i expect that the condition in which i hand them my car, is the same condition i receive my car again when any given job has been completed.

Simple solution, make the employee comp in the workshop have a variable component dependent on the profitability of the entire dealership. That way sales, repair etc. all pull in one direction to produce quality.

Sadly you'll never see anyone give up their slice of cheese to make the entire thing run seamlessly, instead workshops have 0 pride, understaffed and generally the lowest paid in the whole shebang.
Shit experience for you though, glad they're resolving - and a good thing you're as attentive as you are.

 

[General.Massacre]

Simple solution, make the employee comp in the workshop have a variable component dependent on the profitability of the entire dealership. That way sales, repair etc. all pull in one direction to produce quality.

Sadly you'll never see anyone give up their slice of cheese to make the entire thing run seamlessly, instead workshops have 0 pride, understaffed and generally the lowest paid in the whole shebang.
Shit experience for you though, glad they're resolving - and a good thing you're as attentive as you are.

Simple theoretical solution maybe, but in practice we know will never happen as you pointed out.
the problem is the new technicians are not like the old techies, the ex Shaun Singhs and the like... they are now Replacers, not technicians, they follow an electronic step by step manual, which any idiot can do unfortunately, i mean @osiris and i can replace turbos without a single bolt missing or leftover, but a guy following a full comprehensive manual, with all software and special tools at his disposal cant even get the job done completely and have everything in the right place after. its quite shocking to say the least.

 

[General.Massacre]

So another Update.

So my car was booked in Yesterday for the EGR Recall, and i collected yesterday evening, they were running a bit late so i had to wait which i didnt mind as i wanted the job done properly and not rush them.

Anyways, i got into the car, went home, and decided to check the engine bay, i immediately noticedissues:
1. Electrical Cradle that runs above the EGR cooler that bolts to the head was loose and the bolts missing
2. The little rubber grommet that keeps it in place was also missing.
3. The Engine cover had a broken lug, and one corner Rubber grommet was missing also.
4. Engine coolant was now green instead of Blue, and was overfilled to the brim.
5 Broken bolt for the cross member found, and they tried to hide it with Silicone.

So i sent off an email this morning to Viz who is the Workshop manager with all the issues and how irritated i was, he called me a few minutes later apologizing, and i said i will see him and his team in the morning and i expect things replaced with the correct parts.

I arrived at JSN, and decided to not go to the service desk, i drove my 640d straight into the workshop, and parked in the open bay right outside Viz window, hooted and called the foreman and Viz to let them know i was there, and went through he car with my issues. He apologised again, and called the techie over who was a young kid right out of technical college finishing his 4th year, i shat them out saying how can he leave things not the way he found it, and expect the customer not to notice, especially a customer that is always working on his own car, have some fuXXking pride, Vis apologised again and said he will replace all the broken parts with new items, and will let me know when the car is ready this afternoon and we will go over the car together before i leave.

Will give another update when all is done and dusted.

BMW Fixed ALL the above points 1 - 5, and i got a brand new Engine Cover.

I was happy, and collected the car, went home, then this morning, i started the car and got a low coolant message, opened up and saw NO coolant in the car, so i topped up, went to work, and saw under the car coolant leaking, so back to BMW i drove, demanded to see Freddie the Foreman, he took the car down and removed all the covers, and came up and said they have a big problem and they apologize yet again, the technician who fuxxked up on the initial install of the EGR actually pinched the main coolant line going to the EGR cooler system, and since the initial heat cycles has subsequently torn and is pissing coolant, so the entire system has to be removed again, and re-installed again. I was very irritated and said to them i do not want another junior tech touching the car, i want it handled by the Senior, or the Foreman, no question asked. so they've agreed.

So again, i will update after this po3s ordeal again when i get the car back.

 

[TBP88]

So another Update.


BMW Fixed ALL the above points 1 - 5, and i got a brand new Engine Cover.

I was happy, and collected the car, went home, then this morning, i started the car and got a low coolant message, opened up and saw NO coolant in the car, so i topped up, went to work, and saw under the car coolant leaking, so back to BMW i drove, demanded to see Freddie the Foreman, he took the car down and removed all the covers, and came up and said they have a big problem and they apologize yet again, the technician who fuxxked up on the initial install of the EGR actually pinched the main coolant line going to the EGR cooler system, and since the initial hat cycles has subsequently torn and is pissing coolant, so the entire system has to be removed again, and re-installed again. I was very irritated and said to them i do not want another junior tech touching the car, i want it handled by the Senior, or the Foreman, no question asked. so they've agreed.

So again, i will update after this po3s ordeal again when i get the car back.

And customer service loses again. You'd think if you're working on a car that's already a "you fucked up, come fix this", you make doubly sure it's sorted.

Sorry you're going through the most right now.

 

[General.Massacre]

And customer service loses again. You'd think if you're working on a car that's already a "you fucked up, come fix this", you make doubly sure it's sorted.

Sorry you're going through the most right now.

Ya exactly, and the Technician tried to divert the issue saying he pressure tested he coolant system after the job and it had no issues. i said there is no way a pressure test was done,
Anyways, the Foreman was super deflated and embarrassed to come up and admit the issue was theirs, so ill be going through this with a fine tooth comb in their workshop later

 

[Spanky]

This is just wild.

The value of 'Full Agent History' truly being eroded by these blokes.

 

[osiris]

Don't even get me started on the workmanship of BMW dealerships. They are unbelievably bad at what they do, It is the primary reason why "Full service History with the agents" means fokall to me when buying a car, it actually makes me cringe cause I know that I am bound to find builders warehouse nuts and bolts all over the place and torn wires from sensors, wrong oils and coolants, mix matched coils and plugs and injectors etc. They are fokken useless and have ZERO pride!
I remember them having my car for 2 weeks trying to fix the roof and charged me over 7k, gave the car back to me in a worse condition, the roof didnt work at all, it beeped at me non stop when I drove over 40kph and all the windows were stuck open! They then quoted me R150k to replace the entire wiring harness of the roof with hydraulics.
Justin @General.Massacre and I fixed it in around 2 hours or less in my garage, it was a simple broken wire ffs! They cut into my wiring harness to replace the broken wire but couldn't figure out which one it was....How the f#ck @General.Massacre and I could do it with zero mechanical or electrical training is beyond me. 2 weeks vs 2 hours in the hands of amateurs like us. And our repair job was done so well it looks factory! Even used BMW felt tape to re wrap the wires again to look factory.

They are USELESS.

 

[GravityLee]

Just got the call that my EGR cooler has arrived. Dreading this now as I’m one of those customers who doesn’t have the expertise to check the work in the same way General does…