Dealership stripped my spark plug hole

[Spannie]

Time to sell the car!

But seriously, putting in a helicoil is fine for say a flange, or some-or-other mounting etc, but for a sparkplug - norrachance! Have them replace the head and ask for the old one. They'll probably tell you it has to go to Germany to get tested for material failure etc etc, but I wouldn't budge, they can send the head back to you after ze Germans have had a look (I doubt it ever happens though).

 

[Luis Malhou]

They cross threaded the plug when re-inserting and thats how it goes strip. Or even over torqued the plug. The plugs on these bmw's are ultra thin with fine threads, so if your not careful.. ! f##k up

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

They have to fix it under motorplan regulations.. Yeah these things happen, I myself have caused major chaos before when I over-torqued a gearbox oil bolt and then *snap* :smashScreen: But I am an amateur an learn that lesson, scares me to think who they let loose on your N55... :RedNo:

 

[Nastaliq]

Wait

Wait

Wait

Your hole got stripped......
And now you want Head?


:crazylaugh::crazylaugh::crazylaugh::crazylaugh::crazylaugh::crazylaugh::crazylaugh::crazylaugh::crazylaugh:

Ok seriously now.........
Insist they replace the head, and take nothing less than that.

 

[SR20_Guy]

^^^ haha good one.


Ok so went to the dealership and spoke to service manager. Saw the car and it's all put back together, covers everything. Long story but in the end this is what they are saying now:

Technician tried to remove no 1 plug but the tube socket just turned and turned. He told supervisor who then said well it must be stripped so get the helicoil guy out. Service consultant relayed helicoil message to me.

Technician then discovered there was a foreign object in the tube socket preventing it from seating over the plug completely. Once it was removed the tube socket went over as it should and the plug came out as it should. aka - no problem after all. (but damn, gotta wonder about the "technicians" experience)

So, seems like hopefully there is no issue, but I'm heading there now. Asked them to remove the plug so I can be present when it goes in to verify.

will update soon

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Good news phew

 

[Philip Foglar]

Hopefully they are being honest about this all, but this is a big big relief!! At least now there is no real issue, and no need for the head to come off which in itself is not the most ideal thing.

 

[SR20_Guy]

Alright went there and saw for myself. Plug hole looks fine - no helicoil :woot

And watched techie put the plug in and tighten it as per normal. So yes, very relieved that there is no problem.

From the techie's account of things, there was a foreign object laying around the base of the spark plug preventing the socket from seating over the plug, and not in the tube socket itself. Managed to free it and blow it out with a compressor after which the plug came out normally.

All's well that ends well

 

[individj]

Sub A error :biglol:

 

[Ratslaaf]

That's a kak one hey. But why was there a foreign object in there in the first place? It's not like it's open to the outside world for things to just drop in there.

 

[444YYY]

Agreed, they could be more specific of what they call a 'foreign object'

Who speaks like that anyway? Germans?

 

[ET was here]

glad it turned out like this
but seriously worried, that they were prepared to go the helicoil route

 

[SR20_Guy]

they say whatever it was blew out and is gone after using the compressed air, so they couldn't check it. Hopefully it's not somewhere else in my motor now :hammerhead:

Told them to double check the coil and make sure it wasn't something that broke off the coil and landed on the spark plug. I only though of this afterwards. While I was there I had the coil in my hands. It seemed ok. No obvious visible damage - granted I wasn't really inspecting it for damage.

When I first chatted to the service manager when I got there the first time he said that they wanted a "helicoil guy" to come and remove the plug (thinking the plug head was stripped) and he agreed that a new head would have been the solution if the plug hole threads were stripped. Just glad it was neither in the end.

 

[Luis Malhou]

A happy ending.. one thing I always do before removing spark plugs is blow out the tube with air. Stops crap from falling into the pistons. Especially with open style plug tubes.

 

[Spiro]

new head ???



I think that would be the way to go correct ?

 

[444YYY]

new head ???



I think that would be the way to go correct ?

You missed the conclusion bro... No head needed...

 

[Spiro]

aish, sorry I replied to the first page... my bad right there,



at least good news


awesome

 

[SR20_Guy]

Yeah ok ending but not overly happy with the service at this dealership. Maybe Clearwater BMW (awesome customer service) just spoiled me but this dealer wasn't very good letting me know what's happening with my car, took way too long for a routine service, didn't do half the stuff I had on the list, so now I have to go back again.

Called to tell me the car is ready for collection 5pm on friday. I went through on saturday to collect. Got there, car parked outside, and full of mechanic's greasy black fingerprints on the bonnet, boot, bumper, both doors etc. I asked why it was dirty and service manager then washed it (himself) as the other staff wasn't there.

I bought 1l top op oil to keep in the car. Asked if that was what they used in the service and he says no they use Shell which they buy in bulk. Says it's the same "grade" oil. (So is Midas gold 5w30 right...) Is shell really the supplier of BMW branded oil?

 

[Boosted]

I hope this was genuinely a case of misdiagnosis, although I find the "story" very hard to swallow for many reasons, but thats just my auditor instincts...lol

Sadly most technicians do not use the required special tool which "slips" once the necessary torque is reached, when fitting spark plugs.

Good luck, hope theres no further issues.

 

[Mike-R]

Sounds like when they skimmed my N55 head, BMW stripped one of the head bolts going into the block. Also wanted to repair the stirpped hole with an insert. Eventually they replaced the engine.

good luck bud..