N54 335i blown turbos: Advice needed

prospect

New member
freakazoid said:
Not too far off topic...

A colleague with a 2007 335i got the yellow check engine light 4 weeks ago. Started car after work and light was gone. A week later he gets gearbox light and car is jerking. That also goes away.

Two Friday's ago car goes in for a service at SMG and he tells them about two warning lights. At 11am he gets a call from SMG - "Your engine has seized. We took car for test drive and the engine seized". Cost to fix is R235k :skit:, that is R140k for new engine and rest is for new injectors(???) and labour!!!

He had the car towed somewhere else and they stripping engine to see what the problem is.

So they blew the engine and he must now pay up? Another stealership to add to my sh1t list!
 

DieselFan

Honorary ///Member
I keep hearing bad things about SMG. There a guy saying they wouldn't fix a problem he had (rough idle) because there were no faults on their computer. And that came from the main mechanic, sorry i mean part fitter not mechanic.
 

freakazoid

New member
prospect said:
freakazoid said:
Not too far off topic...

A colleague with a 2007 335i got the yellow check engine light 4 weeks ago. Started car after work and light was gone. A week later he gets gearbox light and car is jerking. That also goes away.

Two Friday's ago car goes in for a service at SMG and he tells them about two warning lights. At 11am he gets a call from SMG - "Your engine has seized. We took car for test drive and the engine seized". Cost to fix is R235k :skit:, that is R140k for new engine and rest is for new injectors(???) and labour!!!

He had the car towed somewhere else and they stripping engine to see what the problem is.

So they blew the engine and he must now pay up? Another stealership to add to my sh1t list!

So the car is at Zeemax :tiptoe:

The feedback Zeemax gave him is that a belt that runs on a pulley had bits shaved off and these bits found their way into the engine, causing damage to some pistons, head and crank.

I know a bit about engines but am in no way a technical boffin. How does a belt that runs on the outside of an engine manage to find it's way into the engine. Sucked in by turbo? If so would turbo also not be stuffed?

Colleague contacted Consumer Protection people and they advised that he needs to meet with SMG to find out what their take in situation is. If he gets no resolution from them then Consumer people will step in to mediate. Sounds like a long journey.
 

DieselFan

Honorary ///Member
freakazoid said:
prospect said:
freakazoid said:
Not too far off topic...

A colleague with a 2007 335i got the yellow check engine light 4 weeks ago. Started car after work and light was gone. A week later he gets gearbox light and car is jerking. That also goes away.

Two Friday's ago car goes in for a service at SMG and he tells them about two warning lights. At 11am he gets a call from SMG - "Your engine has seized. We took car for test drive and the engine seized". Cost to fix is R235k :skit:, that is R140k for new engine and rest is for new injectors(???) and labour!!!

He had the car towed somewhere else and they stripping engine to see what the problem is.

So they blew the engine and he must now pay up? Another stealership to add to my sh1t list!

So the car is at Zeemax :tiptoe:

The feedback Zeemax gave him is that a belt that runs on a pulley had bits shaved off and these bits found their way into the engine, causing damage to some pistons, head and crank.

I know a bit about engines but am in no way a technical boffin. How does a belt that runs on the outside of an engine manage to find it's way into the engine. Sucked in by turbo? If so would turbo also not be stuffed?

Colleague contacted Consumer Protection people and they advised that he needs to meet with SMG to find out what their take in situation is. If he gets no resolution from them then Consumer people will step in to mediate. Sounds like a long journey.
I would get the car away from zeemax. Heard some terrible things. Anyway. Their theory sounds like bs.
 

netercol

New member
freakazoid said:
prospect said:
freakazoid said:
Not too far off topic...

A colleague with a 2007 335i got the yellow check engine light 4 weeks ago. Started car after work and light was gone. A week later he gets gearbox light and car is jerking. That also goes away.

Two Friday's ago car goes in for a service at SMG and he tells them about two warning lights. At 11am he gets a call from SMG - "Your engine has seized. We took car for test drive and the engine seized". Cost to fix is R235k :skit:, that is R140k for new engine and rest is for new injectors(???) and labour!!!

He had the car towed somewhere else and they stripping engine to see what the problem is.

So they blew the engine and he must now pay up? Another stealership to add to my sh1t list!

So the car is at Zeemax :tiptoe:

The feedback Zeemax gave him is that a belt that runs on a pulley had bits shaved off and these bits found their way into the engine, causing damage to some pistons, head and crank.

I know a bit about engines but am in no way a technical boffin. How does a belt that runs on the outside of an engine manage to find it's way into the engine. Sucked in by turbo? If so would turbo also not be stuffed?

Colleague contacted Consumer Protection people and they advised that he needs to meet with SMG to find out what their take in situation is. If he gets no resolution from them then Consumer people will step in to mediate. Sounds like a long journey.

lol, say what now?? pieces of a rubber belt found its way into the engine somehow and damaged the pistons..that sounds like utter bs to me
 

Zound

///Member
Okay guys so the issue seems to have been solved.

After further investigation by the dealer and intervention from BMW SA; the problem has been identified as a vacuum line leak. Therefore the initial diagnosis was incorrect ( to put it lightly ).

Its a shame that the matter had to be escalated to such an extent involving governing bodies such as BMW SA, and motoring communities such as you guys, the BMWFanatics. Fortunately though, the car will be fixed swiftly with replacement lines and will continue to provide shear driving pleasure.

Thank you to everyone who provided input, suggestions and feedback of any form. Without you, this issue would most likely not have been correctly resolved.

Cheers, BMWFanatics!

:clapper: :ty:
 

Chavoos

Active member
Oh my goodness. That's the quality of people working on our BMWs .
Vacuum line leak = Blown turbos!!!

Anyways , in glad it's a small problem.


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FiRi@Rennzport

Well-known member
Official Advertiser
Wth.....where's does the initial diagnosis of those twats a in the service department and the vacuum line leak come together. Unbelievable how the stupid mech wouldn't even look at it first, it's so damn frustrating.

Anyways....happy to hear it's not R235 000 problem. [THUMBS UP SIGN]
 

Prev

Administrator
Staff member
Glad that is sorted out and hope BMW SA kicks that dealerships ass so they don't screw someone else in future


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Xeqtr

///Member
And yet they probably would have changed the vacuum lines and still charge 80k or whatever it was if your dad was to go for their BS...

The reason why BMW takes these chances is because 80% of people fall for their BS. We are fortunate to have found this forum and have access to the good people and knowledge on here.
 

moranor@axis

///Member
Official Advertiser
lol I told Peter its probably one of the pipes or something stupid... go back to dealer and slap him on the head

did they offer you good trade on a new car with the quote for the turbos? Bastards...
 

Rory

Member
Not car related but i recently had a similar experience. We installed an irrigation system at home to the tune of 35k and then it wasnt working properly and we were told our incoming pressure is too low. We must get municipality to fix or install booster pump system (quoted at 23k - i found the same parts etc for about 12k). Municipality tested and said it's fine. We got another irrigation guy in and he suggested changing the main pipe tapping into the water mains. He did that yesterday and now sprinklers that wouldn't even pop up are spraying to the other side is the garden!
 

KrS24

///Member
Name and shame. I think the committee needs to know whose responsible for this gross negligence.


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prospect

New member
KrS24 said:
Name and shame. I think the committee needs to know whose responsible for this gross negligence.


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Yes, name the 'mechanic' who performed the initial diagnosis. We can't have people like him working on our cars.
 
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