2013 BMW 528I

DRIVING ALONG THE 8 FREEWAY, DRIVING STRAIGHT, BUT SLIGHTLY UPHILL, OUTSIDE SAN DIEGO, THE ENGINE DIED VERY SUDDENLY. WE COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY, AND THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO BMW OF EL CAJON, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER HAD FAILED, A PIECE OF PLASTIC HAD PLUGGED THE OIL PUMP, AND THE ENGINE LOST TIME, CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE ENGINE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR HAS 89,190 MILES ON IT.

IISSUE WITH THE TIMING CHAIN WHICH I UNDERSTAND TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY BMW'S DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND I HAD A LOSS OF POWER ALONG WITH LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT.TOOK THE CAR THE A BMW DEALERSHIP FOR A DIAGNOSTIC AND THE RESULTS WERE THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDED REPLACEMENT ALONG WITH CAM ADJUSTER SOLENOIDS AND PHASERS. ESTIMATED COST ALMOST $5K. CAR IS CURRENTLY SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR THE PAST 40 DAYS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THIS IS/HAS HAPPENED TO MANY BMW OWNERS OF 2012-2015 CARS.

MY ENGINE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON IN THE CAR AND THEN THE DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHT.I TRIED TO RUN A SELF DIAGNOSTIC ON THE CAR AS THIS IS A FEATURE BUILT IN AND THE ENGINE OIL CHECK WOULD ONLY GO UP TO 15% AND CUT OFF. I TOOK IT INTO BMW OF BLOOMFIELD FOR SERVICE MENTIONING THIS TO THEM. THEY CHANGED THE OIL AND CLEARED THE CODES GOT THE CAR BACK. FAST FORWARD TO JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, I AM DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE AND DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHT COME ON AND THE CAR STOPS ON ME. JUST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE 1 MONTH AGO AND THE DEALERSHIP IS ADVANTAGE BMW OF HOUSTON

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AND A DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION INDICATOR WAS DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN. THE CAR IMMEDIATELY LOST ALL POWER AND I WAS FORCED TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TOWED MY VEHICLE TO THE CLOSEST CERTIFIED REPAIR SHOP. AFTER THE REPAIR RAN THEIR DIAGNOSTIC TEST, THEY INFORMED ME THAT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE BECAUSE IT HAD SEIZED. THEY ALSO QUOTED ME AT $9,900 FOR A NEW ENGINE. MY CAR CURRENTLY HAS APPROXIMATELY 111,000 MILES.

DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED AND CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE. REPLACED AIR PUMP TO CONTROL ENGINE VACUUM, MADE CAR DRIVEABLE, COST $1200. DID NOT STOP DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION ERROR MESSAGE FROM COMING ON. TOOK CAR IN FOR ROUTINE SERVICE AND HAD THEM LOOK AT THE ISSUE. TIMING CHAIN IS ABOUT TO GO OUT. CAR IS NOT RUNNING PROPERLY, AND THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW WHEN THE TIMING CHAIN WILL COMPLETELY FAIL. I GOOGLED THE ISSUE TO SEE IF IT IS COMMON AND FOUND OUT IT'S EXTREMELY COMMON WITH THE N20 ENGINES. THE ERROR MESSAGE COMES ON EVERY SINGLE TIME I DRIVE MY CAR, AND IT HAS AFFECTED THE PERFORMANCE.

THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED ON APRIL 19TH. WHILST CLIMBING AN UPHILL ON A MULTI LANE ROAD, I FELT I WAS LOSING POWER, CONFUSED AND WORRIED, I PUSHED ON THE GAS PEDAL HARDER AND HARDER ONLY TO REALIZE I WAS RAPIDLY SLOWING DOWN, AND THE ENGINE HAD STOPPED REVVING! LOOKING AT THE DASH, THE TRANSMISSION AUTOMATICALLY HAD SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND THE CAR WAS COASTING UPHILL STEADILY LOSING SPEED. WAS IN THE CENTER LANE, HIT THE HAZARD LAMPS AND TRIED TO CHANGE OVER TO THE RIGHT LANE IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET OVER TO RIGHT SHOULDER FOR SAFELY. CAR IN THE ADJACENT LANES PARALLEL TO ME, NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE ALL FLASHERS GOING WERE NOT FRIENDLY AT FIRST TO LET ME CHANGE AND THANK GOD, I SOMEHOW FORCED MY WAY IN AND JUMPED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. ENOUGH TO SAY, I AND MY FAMILY IN THE CAR WERE SCARED OF BEING REAR ENDED OR SIDE SWIPED AND WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A MULTI CAR COLLISION THAT WAS ALL AVOIDED FROM MY QUICK THINKING ON MY HEELS AND BIT OF LUCK ON MY SIDE. I TOWED MY CAR TO BMW DEALER. DEALER FOUND LOW OIL PRESSURE CODES, ON FURTHER DEBUGGING FOUND BROKEN TIMING CHAIN GUIDE, AND INFORMED ME THAT ENGINE WAS DAMAGED FROM THE BROKEN TIMING CHAIN GUIDE. ONLY SOLUTION NOW IS TO SWITCH TO A NEW ENGINE COSTING APPROXIMATELY $17K. SINCE I HAVE 120K MILES. I LEANT ABOUT MY WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR TIMING CHAINS AND OIL PUMP. MY REQUEST FOR ANY ASSISTANCE UNDER WARRANTY EXTENSION HAS BEEN DECLINED BY BMW BECAUSE THE CAR HAS 120K MILES VS. 70K MILES WARRANTY PERIOD. WHILE I UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THAT, I AM BAFFLED AT THE FACT THAT, BMW KNEW THIS PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE ENGINE DAMAGE BUT DID NOT NOTIFY THE CUSTOMERS OF POSSIBLE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. IF I HAD KNOW I WOULD HAVE REPLACED THE TIMING CHAIN AT MY COST AND POTENTIALLY SAVED THE ENGINE. AT LEAST THEY SHOULD HAVE UPDATED THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE TO INSPECT THE TIMING CHAIN DEGRADATION.

THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED ON APRIL 19TH. WHILST CLIMBING AN UPHILL ON A MULTI LANE ROAD, I FELT I WAS LOSING POWER, CONFUSED AND WORRIED, I PUSHED ON THE GAS PEDAL HARDER AND HARDER ONLY TO REALIZE I WAS RAPIDLY SLOWING DOWN, AND THE ENGINE HAD STOPPED REVVING! LOOKING AT THE DASH, THE TRANSMISSION AUTOMATICALLY HAD SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND THE CAR WAS COASTING UPHILL STEADILY LOSING SPEED. WAS IN THE CENTER LANE, HIT THE HAZARD LAMPS AND TRIED TO CHANGE OVER TO THE RIGHT LANE IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET OVER TO RIGHT SHOULDER FOR SAFELY. CAR IN THE ADJACENT LANES PARALLEL TO ME, NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE ALL FLASHERS GOING WERE NOT FRIENDLY AT FIRST TO LET ME CHANGE AND THANK GOD, I SOMEHOW FORCED MY WAY IN AND JUMPED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. ENOUGH TO SAY, I AND MY FAMILY IN THE CAR WERE SCARED OF BEING REAR ENDED OR SIDE SWIPED AND WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A MULTI CAR COLLISION THAT WAS ALL AVOIDED FROM MY QUICK THINKING ON MY HEELS AND BIT OF LUCK ON MY SIDE. I TOWED MY CAR TO BMW DEALER. DEALER FOUND LOW OIL PRESSURE CODES, ON FURTHER DEBUGGING FOUND BROKEN TIMING CHAIN GUIDE, AND INFORMED ME THAT ENGINE WAS DAMAGED FROM THE BROKEN TIMING CHAIN GUIDE. ONLY SOLUTION NOW IS TO SWITCH TO A NEW ENGINE COSTING APPROXIMATELY $17K. SINCE I HAVE 120K MILES. I LEANT ABOUT MY WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR TIMING CHAINS AND OIL PUMP. MY REQUEST FOR ANY ASSISTANCE UNDER WARRANTY EXTENSION HAS BEEN DECLINED BY BMW BECAUSE THE CAR HAS 120K MILES VS. 70K MILES WARRANTY PERIOD. WHILE I UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THAT, I AM BAFFLED AT THE FACT THAT, BMW KNEW THIS PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE ENGINE DAMAGE BUT DID NOT NOTIFY THE CUSTOMERS OF POSSIBLE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. IF I HAD KNOW I WOULD HAVE REPLACED THE TIMING CHAIN AT MY COST AND POTENTIALLY SAVED THE ENGINE. AT LEAST THEY SHOULD HAVE UPDATED THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE TO INSPECT THE TIMING CHAIN DEGRADATION.

HAD 100,000M WARRANTY. AROUND 110K NOTICE "ENGINE OIL PRESSURE" LIGHT FOR FIRST TIME. ADDED A BIT OF OIL AND LIGHT WENT AWAY. CAME ON AGAIN, TOOK IT INTO DEALER. THEY REPLACED AN OIL GASKET AND ANOTHER GASKET. LIGHT CAME BACK ON WITHIN 5 BLOCKS OF DEALER. THEY KEPT MY CAR FOR 3 WEEKS, SAID ENGINEERS AT HEADQUARTERS SAID I NEED A NEW ENGINE. NOW, I DRIVE CARS UNTIL 260K MILES AND THEN SOMEONE ELSE DRIVES THEM AFTER ME. NEEDING A NEW ENGINE AT 110K MILES IS AWFUL. THEY WANT TO PUT IN A NEW 'SHORT ENGINE", CAM SHAFT POSITION SENSOR, CAM FOLLOWER,AND TURBOCHARGER. I'VE HAD MY OIL CHANGED AS OFTEN AS I SHOULD, NOW TELL ME, HOW IS THIS NEEDING ALL OF THAT MY FAULT?? I STILL OWE 2.5 YEARS ON CAR. THIS IS A LANDFILL PROBLEM RIGHT HERE AND NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED BY BMW.