2013 BMW 528I

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.

I HAVE GOT THE VEHICLE AROUND DECEMBER AND I ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR TWO DAYS THENE I START EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. I CONTACTED THE DEALER IMMEDIATELY THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR BEFORE WHICH IS HARD TO BELIEVE. THE CAR PURCHASE WAS A GUY THAT WORKED AT THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER I STARTED CALLING FOR QUESTIONS THE GUY ENDED UP DISAPPEARING AND NOBODY WOULD HELP ME. THEY ALSO FALSE ADVERTISE THE VEHICLE SAYING IT WAS A 528 X DR, GAVE ME THE INCORRECT MILEAGE AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO GIVE ME A WARRANTY BUT I DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY HELP . SO I CONTACTED THE BMW DEALERSHIP GOT IT TOWED THERE AND THEY TOLD ME I NEED A NEW ENGINE. I WILL BE DRIVING IN THE CAR WOULD JUST SHUT OFF SOMETIMES THEN THE DASHBOARD TELLS ME DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION. SO I HAD TO CONTINUOUSLY CRANK THE CAR AND IN ABOUT 3 TO 5 MINUTES IT WOULD START. ONE DAY ON THE WAY TO WORK I WAS DRIVING IN THE WHOLE CAR JUST SHUT OFF IT WAS SAYING LOW OIL PRESSURE AND DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION TRY CRACK THE CAR WOULDN'T CRANK . LET IT SHUT FOR A WHILE ONE DAY I SPRAYED SOME STARTING FLUID IN A AIR FLOW SENSOR IT CRUNK BUT STILL HAS A HARD KNOCK AND NOISE IT SAYS LOW OR PRESSURE AND DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTIONS.

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AND A DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION INDICATOR SHOWED UP, THEN I LOST ALL POWER AND HAD TO PULL ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I EVENTUALLY GOT IT TOWED TO BMW OF VISTA, CA. THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE BECAUSE IT HAD LOCKED UP. FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I WASN'T DUE FOR AN OIL CHANGE NOT WAS IT LOW ON OIL. THEY QUOTED ME AT $13,500 FOR A NEW ENGINE WHEN SEEMINGLY IT WASN'T ME NEGLECTING THE VEHICLE. IT SEEMS THAT BMW SHOULD FIX SOMETHING LIKE THAT IF IT JUST HAPPENED OUT OF NOWHERE. MY CAR CURRENTLY HAS APPROXIMATELY 107000 MILES AND HAS BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF.

ENGINE IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER ON HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH NO WARNING. THE CAR WENT INTO NEUTRAL STATING TO GET TO A SAFE AREA, WHICH I WAS ABLE TO DRIFT TO. ONCE THE CAR STOPPED IT SWITCHED TO PARK. I TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE BUT IT WOULD NOT TURN. BECAUSE THE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING YOU CAN NOT PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL. THIS CAUSED DIFFICULTY IN GETTING THE CAR TOWED FROM THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER. THE BMW N20 ENGINE HAS A KNOWN FLAW WITH THE OIL AND TIMING CHAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BMW SERVICE CENTER WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE ENGINE IS DAMAGED FROM THE CHAIN AND THE ENGINE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A VALUE OF $18,000. THE VEHICLE HAS 102,000 MILES ON IT. BMW NA STATES THAT THE CAN NOT ASSIST IN COST SINCE IT IS OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE ALREADY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR THIS FAULT ONCE. ALL MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN COMPLETED BASED ON THE SERVICE INTERVALS. THE CHAIN SERVICE CHECK IS NOT UNTIL 150,000 MILES. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A ONCE REPUTABLE CAR MANUFACTURER WOULD LET THEIR CUSTOMERS STRANDED ON THE ROAD AND THEN AGAIN IN THE SERVICE CENTER WITH A REPAIR BILL WORTH MORE THAN THE VEHICLE ITSELF. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE RESOLUTION OF THE CURRENT CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN THIS MATTER AS MY CAR SITS UNUSABLE.

A VEHICLE(SUV) ENDED MY CAR IN THE REAR IN A PRETTY GOOD SPEED WHEN I WAS IN THE SLOW TRAFFIC ALMOST STATIONARY(5 MPH). CRASH IMPACT WAS HIGH. HAD TO CALL IN AN AMBULANCE AS MY FRIEND SITTING IN PASSENGER SEAT WAS HURT BADLY. AS WE REALIZE AFTER THE CRASH, ENGINE GOT STOPPED & AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY DUE TO FAULT IN AIRBAG. ENGINE DID NOT START LATER & THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A FACILITY IN PROSPECTS HEIGHTS. THIS HAPPENED ON A CITY HIGHWAY WHEN DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LANE. VERY LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AT THAT TIME AROUND 6PM ON 02/26.

WHEN MAKING TURNS I HEAR A CLICKING NOISE. GOING INTO TURN AND COMING OUT OF TURN NOISE CAN BE HEARD FROM THE STEERING WHEEL ITSELF. THIS HAPPENS ONLY WHEN MAKING TURNS ANYWHERE. AFTER INVESTIGATING COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE CLOCK SPRING JUST FOR NO REASON BREAKS CONNECTION WHICH MAKE THE AIR BAG RESTRAINT LIGHT COM ON AND YOU LOOSE CONTROL OF ANY FUNCTIONS ON STEERING WHEEL. FUNCTIONS LIKE CRUISE CONTROL,RADIO CONTROL...ETC. CONNECTIONS INSIDE A STEERING WHEEL SHOULDN'T BE SNAPPING OFF IF THEY WERE DESIGNED CORRECTLY IN A 2013 VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THIS MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH AIRBAG RECALL AS WELL. IN THAT THESE PART WERE EITHER NOT INSTALLED CORRECTLY OR THEY WERE JUST FAULTY.