M car spark plug issue?
Discussion
Had a bit of a happening last night and wondered if the might of the PH collective had similar experiences.
Took the M2c to Group 1 (Barons) Hindhead yesterday for a major service (and inspection) that was part of the service plan I'd purchased when I bought it from Barons Farnborough.
for context, Barons Hindhead is on the southbound A3 just south of the Hindhead tunnel - it's a bit of a pain to get to as it's a tight turn off and on to a busy dual carriage way, but it's on my commute, so more convenient and I usually have a courtesy car to go to work and pick the M2c up on the way home.
All was well and picked the car up with no fuss and no issues to report. Time to go home... pulled round to get onto the A3 which was quite busy, saw a gap and accelerated - not hard or full beans by any means as not necessary just trying to get up to motorway speed to join the traffic. End of the slip road and about 50 yards onto the carriageway I get a sudden loss of power, juddering and warning message plus engine light comes on, all while being swarmed by commuter traffic. After briefly shatting myself, the message says can continue journey but get sorted ASAP (paraphrased) - no s
t sherlock. Luckily there's an exit close so I limp off there and turn to go back up the northbound carriageway. Stop where it's safe and shut down as I wanted to make sure it didn't clear on restarting. Nope! Get back on the northbound A3 and chug (I kid you not) at no more than 40mph back up to the exit before the tunnel, loop round back to the southbound carriageway and chug back to Barons. Get back just before 5.30pm.
to say I was unhappy was an understatement. Car sounded like a bag of spanners. Technician eventually came out after many apologies from the service team. Says thinks it's a spark plug failure and it's "a common issue with M cars". What? WHAT? never heard about this before!
takes it in the workshop and I wait in the service area. Just before 6pm technician comes in and says that TWO brand new spark plugs had just failed and he'll have to sort it tomorrow (today) and I'll have to have another courtesy car to get home.
On the way to get my bag from the M2c the technician tells me they've had several M cars that have had spark plug failure, including an M4 a couple of weeks before that had to have 14 spark plugs before they all worked!!!!!
Anyone else had this? Surely if there was this much of an issue BMW would be sorting it out like changing suppliers maybe?
My ghast is somewhat flabbered... :O
Took the M2c to Group 1 (Barons) Hindhead yesterday for a major service (and inspection) that was part of the service plan I'd purchased when I bought it from Barons Farnborough.
for context, Barons Hindhead is on the southbound A3 just south of the Hindhead tunnel - it's a bit of a pain to get to as it's a tight turn off and on to a busy dual carriage way, but it's on my commute, so more convenient and I usually have a courtesy car to go to work and pick the M2c up on the way home.
All was well and picked the car up with no fuss and no issues to report. Time to go home... pulled round to get onto the A3 which was quite busy, saw a gap and accelerated - not hard or full beans by any means as not necessary just trying to get up to motorway speed to join the traffic. End of the slip road and about 50 yards onto the carriageway I get a sudden loss of power, juddering and warning message plus engine light comes on, all while being swarmed by commuter traffic. After briefly shatting myself, the message says can continue journey but get sorted ASAP (paraphrased) - no s
t sherlock. Luckily there's an exit close so I limp off there and turn to go back up the northbound carriageway. Stop where it's safe and shut down as I wanted to make sure it didn't clear on restarting. Nope! Get back on the northbound A3 and chug (I kid you not) at no more than 40mph back up to the exit before the tunnel, loop round back to the southbound carriageway and chug back to Barons. Get back just before 5.30pm.to say I was unhappy was an understatement. Car sounded like a bag of spanners. Technician eventually came out after many apologies from the service team. Says thinks it's a spark plug failure and it's "a common issue with M cars". What? WHAT? never heard about this before!
takes it in the workshop and I wait in the service area. Just before 6pm technician comes in and says that TWO brand new spark plugs had just failed and he'll have to sort it tomorrow (today) and I'll have to have another courtesy car to get home.
On the way to get my bag from the M2c the technician tells me they've had several M cars that have had spark plug failure, including an M4 a couple of weeks before that had to have 14 spark plugs before they all worked!!!!!
Anyone else had this? Surely if there was this much of an issue BMW would be sorting it out like changing suppliers maybe?
My ghast is somewhat flabbered... :O
Unfortunately this is just BMW technician bullst.
They are masters at it, any old cobblers to make it sound like they know something about something, between them and the service desk staff they should right a book on how to talk ste. Always keen to play up that M cars are somehow so special it's ok that they're temperamental like some skunk works project.
The "BMW" plugs are just bosch double platinum plugs in a BMW box, yes this heat version is the one BMW use for the M engines (all sixes and eights since 2014), but it's not a unique product for them.
The coil packs are the same on virtually every BMW petrol engine since 2006.
The head arrangement is same deep socket layout that it been for years across all their engine ranges.
They probably dropped the plugs down the hole / on the floor or cracked them or got fuel or oil on the coil pack skirt, any manner of cock ups and then blame the "crazy M car"..
If you got back at 5.30 they couldn't get it back in the shop and have the plugs out of a hot engine and tested out by 6pm, they've just plugged the car into the diagnostics and it says "misfire cylinders xyz etc" they don't know what it is at that stage. More BS.
Rant over
This is why my M2C has never been near BMW for any service (except compulsory run in) in 5 years, and from previous experience will be worth more well I sell than one that has a "full dealer bad-service history".
t.They are masters at it, any old cobblers to make it sound like they know something about something, between them and the service desk staff they should right a book on how to talk s
te. Always keen to play up that M cars are somehow so special it's ok that they're temperamental like some skunk works project.The "BMW" plugs are just bosch double platinum plugs in a BMW box, yes this heat version is the one BMW use for the M engines (all sixes and eights since 2014), but it's not a unique product for them.
The coil packs are the same on virtually every BMW petrol engine since 2006.
The head arrangement is same deep socket layout that it been for years across all their engine ranges.
They probably dropped the plugs down the hole / on the floor or cracked them or got fuel or oil on the coil pack skirt, any manner of cock ups and then blame the "crazy M car"..
If you got back at 5.30 they couldn't get it back in the shop and have the plugs out of a hot engine and tested out by 6pm, they've just plugged the car into the diagnostics and it says "misfire cylinders xyz etc" they don't know what it is at that stage. More BS.
Rant over
This is why my M2C has never been near BMW for any service (except compulsory run in) in 5 years, and from previous experience will be worth more well I sell than one that has a "full dealer bad-service history".
Edited by mikeN54 on Thursday 22 June 09:43
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