BMW 3 series (2018) having lots of issues - need advice
Discussion
Bought the car two years ago and it had 32k miles on the clock. I believe it had 1 or 2 services with bmw and after that supposed it was done with an independent.
First issue happened last October after doing about 10k miles, drive train error and after taking it to BMW, it was find to be an issue with stretched timing chains and very expensive repairs.
6 months after that after only doing 2k miles, another drive train error. This time BMW said it was clutch slipping and completely unrelated to the work they did ( at the time the told me the rest of the engine looked great).
BMW are refusing to of the work or take accountability, they offered a slight discount to do the work with them to apologies for missing it when changing the chains(if it was even an issue then).
But I’m faced with another bill and I’m trying to get some advice on what to do. Should I cut my losses at sell the car? It seems mad that a car with 44k miles is having some many issues. Does it point to underlying issues that will lead to more stuff going wrong? BMW did a ‘visual inspection’ of the engine and said everything looks fine but given the issue around the clutch I don’t have high faith in their assessments. Is this level of repair expected with a BMW of this age and mileage?
Thanks
First issue happened last October after doing about 10k miles, drive train error and after taking it to BMW, it was find to be an issue with stretched timing chains and very expensive repairs.
6 months after that after only doing 2k miles, another drive train error. This time BMW said it was clutch slipping and completely unrelated to the work they did ( at the time the told me the rest of the engine looked great).
BMW are refusing to of the work or take accountability, they offered a slight discount to do the work with them to apologies for missing it when changing the chains(if it was even an issue then).
But I’m faced with another bill and I’m trying to get some advice on what to do. Should I cut my losses at sell the car? It seems mad that a car with 44k miles is having some many issues. Does it point to underlying issues that will lead to more stuff going wrong? BMW did a ‘visual inspection’ of the engine and said everything looks fine but given the issue around the clutch I don’t have high faith in their assessments. Is this level of repair expected with a BMW of this age and mileage?
Thanks
Caughtatfirstslip said:
First issue happened last October after doing about 10k miles, drive train error and after taking it to BMW, it was find to be an issue with stretched timing chains and very expensive repairs.
6 months after that after only doing 2k miles, another drive train error. This time BMW said it was clutch slipping and completely unrelated to the work they did ( at the time the told me the rest of the engine looked great).
Yes, it is completely unrelated & (being a pedantic git, sorry for that) I would say the clutch would not be part of an engine inspection & without removing the gearbox, not possible to be inspected. That would have cost probably well over £1500 as (in real terms) you would not do that without changing the clutch anyway.6 months after that after only doing 2k miles, another drive train error. This time BMW said it was clutch slipping and completely unrelated to the work they did ( at the time the told me the rest of the engine looked great).
Caughtatfirstslip said:
BMW are refusing to of the work or take accountability, they offered a slight discount to do the work with them to apologies for missing it when changing the chains(if it was even an issue then).
For them to offer a slight discount would be a VERY good result as there is no correlation between the 2 jobs.Caughtatfirstslip said:
But I’m faced with another bill and I’m trying to get some advice on what to do. Should I cut my losses at sell the car? It seems mad that a car with 44k miles is having some many issues. Does it point to underlying issues that will lead to more stuff going wrong? BMW did a ‘visual inspection’ of the engine and said everything looks fine but given the issue around the clutch I don’t have high faith in their assessments. Is this level of repair expected with a BMW of this age and mileage?
Unfortunately, only you can answer the question of whether it is worth you keeping as EVERYONE is in different financial/personal circumstances, but personally if you like the car, I wouldn't let it put me off, but as above, my personal financial circumstances may be very different to yours.Hey,
So the reason it was inspected as potentially being related is because it could have been the case that the clutch was contaminated during the work they previously did and that caused it to start slipping. I am not a mechanic but my understanding is that they did have to take the clutch out or at the very least could see the clutch based on what was required to get to the engine to fix the chains. The reason for the discount was because BMW admitted that it should have been raised at the time(if the clutch was in need of repair at the time).
As for keeping it, my issue really is if it’s worth putting more money into this car or getting something with a better reputation for reliability. 44k seems very low miles for such a lot of work needing. But this is my first bmw so maybe this is normal
So the reason it was inspected as potentially being related is because it could have been the case that the clutch was contaminated during the work they previously did and that caused it to start slipping. I am not a mechanic but my understanding is that they did have to take the clutch out or at the very least could see the clutch based on what was required to get to the engine to fix the chains. The reason for the discount was because BMW admitted that it should have been raised at the time(if the clutch was in need of repair at the time).
As for keeping it, my issue really is if it’s worth putting more money into this car or getting something with a better reputation for reliability. 44k seems very low miles for such a lot of work needing. But this is my first bmw so maybe this is normal
Caughtatfirstslip said:
Hey,
So the reason it was inspected as potentially being related is because it could have been the case that the clutch was contaminated during the work they previously did and that caused it to start slipping. I am not a mechanic but my understanding is that they did have to take the clutch out or at the very least could see the clutch based on what was required to get to the engine to fix the chains. The reason for the discount was because BMW admitted that it should have been raised at the time(if the clutch was in need of repair at the time).
As for keeping it, my issue really is if it’s worth putting more money into this car or getting something with a better reputation for reliability. 44k seems very low miles for such a lot of work needing. But this is my first bmw so maybe this is normal
Agree; but it's also sods law and unfortunately you need to take it on the chinSo the reason it was inspected as potentially being related is because it could have been the case that the clutch was contaminated during the work they previously did and that caused it to start slipping. I am not a mechanic but my understanding is that they did have to take the clutch out or at the very least could see the clutch based on what was required to get to the engine to fix the chains. The reason for the discount was because BMW admitted that it should have been raised at the time(if the clutch was in need of repair at the time).
As for keeping it, my issue really is if it’s worth putting more money into this car or getting something with a better reputation for reliability. 44k seems very low miles for such a lot of work needing. But this is my first bmw so maybe this is normal
As your car is well under 100k and 10 years old; have you looked into extended BMW warranty (fully comp); I took it out on our 2015 F31 when I bought it in Jan 2023 and it paid back in dividends in the first year with 3 jobs that needed doing and in 'BMW dealer money' that was c£5k's worth of work!
You could look to take it out; sit on the car for the first 4 weeks and then contact BMW Assist to come out and look at the issues and they'll take it in for you etc; or stump up and get the work done at your local BMW indy specialist etc
Personally I wouldn't have BMW do it unless you really want them to; their prices are scary at the best of times
danb79 said:
Agree; but it's also sods law and unfortunately you need to take it on the chin
As your car is well under 100k and 10 years old; have you looked into extended BMW warranty (fully comp); I took it out on our 2015 F31 when I bought it in Jan 2023 and it paid back in dividends in the first year with 3 jobs that needed doing and in 'BMW dealer money' that was c£5k's worth of work!
You could look to take it out; sit on the car for the first 4 weeks and then contact BMW Assist to come out and look at the issues and they'll take it in for you etc; or stump up and get the work done at your local BMW indy specialist etc
Personally I wouldn't have BMW do it unless you really want them to; their prices are scary at the best of times
That would be fraud, and seeing as BMW have already diagnosed the second fault there's be quite a high likelihood of getting caught. As your car is well under 100k and 10 years old; have you looked into extended BMW warranty (fully comp); I took it out on our 2015 F31 when I bought it in Jan 2023 and it paid back in dividends in the first year with 3 jobs that needed doing and in 'BMW dealer money' that was c£5k's worth of work!
You could look to take it out; sit on the car for the first 4 weeks and then contact BMW Assist to come out and look at the issues and they'll take it in for you etc; or stump up and get the work done at your local BMW indy specialist etc
Personally I wouldn't have BMW do it unless you really want them to; their prices are scary at the best of times
_Hoppers said:
42k miles doesn't seem much for a timing chain to have failed, has the car been clocked?!
BMW were very surprised by this but pinned it down to lack of servicing. Which I’m not sure was the case. They said that services were missing on the iDrive system but the actual service schedule shows nothing out of date until the coming July. Miles consistent on the MOT history and no obvious signs that the car has been driven more than it says.
MrBen.911 said:
I can't see how an issue with stretched timing chains could lead to a clutch failure or any reason that the dealer would have any liability for it.
As suggested, find a good BMW independent and use them, mine is brilliant and has saved me considerably compared to using a dealer.
Don't know which engine this is, but don't some BMW engines have the timing chains at the flywheel end, in which case they'd have removed the clutch & flywheel to replace the timing chain.As suggested, find a good BMW independent and use them, mine is brilliant and has saved me considerably compared to using a dealer.
My concern here is more that I wouldn't expect timing chain stretch at low mileages and I wouldn't expect a failing clutch at this mileage, which makes me wonder if OP has bought a car that's had its mileage "adjusted" by an unscrupulous seller?
Something doesn't add up here. Chains by 32K and the clutch slipping at 44K on a standard car, maintained on time, is BS, or it's a clocked one.
People are just getting dumber and dumber by the week. Definitely somehing in the water I think.
Magnum 475 said:
Don't know which engine this is,
Nope. It's a PH thing. Why would anyone think mentioning the engine type in the OP would in any way be useful information?People are just getting dumber and dumber by the week. Definitely somehing in the water I think.
rottenegg said:
Something doesn't add up here. Chains by 32K and the clutch slipping at 44K on a standard car, maintained on time, is BS, or it's a clocked one.
People are just getting dumber and dumber by the week. Definitely somehing in the water I think.
BMW found 1 service on the iDrive and the dealer I bought from said it had been serviced independently after that but obviously that could be have been a lie. But bmw confirmed there is no outstanding service until July so who knows what’s going on. BMW changed the timing chains and got the gear box out to do an inspections the clutch and said the rest of the engine looks fine. Given the state the cars in, their feedback and the MOT miles, there is no evidence it’s been clocked. Magnum 475 said:
Don't know which engine this is,
Nope. It's a PH thing. Why would anyone think mentioning the engine type in the OP would in any way be useful information?People are just getting dumber and dumber by the week. Definitely somehing in the water I think.
It’s a 2018 318I SPORT Petrol.
Magnum 475 said:
MrBen.911 said:
I can't see how an issue with stretched timing chains could lead to a clutch failure or any reason that the dealer would have any liability for it.
As suggested, find a good BMW independent and use them, mine is brilliant and has saved me considerably compared to using a dealer.
Don't know which engine this is, but don't some BMW engines have the timing chains at the flywheel end, in which case they'd have removed the clutch & flywheel to replace the timing chain.As suggested, find a good BMW independent and use them, mine is brilliant and has saved me considerably compared to using a dealer.
My concern here is more that I wouldn't expect timing chain stretch at low mileages and I wouldn't expect a failing clutch at this mileage, which makes me wonder if OP has bought a car that's had its mileage "adjusted" by an unscrupulous seller?
Caughtatfirstslip said:
The first MOT was in ‘21 and the miles track consistently from that point.
If the car has had a mileage blocker fitted the MOT history wouldn't throw up any discrepancies. IIUC There are also devices that record, say, 2 miles out of every 3?https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/know-how/mileag...
Monkeylegend said:
That’s depressing!_Hoppers said:
Monkeylegend said:
That’s depressing!BUT, when I think about the issues I had (PCV failure & turbo failure at 45k miles), Catalytic converter failure at 55k, Oil Filter housing failure, various electrical issues..... The thought in my head after I'd had the car a few months was, "Is this mileage genuine?". The car seemed to have too many problems for a 40k (ish) miles car. I got a different BMW dealer to the one I purchased from to check mileage, and they assured me there was no sign of anything other than a genuine mileage. Later I found a wiring loom in the engine bay that had clearly been tampered with, no idea why or what could have been fitted - so I'm still unconvinced that the mileage was actually genuine despite it being an AUC.
Of course, it's also entirely possible that BMW components fail much earlier than we'd expect them to.
.
Edited by Magnum 475 on Monday 12th May 14:38
Edited by Magnum 475 on Monday 12th May 14:38
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