So I had the engine work done for ticking noise...

[lovemy1]

To my 128i for the ticking noise... Now as I mentioned in earlier threads Brian Jessel BMW customer relations rep advised me that this issue was related to an air buildup in the cylinder head.. I have soo many regrets here and now I have been hearing some other weird noises on start up sort of like it may be misfiring.... How do you think I should approach this issue?? What I really want is BMW to take responsibilty for building this vehicle with a cylinder head that is problematic and from reading past remarks it seems soo many of you are having this issue.. if it was to become a recall I guess I would feel better about it. Who here would buy a used bmw with $5g engine work done??? Please help!!!

[former]

I remember reading your other thread. First of all, you really need to get over this concern about the value of your car. You are having warranty work done. Every car has that happen to it and it does not drop the value of the car. It's part of ownership and wear and tear, etc, etc.

Secondly, are you really sure you are hearing anything of concern? Or, is it possible that you are just hearing the normal operating noises? I'll be the first to admit that the 135 has some interesting sounds on startup. So does my wife's 335. You may just be overly sensitive to start up noises since you had an issue repaired. Sit in another one at the dealer along with your SA and compare the two together.

There are problems. And then there are problems - if you know what I'm saying.

[hansenc]

I know mine makes a clicking noise @ idle. I told my SA about it and he said it was because it was getting close to the oil change, sound is still there after the change though.

I haven't bugged them about it yet.

[lib]

Originally Posted by hansenc

I know mine makes a clicking noise @ idle. I told my SA about it and he said it was because it was getting close to the oil change, sound is still there after the change though.

I haven't bugged them about it yet.

"Getting close to the oil change?"

I could understand if he meant that it was caused by your oil level getting a little low and that it would be resolved on the next oil change (though he should have said to top off the oil in that case). If he meant something else I'd love to hear his reasoning.

[imdanomite]

timing is probably off. take it back

[Jay's128i]

I had the same problem, took it in to bmw and they said that it was a problem with the lube not being pumped in right and they had to install a pumping system to fix the problem. Sorry not in depth but after they installed the pump to properly push the lube to the pistons or something like that, the noise went away and has not come back yet.

[sr20Driven92]

I have never posted before b/c I am lurker, but I feel I should post in regards to this issue. My 08 135i was delivered from the factory with a hairline crack in the header. I found out due to extreme oil loss. It was said to be the result of the forging process. I fought with the dealership and BMWNA until they brought a factory tech in to rebuild the entire top have of the engine. I was assured that there had been no mixing of coolant and oil, I still wonder if that is true. I have had no further issues related to this initial nightmare, but I still feel that there was a serious lack of accepting responsibility on the part of BMWNA and my local dealer.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by lovemy1

To my 128i for the ticking noise... Now as I mentioned in earlier threads Brian Jessel BMW customer relations rep advised me that this issue was related to an air buildup in the cylinder head.. I have soo many regrets here and now I have been hearing some other weird noises on start up sort of like it may be misfiring.... How do you think I should approach this issue?? What I really want is BMW to take responsibilty for building this vehicle with a cylinder head that is problematic and from reading past remarks it seems soo many of you are having this issue.. if it was to become a recall I guess I would feel better about it. Who here would buy a used bmw with $5g engine work done??? Please help!!!

You're making a big deal out of NOTHING. First of all, engines make noise. ALL OF THEM. The noise you were hearing isn't always indicative of an impending failure. Noises are natural. Even still, they changed the design of the head because people worry about it. This will NEVER be a recall. Recalls are for safety issues and this isn't one. Changing the head on a car isn't a big deal for a dealership, and it IS NOT going to hurt your resale value. If you're still having issue with it, take it back and let them look at it instead of trying to diagnose it yourself.

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by lib

"Getting close to the oil change?"

I could understand if he meant that it was caused by your oil level getting a little low and that it would be resolved on the next oil change (though he should have said to top off the oil in that case). If he meant something else I'd love to hear his reasoning.

hansenc as well as EVERYONE else, needs to run used oil analysis on their motor oil.

Direct injection engines are well known for high fuel dilution, which severely effects the engine oil. High fuel content in the oil will dilute it, and cause issues. It is a major and known issue for many other DI engines.

The SA very well may be on to something - without data, nobody knows.

BMW oil, while meeting specs, is not the best either...

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

You're making a big deal out of NOTHING. First of all, engines make noise. ALL OF THEM. The noise you were hearing isn't always indicative of an impending failure. Noises are natural. Even still, they changed the design of the head because people worry about it. This will NEVER be a recall. Recalls are for safety issues and this isn't one. Changing the head on a car isn't a big deal for a dealership, and it IS NOT going to hurt your resale value. If you're still having issue with it, take it back and let them look at it instead of trying to diagnose it yourself.

+1

On the M42 318i engine, while the "profile gasket" failure was well known and a PITA, once it was done, it didnt cause valuation issues - because people still wanted those cars for what they were (maybe not the E36, but the E30 M42 318i cars are well loved).

And this is correct - all engines make noise - it is inherent to their operation. In my opinion, BMW engines are louder than others! I chased at least $2000 in noises on my E30, replacing parts, just to find that it was the nature of the operation of the specific parts that BMW chose.

See my post above, run used oil analysis... if you are not seeing high or abnormal wear, there is little to worry about.

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by sr20Driven92

I have never posted before b/c I am lurker, but I feel I should post in regards to this issue. My 08 135i was delivered from the factory with a hairline crack in the header. I found out due to extreme oil loss. It was said to be the result of the forging process. I fought with the dealership and BMWNA until they brought a factory tech in to rebuild the entire top have of the engine. I was assured that there had been no mixing of coolant and oil, I still wonder if that is true. I have had no further issues related to this initial nightmare, but I still feel that there was a serious lack of accepting responsibility on the part of BMWNA and my local dealer.

Did you have any indication of coolant in the oil? any milkshake-looking oil? traces of white?

After a coolant leak event (even very slight) there will be traces of Na and K in the oil for some time afterward (2-3 changes in my experience). Take a baseline of virgin oil used at the dealer, and then a sample of your oil, and you can start to make some determinations.

[G5Ti]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

You're making a big deal out of NOTHING. First of all, engines make noise. ALL OF THEM. The noise you were hearing isn't always indicative of an impending failure. Noises are natural. Even still, they changed the design of the head because people worry about it. This will NEVER be a recall. Recalls are for safety issues and this isn't one. Changing the head on a car isn't a big deal for a dealership, and it IS NOT going to hurt your resale value. If you're still having issue with it, take it back and let them look at it instead of trying to diagnose it yourself.

Quoted for truth.

All of my cars have made noises; the 128 actually doesn't really seem to, or perhaps it's just because the Z3 and Mini in the Garage make way more/louder noises.

I really think you need to consider whether you're just annoyed with the noise, and that alone is reason for you to be unhappy with the car. I personally do not think there is anything wrong with your car from what you describe; and every time you "fix" one noise, you WILL notice something new/different (perhaps previously hidden). It's like fixing a rattle in your interior - just accept that a car is built of thousands of parts and they simply CANNOT be perfect given construction methods and cost considerations. (Side-note: Expectations of purchased products is WAY too high for most consumers.)

Beyond that, if something is wrong with your car, it will not change the value of your car. No one will care if your car has been fixed, especially by the dealer for warranty work. In most cases, I'd actually prefer a fixed car, knowing that vehicle has essentially been through quality control twice and has newer parts that were installed under scrutiny.

My advice to you would be to back down for a bit, drive the car through the warmer months of the year and see if the issue persists. If you notice that the car's performance is not what it should be, then take it back and see what's up. Mention the noises you hear; they may or may not be related to any actual problems with the car.

If your car truly ends up being a lemon because of uncorrectable issues that are preventing the car from operating as advertised (hint: noise is not a reason), then the law is on your side. And from reading around these forums, BMW tends to be on your side, too.

[imdanomite]

there isn't a bulletin out for this issue. but for anyone who has a N52 or N52K motor, the head was not equipped with a check valve in one of the oil passages. the main complaint is of a loud ticking/knocking noise. only on a customer comlaint basis will the dealership send a puma case and if done correctly, get authorization to replace the head with an updated one.

[sr20Driven92]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

Did you have any indication of coolant in the oil? any milkshake-looking oil? traces of white?

After a coolant leak event (even very slight) there will be traces of Na and K in the oil for some time afterward (2-3 changes in my experience). Take a baseline of virgin oil used at the dealer, and then a sample of your oil, and you can start to make some determinations.

Nope, there was no indication of contamination... I am aware of the signs, I have helped replace 2 head gaskets in the past on friends MR-2s... Honestly I believe that the tech did an excellent job and that there was a thorough investigation in to the matter. Only 2 things have changed in regards to attitude toward the car/BMW, 1. I will not keep the car past the warranty and BMWNA and my local dealer like to blame other people for what is ultimately the issue...

I did get some goodies, performance suspension, CF spoiler, shadow line grill, and reimbursement for a car payment(still waiting on that...) and the CF spoiler has been a nightmare in itself, its been re applied 4 times, and is now being bonded to the car with urethane b/c they cant seem to get the tape to work according to factory requirements

Overall I love the car when I'm driving it, but this whole ordeal has been a headache...

[JHZR2]

the signs are fine, but only indication of mass introduction of glycol. Spectrometric analysis of elements in the oil is the only way to know if there was even low-level introduction - which you may or may not want to know. Low level could cause corrosion and slight extra wear at the bearings, but is likely a non-issue. If youre not keeping beyond warranty, it is probably better not to know

[sr20Driven92]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

the signs are fine, but only indication of mass introduction of glycol. Spectrometric analysis of elements in the oil is the only way to know if there was even low-level introduction - which you may or may not want to know. Low level could cause corrosion and slight extra wear at the bearings, but is likely a non-issue. If youre not keeping beyond warranty, it is probably better not to know

it was tested... i made sure of that... and I made sure that they spent plenty of time and money dealing with the issue

[lib]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

hansenc as well as EVERYONE else, needs to run used oil analysis on their motor oil.

Direct injection engines are well known for high fuel dilution, which severely effects the engine oil. High fuel content in the oil will dilute it, and cause issues. It is a major and known issue for many other DI engines.

The SA very well may be on to something - without data, nobody knows.

BMW oil, while meeting specs, is not the best either...

The n52 in his 128i does not use direct injection. That's the n54 from the 135i's.

Either way, if there is something that degraded his oil quality to the point where the engine starts having this issue then I would argue there's a serious problem - perhaps with the service interval (which I don't believe to be the case). I would like to hear the SA try to explain it thoroughly before just accepting that it will fix itself with the next oil change.

[jkp1187]

I endorse periodic oil analysis for every car. I just did it on my old Impala and found out that there was a small coolant leak into the engine. Not a huge disaster, since it's small and because I'm getting a new car soon anyway, but since I was going to let my dad "inherit" the car, I can talk it over with him about doing the repair. Wouldn't really have noticed anything wrong otherwise - definitely worth the $25.00.

[imdanomite]

it is a check valve concern that is causing the ticking noise, not oil.

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by lib

The n52 in his 128i does not use direct injection. That's the n54 from the 135i's.

Either way, if there is something that degraded his oil quality to the point where the engine starts having this issue then I would argue there's a serious problem - perhaps with the service interval (which I don't believe to be the case). I would like to hear the SA try to explain it thoroughly before just accepting that it will fix itself with the next oil change.

Well that's good to hear regarding DI.

Oil-related issues have been nfortunately very common as of late. It started with the sludgemonster V6 engines from toyota then chrysler. The sludging 1.8T VW engines, and the MB engines which had issues with FSS.

as to imdanomite's post just above, the flow characteristics of an oil (due to shearing, fuel dilution, etc.) can have significant effect on its movement through an engine, and can cause certain issues to become significantly worse and more noticable. Seeing what I am, it seems less and less the cause/case, but look at Audi RS4 engines for example, where there are very real issues with fuel dilution.