[Nerdking]

I have this insane issue with my car, where sometimes when I unlock the car in the morning, the Valvetronic motor will start clicking loudly like it’s binding on something. Has anyone had this issue and had success with the dealer replacing under warranty? I was told that video proof of my car doing it isn’t enough, but it only does it once in a while.

Here is a video of the noise, not my video but it’s the same issue.

[jh_f30]

Does yours keep ticking like that for a long time? When my VVT motor went out, it was a quick grinding/clicking noise that lasted about a second.

[Korvo]

When I had a wheel mounted recently, I talked with a mechanic about common N55 issues. He told me that in this situation, you should not unlock or lock the car and get it towed ASAP. According to him, this issue can cause further damage.

It's most likely the valvetronic servomotor. Keep unlocking/locking the car or driving it and you'll risk damaging the eccentric shaft too.

Sounds like you have a warranty?

Edit. Looks like they call it a eccentric shaft actuator now.

[Nerdking]

Yes, it continues to click like that.

I have been driving it for 8 months like this, it has been to the dealer twice and they couldn’t reproduce. They said they didn’t see any codes related to it, and made it sound like they have never heard of any problem like it before. It’s really irritating to hear that noise, I even have several videos of it making this noise.

At what point what do I do? I don’t think it’s ever going to do it at the dealer, as it only happens when it’s been sitting overnight and even then it’s once every few weeks.

[Nerdking]

Originally Posted by pdegene

When I had a wheel mounted recently, I talked with a mechanic about common N55 issues. He told me that in this situation, you should not unlock or lock the car and get it towed ASAP. According to him, this issue can cause further damage.

What exactly did he say about this? Did he say it was this exact noise? It hasn’t caused any drivability problems. I’m under CPO warranty until next February. I’m trying to get it fixed before I have to worry about it outside of warranty.

[Korvo]

That's a really tough situation. The mechanic told me exactly what I wrote but also said that it sounds like a machine gun. Perhaps this is not the problem if you've been driving it for that long.

It's good that you've brought it in multiple times, that way it's documented.

Do you have any other dealerships near you? It might be worth taking it to the next nearest dealership, assuming that's not hours away. You could also get the opinion of a good mechanic that specializes in BMW's.

I understand what it's like to work with the dealership. I've brought mine in for multiple issues and always end up doing the repairs myself. I never wanted to pay the diagnostic fee because they always pretend like they can't hear the issue or that it might not be covered by CPO.