Hi,
I realise there is another thread specifically about the Turbo failures of early (Pre-mid 2003) 320d BMWs however this one is to briefly outline my experience and to recommend a solution that does not damage the wallet as much as using a franchise dealer for repair.
My 52 reg 320d compact fits the profile of a Turbo failure to a tee, 73k and manufactured in 2002.
Nothing appeared amiss untill my MOT (6 days ago) when the car failed on emissions ... no problem I thought just a question of a re-tune (maybe too rich a mixture).
The guy at the franchise did the good news, bad news bit (the good being with a warm engine the car would pass the MOT, the bad being the Turbo was on it's way out and would cost £2,400 to repair). I asked how long would the Turbo last and was told there was no way of predicting however a total failure would be LOTS more than £2,400.
I was in a mild state of shock and decided to pass on the offer of booking the car straight in to drive home (quite slowly) and google around trying to find a better (ie cheaper) solution.
Now it didn't take me long to get a quote which was a damed sight cheaper from a specialist BMW/Merc workshop called AMC next to the dog track in Wimbledon .... £1650 to be precise, and the only downside was the fact the place was 50 miles away.
To cut a short story even shorter, I drove the car to Wimbledon without the 'Big Bang' that I was dreading and three days later picked it up complete with new (updated) Turbo, Intercooler and all the other bits.
Now I know from talking to the mechanics that the job was a bitch and they also needed to buy extra bolts and a new Air Filter but still the bill only came to £1665. And on the journey home for some strange reason the mpg has leapt from 47ish to 54ish with no noticeable reduction in performance.
Now I am still smarting with BMW for not doing a product recall on all early 320d models as they are fully aware of the problem, however I almost feel like I've got out of jail and can't help but recommend the garage ...
AMC - BMW Services London and Mercedes services London
BMW 320d Turbo Failure .... Recommended Garage 
