BMW 320d 150Bhp Turbo Problems

[320d msport]

It looks like there still having turbo problems on the newer 320d. I have had mine for 3 weeks now, its a 2007 320d m sport with 80k on the clock, it did exactly what the 2002 do lose power than started to smoke.

[Algarve Concierge]

Same problem here, 2002 BMW 320td, Turbo blew on 2nd jan 2010.

Only done 51000 miles, careful lady owner, always serviced.

 

Lots of smoke, loss of power , thought car was on fire at first.

 

Rang Scottalls Southampton, said was prolly turbo, quoted me £1200 to fix it. Not too bad i thought. They wouldnt collect the car, so i had to pay for a breakdown vehicle to tow it to the garage.

 

Now, this is where the fun starts, quote went up to £1700, then £2200, Then £2400. Said they had to replace one of the cats, various exhaust parts and clean out the oil sump etc etc, but not to worry as the work came with a 2yr parts n labour guarantee. Having taken a deep breath, i accepted this.

 

This morning they rang me, car also needs the second cat changed, at a cost of £400.

 

That takes the bill up to almost £3000. WTF?

 

How can you warrant spending this amount on a car that cost me £14995, but is now only worth £6000, its not a viable expenditure.

 

Consequently, i lost my rag and chewed the service mans ear off this morning, explaining that it was due to their bad design fault,(commonly known factor judging by this forum) and that why should we, the customer, who has always trusted BMW to be a good car have to pay out for expensive repairs for a car thats only done just over 50,000 miles!!!

 

If i had known it was going to be this expensive i would have scrapped the bloody car.

 

The service man, has gone to ask BMW if they will pay towards the costs and I am waiting on a reply.

 

Hence to say, a friend of mine, is now on his 3rd turbo replacement in a car thats younger than mine. Stand up to BMW and fight for your rights, cos they KNOW about the fault, and I for one am not going to take this laying down.

 

 

I too now join the never ending list of people joining this "Lets lose a flap and blow my Engine" forum.

 

After buying my 04 320D Sport in July last year, with 60,000 miles and full service history to date ... My car just smoked and died with a few bangs and clanks at what is the most busiest set of traffic lights here in Villamoura, Algarve, Portugal (Yes it happens all over the world it seems). After calling a breakdown company and paying the cost of 200 Euros to have the car recovered to a garage (Not BMW as they dont have any contact numbers at the dealers here out of hours over here !!!).

 

Within 10 minuites of the car arriving in the garage the very talented technition told me in broken english "Borbolettos ... Borbolettos !" which means Butterfiles in English ! Spot on as he had seen this problem many times here in Portugal ... And he is Brasilian !!!

 

He explained to me that the butterfly flaps are prone to dropping off and getting sucked into the engine ... Which is exactly what has happened ...

 

A repair that may be around 450 euros was his initial answer ... then the phone call came " You better come and see your cars engine "

 

After a short trip by taxi to the garage, the full damage can be seen quite clearly and seems to have totalled the engine ... cost around 8,000 Euros !!!!!

 

I then hit the internet and came across this site and more precise this forum ... Wish I hadnt to be honest as all the horror stories are the same !

 

Next stop BMW Customer Service ...

 

This was the email reply today ...

 

 

 

Dear Mr ********

 

Thank you for your recent email. I am sorry to hear that your vehicle requires a repairs and for any concern that this may be causing you.

 

Although BMW only use quality parts in the construction of our vehicle range, parts can fail at any time during normal driving conditions. We rely on our approved dealership network to ascertain whether a part has failed prematurely as they are able to carry out the required inspections. Once a fault has been diagnosed and the vehicle booked in for the repairs, should the dealership determine that our involvement is required, they have the means to contact us directly for support.

 

I acknowledge that you have carried out some research on the internet. While this can be a useful tool, it does not always give a reliable representation of a possible situation. BMW collate failure reports, customer feedback and part order information, which is a more reliable source of information, to determine if a fault is common. Having checked our system, I have found that this is not a common issue

I recommend that you make arrangements for your vehicle to be booked in To your local BMW Approved Dealership. They will then be able to advise you on what options are available and whether they believe it is appropriate to request our involvement.

 

I am sorry that you have needed to contact us under these circumstances and I can assure you of our attention, should the dealership approach us on your behalf. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

BMW Group UK

Lee Melham

Customer Service Executive

Ellesfield Avenue

Bracknell RG12 8TA

Tel: 0870 5050 160

Fax: 0870 5050 205

Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.bmw.co.uk

 

 

Having checked our system I have found that this is not a common issue .... Who are they kidding !!!!!!

 

Do they use the same system to check the quality of the engines by any chance ????

 

Let battle commence I say ... Please contact me anyone who wants to get on board and show that we will not be walked over by these BMW dictators !!!!

 

Thanks !

Edited May 27, 2010 by Algarve Concierge
Rmoval of Real Name

[Algarve Concierge]

This my first of what I think will be many letters to BMW UK ...

 

Dear Lee,

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Unfortunately the content of the email does not give me any reason to begin to compliment BMW on its attitude to customer service.

 

As you say that this is not a common fault as reported by your systems, I can only presume that your system is the same one that checks the quality

of the components that are failing in the 320d Engines.

 

I have been all day on various forums all concerned with this "Problem" that BMW seems to deny exists, altough many dealers do and indeed so does your head office !

 

The story is reported time after time (Some 150 pages on this one alone http://www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/viewtopic.php?t=53451

 

of failing "Butterfly Inlet Valves" and the horror stories that I read do not give me much confidence in this model of car.

 

I would like this matter to be fully investigated by your company and look forward to a reply.

 

The car is currently at a local garage as I was unable to contact the local BWW dealer at the time of breakdown, which incidentally is approx 25 Miles from where the breakdown occurred. I have already paid 200 Euros to have the car recovered to this garage and will incour a further charge for transportation to the not so local BMW main dealer in Faro, Algarve.

 

As I stated in my first email, I am currently on holiday in Portugal so I am somewhat concerned that this problem needs to be resolved as soon as possible to enable me to return the car to the UK ...

 

I have attached three photos which I have taken to show the missing inlet valve and the associated damage ... interior damage will not been known until the car engine is stripped ... presumably to show a severly damaged engine.

 

Kind Regards

[Conniff]

There is a huge and widespread myth about the quality of German products that was probably started by the Germans themselves.

 

It's a total fairy tale that their products are any better quality than anyone elses even Chinese or Indian come to that. They have the same goal as all manufacturers, profit and build on an assembly line just the same as everyone else.

They use as much, if not more, plastic than Fords and I would say that the shear volume of complaints on the internet in general shows the exact opposite of quality manufactured.

[Gert_Lush]

Has anyone tried the Motor Industry Codes for their intervention Home?

 

I had a problem with my VW Touran which, after only 4 years old, had corrosion around the rear number plate light. I am the 4th owner of the vehicle, but the second person to report the problem. It appears that the rust patch was subject to a previous warranty repair by VW's bodywork contractor (a local Audi garage in ths case). As a result, they said i needed to take up the issue with Audi. I dug my heels right in and was a constant pain in their arse for weeks. Eventually they said that it is a 'paintwork' issue, which is only warranted for 3 years (where as the bodywork is warranted for 6 years). I contacted VW UK are they were as useful as a chocolate fireguard and about as thick as a whale omlette. They said that as i was not the original owner of the car, the bodywork warranty didn't apply to subseuquent owners. I read out, over the phone, the paragraph in their own warranty terms and conditions the bit that said 'change of ownership does not affect the warranty' - she still didn't believe me. After speaking to her boss about it, he said they would look into the matter. I eventually heard back about 4 weeks later saying that they believe it to be a paint issue and could help no more as it was outside the paint warranty.

 

I then contacted the motor codes people and they intervened (following me giving them my version of the facts). 2 weeks later, i had a call from VW UK to ask me when i could book my car into my nearest main dealer for a tail gate replacement.

 

I know it is a totally different problem, but the underlying poor customer service and 'it ain't our problem jack' response from the main dealer and VW UK seems to be the same as with BMW.

 

My advice would be to dig your heels in and make as much noise as you can.

 

Similarly, has anyone sought legal advice as to the usefullness of the Sale of Good Act and how this would apply in this case of goods being below a satisfactory quality and (clearly) not fit for purpose?

 

I am on the verge of buying a 320d BMW so will watch this space for how you lot get on. Best of luck to you all.

 

Hope this helps.

[Annoyed BMW Owner]

I have a similar problem with the TURBO on my BMW X3 2 litre diesel. I purchased the car in September 2006 and have just 30,000 miles on the clock. Last week, my Turbo appeared to have packed up (as per the advice from GREEN FLAG). I got the car towed in and BMW Redhill advised me that the Turbo was indeed the problem. They claimed that they contacted BMW UK who agreed to pay half the costs or £400 for the part but would not pay for it all as I did not have "warranty". The final bill will be £900 (to include VAT and labour). This is absolutely bullshxte to be honest. This belief that German technology is best is a load of hype (as someone said - probably started by the Germans). Why should a car that is barely 4 years old and have a low mileage have a major issue such a turbo failure.

 

I am tempted to either sell the car as I am disgusted or take out Warranty for mechanical breakdown (through warranty direct or the AA) or write to BMW to express my annoyance that this terrible failure of performance.

 

Reading through the various posts makes me annoyed that a common issue with Turbo is not acknowledged by BMW as a grounds for investigation leading to a recall of sorts.

 

Any advice on the above predicament would be most appreciated.

[heliosuk]

In Annoyed's case the standard BMW get out clause will be written in the owners manual. It'll probably say something like "the owner should ensure that after running the engine then they should let it idle for at least one minute".

 

A high causal factor of turbos is because of exactly this. The turbo runs at very high/extreme temps and relies on the coollant and oil flow to cool it. By shutting the engine off after a run these two cooling mediums stop dead and the temperatures actually rise for a bit. Consequently any oil on the bearings carbonises and given the extremly high tolerances used in the design knackers them. The bearing is also the major seal. So you end up with a situation where the engine oil pump is literally pumping oil into the inlet manifold hence the massive amounts of smoke.

 

BMW are known for their reliance on the owners manual for what I would alledge is poor engineering given this day and age. Not so long ago they did a run out of the E36 coupe with a twin cam and to cut costs took out the oil level indicator but forgot to tell people that whilst running in on this version of the engine it would burn a sump full of oil.

 

Naturally in 500 mile the engines were going pop and BMW's response.............it says in the owners manual to check the oil daily.

 

What is odd about all of this though is that turbo's have been around for a very long time and a jet engine works on an embarrisingly close same principle so why is it that BMW turbos are failing when others dont and why is it the pilot of a jet powered aircraft shuts down down the engine they are not falling out of the sky? Afterall, the principle and tolerances are not too disimilar?

 

BMW need to either address this or give a credible answer!

[mattyprice4004]

Pretty damn worrying, my friend had a 320d (2003) that went the same way after 65k miles...

 

Ironically enough, another friend of mine and I both run Rover 600 diesels.

 

His has 237,000 miles on the clock and has only had new ball joints, a clutch and service parts. His service history is pretty much service parts only.

 

Mine has 145,000 and has only had a clutch and 2 CV joints. I got it at 110,000 and before that the service history is service parts only, and all MOTs passed.

 

Because all British cars are crap compared to BMWs...

[southallian]

HI:mad:

 

I bought an X3 3 years ago it was one year old and after telling them that there was a problems with it they kept saying no this it was fine this was BMW Berry's West Drayton whom didn't want to know and this was where I bought it from

 

Take too long to tell you all of the details but I have had 2 clutches 3 turbo's and most of the engine renewed

Last Xmas it was with Thames Ditton 6-8 weeks being repaired

 

Then last week it broke down on the M25 Thames Ditton have been great if it wasn't for me asking to take my car to another dealership I would have never found all these problems

Now it seems the enigne has ceased altogher and the whole engine useless and another turbo and they said they would replace with a brand new engine I have said ok but not happy I bought a car that cost me over £24k and had nothing but problem after problems

I must say I went mad and this hasn't cost me but no way was I paying anything I told them this car was a rogue car and I just hope that if they do put another engine in they cover it with some sort of guarantee

BMW EXPERIENCE !!!!! SO FAR MINE HAS BEEN MY WORST NIGHTMARE!!

I have yet to have this so called experience

[bmwsean]

Hey! I was thinking of buying a BMW 320D SPORT!(2002-2004)... Is there anything i can do when i get the car that will stop the turbo from failing or any other faults? please someone help with this!!

[dom2599]

Hey! I was thinking of buying a BMW 320D SPORT!(2002-2004)... Is there anything i can do when i get the car that will stop the turbo from failing or any other faults? please someone help with this!!

 

 

Hi BMWSean if you google search BMWland or Bimmer forums, they have loads of information with regards to preventative maintenance and any of the other niggly issues these cars through up.....also be very aware of the swirl flap issue with these cars.....well documented on these forums. I had the turbo go on mine at 106k, thankfully replaced under warrenty

[bmwsean]

:!:orite thanks! can you take out the swirl flaps though??and would reconditioning the turbo help?thanks:!:

[dom2599]

:!:orite thanks! can you take out the swirl flaps though??and would reconditioning the turbo help?thanks:!:

 

Yes you can remove the swirl flaps and fit blanking plates, i did mine about 6 months ago, no loss in mpg, very slight loss in low down torque (fixed and a bit more with a remap), or you can buy a new upgraded manifold for around £350ish.....with regards to the turbo.....if it aint broke, dont fix it;-)

[bmwsean]

and how much will the it be to remove flaps and fit blanking plates?? if the turbo goes does it ruin the engine or do you get a new one and how much?are there any other problems with these cars?i heard somthing about an injector problem!?? sorry about all the questions! :/

[dom2599]

and how much will the it be to remove flaps and fit blanking plates?? if the turbo goes does it ruin the engine or do you get a new one and how much?are there any other problems with these cars?i heard somthing about an injector problem!?? sorry about all the questions! :/

 

 

No probs m8,

 

i removed the swirl flaps from the manifold and fitted the blanking plates myself, the blanks i got from ebay, £20ish i think....i used the guide from the bimmer forums, took me about an hour and a half, although the flaps were still in good condition, the thought of having a £8k bill from BMW for the saked of a couple of hours work spurred me on, although some indy BMW grages charge about £150 to do it for you (PMW in Essex i think started the removing thing, they have a website with info also).....if the turbo goes, then yes it could ruin the engine and cat, when mine started i'd only had the car 5 weeks, i noticed a very slight scratching sound ( the vanes hitting the caseing) so i caught mine in time

[blipvert]

i've just come across this thread, and skimmed it so havn't read every post so apologies if already mentioned. would these 2.0l bmw engines be the M47R by any chance. If so, the reason the turbo 'appears' to fail is due to a clogged up PCV ( positive crankcase venting ) filter. When this filter ( about the size of a cotton reel ) gets caked up, the oil can become pressurised, one exit route for the pressurised oil is past the seals in the turbo straight into the combustion chamber. BMW later modified the PCV by doing away with the filter and having a passive chamber that collected gunge.

[muggedchris]

All of you unfortunates who still own a BMW 320 TD i have just had another Turbo fitted the car is now on it's 3rd Turbo 1st 51'000 2nd 70,000 3rd fitted & fingers crossed the last. 52 plate BMW's answer when i questioned them regarding the Turbo was that all mechanical parts risk breaking i have just been unlucky.

I have not bothered bying a lottery ticket since.

[ramsholt]

Another owner of a BMW 320d (E46) with a failed turbo after 90,000 miles.

 

The failure was caught before the turbo failed completely. The car was producing a whining noise (a bit like a distant police siren) during acceleration.

 

An approved BMW dealer had a look at the car and estimated £2700 for a new turbo plus intercooler (as they said the failure was leading to oil contaminating the intercooler).

 

I got another estimate from another approved BMW dealer for £1500 they didn't think the intercooler replacement was necessary (not even cleaning required). They stated that 80% of the time replacement/cleaning of the intercooler was not required in these cases. Note: My turbo hadn't failed completely, in these cases I believe more oil is released where it shouldn't be and more parts need cleaning or replacing.

 

I contacted BMW customer services, as I was aware of someone in very similar circumstances getting a goodwill payment from BMW covering the cost of the replaced parts. I was informed that BMW will only consider such payments in cars up to 6 years old.

[bolski69]

thank god i found this thread. literally i was going to buy one of these "fine" german machines for their reliability and quality. was interested in the 320d m sport, but after reading these posts i think i'll save myself the bother. many thanks and i hope you guys with the problems all get sorted out!!

[Lousy BMW]

I bought my BMW 320 diesel three years ago. It was an 02 plate car. I couldn't afford it but had just started my own business and needed a credible car for visiting client sites. I had the turbo problem after three months. My buddies replaced the turbo and I now see they couldn't have charged any labour. One of them owns a motor factor chain and the replacement turbo came from there. Total bill: £650. In reality I think this was the cost price of the Italian made turbo common to a surprising number of makes.

 

The engine crankshaft pulley went next. The car was in Ireland so I had parts shipped and a local mechanic fitted them. Problem solved but expensive.

 

Driving the car back to the UK a while later it started to drive erratically. There was a sudden marked reduction in power and smoke from the back again. This last failure was the butterfly problem. I now know that the only good fortune I had with this car was simply the fact that none of the failures totalled the car on the spot. All of them commonly do apparently.

 

Within about two and a half years the car cost what to me was a fortune and could only be sold as a non-runner. It broke my heart. I contacted BMW. I would put them down as Ryanair on the road. They do not want to know and it seems clear they rely on customers not being able to act in a 'class action' mode. They trade on reputation and when an individual car gives trouble the individual tends to think they have been unlucky with an otherwise exemplary brand of luxury car. That's my perception anyway.

 

I was considering a late model Rover 75 until I learned about the BMW engines they have. Ironically dealerships point this up as a strong selling point. I like the Rover but would be very reluctant to go near anything with a BMW connection ever again; seductive designs with atrocious engineering.

 

I have a Suzuki 100+ for running around in. It has a 'W' registration and cost £700. At the risk of tempting fate I have to say it is very impressive indeed. I bought my daughter a second hand Hyundai as a first car and same experience. There is no indigenous car brand left in the UK other than 'specialist' so no hang-ups to worry about. The Japs seem to have cracked the reliability challenge. Way to go.....

[Anniemall]

Our 2007 BMW 320d has just been found to need a replacement turbo at the cost of £1,300. We only bought the car 8mths ago from Motorpoint and when I contacted them, they seemed to be aware of the issue with the car (thanks for telling us at point of sale!!). Anyway, I have contacted Trading Standards who have informed me that if I can reasonably prove that a Turbo in a car of this age/mileage (47,000) has failed prematurely then we have a good case against the place of sale (Motorpoint). I have to provide a report to say that a turbo should last a certain amount of mileage given the year of the vehicle. They advised I ask a BMW dealer to do the report but my investigations have led me here and now I am concerned that they would not give accurate findings. Any advice on where to get said report?

[archer123]

Hi just joined the forum.

I have a bmw320d tourer which i have owned for 15 months or so with no problems but 2weeks ago noticed alot of smoke from exhaust no power loss but then seemed to clear.

Because it dont do alot of miles [i have a van for work] i put it down to being stood idle for a week or so at a time.On driving it further locally i felt something wasnt quite right so had it plugged in to test any faults on ECU. Nothing major apart from a dodgey rev.sensor and a glowplug relay fault.Drving away from garage 500 yards!got a horrible noise from bottom of engine whilst pulling away from roundabout.Stopped immediately n phoned AA he said bottom end has gone put me on a dolly n towed me home.I know its probably not related to a turbo fault but i am reluctant to spend 2k on a replacement engine before confirming my fault any ideas?!!

[kormak]

I've read this complete thread with adsolute dismay!

I purchased a 02 E46 320D (150BHP Ed) in April 2010.

Within 1 week of having the car, the final stage resistor failed.

The car had a 3 month engine & geerbox guarantee from the dealer I bought it from... however they fixed this without any hassle.

6 weeks after buying it the real funs and games started.

Whilst driving it down the motorway, I noticed a sudden plume of smoke come out the back and suddenly lost power.

I drove the car up off the nearest exit and had to get it towed into a garage with blue smoke plumming out of the engine.

The turbo had packed in and as a result caused oil to get into the cylanders which caused loss of compression in the engine and actually melted one of the piston heads!!!

By sheer luck this was also under warranty even though I had a lot of arguing and delay tactics from the dealer.

He ended up putting in a new (re-conditioned) engine and a brand new turbo costing around €3000!!

 

Since then, I've had a couple of minor issues like wishbone bushes, etc... which were all fixed.

 

Now I've another major fault hit my car.

The crankshaft pulley's innder rubber had worn away and actually cracked in 2 parts when the mechanic had a look at it.

Have to get a brand new pulley installed for a healthy price of €340 + get the fan belts & ac belts re-done, which has now set me back almost €500.

 

Absolutely sicked by this and somewhat amazed and very nervous judging by some of the other comments on here, what could potentially happen next?!!

 

I love driving my BMW and it is v economical to drive, but my god after this one is on it's last legs, I will NEVER buy one again!

Disaster!!! :-x:-x:-x

[Martin S]

Hi

 

Had the very same problems last weekend with my 06 plate 2.0 Diesel 5 Series M Sport. Very scary had the car revving out of control with masses of smoke. The fire brigade and police attended. BMW have told be its a new engine, turbo & cat plus other bits £12k in total. They have offered me £5k good will. I really need to find out if this is a common problem and I can then pursue them via a solicitor. I know one person locally to me had the very same two years ago & BMW paid for the engine change.

[dom2599]

Hi

 

Had the very same problems last weekend with my 06 plate 2.0 Diesel 5 Series M Sport. Very scary had the car revving out of control with masses of smoke. The fire brigade and police attended. BMW have told be its a new engine, turbo & cat plus other bits £12k in total. They have offered me £5k good will. I really need to find out if this is a common problem and I can then pursue them via a solicitor. I know one person locally to me had the very same two years ago & BMW paid for the engine change.

 

Hi Martin,

 

I have seen this issue discussed on the web, i'd look at some of the BMW forums, bimmer forum etc, there'll be plenty of advice on there.

 

Hope you get it resolved soon