S55 Blown Engine Failure *****UPDATE FROM BMWNA 9/28/15 *****

[F83]

Separately and FWIW, doesn't it seem that money shifting should be impossible in 2015? Wouldn't be hard to have the gears physically locked out when the car is traveling beyond the speeds that would drive the engine beyond max RPM.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by Kortho

Not to get off topic, but is there a way to go into the log history and delete over reving events?

Trying to get an answer from BMW on this one.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by Reid

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the only repair made to the engine was a new oil pan. It sounds like the catastrophic failure of your engine is a result of previous damage the engine suffered due to lack of lubrication.

The car required a new oil pan, new transmission, new differential, new drive-shaft, and new exhaust following the accident in March in Texas.

[Reid]

Originally Posted by yosman8

Definitely possible, my only question would be why has it taken 8,000 miles since that catastrophic accident for the issue to occur? We didn't get to the side of the road instantaneously obviously after hitting the object, so the engine was definitely running for a bit with little oil pressure. But BMW of Dallas' diagnostic tests all showed that the engine was fine. Again, I could believe that it had something to do with the accident, my only question would be: why now? There's definitely been spirited driving since the repair.

Think of it as similar to how being a musician early in life can lead to hearing problems far down the road.

BMW's diagnostic tests showed that all sensors were reporting back correctly. Lack of oil lubrication causes an increase in heat, which is not good for head gaskets. Lack of oil lubrication can also cause bearing surfaces to be wiped away, leading to improper bearing clearances. A weakened head gasket and/or improper bearing clearances would not be found with a OBD based diagnostic scan.

Is BMW aware that the car was previously repaired by insurance? I would let them know about the prior incident and ask them to find the point of failure. I would also ask them to perform a leak down test, which has the side benefit of dismissing their claim of the slight over rev being the culprit (as it will show that the valves are not bent).

It sounds like either a cylinder sleeve is cracked or the head gasket is blown. The latter is a far more likely scenario. Regardless, have BMW give you an exact cause of failure, and then contact your insurance company.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by Reid

Think of it as similar to how being a musician early in life can lead to hearing problems far down the road.

BMW's diagnostic tests showed that all sensors were reporting back correctly. Lack of oil lubrication causes an increase in heat, which is not good for head gaskets. Lack of oil lubrication can also cause bearing surfaces to be wiped away, leading to improper bearing clearances. A weakened head gasket and/or improper bearing clearances would not be found with a OBD based diagnostic scan.

Is BMW aware that the car was previously repaired by insurance? I would let them know about the prior incident and ask them to find the point of failure. I would also ask them to perform a leak down test, which has the side benefit of dismissing their claim of the slight over rev being the culprit (as it will show that the valves are not bent).

It sounds like either a cylinder sleeve is cracked or the head gasket is blown. The latter is a far more likely scenario. Regardless, have BMW give you an exact cause of failure, and then contact your insurance company.

I really appreciate the help. Will be speaking with the rep tomorrow morning.

[Reid]

Originally Posted by F83

Separately and FWIW, doesn't it seem that money shifting should be impossible in 2015? Wouldn't be hard to have the gears physically locked out when the car is traveling beyond the speeds that would drive the engine beyond max RPM.

They have this technology, it's called "DCT".

All of us with the archaic transmissions don't get the fancy features.

[cays]

Originally Posted by yosman8

I really appreciate the help. Will be speaking with the rep tomorrow morning.

Sorry yosman I didn't read this thread in detail but is the rep you're referring to a factory rep? If so, they are NOT on your side. Why do I say this? (Facts are deliberately vague here because the dealer involved here has been very good to me). I bought a new M car off the showroom floor (first year of production so still a rarity), paid for it in full and left it in storage at the store while I was gone on a one week trip. I asked them to move it from the showroom and store it in the garage which they agreed to.

When I got back I saw 61 new miles on the odo. I was bullshit. They said I was mistaken but definitely was not on my part. My concern was someone might have thrashed the crap out of the car w/o warming it up, particularly since this was Oct and snow had already fallen. Long story short, we agreed that a regional rep would read the tell-tale to see the max RPM's.

He showed up in three days and after an hour with my car in a service bay he came out and announced there was no memory allotted to that kind of data so he didn't know what happened when I was gone. WTF? Then why the **** did you come out to see my car when my concerns were clearly relayed to you prior to your trip? I took that to mean he had seen something he didn't want me know about. I ended up keeping the car but later found out that it was almost a 100% certainty that the data I was looking for existed in memory. In fact, I was told that kind of data would never be overwritten.

So, I'll repeat, a factory rep is not your friend.

[solstice]

Ask to see the data log. It's BMW's only evidence in this case, you need to challenge this part if you are 100% sure it never happened. This should be a simple warranty claim if you didn't over rev significantly ( money shift ) or bounced off the rev. limiter for an extended period like several laps which I assume is only possible in 1st gear, maybe 2nd unless it's an oval track.

[Warranty P]

Originally Posted by M3SSY

sounds like a money shift.. bummer

Yep, all that writing could have been avoided although it helps to make your case I guess. Money shift problems.

[F83]

Originally Posted by Reid

They have this technology, it's called "DCT".

All of us with the archaic transmissions don't get the fancy features.

If you can rev match you can do this. Probably as simple as locking out 1st and 2nd gear above 50-60 miles an hour. Little actuator in the gear box that triggers when the car is going above a certain speed. Not rocket science. Could be wrong but I would guess that most Money Shifts are people accidentally hitting first when they are going for a high rev third shift. Third can handle pretty high speeds. Locking out 1st and 2nd above 50-60 would likely do it.

[solstice]

Originally Posted by F83

If you can rev match you can do this. Probably as simple as locking out 1st and 2nd gear above 50-60 miles an hour. Little actuator in the gear box that triggers when the car is going above a certain speed. Not rocket science. Could be wrong but I would guess that most Money Shifts are people accidentally hitting first when they are going for a high rev third shift. Third can handle pretty high speeds. Locking out 1st and 2nd above 50-60 would likely do it.

There are only 3 horizontal tracks so with good hand positioning on the shifter money shifts should never happen. To the right when shifting to 1st and 2nd on top when shifting to 3rd and 4th and to the left when shifting to 5th and 6th. Always do that and there should be no need to lock any gates. And with rev match on in sport throttle you get a very loud reminder ( huge blip ) if you make a mistake with plenty of time to back out before releasing the clutch. And if you are a track star full of intense wheel to wheel battles or drag strip junky with milliseconds shifts, get a DCT...

[X2Board]

Originally Posted by erind

Lol not a day passes by that I don't hit the rev limiter when changing gear. I hit the redline constantly. Heck one time I forgot to upshit while talking on the phone. . Can't imagine they would void my warranty for that

Same here. I tend to run out 1st, and 2nd. Those are "soft" over-revs. How did they determine if it was a hard or soft over-rev?

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

Originally Posted by X2Board

Same here. I tend to run out 1st, and 2nd. Those are "soft" over-revs. How did they determine if it was a hard or soft over-rev?

Hitting the rev-limiter on throttle is not an over-rev.

[MugenNeuspeed]

Your insurance won't cover an over rev, that is your negligence.
Best bet is to get BMW to do a one time goodwill or at least a split.

[Red335i]

Your insurance just might cover it.. Hell they cover knuckleheads driving in pools of water and hydrolocking. So he has a chance. Good luck op.

[//M]

The overrev isn't viewable by the dealers. It's collected using ISTA and a file is sent to PUMA. They don't want people knowing where it is stored. (Techs aren't trusted with this info, same reason dealers can't write keys anymore, they can overnight them though)

The exact milage in kilometers should be saved with the freeze frame. Ask them for the exact milage.

[solstice]

Originally Posted by tifosielia

The overrev isn't viewable by the dealers. It's collected using ISTA and a file is sent to PUMA. They don't want people knowing where it is stored. (Techs aren't trusted with this info, same reason dealers can't write keys anymore, they can overnight them though)

The exact milage in kilometers should be saved with the freeze frame. Ask them for the exact milage.

Still, if this is used to reject a warranty claim it can't be secret data, it has to be disclosed to the OP if he asks for it. Otherwise BMW can pretty much refuse any warranty work claiming secret information points to abuse...

[mlovernotafighter]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

His answer should be honest - not made up to garner sympathy and money.

Just like you tell the cops when you're speeding right?

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by mlovernotafighter

Just like you tell the cops when you're speeding right?

Correct

[mlovernotafighter]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

Correct

Lol. Lies...

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by mlovernotafighter

Lol. Lies...

Some people have different ethics ....

[mlovernotafighter]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

Some people have different ethics ....

That's true.