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

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by erind

money shift
Usually only happens in a car with a manual transmission- A money shift is an accidental, far too aggressive down-shift, in which the engine performs the biggest red-line you've ever seen. It's referred to as a money shift, because it usually results in money coming out of your pocket for a new head, pistons etc.

Can't find the thread

Oh lol. No, I did not do that. I remained in 3rd for 2 corners before the malfunction and stayed in 3rd in the corner where it malfunctioned.

[rr006rbc]

Damn, you must have a real special S55 w/ a #7 cylinder, jk I'm sure you meant the last hole.

So is the dealer saying you threw the car into a lower gear while doing 150MPH and went deep into the red? At that speed I'm sure you were already in 6th and you wouldn't need to downshift till you approached the next corner.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by rr006rbc

Damn, you must have a real special S55 w/ a #7 cylinder, jk I'm sure you meant the last hole.

So is the dealer saying you threw the car into a lower gear while doing 150MPH and went deep into the red? At that speed I'm sure you were already in 6th and you wouldn't need to downshift till you approached the next corner.

The only time I reached 152 all day was prior to a corner I stayed in 5th for. And the malfunction happened 6 corners after that straight.

[G30 B58]

Originally Posted by yosman8

The only time I reached 152 all day was prior to a corner I stayed in 5th for. And the malfunction happened 6 corners after that straight.

Took some time for that valve retainer to fail completely and the drop into the cylinder?

I have no idea how the S55 works but this is common on the S2000 w/ a money shift / mechanical over-rev.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by F32 N55

Took some time for that valve retainer to fail completely and the drop into the cylinder?

I have no idea how the S55 works but this is common on the S2000 w/ a money shift / mechanical over-rev.

The thing is, after reviewing the video, I didn't downshift from 5th after the straight. I remained in 5.

[AM4ZING]

At what point did you rev past 7700? I'm sure you would've noticed the rpm needle bang off the limiter

[Fast4d]

what driving school allows you to go > 150mph?

I don't think any warranty or insurance would cover a money shift.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by AM4ZING

At what point did you rev past 7700? I'm sure you would've noticed the rpm needle bang off the limiter

The only time I remember hitting the limiter was coming out of a corner in 2nd much earlier in the day.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by Fast4d

what driving school allows you to go > 150mph?

I don't think any warranty or insurance would cover a money shift.

I did not money shift.

[jc05e46m3]

Seems way sketch. Good luck with everything man. Regardless of situation, this is terrible.

[MaynardZed]

152mph seems to fit a mild over-rev in 5th gear from my experience.

I did a 1/2 mile airstrip event last year in my 6MT M4 and was finishing each race in 5th gear very near redline. My trap speeds were in the 142-145mph range. I remember thinking I was glad the races weren't any longer since I was close to having to shift to 6th.

You sure you weren't in 6th and downshifted to 5th a little too soon while at the "driving school"? What track was this at? There are very few road courses in the U.S. that an F8X is going to reach those speeds.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by MaynardZed

152mph seems to fit a mild over-rev in 5th gear from my experience.

I did a 1/2 mile airstrip event last year in my 6MT M4 and was finishing each race in 5th gear very near redline. My trap speeds were in the 142-145mph range. I remember thinking I was glad the races weren't any longer since I was close to having to shift to 6th.

You sure you weren't in 6th and downshifted to 5th a little too soon while at the "driving school"? What track was this at? There are very few road courses in the U.S. that an F8X is going to reach those speeds.

It was at the Brainerd Performance Driving School. It's a real thing, I'm not just covering my ass

[rr006rbc]

Did BMW already tell you that you are 100% at fault?

I'm pretty sure your insurance company won't cover for an engine malfunction especially because it occurred while you were redlining it driving it at a track.

If you were on the street redlining and you nailed a boulder then yeah, sure but that wasn't the case. I wouldn't show them the GoPro footage at all if I were you.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by rr006rbc

Did BMW already tell you that you are 100% at fault?

I'm pretty sure your insurance company won't cover for an engine malfunction especially because it occurred while you were redlining it driving it at a track.

If you were on the street redlining and you nailed a boulder then yeah, sure but that wasn't the case. I wouldn't show them the GoPro footage at all if I were you.

Haven't shown footage and wasn't really planning on doing so.

[yosman8]

so basically what I'm hearing is that I'm f*cked.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by yosman8

so basically what I'm hearing is that I'm f*cked.

The forum is not going to determine that for you. Your dealer and BMW need to decide your fate.

[MaynardZed]

Originally Posted by yosman8

It was at the Brainerd Performance Driving School. It's a real thing, I'm not just covering my ass

Yes there is a pretty long straight there. If you were in 5th still accelerating maybe the momentum of the car cause a slight over rev. You would of noticed bouncing off the rev limiter though.

If you have video and always had the car in gear, I would fight BMW on this. Furthermore an over rev of only 150 rpm should not lead to catastrophic engine failure in a car like this. There should be a small margin of safety with the factory redline. Similar to when shopping for a used Porsche GT3, its OK to buy one with level 1 and 2 overrevs, but any that have level 3 or higher should be passed over.

[yosman8]

Originally Posted by MaynardZed

Yes there is a pretty long straight there. If you were in 5th still accelerating maybe the momentum of the car cause a slight over rev. You would of noticed bouncing off the rev limiter though.

If you have video and always had the car in gear, I would fight BMW on this. Furthermore an over rev of only 150 rpm should not lead to catastrophic engine failure in a car like this. There should be a small margin of safety with the factory redline. Similar to when shopping for a used Porsche GT3, its OK to buy one with level 1 and 2 overrevs, but any that have level 3 or higher should be passed over.

So how do I fight BMW on this?

[MaynardZed]

Originally Posted by yosman8

So how do I fight BMW on this?

Gather evidence. Present your case.

Video evidence, evidence of untimed HPDE, time between slight over rev and engine failure. Do as much as you can yourself, lawyer last resort. Gotta run, but good luck to you.

[iamwingman]

Scary stuff. I thought we had rev limiters on these cars...?

[tcpsoft]

I'm sorry, 150+ for any number of minutes doesn't seem that big of a deal to me for a car that was designed and built in the country that has the Autobahn, so I think they have no argument there. The car may have been at 152 and a lot of rpms at some point (whose hasn't ) but if you have a video showing the failure occurring at another speed / rpm that would seem like enough to put the burden of proof back in their court.

Manufacturers will do everything to avoid paying a major claim, just like an insurance company. If you're sure you're in the right, get a lawyer. Hopefully one letter with the video will settle things.

Even if it isn't an exclusion now, I'd stay away from submitting a claim with the insurance company until it becomes a last resort. Once they know you track the car they'll require you either stop tracking the car or cancel you. Or at least that's what I hear from the internet....

Good luck.

[Hurricane]

Your link to the first incident does not appear to be working. Did that require a new engine as well? Are you sure the engine you received was new or used? If used, then how could they determine you were the culprit?