Car back from being serviced/inspected by BMW

chanlon1

chanlon1

Active member
 Belfast
So I left the E86 into my local BMW dealership tp have them do an Inspection 1 and MOT prep on it.
Here are their findings:
'Possible' MOT failure on passenger side headlight unit due to condensation and inner covers peeling.
Both front calipers beginning to stick and slight overheating on pads/discs
Rear passenger caliber beginning to stick and over heating etc
Both rear brake lines from ABS sensor to under cover at rear axle have signs of rusting, pitting and corrosion. Possible failure.
Oil leak from rocker cover, needs new seal. Shouldn't fail MOT, but probably will be mentioned

They said that the above may be possible failures, but will depend on the person performing the test.
In NI our MOT's are done in government run facilities and not your little local mechanic. So sometime they can be very jobs-worth and toe the line testers etc

They don't think the calipers issue will be failure. The pads and discs as they are, are good, and the car is braking within its required limits. Not even sure if it will be an advisory.

I asked if the headlight will be an issue as it hadn't had condensation for a while. They said it would only fail if there was moisture inside it affecting the light pattern.

So it will go to the MOT at the start of May and I will see what comes of it.

I did ask them to crack all the brake caliper carrier bolts and re-torque them for me. They refused point blankly!
I asked if I brought my own pads and discs, would they install them. They refused point blankly!
I asked if I agreed to them changing the pads and discs and they sheared a bolt on the carrier, who is accountable. They said they would be.

Given that (fingers crossed) the brakes aren't an MOT issue, I think I will still try to get them off myself with constant penetration fluid before resorting to other help.

Need to start reading up about replacing this seal on the 3.0 N52 engine.
Anyone point me in the direction of good videos/guides for this specific one?

My Z4...the car that keeps on giving........
 
As a 2006 you are likely to have a silver top N52 engine. That has an aluminium gasket. It’s also recommended to use new bolts on reinstallation. The later Black top N52 has a rubber gasket so check which you have.

ps. I have a gasket, bolts and valvetronic timing for sale if you do it yourself. I found out the above difference the hard way :roll:

Some good walk throughs on YouTube
 
On forums people talk about using some sealant as well as the actual seal on something they called half moons. However in any video I have watched, no one has done this???
Also, does the old seal just detach from the cover, or from the block?
Does it just pull away or does it need to be scraped off?
 
Lucky to get a test date in NI! I’m sure Barvarian were just being over cautious, as like you say the test at home is very stringent compared to here.
 
Personally I think that is typical main dealer scare tactics trying to generate work and profit. My son had a similar experience in his companies Skoda where they said his discs and pads needed replacing for something like £750 as they were showing wear. Took it to my local garage and they said that was a load of main dealer rubbish and you would expect them to show signs of wear .
How did they know with your car that calipers were beginning to stick. I would take that with a pinch of salt at this stage.
 
Mike6 said:
Personally I think that is typical main dealer scare tactics trying to generate work and profit. My son had a similar experience in his companies Skoda where they said his discs and pads needed replacing for something like £750 as they were showing wear. Took it to my local garage and they said that was a load of main dealer rubbish and you would expect them to show signs of wear .
How did they know with your car that calipers were beginning to stick. I would take that with a pinch of salt at this stage.
Click to expand...
I remember stupidly taking a 20 year old Z3M Coupe to a main dealer once for an MOT. The car passed, but I also got a big list of 'essential things' that needed doing on the car :lol:
 
Unless they actually move the car, then I am not sure how they tell the calipers are sticky and causing possible overheating. The car did have about 3 miles on it more than when I left it in.
To be fair, the calipers are not pretty to look at, plus I got hold of the really good Pagid discs deal, plus some pads. Just need to try to take the carrier bolts off to allow me to refurb them.

It's the gasket repair and brake lines I am not sure on.
I suspect they will need done soon, as to whether they are a MOT failure I won't know yet.

Sat and watched a lot of videos last night about gasket replacement. They seems to all have a similar style, but each had slightly different quirks.
I really need to pop the cover off and look.

Is it really a tricky job?
What about this sealant and half moons being mentioned....not one video I watched made reference to them.....
 
Rather than going to Bavarian, head out to https://dwautosni.co.uk in Ballyclare and save yourself a lot of money - he's ex-BMW and specialises in BMWs & Minis. I've started taking my E86 there, and Darren is very good.

I used Bavarian a lot with my old Z3 (which I'd bought from them) and my Z4, but they peeved my off when I had a broken spring - they told me it would be a safety issue to only replace one side, and that I should really replace them both at the same time. The car was still under warranty and BMW agreed to replace only the broken spring - when I pointed out to Bavarian that BMW themselves obviously didn't think there was a safety issue, they changed the subject!
 
redped said:
Rather than going to Bavarian, head out to https://dwautosni.co.uk in Ballyclare and save yourself a lot of money - he's ex-BMW and specialises in BMWs & Minis. I've started taking my E86 there, and Darren is very good.
Click to expand...
Haven’t heard of him. As I’m in Bangor, distance isn’t too much.
I did have Colm Hyland as a go to, but he’s quite a distance away.

Is DW pretty good on work and price?
 
chanlon1 said:
redped said:
Rather than going to Bavarian, head out to https://dwautosni.co.uk in Ballyclare and save yourself a lot of money - he's ex-BMW and specialises in BMWs & Minis. I've started taking my E86 there, and Darren is very good.
Click to expand...
Haven’t heard of him. As I’m in Bangor, distance isn’t too much.
I did have Colm Hyland as a go to, but he’s quite a distance away.

Is DW pretty good on work and price?
Click to expand...
Yes, last year he did a minor service, replaced the rear shocks & rear brake pipes, re-gassed the air con, and welded an exhaust bracket - all for just over £700 ... a fraction of what Bavarian/Country Garage, etc. would have charged.
 
chanlon1 said:
On forums people talk about using some sealant as well as the actual seal on something they called half moons. However in any video I have watched, no one has done this???
Also, does the old seal just detach from the cover, or from the block?
Does it just pull away or does it need to be scraped off?
Click to expand...

Your N52 engine doesn’t have half moons. That’s the M54 and N46 engine. It’s a totally flat surface and the gasket is a thin piece of profiled aluminium which when squashed between the cover and engine top creates the seal. It will simply lift of and there should be no sealant.
 
Street said:
Your N52 engine doesn’t have half moons. That’s the M54 and N46 engine. It’s a totally flat surface and the gasket is a thin piece of profiled aluminium which when squashed between the cover and engine top creates the seal. It will simply lift of and there should be no sealant.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, makes sense now. Thanks for the confirmation.
Does the old gasket pull away in one piece, or do you have to scrape and pick it off?
 
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