New Coupe Owner Engine idle question

S

speed12

Member
Good evening all,

A few of you may remember a few weeks back I was thinking of buying an 08 coupe in blue. Well I decided to get it and picked it up yesterday.

Car looks fantastic except for the corroded 108's which I need to get sorted.

Anyway, I drove a good 80 miles back home yesterday mostly motorway at 70mph. Averaged 37mog according to the computer. As I am well aware of the Hydraulic Lifter issues with this engine I thought I would have a listen when I got back.

I was saddened a little at just how rattly the engine sounded when I popped the bonnet... anyway I turned off and about 10 minutes later I started her up again and made the following recording;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEL1En5mmvI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Thsi time around it did not seem to be as bad as before, but I am sure a 6 cylinder petrol should sound smoother than this?

Car has FBMWSH and had its inspection 1 about 5,000 miles ago. I am thinking of carrying out an engine oil change next month using Castrol Edge 0W 30 as some people are getting results with it looking online.

Car has come with a 3 month non oem warranty which covers rocker assemby, valves, guides, springs, cam shaft, cam follower etc (to name a few). Trouble is, if this the dreaded hydraulic lifter issue I am sure they would only pay out for an actual failure.

I am wondering whether to approach a local Indy and get a car healthcheck, or to take it to a BMW dealer and perhaps try and get some good will? or do I take out the Mondial Warranty and approach it that way?

Or am I simply paranoid by reading to many forum posts which tend to contain bad news!

Thanks
 
Well my 90k 3.0 Si sounds nothing like that so something is not quite right . especially if that's warm ? what is it like from cold start ?
reminded me of my dad's suffolk colt lawnmower :roll: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIzGsX4Ty4A sorry
 
Difficult to tell from the audio but when you moved to the alternator side the noise sounded a bit like when the alternator freewheel clutch went on mine - It was making a sort of grumbling noise. If you have a large screwdriver sit the business end on the alternator casing and stick your ear on the handle end - you should hear a smooth noise, any rumbling or grinding noises could suggest this issue, It's only about £30 or so for a replacement part though.

My 45k N52 doesn't sound that noisey but again it's hard to judge from a recording.
 
This is my point, I need to get it looked at I think, but as I said the warranty is only likely to cover something that has broken not something that is on its way out.

I Swear the engine sounded even more grumbly when I first popped the bonnet when I got home. Will have a listen when I park up tomorrow at work.
 
Was it a private sale or from a dealer? If the latter, they are responsible for any mechanical faults. If it was a private sale then I would go down the warranty route whilst you have one.
 
It was bought from a dealer but not a bmw dealer, either way i believe i have some protection under the consumer goods act, itsjust getting the issues diagnosed in the first place. The dealer is 70 Mikes away so i don't want to take it there for then to say no fault found.

Driving it today and i swear i can hear some sort of bearing noise in first and second, even more audible diving with window down in multistorey... Hope i have but bought a dog...
 
I don't have this engine in my car so I don't know what are the normal characteristic noises. However, those who do seem to think it sounds abnormal so I wouldn't ignore it.
If you take it to a BMW dealer they will charge you a fortune for diagnostics and may need to dismantle the top of the engine. If they are going that far they may as well complete the job... Also, an aftermarket warranty will likely have a cap on the total cost of a claim and almost certainly will not cover the hourly rate of BMW mechanics, leaving you out of pocket.
I would speak with the garage where you bought it and follow up your conversation with an email or a letter (to document the existence and timing of your complaint). They are obliged to fix any mechanical faults present at the time of purchase and if they refuse you can reject the vehicle. The other option would be to seek good will from BMW themselves as you have FBMWSH.
It might be worth trying to find another forum member with the same engine local to you and listen to each other's cars to determine if there is a problem.
 
GrimleyFiendish said:
Difficult to tell from the audio but when you moved to the alternator side the noise sounded a bit like when the alternator freewheel clutch went on mine - It was making a sort of grumbling noise. If you have a large screwdriver sit the business end on the alternator casing and stick your ear on the handle end - you should hear a smooth noise, any rumbling or grinding noises could suggest this issue, It's only about £30 or so for a replacement part though.

My 45k N52 doesn't sound that noisey but again it's hard to judge from a recording.
Click to expand...

Difficult to hear from the video, engine sounds ok, possible alternator whine like this guy says can be heard in parts of the video.

As for the tapping, I found that the Castrol Edge didn't really do the job, an ester based oil has given me good results with no tapping anymore.
 
I dont suppose there are any members with a 3.0si based any where near the Stafford area?

What Esther based oil are you using out of interest? I do want to do an oil change in the next couple of K.

My sisters fiance runs his own garage so I plan to take it there and get him to give it the once over on ramps etc (as I think it has a broken rear coil spring as I have noticed a lot of rattling on uneven surfaces). Will also get him to listen to the engine, and then with a full list of possible issues I will get back to the garage.

I did email them yesterday with a list of things that I think are not right. The other option of course is to shell out on a BMW warranty, wait a month or two and then try and resolve, but the longer I wait the more potential damage I am doing.
 
Redline 0W-30

Yea sounds like a broken spring. If you take the wheel off and look in you will see the cracked spring just lying in the carrier if that's the problem.
 
Does anyone know how I can obtain a quote for BMW Mondial warranty?

Their website states that you have to have a pin that was sent as part of an invite? do I take it that this is only open to people that bmw invite? or can anyone apply provided the vehicle is <100K and has FBMWSH?
 
I think having the car checked by someone you trust and emailing a list of faults / concerns to the vendor is a good idea. They should rectify the issues or offer a full refund for the car :thumbsup:
 
speed12 said:
Does anyone know how I can obtain a quote for BMW Mondial warranty?

Their website states that you have to have a pin that was sent as part of an invite? do I take it that this is only open to people that bmw invite? or can anyone apply provided the vehicle is <100K and has FBMWSH?
Click to expand...
The pin is the last 7 digits of your VIN - so something like XX12345.
 
Thanks for the info regarding the Pin number, I think I will try and get a quote over the next few weeks, but would like to try and make use of the existing warranty to close out these niggling issues.

The snow has stopped me getting to the garage today and tomorrow looks doubfull so going to have to wait on that front.

The noise I can hear in first and second is only there when in gear with clutch left engaged, the noise sounds like early signs of bearing failure on something? or kind of like reverse gear soundsm but not as noticable, it rises and falls with engine speed but if in neutral I cannot hear it which is why think it is clutch or transmission related.

If I have the window down I can hear it especially if passing walls, houses etc. I cannot here it in 3rd, possibly because wind noise and engine noise take over.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom