Z4 engine seizure : no warning lights

[VRSteve]

Waiting for an oil light is a bit dodgy.
Minis if you wait for the light to come on will probably need between 2-3 litres. Pretty much running dry at that point.

I can vouch for that..
Woman at work has the supercharged mini and she wanted me to take a look at it as it was making a tapping noise.

Checked the oil, nothing on the dipstick, went to buy some oil, topped up 1ltr, still nothing on the dipstick.

just under 3 ltrs later and the dipstick was reading on the max.

No oil light or oil pressure light showed in that time.. just shows that you should always check your oil.

Yep, we have an R53 JCW.
My other half use to have a polo and it old her when it needed oil, the R53 doesn't.

I hopped in one day, she started it up and it was knocking its tits off. Made her turn it off straight away.
Put a load of oil in and its been fine since (5 years and 40k).
The oil now gets checked every 2 weeks.

 

[Marlon]

This thread makes me miss having a Dipstick even more - I have no choice but to rely on electronic readouts

 

[Joycey]

This thread makes me miss having a Dipstick even more - I have no choice but to rely on electronic readouts

Same and my digital read out is iffy at best

 

[Marlon]

This thread makes me miss having a Dipstick even more - I have no choice but to rely on electronic readouts

Same and my digital read out is iffy at best

I remember getting my first 2 ltr 2006 facelift Zed and the first thing I did was pop the hood to check on oil level and colour. I searched for ages feeling like a right plumb cos I couldn't find the dipstick

 

[Nictrix]

Waiting for an oil light is a bit dodgy.
Minis if you wait for the light to come on will probably need between 2-3 litres. Pretty much running dry at that point.

I can vouch for that..
Woman at work has the supercharged mini and she wanted me to take a look at it as it was making a tapping noise.

Checked the oil, nothing on the dipstick, went to buy some oil, topped up 1ltr, still nothing on the dipstick.

just under 3 ltrs later and the dipstick was reading on the max.

No oil light or oil pressure light showed in that time.. just shows that you should always check your oil.

Yep, we have an R53 JCW.
My other half use to have a polo and it old her when it needed oil, the R53 doesn't.

I hopped in one day, she started it up and it was knocking its tits off. Made her turn it off straight away.
Put a load of oil in and its been fine since (5 years and 40k).
The oil now gets checked every 2 weeks.

BMW/Mini say its normal for them to use up to 1 Litre every thousand miles.
We were lucky, ours only used half that.

 

[Mr Tidy]

I remember getting my first 2 ltr 2006 facelift Zed and the first thing I did was pop the hood to check on oil level and colour. I searched for ages feeling like a right plumb cos I couldn't find the dipstick

Yep, did the same with my first Z4!

So then I read the book.

In that respect at least the M54 engines are better - dipstick and low level warning light!

 

[Paulr]

.....knocking it's tits off......

 

[Jimbo1]

BMW come back to me with the following regarding issue with engine and way forward, they are not willing to pay compensation as they say I do not have a full BMW service history :-

Removed sump from vehicle and also Big End cap from cylinder five and found damage to
Crankshaft, Removed Rocker cover and Cap from cylinder Five - Found damage to Cylinder Head.

Two major components are damaged, BMW would recommend replacing Engine on vehicle.

Cannot see value of putting new engine in as they are quoting nearly the current cost of car after you add labour. Though do get two year warranty on engine.
Or
Do I source 2nd hand engine get it fitted and sell and put loss down to experience.
Or
Just write off and sell as is ?

 

[Smartbear]

BMW come back to me with the following regarding issue with engine and way forward, they are not willing to pay compensation as they say I do not have a full BMW service history :-

Removed sump from vehicle and also Big End cap from cylinder five and found damage to
Crankshaft, Removed Rocker cover and Cap from cylinder Five - Found damage to Cylinder Head.

Two major components are damaged, BMW would recommend replacing Engine on vehicle.

Cannot see value of putting new engine in as they are quoting nearly the current cost of car after you add labour. Though do get two year warranty on engine.
Or
Do I source 2nd hand engine get it fitted and sell and put loss down to experience.
Or
Just write off and sell as is ?

Why don't you source a used engine & get an Indy to fit it & then hang on to the car to get some value/use from it?
Can't really see the reasoning behind spending out getting it fixed up and selling it on straight away :?
Whatever option you choose, don't neglect to check the oil level regularly!
Rob

 

[huytonman]

As stated you should locate a local indie and see what they suggest - I assume that the BMW dealer will be charging you quite a few bob for the investigation and will likewise do the same to re-assemble the engine so it may be a case if you find an indie who wants the job to get them to collect the car as is to avoid any more expensive main dealer labour charges. A decent indie will know where to source a new engine or whether its more cost effective to rebuild what you have. I'm guessing that you arent too mechanically minded going by the lack of checks on oil level etc (excuse me if I'm wrong) so you will need to locate an indie who can be truested to do the right thing by you, ask on this forum who is recommended in your area. Bad luck though.
Keith

 

[hopz121]

Not a great situation to be in, that's pretty poor show from BMW, there normal warranty states as long as service intervals are met and genuine parts used they will not invalidate any claims.

Id contact watchdog or similar and seek advice.

Good Luck

 

[flybobbie]

Of course did BMW measure the amount of oil coming out of the sump before they removed it?
And how often oil changed, I wouldn't wait for the service light, 30k could mean it's only ever had one oil change in 6 years. I change 10k which is annually.
At first I thought this was going to be a vanos bolt problem.
I think I would go along the lines of a 2nd hand engine, lack of oil could have caused damage elsewhere and could happen again.
But make sure 2nd engine is not like the one have seen up the road, seized due to water ingestion.

 

[Zed Five]

Isn't it out of bmw warranty, so it's not a poor show from bmw? Or did I miss that?

an engine out of a rear ended breaker seems the best route. Or is it fully comp and a write off?

 

[Nanu]

If you have the usual key fob they can tell what warning lights were activated, or not in your case. I had a strange looking one that flickered on then straight off that I had never seen before. They put the key into the computer and identified it as a lane warning light that wasn't activated on my car.

 

[philip27]

Seems very strange that you got no warning lights regarding oil levels.

Not having a dipstick is so stupid I can't believe they ever thought it was a good idea to remove them. My 23i will show full on the oil reading then all of sudden I will get in the car a couple of days later and it will have the yellow oil warning light on. A one litre top up then takes it back to full.

Sorry to hear your troubles regarding your car hope you are able to resolve it some how.

 

[hopz121]

Isn't it out of bmw warranty, so it's not a poor show from bmw? Or did I miss that?

an engine out of a rear ended breaker seems the best route. Or is it fully comp and a write off?

It is yes, but i am saying its poor form not to offer any compensation when there is an obvious flaw in the car, these engines shouldn't just go pop with no warning.

If its been served as per the schedule then i think its only fair BMW offer a goodwill on it.

 

[mcbutler]

A good way to check your water level while driving is to simply put your heater on full. If it blows hot your safe, if not the water level is dropping. All engines sacrifice heater circulation first as water level drops.