All 2006 Non M Z4 Drivers Read! Important Information About Our Engines

[MHeavNC]

I have been told by several people that a break in of the new head is not totally necesary.. That is more for the bottom part of the engine.. However, I have been a little easy on it so far.. It is running fantastic!!

[Kurumi]

Mine does rattle sometimes. I guess I'll take mine in as well. CPO here I come.

[papitosabe]

any chance of a recall to get it fixed on them for us out of warranty people?

[thelinux]

I have this ticking noise with my 2008 z4 3si.
Do I have old defective head or new one on my z???

[Huz-Z]

Do you have any warranty left?

Get to a BMW dealer quickly and tell them to fix this and throw the bill in the paper shredder.

[thelinux]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

Do you have any warranty left?

Get to a BMW dealer quickly and tell them to fix this and throw the bill in the paper shredder.

No I dont have any warranty.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by thelinux

No I dont have any warranty.

I believe, but I am not sure, that some folks have gotten this done on out of warranty cars. So, the course of action is to request politely and firmly, and be persistent. This really should have been a general recall on the N52 engine in my view.

Having said that, does the car continue to make the noise when the engine has warmed up? I understand that while annoying, it's not harmful to the engine. But if it were me, I would want a BMW tech to make that determination for my specific car.

[Huz-Z]

The service bulletin appears at post 15 of this thread:

http://www.bmwcca.org/forum/index.ph...r-issues.5452/

So, clearly the BMW dealer maintaining this car knew about the potential for this issue and should have noticed and corrected it while the car was in for regular maintenance. You should go after this dealer first.

[Aries326]

Let's say the dealer fixed the lifters last year but then this spring, the car is still ticking. However, I am now out of warranty. The fact that BMW started warranty work on a known problem but weren't able to fix it in time qualifies the same issue be covered out of warranty?

I had my lifters replaced last year and it seemed to do the job. I've read in other threads that after a year of having the lifters changed, ticking would return.

[v3.2mc]

i've been dealing with this issue on various cars since 2007.

for all of those out of warranty with the n52... switch to 0w-40 full synth. it has drasticly reduced engine ticking (therefore increasing lubrication) in 3 of the 4 affected cars i've had this happen to. this weight is approved by BMW for this engine. the only reason BMW dealers use the castrol 5w30 synth is that BMW AG will cover only that during the maintenance period.

i am not saying this fixes your car - it will allow you to buy some time to either save up the money to fix it, or *gasp* trade it in so the next guy gets stuck with it. all of us reading would prefer the first scenario.

all mercedes dealers carry this on the shelf.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by Aries326

Let's say the dealer fixed the lifters last year but then this spring, the car is still ticking. However, I am now out of warranty. The fact that BMW started warranty work on a known problem but weren't able to fix it in time qualifies the same issue be covered out of warranty?

I had my lifters replaced last year and it seemed to do the job. I've read in other threads that after a year of having the lifters changed, ticking would return.

In that case, it would be my position that the problem was identified to BMW during the warranty period and as BMW completed initial repairs, that indicates their agreement that it should be covered under warranty.

The fact that the problem re-occurs indicates that BMW FAILED to meet its obligations under the warranty contract; as such they are not absolved from meeting those obligations when the problem re-occurs. So I would insist that they repair the car, even if the warranty has since expired.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by v3.2mc

i've been dealing with this issue on various cars since 2007.

for all of those out of warranty with the n52... switch to 0w-40 full synth. it has drasticly reduced engine ticking (therefore increasing lubrication) in 3 of the 4 affected cars i've had this happen to. this weight is approved by BMW for this engine. the only reason BMW dealers use the castrol 5w30 synth is that BMW AG will cover only that during the maintenance period.

i am not saying this fixes your car - it will allow you to buy some time to either save up the money to fix it, or *gasp* trade it in so the next guy gets stuck with it. all of us reading would prefer the first scenario.

all mercedes dealers carry this on the shelf.

Good to know!

BMW should have issued a general recall to address this. I know Honda would have in similar circumstances.

Tell me again, why are we paying all this money for BMWs if issues like this are not dealt with in an ethical manner?

[v3.2mc]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

Tell me again, why are we paying all this money for BMWs if issues like this are not dealt with in an ethical manner?

because your sig.

[thelinux]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

The service bulletin appears at post 15 of this thread:

http://www.bmwcca.org/forum/index.ph...r-issues.5452/

So, clearly the BMW dealer maintaining this car knew about the potential for this issue and should have noticed and corrected it while the car was in for regular maintenance. You should go after this dealer first.

Thanks. I will try that but I am the second owner of this car. Bought recently from a private party so I have a very slim chance of getting this done under warranty.

[thelinux]

Originally Posted by v3.2mc

i've been dealing with this issue on various cars since 2007.

for all of those out of warranty with the n52... switch to 0w-40 full synth. it has drasticly reduced engine ticking (therefore increasing lubrication) in 3 of the 4 affected cars i've had this happen to. this weight is approved by BMW for this engine. the only reason BMW dealers use the castrol 5w30 synth is that BMW AG will cover only that during the maintenance period.

i am not saying this fixes your car - it will allow you to buy some time to either save up the money to fix it, or *gasp* trade it in so the next guy gets stuck with it. all of us reading would prefer the first scenario.

all mercedes dealers carry this on the shelf.

What specific oil do you recommend? Can I use mobil 1?

[v3.2mc]

Originally Posted by thelinux

What specific oil do you recommend? Can I use mobil 1?

mobil1 is perfect. the link in my above post is to BMWNA, and specifically lists mobil1 0w-40 as approved.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by thelinux

Thanks. I will try that but I am the second owner of this car. Bought recently from a private party so I have a very slim chance of getting this done under warranty.

The original warranty is transferrable between successive owners, so you should argue that the obligation to complete the warranty repair properly survives any change in ownership.

[G80indy]

How has this turned out?
Take a look at LubroMoly 0W40 or Redline 0W40

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

The original warranty is transferrable between successive owners, so you should argue that the obligation to complete the warranty repair properly survives any change in ownership.

I would INSIST that BMW complete the repair at no charge.

[Aries326]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

In that case, it would be my position that the problem was identified to BMW during the warranty period and as BMW completed initial repairs, that indicates their agreement that it should be covered under warranty.

The fact that the problem re-occurs indicates that BMW FAILED to meet its obligations under the warranty contract; as such they are not absolved from meeting those obligations when the problem re-occurs. So I would insist that they repair the car, even if the warranty has since expired.

Thanks for the reply. Car is still in storage. Let's see how it runs this spring. If it's still ticking, it's going back to the dealer to get fixed once and for all.

[thelinux]

ok, I put mobil 1 0w40 but not much change.
I've read tons about this issue and seems like BMW says it won't ruin the engine but people dont believe it. Me personally can't believe what BMW says too. If lack of oil at engine start up in the cylinder head does not cause problem, why do we need oil there at all?
Maybe what BMW meant is that the damage is negligible????

I kinda like that ticking sound so if it does not damage or very little damage if it does, then I wont bother to fix it.

Can anyone say if what BMW says is true?

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by thelinux

ok, I put mobil 1 0w40 but not much change.
I've read tons about this issue and seems like BMW says it won't ruin the engine but people dont believe it. Me personally can't believe what BMW says too. If lack of oil at engine start up in the cylinder head does not cause problem, why do we need oil there at all?
Maybe what BMW meant is that the damage is negligible????

I kinda like that ticking sound so if it does not damage or very little damage if it does, then I wont bother to fix it.

Can anyone say if what BMW says is true?

The tapping issue is caused by the hydraulic valve adjusters (tappets) not being as full of oil as they need to be to maintain the correct valve clearance, not a lubrication issue AFAIK. That is why revving the engine should cause the tapping to go away, as the increased oil pressure expands the adjusters to the correct lash point.