Rod bearings OEM VS Aftermarket

[elwesso]

Hi guys- I am going to have a local german car shop do my rod bearings on my M coupe (about 65k miles on the car). I haven't done any oil analysis or anything, but the car has been tracked a few times and I want to do it before there's an issue. I will likely be doing a track day or two on the car this year so I want to get it done.

I got a quote, and basically the shop wanted to use OEM bearings and offered a 1 year warranty. If I supplied aftermarket bearings, they'd still do it but wouldn't offer a warranty.

I've done a lot of research on the rod bearings issue, and I've seen all the different brands that people recommend and whatnot (treated, etc). What I havent seen if there's a measurable difference in longevity.

The way I see it, the rod bearings are considered a maintenance item, just replace them every 60k for $1500 and call it good. That's really not a lot different than a timing belt service on many cars, so it's not a big deal to me.

So if the bearings last a decently long time stock, I may just go that route. If there's measurable data showing that the aftermarket ones can go longer between services, then I may go that route.

Thoughts? Thanks!

[SaltyNC]

Wes, I don't think it has been long enough to get much data on the aftermarket bearings. There is no doubt that the WPC treated bearings are slicker and the BE bearings have a coating that would be worn away before the lead, but still are the same thickness or even a tiny bit thinner than stock, so in theory they should be better. I think we're all going to pull our bearings in 50-60K to see how they look no matter what we used, so getting the year warranty might be worth sticking with OEM, and let others do the experimenting. There have been instances of engines blown after a rod bearing swap probably due to incorrect technique by a shop, so if you think the warranty would be honored (would it cover the blown engine or just the bearings?), then maybe OEM is your safest bet.

I'm going to try BE bearings probably in the next two weeks if my schedule doesn't get blown by work, but I'm doing it myself, so no warranty to lose for me.

As my ethics professor said many years ago when I was in college, "When in doubt, follow the safer course."

[RossBMWZseries]

Salty; You're going to DIY the rod bearings?? I don't think I'd have the guts for that!

[SaltyNC]

Originally Posted by RossBMWZseries

Salty; You're going to DIY the rod bearings?? I don't think I'd have the guts for that!

The actual rod bearing replacement isn't bad, it's getting to the bottom of the engine that is the pain. There are a lot of great DIY guides with very detailed instructions. Even the torquing procedure isn't complicated, it's just a crap ton of steps when multiplied by 12 bolts. Over the last few months, I've read and re-read the DIYs till I think I could do it in my sleep, and I've slowly been collecting all the tools I will need (like the engine support bar, angle gauge, etc)

I honestly had no intentions of doing these kinds of jobs, myself, when I bought the car. I want to make sure it is done right, and I've experienced firsthand and read about so many issues with repairs done by what should be well-seasoned BMW mechanics that it's made me turn to DIY. I also get a nice sense of satisfaction from working on the car, myself. I wouldn't want to do it for a living, but I like it as a hobby.

Salty

[elwesso]

Thanks for your reply! I agree, I think I'm going to go with OEM.

I had every intention of doing this myself, but I've just got too many projects going on right now that I don't want to tackle this myself (including my track-car E28 and 2 boats, haha)..