I believe I also have a camshaft bolt issue

[sirmalloc]

At least, I hope I have a camshaft bolt issue as opposed to the alternative.

My car has been making noise lately at low RPMs, like a rattle, between 1k and 2.5k RPM. Last night the SES light came on. I took it to the dealer this morning, mentioned the noise again. The tech pointed out that the rattle was coming from the VANOS unit. Said it was either the camshaft bolts backing out, which he has seen on 3 other cars, or the VANOS unit was failing.

Based on the price of a new VANOS unit (over $3k), I'm really hoping it's just the bolts. I should know later today after the car cools down and they can disassemble.

If anybody is debating getting an extended warranty, do it. I'm already $2k out of pocket from my throttle actuator replacement and cracked belt replacement. This will add on another $1k to $4k depending on how things go.

[dorifto88]

uhhhh..... im sorry =/ shouldnt you still have some warranty left? or has your 4 year inservice date already expired??? and wait, the tech has seen other cases of e86/e85 issues? or s54 issues?

irregardless, i wish you good luck !

edit, this video sums up the sound, yes?

[O-cha]

Originally Posted by sirmalloc

At least, I hope I have a camshaft bolt issue as opposed to the alternative.

My car has been making noise lately at low RPMs, like a rattle, between 1k and 2.5k RPM. Last night the SES light came on. I took it to the dealer this morning, mentioned the noise again. The tech pointed out that the rattle was coming from the VANOS unit. Said it was either the camshaft bolts backing out, which he has seen on 3 other cars, or the VANOS unit was failing.

Based on the price of a new VANOS unit (over $3k), I'm really hoping it's just the bolts. I should know later today after the car cools down and they can disassemble.

If anybody is debating getting an extended warranty, do it. I'm already $2k out of pocket from my throttle actuator replacement and cracked belt replacement. This will add on another $1k to $4k depending on how things go.

Oh god, you took your car to the dealership out of warranty? Are you mad? Just look around the forum for how many cars have been royally screwed up by the dealership under warranty and you're PAYING for that?


At least this tech sounds like he knows what he's doing. Find out from him what the SES light code was, if stuff goes south tow your car to me (ORL) I'll fix it for cheaper then the dealer. lol.

[sirmalloc]

My warranty ended mid-May this year, and not long after is when things started to go wrong.

I forgot to ask about the code while I was there - just emailed my service advisor to ask what it was. When I drove to the dealer this morning the light was off and it was no longer in limp mode.

Reeves (my dealer) has been pretty good thus far, but now that repair costs are adding up, I've been looking for a good indie shop in the area. I've had two friends recommend Cars and Concepts in Tampa, and I've emailed them to see what they would quote if it ends up being a VANOS unit replacement. They told me they have a used unit off an S54 that threw a rod, and said they would send it off to Dr. Vanos for inspection if I go that route.

[O-cha]

Originally Posted by sirmalloc

My warranty ended mid-May this year, and not long after is when things started to go wrong.

I forgot to ask about the code while I was there - just emailed my service advisor to ask what it was. When I drove to the dealer this morning the light was off and it was no longer in limp mode.

Reeves (my dealer) has been pretty good thus far, but now that repair costs are adding up, I've been looking for a good indie shop in the area. I've had two friends recommend Cars and Concepts in Tampa, and I've emailed them to see what they would quote if it ends up being a VANOS unit replacement. They told me they have a used unit off an S54 that threw a rod, and said they would send it off to Dr. Vanos for inspection if I go that route.

Code will stay even with the light being off. Could be a vanos not actuating code/intermittent issue.

Whoever does it, make sure you ask them if they have ALL the vanos tools. The z4 is not like the e46 M3 where it can be done without the correct tools and a lot of places do it that way even though its wrong.

The z4 CANNOT be done without the tools, because of the clearance in front of the engine, you HAVE to have the solenoid actuator, and even then it's a bit of a pain.

If you ever need anything done and can drive to ORL, www.precision-sport.com

[sirmalloc]

Thanks for the info O-Cha.

Do you know if BMW ever ended up issuing a TSB about this?

[pokeybritches]

Hmmm. I guess I'm going to drive around at 8k rpm all the time now so that if it grenades, it does it right and destroys everything (kidding). When my warranty is up at 100k miles, I'll get the bolts fixed. Has anyone tried to get BMW to put out a recall on these bolts?

[sirmalloc]

Originally Posted by dorifto88

edit, this video sums up the sound, yes?

it wasn't nearly that loud, but yeah, it was a similar noise.

[sirmalloc]

Originally Posted by O-cha

Find out from him what the SES light code was

Here's the code:
FAULT CODE 29CF MISFIRE CYLINDER 3. FREQUENCY OF ONE TIME

Could this be related to the camshaft bolt issues?

[O-cha]

Originally Posted by sirmalloc

Here's the code:
FAULT CODE 29CF MISFIRE CYLINDER 3. FREQUENCY OF ONE TIME

Could this be related to the camshaft bolt issues?

Yes and no. If the vanos cannot actuate misfires can occur, but it would be on several cylinders not just one.

Probably a bad coil or plug unrelated.

[onebluemcm]

Originally Posted by sirmalloc

At least, I hope I have a camshaft bolt issue as opposed to the alternative.

My car has been making noise lately at low RPMs, like a rattle, between 1k and 2.5k RPM. Last night the SES light came on. I took it to the dealer this morning, mentioned the noise again. The tech pointed out that the rattle was coming from the VANOS unit. Said it was either the camshaft bolts backing out, which he has seen on 3 other cars, or the VANOS unit was failing.

Based on the price of a new VANOS unit (over $3k), I'm really hoping it's just the bolts. I should know later today after the car cools down and they can disassemble.

If anybody is debating getting an extended warranty, do it. I'm already $2k out of pocket from my throttle actuator replacement and cracked belt replacement. This will add on another $1k to $4k depending on how things go.

Originally Posted by O-cha

Yes and no. If the vanos cannot actuate misfires can occur, but it would be on several cylinders not just one.

Probably a bad coil or plug unrelated.

No dispute about the code referencing the #3 cylinder - my question is whether or not this would result in the rattling you described initially, I'm thinking no and that your code may not be associated with the rattling, coincidental? Guess work on my part, curious to see what the experienced folks think...

[AWM3]

Originally Posted by O-cha

Code will stay even with the light being off. Could be a vanos not actuating code/intermittent issue.

Whoever does it, make sure you ask them if they have ALL the vanos tools. The z4 is not like the e46 M3 where it can be done without the correct tools and a lot of places do it that way even though its wrong.

The z4 CANNOT be done without the tools, because of the clearance in front of the engine, you HAVE to have the solenoid actuator, and even then it's a bit of a pain.

If you ever need anything done and can drive to ORL, www.precision-sport.com

Mr. O-cha

There are going to be a lot of these Z4Ms coming off warranty over the next months and with all the horror stories posted about dealer repairs, many owners will be reluctant to take the car back to the dealer after the warranty is over. One advantage to the dealer repair of course is the two year warranty they provide on their work. Perhaps it would be helpful if you could post your real name, contact numbers, and a detailed description of the services you can offer specific to the Z4M, for anyone within reasonable distance of Orlando. Thanks.

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by car62

Mr. O-cha

There are going to be a lot of these Z4Ms coming off warranty over the next months and with all the horror stories posted about dealer repairs, many owners will be reluctant to take the car back to the dealer after the warranty is over. One advantage to the dealer repair of course is the two year warranty they provide on their work. Perhaps it would be helpful if you could post your real name, contact numbers, and a detailed description of the services you can offer specific to the Z4M, for anyone within reasonable distance of Orlando. Thanks.

I think O-Cha may find that a difficult proposition given that forum rules preclude offering or selling services here without being an official vendor/sponsor. It's gotten folks permanently banned in the past, and I'd hate to lose an invaluable member such as Ocha. The site admins are strict about this.

[sirmalloc]

I just heard back from the dealer - I did indeed have loose camshaft bolts. They said one of them was almost cut through entirely. They are having the bolts and gaskets overnighted, so I should have my car back tomorrow. My service advisor is seeing if BMWNA will help reduce the cost of the service at all, if not, I'm looking at about $1k.

I'll post some pictures of the bolts after I pick up the car tomorrow.

[pokeybritches]

Good to hear you were somewhat lucky and found the problem before the bolts actually sheared.

[mousitch]

Whew glad they found it. One reason im glad I don't have the 06 anymore. I was paranoid and always hearing noises and ticks. In fact before i lost her I was going to pull the cover and check for play Indicating loose bolts.

[O-cha]

Originally Posted by sirmalloc

I just heard back from the dealer - I did indeed have loose camshaft bolts. They said one of them was almost cut through entirely. They are having the bolts and gaskets overnighted, so I should have my car back tomorrow. My service advisor is seeing if BMWNA will help reduce the cost of the service at all, if not, I'm looking at about $1k.

I'll post some pictures of the bolts after I pick up the car tomorrow.

It's damn good that the misfire got you to take it in then!

Originally Posted by Finnegan

I think O-Cha may find that a difficult proposition given that forum rules preclude offering or selling services here without being an official vendor/sponsor. It's gotten folks permanently banned in the past, and I'd hate to lose an invaluable member such as Ocha. The site admins are strict about this.

Pretty much, but I'd definitely recommend www.precision-sport.com for any local people.

[JCz04Bimmer]

Originally Posted by sirmalloc

I just heard back from the dealer - I did indeed have loose camshaft bolts. They said one of them was almost cut through entirely. They are having the bolts and gaskets overnighted, so I should have my car back tomorrow. My service advisor is seeing if BMWNA will help reduce the cost of the service at all, if not, I'm looking at about $1k.

FYI and FWIW.

My car went off of warranty a few months back and for issues I had documented while under warranty but were unable to be reproduced but now are able to be reproduced have been covered as a courtesy under warranty. Just to give you an idea... a week before I went off of warranty I my passenger headlight went out. They couldn't reproduce the issue and then a month after the warranty expired I was able to get it to not light up regularly. No charge to fix. Also, I had been complaining about the dust boots around the caliper piston deteriorating since I started bringing my car to this dealership. They never really took it seriously until 2 months out of warranty when I was able to actually point to the rubber completely falling apart. They understood that a seized caliper would be much more expensive than the $20 rebuild kit so they, again, did the repair at no charge. And, actually, the car is in right now for a TPS module issue that cropped up a few times before the warranty expired. At the time, they did a software-only fix and I knew that wouldn't resolve what was pretty obviously a hardware issue. Sure enough, it's being repaired no charge.

So the precedent is well established that if there is an issue you've reported and had entered into your file that ultimately becomes more serious and/or more reproducible that it can (and should) be covered by BMWNA. It takes a VERY good Service Adviser, though, as they need to make the case to BMWNA. I call it the "I told you so" clause of post-warranty coverage.

I don't know if you noted any of these things prior to your warranty expiring but, for anyone who is still under warranty, be extra diligent in communicating issues to your SA and make sure they put it in the file. If that issue presents itself in a more major way when you're out of warranty... it should be covered.

That said... indy shops FTW.

[sirmalloc]

I ended up getting my car back on Friday. I'll take a picture of the bolts as soon as I'm back home, but 3 of them were sheared completely in half, and a few others had a notch where the thread was completely removed. The tech used Loctite on the updated bolts to help avoid this in the future.

The dealer ended up discounting me 20% on the labor, and giving me a free rental during the process. Total in the end came to just shy of $800. The engine is much, much quieter now. There are no fluctuations in RPMs at idle, and I haven't seen a rev dip on a cold start yet. It feels like a brand new car.

I did, however, notice one new issue after I got it back. Pulling out of my driveway on an incline and making a turn, I could hear a "pop" as I turned the stearing wheel. I can usually reproduce it pulling out of my driveway, but if I'm sitting on a flat surface and turn the wheel lock to lock, it's not there. I remember the tech saying they had to lift the engine to work on it...could this be related at all to that? I'll likely take it back on Monday and have them look at it, but if anyone has something I can direct the dealer to look at, please let me know. To clarify - the noise occurs when I turn the wheel, moving or not, usually on an incline.

[O-cha]

Originally Posted by sirmalloc

I remember the tech saying they had to lift the engine to work on it...could this be related at all to that?

there should have been no need to lift the engine, the clearances are tighter but it's doable.

Pops probably not related, probably a spring making noise and you're noticing it now.

[sirmalloc]

Originally Posted by O-cha

there should have been no need to lift the engine, the clearances are tighter but it's doable.

Pops probably not related, probably a spring making noise and you're noticing it now.

I thought it was odd they said they needed to lift the engine. At any rate, here's the pictures:

[O-cha]

Old ones hex bolts?