2006 BMW 5 Series Engine

WHILE CHANGING MY OIL, NOTICE THAT OIL HAS BEEN SLOWLY LEAKING AROUND THE VALVE COVER. LOOKED ON ONLINE FORUMS AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. I INSPECTED THE AREA WHERE THEY HAVE STATED COMMON BROKEN VALVE COVER BOLTS AND SURE ENOUGH THE BOLTS WERE BROKEN. THEY LITERALLY JUST SITTING IN THE VALVE COVER WITH NO PURPOSE. THEY CAME RIGHT OFF WHEN I PULLED THEM UP BY HAND. *TR

MY 530I BMW HAS AT LEAST ONE BROKEN CYLINDER HEAD BOLT. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE BMW N52 ENGINES. I WAS QUOTED $4500 FOR THE REPAIR. AS I MENTIONED THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM, A KNOWN PROBLEM BY BMW, BUT BMW ISN'T WILLING TO OFFER ME ANY ASSISTANCE. I FEEL A NEED TO REPORT THIS EXPENSIVE AND COMMON PROBLEM, AND BMW'S UNWILLINGNESS TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE SPENT HOURS WITH BMWUSA AND MY LOCAL BMW STEVENS CREEK DEALERSHIP AND SO FAR ALL I HAVE DONE IS WASTED MANY HOURS OF MY TIME. BMW NEEDS TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOMETHING THAT IS OBVIOUSLY A DETECT IN THEIR DESIGN. *TR

ALL 3 ALUMINUM HEAD BOLTS WERE BROKEN CAUSING AN OIL LEAK WHICH COULD RESULT IN A FIRE. BOLTS WERE FOUND IN OIL PAN WHICH COULD HAVE DAMAGED ENGINE AND CAUSED FAILURE. THERE ARE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR MESSAGES THAT INDICATE A PROBLEM. THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM IS AN OIL LEAK BENEATH THE CAR. THIS WAS FIXED OUT OF WARRANTY AT A COST OF $2131.78. THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN 2.5 YEARS LATER ON MARCH 27, 2013 AT 105,135 MILES AND A COST OF $2236.47. BMW DOESN'T THINK THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AND SAYS IT IS "TYPICAL" OF A "HIGH PERFORMANCE" ENGINE. TO ME, THIS IS NOT A NORMAL MAINTENANCE ITEM, NOT TO MENTION THE POTENTIAL FOR FIRE AND POSSIBLE INJURY. THERE APPEARS TO BE ONLY ONE OTHER COMPLAINT WITH YOUR OFFICE FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM FOR THIS SPECIFIC CAR, BUT I THINK YOU WILL FIND SIMILAR PROBLEMS FOR ALL BMW'S WITH 3.0 LITER AND OTHER ENGINES WITH ALUMINUM HEAD BOLTS, INCLUDING THE 325, 330, 528, 730, ETC. *TR

WE HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE 2007 AND HAVE NOT HAD TOO MANY ISSUES WITH IT. HOWEVER, RECENTLY IT DEVELOPED AN OIL LEAK WHICH BMW HAS REFUSED TO FIX. WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT FOUR ALUMINUM BOLTS THAT HOLD THE TOP OF THE ENGINE BLOCK ON TO THE ENGINE HAVE BROKEN FOR NO APPARENT REASON. ACCORDING TO THE REPAIR SHOP I TOOK IT TO, BMW KNOWS THIS IS A DEFECT. THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER USED ALUMINUM BOLTS AS FASTENERS FOR THIS ENGINE. I HAVE HAD TO SPEND $2900.00 TO HAVE THESE BOLTS REPLACED BY AN AUTHORIZED BMW REPAIR SHOP. THIS HAS STOPPED THE LEAK. THE DEALER WANTED $4300.00 TO DO THE SAME REPAIR. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT THIS OIL LEAK COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ENGINE FIRE IF I HAD LET IT GO. ANY HELP YOU CAN BE ON THIS MATTER WOULD BE GREAT. *TR

MY SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR TO WORK AND IT ONLY GOT ABOUT 8 BLOCKS FROM OUR HOUSE WHEN THE CAR STALLED AND LOST COMPLETE POWER. HE COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND FROM THE LOOKS WHEN I ARRIVED THE SERPENTINE TENSION BELT HAD BROKEN WE TURNED THE KEY OVER AND THE ENGINE WAS IN A FREE SPIN. WE HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL SERVICE SHOP AND THEY REPLACED THE BELT BUT STATED THE ENGINE HAD NO COMPRESSION TOWED CAR TO A SECOND SHOP AND GOT THE SAME OPINION THE ENGINE HAD NO COMPRESSION. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS OR MESSAGES ON THE DASH. THE CAR JUST STOPPED OPERATING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND GAVE NO WARNING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 525XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED AN OIL LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD WAS FRACTURED AND CAUSING THE OIL LEAK. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER BUT WAS PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 77,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 530XI WAGON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A PRIVATE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT FOUR BOLTS WERE DETACHED FROM THE ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 101,000.

SEVERAL OF THE HEAD BOLTS BROKE DUE TO AN ENGINEERING FLAW. I WAS TOLD BY THE BMW SHOP THAT BECAUSE THE HEAD BOLTS WERE MADE FROM A DIFFERENT METAL THAT THEY HEAT AND COOL AT DIFFERENT RATES AND THE BOLTS TEND TO BREAK, THEY HAD SEEN IT MANY TIMES. WHEN I CONTACTED BMW THEY REFUSED TO ADMIT THAT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AND WOULD NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIRS. *TR

I HAD A RECENT PROBLEM WITH OUR 525I. I WAS DRIVING IT AND IT LOST POWER/DIED. WHEN THE VEHICLE DIED, I LOST POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART AND NO ERROR LIGHTS OR MESSAGES WERE DISPLAYED ON THE IDRIVE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME. AFTER THE INITIAL CHECK OF THE VEHICLE, IT SHOWED THE CRANK SENSOR FAULT. I NOTICED A BUNCH OF METAL THROW OFF IN THE OIL FILTER AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE COMPRESSION IN CYLINDER 2 AND 6. I WAS THINKING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. SINCE I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH AMERICAN/JAPANESE VEHICLES, I DECIDED TO LOOK INTO THE PROBLEM MYSELF AFTER GETTING NO RESPONSE FROM BMWNA. THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY WITH 85K MILES. THE METAL THROW OFF WAS DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN JUMPING OFF OF THE EXHAUST CAM GEAR AND GRINDING AGAINST THE BACK OF IT. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS THE TWO ALUMINUM SCREWS UNDER THE CAM SHAFT GEARS. BOTH HEADS WERE BROKEN OFF AND ONE MADE ITS WAY UP THE CHAIN GETTING CAUGHT IN THE CHAIN AND GEAR. THESE SCREWS ARE ALUMINUM. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT FOR THE BOLTS TO BREAK IT WOULD BE DUE OVER TORQUED/TIGHTEN BOLTS OR EXTREME PRESSURE FROM EXPANDING/CONTRACTING OF THE MAGNESIUM VS ALUMINUM. THE OTHER BROKEN BOLT HEAD IS STILL SOME WHERE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE OIL PAN. THE EXHAUST CAM GEAR WAS CHEWED UP, BUT STILL SERVICEABLE. I RE-TIMED THE CAR AND CHECKED THE COMPRESSION. I GOT LUCKY AND COMPRESSION IS GOOD SO NO BENT VALVES. I DISASSEMBLE EVERYTHING AND NOW I PATIENTLY WAITING FOR SEVERAL PARTS. HOWEVER, I'M STILL DEALING WITH THE BROKEN HEAD THAT IS SOME WHERE IN THE OIL PAN. THIS IS A SERIOUS MANUFACTURES DEFECT AND I HAVE RETAINED ALL OF THE PARTS AND INCLUDING THE OIL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 550I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. TWENTY SECONDS LATER, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED ON ITS OWN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED 28 TIMES AFTER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER BUT THE CONTACT HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN THE DIAGNOSIS. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND REFERENCED RECALL 07V479000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 66,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 66,700.

SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE (10/12/2005) THE VEHICLE ALERTS US THAT THE OIL LEVEL IS LOW - DO NOT CONTINUE TO OPERATE VEHICLE. THE CAR WAS SERVICED EACH TIME THE PROBLEM OCCURRED BY SOUTH BAY BMW. REPROGRAMMING, SENSORS AND OIL CONSUMPTION TESTS HAVE BEEN DONE; HOWEVER, WHATEVER REPAIRS ARE DONE, THE PROBLEM RECURS. *JB