X5 N63 engine recall (Service Bulletin B001314)

[rennis]

Originally Posted by LastLong

Is this recall for PRE-LCI X5 too? (2007-2010)

no, the N63 wasn't an option in the pre-LCI, AFAIK.

[LastLong]

Originally Posted by rennis

no, the N63 wasn't an option in the pre-LCI, AFAIK.

Okay thank you!

[JupiterBMW]

Originally Posted by Cattivo123

Update...I got a surprise call today from my SA telling me that they were able to finish my truck earlier than I was told...here is what was replaced for the N63 Campaign

-Vacuum Pump
-Fuel Feed Line with Sensor
-Crankcase Vent Valves
-Lower and Upper Vent Pipes
-Hot-Film Air Mass Meters
-Programmed/Encoded Vehicle as per 11-6-14
-Center Partition Bulkhead
-Gaskets and Clamps
-Connecting Lines
-Injectors

Performed the front drive shaft check and found front driveshaft to have excessive rust in swivel joints
-Replaced Front Driveshaft
-Torx Screw
-Hex Bolt

Performed Timing Chain check as per SIB...Found Timing Chain check passed test

-Oil Filter
-BMW Oil 5W-30
-Battery

Comfort Access was inoperable
-2 Keys reprogrammed and now working properly...$80.54

All in all I'm very satisfied with how well the X is driving and how hard it pulls again...The only thing that annoyed me was that it took them over 3 weeks to finish even though I had a really nice 535 M Sport as a loaner

Yet, I got the luxury of paying $4000 for only SOME of this maintenance... Seriously, when is the X5///M going to get roped into this issue?!?

[lanbrown]

The word on another forum, they won't. The M division is a separate entity of BMW and thus a different cost center. So even though BMW decided to do the campaign, the M division has not. Given the low numbers of X5 M and X6 M's out there, they probably won't at all.

[shark715]

We bought our 2011 50i used, and have been getting it serviced by Bridgewater BMW here in New Jersey, but somehow our being notified by the dealer slipped through the cracks. Called them today, they knew exactly why I was calling, and made an appointment for 2 weeks from now, and will be getting a loaner. What sort of loaner can I expect to be furnished with? Since this service campaign has been going on for many months now, can I assume the parts shortages reported earlier have been rectified? Any additional advice from other owners that have already been through this that I will want to know about? Thanks.

[Dawgman]

Well, I am going on 3 months now and still waiting for parts to come in for my fix. Anyone else have to wait this long? Thinking about changing from BMW Bellevue over to Seattle. I stopped in a few weeks ago and they said they have no idea when the parts may come in. Seems sketchy at best after 3 months of waiting.

Ask your SA for a comparible loaner. Give them a tip or a Starbucks card or something and they should take care of you. I got a nice 428 with the M Sport package. Fun car to drive around for a few days.

[Poppyboy]

http://kinja.roadandtrack.com/why-bm...71504/+pgeorge

[mitch808]

Originally Posted by Dawgman

Well, I am going on 3 months now and still waiting for parts to come in for my fix. Anyone else have to wait this long? Thinking about changing from BMW Bellevue over to Seattle. I stopped in a few weeks ago and they said they have no idea when the parts may come in. Seems sketchy at best after 3 months of waiting.

Ask your SA for a comparible loaner. Give them a tip or a Starbucks card or something and they should take care of you. I got a nice 428 with the M Sport package. Fun car to drive around for a few days.

a few of us have had great experiences with the service dept at Seattle. Though booking out a loaner sometimes you need to wait a month or more to do so with your service appt.

[lanbrown]

Originally Posted by Poppyboy

http://kinja.roadandtrack.com/why-bm...71504/+pgeorge

BMW's solution was to throw money at the problem, replacing the batteries with Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) units that can cope with deeper and more frequent discharge cycles.

That worked until the V8 gained turbos. With two very hot turbochargers in the very hot valley of its vee, the N63's cooling system must continue to run long after the engine's been turned off. The system's draw is more than the batteries can deal with, so BMW is now swapping out the old 90-Ah AGMs for 105-Ah units—and hoping they'll survive for at least 10,000 miles.

Well, you cannot believe anything further in the article. How many people got 4 years (or more) out of their current battery? I know mine did. Not all vehicles received a 105-Ah unit but a 92-Ah due to that is all that could be fit. The bigger question, is the revised N63 in the newer V8 vehicles; how come they are not replacing the battery every 10,000 miles. Did the charging algorithm change or is it something else? That is the real question that needs to be answered to determine what the cause actually is and what it would take to fix it.

What I don't know is if the cooling water pump running is time based or temp based. If temp based, I wish that they would have had the cooling fan kick on when the vehicle is placed in park after being driven. It would have helped cool the coolant in the radiator (even slightly would help) as well as reduce the built-up heat in the engine compartment. Even though the fan would only have ran for a few seconds, it could help. They could have had that fan run for 15 seconds or so after the engine was turned off as well. Having airflow through the radiator helps remove heat than just letting the water pump run only. One is much quieter than the other though and thus less noticeable.

I have also heard that the alternator doesn't kick in until 30 seconds after the engine starts. I hope they changed that so that as soon as the engine is started it kicks on. No way would the battery be 100% at that point and that is 30 seconds less that the vehicle was running on the battery and thus putting a charge in it. 30 seconds isn't much time, but it is better than nothing.

I think another issue is the use of a 8 speed transmission. While cruising, I see the engine running at say 1,000 or 1,100 RPM's. The slower than engine turns, the less output from the alternator. I wonder if the revised N63 has a larger alternator. I drive 20 miles each way and takes 30 to 45 minutes. If I started off in the morning with the battery charger saying the battery was charged and now in maintenance mode, when I get home and put it on the charger, it takes until almost morning before it says it is full. I didn't put it on the charger for a week and when I put it on Friday evening, Saturday morning came (so it was on the charger for well over 12 hours) and it wasn't even at the 80% mark according to the charger. So I really don't think the charging system can actually charge the battery in a 30 to 45 minutes timeframe. If it can, then it running the pumps after it is shutoff takes quite a bit of power.

On another forum, a member that uses a charger to maintain the battery has noticed that after the N63 campaign that it took longer before the battery was charged according to his charger. So BMW has altered how long the pump runs and that has to deal with heat generated and now BMW is trying to get the engine to cool down quicker than before. What is the reasoning behind this? How was that issue addressed in the revised N63? Wouldn't running the water pump longer and draining the battery more require that the alternator to run more also impact the fuel mileage? The article says that BMW would have had to re-certify the vehicles then.

What parts of the N63 campaign addressed anything that dealt with cooling? All of the parts that were listed primarily dealt with the intake system.

Only BMW knows and anything that anyone says is just pure conjecture.

[och]

BMW really did screw up on this one, although to be fair, they screw up in one way or another on almost on all of them. Lease only with BMWs for me from now on.

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by Dawgman

Well, I am going on 3 months now and still waiting for parts to come in for my fix. Anyone else have to wait this long? Thinking about changing from BMW Bellevue over to Seattle. I stopped in a few weeks ago and they said they have no idea when the parts may come in. Seems sketchy at best after 3 months of waiting.

As Mitch808 mentioned above, try BMW Seattle. I realize it's further for you given your location, but you're certain to get much better service. I wouldn't waste a second of my time at BMW Bellevue. Tried that before and never again - been at BMW Seattle for the last 12 years.

In fact, I'm sure you could PM forum member 'bmwx5er' (Pradeep) who would attest to this as well. I know he lives on the eastside and was being kicked around by BMW Bellevue. I referred him to my SA at BMW Seattle and after making an appt., they immediately found several issues with his X5 that Bellevue, TWICE, couldn't find and claimed his vehicle to be just fine.

I just had my N63 work completed at Seattle - parts arrived in 3 weeks.

Good luck.

[rennis]

There is a lot of party line bullshit in that R&T article.

I, for one, think that adding an extra quart of oil during changes is borderline shady too.

[shark715]

Originally Posted by rennis

I, for one, think that adding an extra quart of oil during changes is borderline shady too.

Over on the Mini (another BMW product) forum, there have been lots of reports of dealers adding an extra quart when changing the oil. These cars normally do use some oil, but there's no oil level warning on the Mini's. The speculation has been that many Americans don't regularly check their oil and that the extra quart was a hedge against engine damage.

[Crazy1323]

If my x5M is still under warranty, should I have my dealer look into this? I know it isn't covered under the recall, but with it still in warranty I wonder if they will do it since the n63 and s63 share many parts.

Does anyone have any experience with this on an X5M?

[shark715]

Originally Posted by Crazy1323

If my x5M is still under warranty, should I have my dealer look into this? I know it isn't covered under the recall, but with it still in warranty I wonder if they will do it since the n63 and s63 share many parts.

Does anyone have any experience with this on an X5M?

The X5M is not included in this program.

[lanbrown]

Originally Posted by Crazy1323

If my x5M is still under warranty, should I have my dealer look into this? I know it isn't covered under the recall, but with it still in warranty I wonder if they will do it since the n63 and s63 share many parts.

Does anyone have any experience with this on an X5M?

If your X5M has issues while under warranty, they will resolve them, but there is no proactive campaign on the X5M like there is for the N63 based vehicles.

[bmwx5er]

Originally Posted by jiggz

As Mitch808 mentioned above, try BMW Seattle. I realize it's further for you given your location, but you're certain to get much better service. I wouldn't waste a second of my time at BMW Bellevue. Tried that before and never again - been at BMW Seattle for the last 12 years.

In fact, I'm sure you could PM forum member 'bmwx5er' (Pradeep) who would attest to this as well. I know he lives on the eastside and was being kicked around by BMW Bellevue. I referred him to my SA at BMW Seattle and after making an appt., they immediately found several issues with his X5 that Bellevue, TWICE, couldn't find and claimed his vehicle to be just fine.

I just had my N63 work completed at Seattle - parts arrived in 3 weeks.

Good luck.

Yep, I can attest to what jiggz said. much better service at Seattle. I took my car in for the N63 campaign on Jan 31, and the parts were available a couple of weeks later.

Based on my experience, i'd stay away from Bellevue at all costs.

Btw, I must mention that the car runs fantastically well after the campaign, most noticeable at low speeds.

I also had an evap leak fixed when my car went in for the campaign. It's a 20+ hr job, as the entire dash needs to come off. Apparently an uncommon problem for cars in Seattle, but more common for cars from California (probably due to temperature). Watch out for a Band-aid like odor when you cold start the car with the fans blowing through the ac vents.

Jiggz, I recall that you purchased your x5 from CA, might be worth keeping an eye on yours as well. The shop foreman at Seattle mentioned that he couldn't recall working on an evap leak for a long time, so IMO, its unlikely to be noticed until you bring it up (which is what I did, and finally convinced them that it was indeed leaking)

[rennis]

For what it is worth, I had the service done in January (BMW Bellevue) and the crankcase ventilation system was repaired. I had assumed this fixed my oil consumption issues, but I believe the extra quart of oil is what made me think that, as my last two "add a quart of oil" intervals have each come in less than 1k miles.

Ahhh, good times.

[och]

Brought mine in this morning to Life Quality BMW in Brooklyn. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[W84IT]

I just took my X5 50i to the dealer on Wednesday for this service campaign and it was completed the next day!!! I didn't even call to schedule in advance but they already had all the parts available...BMW Roseville, CA

[shark715]

Originally Posted by W84IT

I just took my X5 50i to the dealer on Wednesday for this service campaign and it was completed the next day!!! I didn't even call to schedule in advance but they already had all the parts available...BMW Roseville, CA

So you just showed up and they did the work? Wow, that's not how it is here in northern NJ. The dealers are so busy you need an appointment even for just a oil change. The dealer I'm going to has a separate schedule for this campaign, although I only had to wait 2 weeks for an opening after I called. When they told me they had a separate schedule for this, I was fully expecting the wait to be a month or two before they took mine in.

[W84IT]

Originally Posted by shark715

So you just showed up and they did the work? Wow, that's not how it is here in northern NJ. The dealers are so busy you need an appointment even for just a oil change. The dealer I'm going to has a separate schedule for this campaign, although I only had to wait 2 weeks for an opening after I called. When they told me they had a separate schedule for this, I was fully expecting the wait to be a month or two before they took mine in.

Yup, I didn't expect them to start on it that day...I just stopped by the dealership Wednesday morning to ask about the service campaigne and my service guy told me that they could take care of it right then...they gave me a nice 428i as a loaner and I was on my way in less than 15 mins from the time I walked into the service department. They called me Thursday afternoon and said the repairs were complete and I can pick it up.