[takeiteasy]

I had a check engine light appear on a 2013 535i m/t I've only owned for a few months. The specific error on the dash was "Drivetrain malfunction." I took it to a local BMW dealer service shop for a diagnostic and received the worst news ever:

FOUND FAULTS FOR INTAKE AND EXHAUST VANOS. FAULTS ARE RELATED TO ENGINE TIMING SIB 12 14 12. VANOS ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY BOLTS WILL LOOSEN AND CAN BREAK CAUSING THEM TO NOT BE ABLE TO ADJUST TIMING PROPERLY CAUSING FAULTS AND ROUGH RUNNING CONDITIONS.
REMOVE VALVE COVER, REPLACE INTAKE AND EXHAUST VANOS UNITS. SET TIMING. REPLACE VANOS SOLENOIDS. PERFORM OIL SERVICE.

OIL PAN GASKET IS LEAKING
REPLACE OIL PAN GASKET. RETRIEVE BROKEN VANOS BOLTS IF FOUND TO BE BROKEN

Parts & Labor for the Vanos service was quoted at $4,466.69

Parts & Labor for the Oil Pan Gasket service was quoted at $2,419.08

I took the car home, parked it, and it's been sitting for a week. I don't know what to do. The service advisor mentioned a recall regarding the Vanos but I believe it currently only covers 2010-2012.

Has anyone run into this issue? Is there a chance I could get this covered by BMW given the known and documented issues? Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated because I definitely do not have $7k to spend on this and even if I did, it would be stupid to dump that money into this car.

[SteveMD]

I doubt BMW are going to cover this on a 10 year old car.

I'd call around some reputable indy shops and get another quote or two.

[musclesmarinara75]

Hey man, I feel your pain, I just was dealing witht this myself, did your car go into limp mode when the drivetrain came on?.. It could just be the solenoids itself needs to be replaced, that's an easy fix to do on your own if you have the time, if you had onebolt borken let alone a few broken VANOS bolts roaming around in your engine, your engine woiuld be toast, so don't worry about that one just yet unless u hear some really funky stuff going on inside your motor. The oil pan gasket is a bit of a job, but if your getting that fised, the shop will be able to get those solenoids swapped out, DO NOT GO TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THIS DONE!! Get a good indy shop to have at least those two this done.. well three, oil pan gasket and intake and exhaust solenoids!... good luck!

[xxpanipuri]

get a 2nd opinion...find a good indy shop in the area that works on german cars, and let them diagnose it....I wouldn't even show them the estimate...even if u had to do ALL THAT work, a good indy should be about 1/2 that.

Search on craiglist as well. I found a great mechanic a few years back on craigslist, he was an ex bmw tech....

[StradaRedlands]

I didn't think N55 were part of the VANOS bolt recall?

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...4V176-2716.pdf

[ChiltiCoatl89]

yes, Highly recommend do your individual research, and stay calm, and take your time on what to do, Replacing the Vanos Solenoids is not extremely difficult, as mentioned, get a quote from a reputable Indy shop that specializes in BMWs, either way without the dealership, you're saving money already.

[Shrimpy]

Takeiteasy, any updates on your situation? Not trying to rub salt on your issues, but interested in the outcome. Thanks.

[Helki]

Given the specific nature of the faults related to the VANOS and the mention of a recall for 2010-2012 models, it would be advisable to reach out directly to BMW customer service. In some cases, even if the vehicle is slightly outside the specified recall years, they may extend coverage based on the documented issues. Providing them with detailed information about your situation, the known faults, and the service advisor's mention of a recall could potentially help in getting assistance or coverage for the repairs.

[takeiteasy]

Originally Posted by Shrimpy

Takeiteasy, any updates on your situation? Not trying to rub salt on your issues, but interested in the outcome. Thanks.

Car is still parked, no updates. Life's been very busy lately and I also think I've been avoiding the issue. I need to figure something out but I haven't reached out to any indy shops yet to get updated quotes.

I came across this article: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars...s-a1359699142/

It's a BMW VANOS recall which covers 5 Series sedans manufactured between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2022 however I think this is only for the N52 engine, not the N55 which is what I have. I really hope it gets expanded to mine but I am not holding my breath.

[fotontom]

Originally Posted by takeiteasy

Car is still parked, no updates. Life's been very busy lately and I also think I've been avoiding the issue. I need to figure something out but I haven't reached out to any indy shops yet to get updated quotes.

I came across this article: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars...s-a1359699142/

It's a BMW VANOS recall which covers 5 Series sedans manufactured between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2022 however I think this is only for the N52 engine, not the N55 which is what I have. I really hope it gets expanded to mine but I am not holding my breath.

That much is true. However, BMW is not yet accommodating the announced recall for the N52 VANOS bolts. As of 4 weeks ago, anyway. Just had my F10 in for service and they essentially said, "don't call us, we'll call you."

[TZ]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

I didn't think N55 were part of the VANOS bolt recall?

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...4V176-2716.pdf

Yes, it includes 2011-2012's N55. SI B11 08 14
My 2011 535iX got recalled in oct 2014.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by TZ

Yes, it includes 2011-2012's N55. SI B11 08 14
My 2011 535iX got recalled in oct 2014.

Those bolts got around!

[takeiteasy]

Originally Posted by TZ

Yes, it includes 2011-2012's N55. SI B11 08 14
My 2011 535iX got recalled in oct 2014.

Mine is unfortunately a 2013