[sdasari]

Guys, I really appreciate your help! I bought a 2014 535i BMW from an authorized BMW dealership 7months back with 70k miles and drove 3k on it and got all these crazy issues. I took it to the dealership for diagnosis, and they told me I had a bad water pump, and the car is getting heated up very quickly and going into limp mode even though the car is not really getting heated up!

They said Oil Hydraulic valve is leaking in front of the block; I checked for videos where this is, but I haven't found anything. But instead, is it called VANOS SOLENOID? I see there are a couple of them. Do I need to change both, or is just one fine? Can I change the gasket on it or the whole valve?

The Oil Filter Housing Gasket is leaking.

The Valve Cover Gasket is leaking!

The total repair cost is $7000

I don't know what to do! This is my 4th BMW, and I always have issues with them!

I'm thinking of doing the repairs by myself; how do I clean the oil that's there near the belt without getting it on the belt? I know I can use the brake cleaner spray, but that's going to spill all over the belt in front of the engine block. Any ideas?

I've attached the Comments from BMW!

[ChiNorm]

It's time for you to find an independent BMW shop, who will likely do the work for a pale fraction of what the 'stealership' has quoted you.

Good luck.

[sdasari]

Yeah that's true, I always trust these dealership guys and they always rip me off! Any idea about the oil hydraulic valve?

[PNW_F10]

Sorry to hear this! Unfortunately, your issues are very common with the mileage. I purchased my 535i with about the same miles, however I did buy the rpm plus warranty and they covered pretty much all of it. Have you considered adding a warranty? Mine has almost paid for itself already.

Not to add to it, but I would also do plugs, coil pack, charge pipe, tranny fluid. The good news is when you are done, most people have experienced a brand new car that will last a long time. I did all the work and slapped a MHD stage 2+ tune (after some additional mods intercooler and catless DP) and the thing is rock solid. Over 10k miles on it since work and tune and not an issue.

Sorry, good luck but also very much agree find a good indy, that's what I did as well.

[OnlyGerman]

Avoid the dealer

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by OnlyGerman

Avoid the dealer

Depends on the dealer. Mine is within a few hundred $$ of the local independent, and I get the (2-yr?) repair warranty.

[OnlyGerman]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Depends on the dealer. Mine is within a few hundred $$ of the local independent, and I get the (2-yr?) repair warranty.

Surprisingly the value service at the dealer is good, it’s just I have zero faith in the techs doing the work. Local dealer is known to have issues…

Rather pay more at a Indy with experienced techs who are passionate about the work.

[Stinkyxy]

To add, oil filter housing is a lot of labor so indi will be cheaper but will still hurt to install $10 part.

[ctcarbonari]

First off...Don't forget to breathe...
All of these issues are fixable for an average DIY'er and if you choose to go that route you will save yourself a significant amount of money.

How do you eat an elephant?........One bite at a time.

First, I would find a qualified Indy who knows BMWs. Have an inspection/estimate for repairs done (and I wouldn't mention that I've already done this w/ Dealer). Most likely, the scope of work will be the same but at a cheaper cost.

Then, I'd start breaking this out and deciding which DIY tasks you are willing to take on (if not all of them).

I'd prioritize it something like this (although best to do everything in one shot)

The water pump (and thermostat + mickey mouse flange). Would recommend changing the hoses as well.

I'm not familiar with the Oil Hydraulic Valve (still a bit of a noob w/ N55) so I'll leave my opions out on this one. But if it's leaking down the front of the block then you will definitely want to fix that sooner rather than later.

OFHG - Put a stop to this leak as it will run down the front of the engine block as well. Replace gaskets, bolts at minimum. Recommend replacing engine oil sensor as well.

Brakes - have them measure your rotor thickness. If wear is less than 2mm then they do not need to be replaced. Pads & Sensor only. (When I DIY I almost always replace rotors tho). For the rear brakes you'll have to deal with the electro-magnetic parking brake so read up on that.

VC - imho, I think you can hold off on this one a bit (in order to save time/money). Depends on where the leak is (front vs elsewhere). Replace the gasket (at a minimum) but would recommend new cover. The other repair are more "critical"; however, if you're doing everything in one shot it will be easier to hit the VC during that time.

Plan on replacing your accessory belt, tensioner, and pully. Not only is it PM time for these items, if you've been getting significant front oil leakage then the integrity is already compromised. Consider installing an aftermarket Crank Seal Guard as well but not necessary.

Spark Plugs should have been replaced around 50k miles. As others have said, I'd plan on doing those (and I'd recommend ignition coils as well) but can skip.

I'd hold off on charge pipe if not running a tune. Recommend replacing, for sure, but not as critical, imo.

YES to transmission service (oil & pan/filter) and differential oil replaced.
Brake fluid flush as well.

I know it probably seems a bit overwhelming, but you can most definitely do all this. Buy parts from FCP and you'll have lifetime replacement warranty.

Good Luck!

P.S. This post is a perfect example to highlight the importance of having a pre-purchase inspection done on a vehicle! I'm not sure if the OP did, or not, but you'll never convince me that ALL of these issues suddenly manifested themselves during the past 6 months / 3k miles.

[Encendido3]

If you have some mechanical know how and can follow instructions, most of this is DIY. Valve cover can take a day if you take your time and save you an easy $1000. Same with the OFHG. When you do the VC go ahead and do the plugs and coils since you’ll be right there in the area. And when you do the OFHG do the belt and pulleys right after (same concept).

[paul223]

Most of these repairs are easy and on YouTube. Clean oil with dish soap and water.

[sdasari]

Thank you so much, guys; it really helped me a lot! I had SUCCESSFULLY changed the WaterPump, and it bought the car back to life, and I'm able to drive the car.

The Hydraulic Valve the dealer mentioned is right below the VANOS Solenoids in the front of the block; it's also called an Oil pressure switch, it seems.

I'm planning to do the Oil Hydraulic valve and OFHG at the same time and then pick another day for VC, which looks like a big job to me as I have to clear all that plastic out of the way.

[sdasari]

One question while changing the Valve cover gasket, do we apply any kind of paste between the VC and the new gasket so that the gasket doesn't fall off or help the gasket have a longer life?

I've watched some videos they said don't apply any paste just put the gasket in and put the VC back. Is it good to apply paste or not?

[Hoa]

You can do valve cover gasket and OFHG in one Saturday for sure. When pulling injectors, make sure you replace the seals for it. No paste for valve cover job.

[ctcarbonari]

I'd just plan on making a weekend of it (but I'm slow and triple check everything I'm doing)

As others have said, no sealant on VC gasket but do make sure you are meticulous with the tightening & torquing sequencing. I'd get all the bolts driven down by hand first, then proceed with half turns in the tightening pattern. Rinse & repeat until I get to torqing them (and the torque spec is very low).

Seriously consider doing your accessory belt, tensioner, and pulley while you're at it. Not only is it "time" from a PM perspective it sounds like you've had a lot of oil leakage in the front already and I'm sure the belt has suffered from it. How much? Who knows.

Congrats on getting a new water pump hooked up! (Good time for thermostat & coolant hose flange as well - preferably an aftermarket aluminum one).

Awesome that you are going to DIY on these repairs!

Good Luck!

[ex46fanatic]

Not sure why new valve cover is always recommended, i just diy'd the gasket only for about £50 (genuine bmw), 2015 640i with 125k miles. All is ok 5k miles later. Its 8.5nm for valve cover nuts... and i used no sealant

[CrippledLucifer]

Originally Posted by ex46fanatic

Not sure why new valve cover is always recommended, i just diy'd the gasket only for about £50 (genuine bmw), 2015 640i with 125k miles. All is ok 5k miles later. Its 8.5nm for valve cover nuts... and i used no sealant

I recall reading it's because the cover tends to crack while removing it from the car so it's easier to just replace the whole thing in addition to the gasket as a precautionary measure. You wouldn't want to put everything back together only for the cover itself to leak. When I did the VCG on my E90, I took extra care while removing the valve cover and thankfully it's fine to this day. As you and I have demonstrated, if you're careful it can definitely be done but the average layperson or mechanic may not be as careful.

[SWFLf10]

Originally Posted by CrippledLucifer

I recall reading it's because the cover tends to crack while removing it from the car so it's easier to just replace the whole thing in addition to the gasket as a precautionary measure. You wouldn't want to put everything back together only for the cover itself to leak. When I did the VCG on my E90, I took extra care while removing the valve cover and thankfully it's fine to this day. As you and I have demonstrated, if you're careful it can definitely be done but the average layperson or mechanic may not be as careful.

I played it safe and replaced my whole cover when mine began to leak. The idea is the cover can crack as you’ve mentioned or warp from the heat over time and not seal properly.

I’ve also heard the PCV valve is integrated into the cover so you’re changing that out at the same time.

[ctcarbonari]

Originally Posted by SWFLf10

I played it safe and replaced my whole cover when mine began to leak. The idea is the cover can crack as you’ve mentioned or warp from the heat over time and not seal properly.

I’ve also heard the PCV valve is integrated into the cover so you’re changing that out at the same time.

^This^ (Especially PM on that PCV valve).

No, replacing VC is not always necessary. If I was paying a shop for the work, I might save a few bucks in the short term and not replace the VC.

If I'm doing the work, then I'm damn sure just going to replace the cover. Because of the number of bolts, the tightening sequencing pattern, and how low the torque values are, I would just assume to know that I have a non-warped VC, new PCV valve and will be good to go for at least another 50k+ miles

[ex46fanatic]

Im happy to do the job twice to be honest, it was my first job on the car and i wanted to get familiar with taking it apart. Also - i have experienced a cracked valve cover on my m54 330ci in the past - there is no way i had a crack on the n55. Yes is was smoking slightly, but not in the way i saw when i had a crack on the m54 engine.

It also took about 6 hours to do, i did it really slowly, and quite enjoyed it. Lets see how long an original valve cover can really last. I am aware of the inbuilt pcv system but unsure how long that is good for.

[sdasari]

Thank you so much everyone for your valuable inputs..! Looking forward for the next repairs to be done DIY, will keep you posted!

[sdasari]

Successfully completed the OFHG and coolant gasket guys! The guy gave me O rings to change when I got the gaskets but I haven't found anything like when I changed the gaskets! Do you know where those O rings go? TIA