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BMW will recall diesel models to fix emissions glitch

90K views 490 replies 88 participants last post by  floydarogers 
#1 · (Edited)
About 2,740 2011 and 2012 model year X5 xDrive 50i and X6 xDrive 50i vehicles, and 21,600 3-series diesel models, will be recalled, the automaker said. The recalls are scheduled for May 9, with a customer letter to follow, BMW North America spokesman Dirk Arnold said.

BMW said certain emissions components, including the SCR catalyst, the DEF mixer and the EGR valve, may improperly overstate vehicle mileage, causing emissions standards to be exceeded and the illumination of the "Service Engine Soon" light.
Follow link to Automotive News at site: http://topics.dallasnews.com/article/00eF7ro9rc09g?q=California
 
#86 ·
Who knows for sure, I still speculate the root issue of those head replacements was EGR related. But seemed like the dealers never really knew the reasons and more or less were tossing parts at cars.

Letter says they require a day to complete it. I'm planning they will need 3 days at least.

1st day to receive the car, 2nd day to figure out what they need to do to it, 3rd day to redo what they did on 2nd day and verify it. Heck, I'll give them a full 5 days.:yikes:
That sounds about right but do not forget about day 6 when you pick it up and the SES light turns on during your trip home. So you can find out next time you are there they still did the job wrong.
 
#88 ·
Can ANYONE please ANYONE give us the recall number!! I have called BMWA and they say my car is not up ANY recall upgrades that also includes the AC belt issue. I believe theyre blowing smoke up my ass!! Guys anyone know what recall number is? Gracias!!! I need to know cause if so I can have the ECU flashed by BMW and then fly into RENNtech and have mines flashed again by them and later do dyno runs!!!
 
#93 ·
Ok amigos the dealer told that w/o a letter they cannot go thru so this what i wrote BMWA and is as follows:


Good day. I am a PROUD owner of 2011 335d, but I have had the SES light come up on me a various of times and then turn off by itself a day or two later. I have called on various occassions to CR center and they have told me my car is not been selected on this recall. It is a known issue through out the DIESEL community and many owners have been notified already. I have also gone to Autogermana in Puerto Rico and SA stated the same as to no recalls on my vehicle. My mileage has gone down a little, but, I still love my car. Can you please have this Campaign issue sent to me via offical letter since Autogermana has just notified me that without a Campaign number there is nothing they can do for me. Please you prompt response is requested. Gracias!!!!!

I asked them to send info via email and we'll wait and see
 
#95 ·
@bayoucity Let me know I believe our Bimmer fest will be in late August on early September, will keep u posted. Yep beer and CAñITA!!! LOL. You coming alone or wifey, cause old girl has a Grillete on me jajajajjajaja. Hey Invite Pedser he is Boricua too but in North Dakota WTF!!
 
#97 ·
I inquired through my salesperson about the recall and was told my car is not eligible for any recalls at this time (per their email communication with representatives in Munich). My car was built in August of 2011, so perhaps I already have the improved parts.
 
#99 ·
So far have not received any official letter from BMW Canada but on Tuesday my SA checked my VIN and booked me in for the recall service today.

I dropped my D off at the Dealer first thing this morning and was told it should be ready tomorrow.

I had a chat with my SA about the reliability of the D.
He said so far there have not been any thing major but at his dealership most of the D owners have not put high mileage. My D now is 140 miles to the end of the warranty and I have decided not to purchase any extended warranty.
 
#137 ·
Hey DC-IT, when I took my car in for scheduled maintenance a couple of months ago, my SA was talking about overall reliability with the 335d and was saying that they have a few customers on the the books with 100k+ miles on 'em (160+km's in Canadian money) and they haven't had any major issues.

It's only anecdotal, but if it helps!
 
#101 ·
Recall completed

Picked up car this morning with the recall complete.
No noticable change in the way the car runs.
The worksheet says they replaced: 1 EGR valve, 1 O-ring, and 1 Rubber seal.

The only thing worth mentioning is how nice the new 2012 328i loaner was. They have finally got the transmission right. That 8 speed is silky smooth. The turbo hooked up to the 4 banger was giving me adequate performance when needed along with 35 mpg. One leg I babied it and got 43 mpg. I don't think I could get used to the engine shutting down at every stop. You can turn that feature off but you have to remember to do it.
 
#102 ·
The only thing worth mentioning is how nice the new 2012 328i loaner was. They have finally got the transmission right. That 8 speed is silky smooth. The turbo hooked up to the 4 banger was giving me adequate performance when needed along with 35 mpg. One leg I babied it and got 43 mpg. I don't think I could get used to the engine shutting down at every stop. You can turn that feature off but you have to remember to do it.
Wonder if they got away from GM automatics going into this year. Do you know if it shuts off if the AC is on? I read some new car with the start/stop feature will not turn off at lights if your AC is on.
 
#104 · (Edited)
Reprogram

The sheet says: "EGR replacement and programming".
Apparantly it took two tries.
"Failed Programming, 1st Programming Failed, Performed Complete Encoding due to Programming Failure in CAS and FRM. Checked OK".

The 328i I thnk has a brand new ZF 8 speed automatic. The loaner car did not have paddle shifters but I had a blast playing with the 8 gears using the shift lever in sport mode.
When the car was stopped at a long light with the air on, the engine would eventually restart. It has electric power steering so the engine would restart if you moved the steering wheel more than an inch or so.
I think if I ever bought one I would have to figure out how to permanetly reverse the engine shutdown feature. Instead of having to remember to turn it "OFF" to prevent engine auto shutdown, I would want to be able to select it "ON" if I felt the need to save that last cup of gas.

I think the real reason the car gets such good milage is the perfect combination of an 8 speed transmission with a turbo engine that is putting out serious torque at 1250 rpm. As long as you are not heavy on the gas pedal, it was getting 35-43 mpg on the highway. Also,I think BMWs mpg numbers are correct and the EPA must have tested the 328i with a boat and trailer attached to it.

In the end, I was glad to be back in my rock solid 335d that has real power and gets great milage without all the engine flameouts.
 
#105 ·
@ Snipe and Bayoucity (and any other houston area owners): Any particular dealer you think knows diesel better than the others? My default plan is to take it in to Advantage/midtown. A coworker says to stay the h$ll away from advantage/ clear lake. I got the letter middle of this week. The SES light came on last Saturday morning and then went off about an hour later. I drove it to Arlington and back over the weekend and the mileage was similar to before.
 
#111 ·
Glad to hear of your positive experience re: Adv Midtown.

Guess with my build date I won't get the recall. :thumbup: :)

Saw a black 335d on Westheimer today. I see more chevy Volts than diesel 3s.
I see an equal amount of Volts and diesel 3s. Someone here told me more Volts are showing up on the roads due to GM doing some great leases on them now.

To elaborate on my experience with Midtown and North. North had my car for around a month to replace a faulty sensor specific to diesel BMW vehicles across the globe. When I went to pick it up I saw the SES light was on before I even got back into the thing. They gave me some story about how BMW is having all sorts of problems with those sensors and how they are coming out with a replacement design soon and how even keeps happening to some lady's X5 that works at the dealership. I felt like I was being lied to and opted to take the car. After another month of leaving the car parked and going back and forth with BMWNA and looking online for any example of this sensor actually being bad then BMWNA advised me to go to another dealership. So I took it to Midtown and within hours they saw the problem, North hooked up the vacuum lines backwards but they also left some wire looms out of hooks and did not fully put on the engine cover. BMWNA refused to pay Midtown the $1k or so bill to fix what North messed up. North initially refused to pay for it but eventually Midtown convinced them into paying. So even though my car was fixed the very day Midtown got it, it took a week or so of waiting for them to get paid so I could get the car back. That whole episode started before I owned the car even 4 months and combined with being lied to when I bought the car it just has been a thorn in my side with BMW in general even though it solely is that North dealership.

So I never again will go to North nor it's sister dealership in the Woodlands. My neighbor had some bad experience with his 330i at North and switched to the Woodlands out of pure aggravation with North.
 
#112 ·
Had some friends get rid of an X5 and switch to Lexus based purely on their aggravation with North. That was 4 years ago. Today they are in a Merc SUV of some kind.

I see an equal amount of Volts and diesel 3s. Someone here told me more Volts are showing up on the roads due to GM doing some great leases on them now.

To elaborate on my experience with Midtown and North. North had my car for around a month to replace a faulty sensor specific to diesel BMW vehicles across the globe. When I went to pick it up I saw the SES light was on before I even got back into the thing. They gave me some story about how BMW is having all sorts of problems with those sensors and how they are coming out with a replacement design soon and how even keeps happening to some lady's X5 that works at the dealership. I felt like I was being lied to and opted to take the car. After another month of leaving the car parked and going back and forth with BMWNA and looking online for any example of this sensor actually being bad then BMWNA advised me to go to another dealership. So I took it to Midtown and within hours they saw the problem, North hooked up the vacuum lines backwards but they also left some wire looms out of hooks and did not fully put on the engine cover. BMWNA refused to pay Midtown the $1k or so bill to fix what North messed up. North initially refused to pay for it but eventually Midtown convinced them into paying. So even though my car was fixed the very day Midtown got it, it took a week or so of waiting for them to get paid so I could get the car back. That whole episode started before I owned the car even 4 months and combined with being lied to when I bought the car it just has been a thorn in my side with BMW in general even though it solely is that North dealership.

So I never again will go to North nor it's sister dealership in the Woodlands. My neighbor had some bad experience with his 330i at North and switched to the Woodlands out of pure aggravation with North.
 
#135 ·
HA HA Joke's on me... I took the car in this am. I had a choice of either a black or silver '11 328. Well I guess it's better than an Enterprise loaner.....

No '12 328 for me. :mad:

I talked the SA into pre-ordering the parts req'd. for the recall from BMW's warehouse in Jacksonville. So if it does require a new EGR, I'll probably get the car back on Wed assuming they need a day to reflash after they get the parts.
 
#116 ·
Based upon the wording of the letter I am in zero rush to get this recall done. I am overdue for some service and have an SES(guessing because overdue). I don't plan on bringing up the recall until I am dropping the car off for the other stuff. If they can't do it then, then the car comes back in a few months for rear brakes. If they can't do it then, then car comes in for an oil change a couple months after that. If they can't do it then, well the pattern should be obvious by now.
 
#120 ·
I posted this over in the E70 X5 forum and I believe it's even more important to post it on this diesel forum:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6844870&postcount=60

Ok, now that I've had some time to really look into this, I believe I can shed some light on all this recall confusion. Why? I have two diesels (E90 and X5) and a friend also has an E90 diesel all of which cover this recall. In reality, it is actually THREE different recalls that each depend on engine production dates.

All three recall notices deal with the same exact subject: "Voluntary Emissions Recall Campaign 11E-A03: Check and/or Replace Emissions Monitoring Components"

In chronological order:

#1. SIB 18 02 12 covers - E70 and E90 with the M57Y engine produced from January 2008 to September 2009.

#2. SIB 18 03 12 covers - E70 and E90 with the M57Y engine produced from April 2009 to March 2010.

#3. SIB 11 04 12 covers - E70 and E90 with the M57Y engine produced from January 2010 to March 2011.

Recall #1 above requires the dealer to check the SCR part number. If the part number is NOT 18308509753 (E70) or 18308509750 (E90), the SCR catalyst will need to be replaced.

The next part of recall #1 deals with the "mixer." If your mixer has a "multiple fin" arrangement, then it will need to be replaced with P/N 18308513445 (E70) or P/N 18308512438 (E90) which are single fins. Single fins basically look like a jet turbine fins at the intake. Each fin is a solid single straight fin.

The last part of recall #1 is to inspect the EGR and replace it if it's the old style with (P/N 11 71 8 517 217 or P/N 11 71 8 512 526)

Recall #2 only deals with the mixer and EGR. This means that at some point in production, they started to install the new SCR part.

Recall #3 only deals with the EGR which means that at some point in production, they also started to use the new style mixer and only need to address the EGR.

Hope this helps.
 
#125 · (Edited)
I posted this over in the E70 X5 forum and I believe it's even more important to post it on this diesel forum:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6844870&postcount=60
Jim, would it be okay if I post your analysis on another forum? I don't want to use it without attribution, but as you wrote, this is important info and will really help clarify things for d owners.

Also, do you think that all 3 recalls will require software? I'm looking at recall 3 (May 2010 production), and I wonder if new software will be needed for an EGR replacement.
 
#122 ·
So far no letter here. However I just moved and my mail has not yet forwarded. Also I have a July '11 build so it looks like I'm not covered by any of these.

Here's hoping I got some updated parts/software already.

FYI just did a 5 day 2500 mile cross-country trip in the 335d and she performed spectacularly. Got about 38 mpg and not so much as a hiccup.
 
#132 ·
@Jim E. thanks for the info, my car was built on June 2011. My friend who deals with BMW and has the BMW program read this out to me the last time we had the SES on

Fault code :

4B82- Exhaust recirculation-rate control,control deviation
4862 Air system, air to EGR mass flow,plausibility (I noticed the intake clamp was loose , and I tighten it up)

It was running smooth for a while and then the light comes and goes, but lately I have been getting TERRIBLE mileage on my car and I believed this EGR issue is what is causing this, but with out the RECALL letter BMW WILL NOT do anything here in Puerto Rico!!!!!
 
#133 · (Edited)
It was running smooth for a while and then the light comes and goes, but lately I have been getting TERRIBLE mileage on my car and I believed this EGR issue is what is causing this, but with out the RECALL letter BMW WILL NOT do anything here in Puerto Rico!!!!!
So what if they will not do anything about the recall without the letter. Sounds like your car clearly has a problem, perhaps completely unrelated to the recall, I'd take it in with the complaint of horrible fuel consumption and random SES light. Let them figure out the root cause and fix to the problem.
 
#134 ·
@Snipe656 I did not think that way, will make plans to get car to dealer soon and see WTF is happening to it, although they will reflash the ECU at least it will get repaired if by all means it has to!!! I am planning in going to Florida soon to see my son he works for JET Blue and i fly for free!!! ;) and then get reflash by RENNtech again.
 
#136 ·
I took my 335d in for the recall and they replaced the EGR and re-flashed. I told them I was in no rush and to take their time and bump me if necessary, so they did have the car 2 days. I am also friendly with my SA and managed to get a 2012 328i loaner, but sadly I had a surgical procedure booked and couldn't take advantage and give her a good run, that said, the 328i is no match for the 335d. I felt that the engine was a bit harsh - if peppier than the outgoing 6 cyl - and the tires were very noisy (I replaced my conti run flats with Bridgestones). What I can say, is I really wish I could have that 8 speed tranny in my d, especially if it was programmed for the d which the existing 6 spd so obviously isn't!
 
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