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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
 
#451 ·
For our X5 the mileage didn't change after the first part of the recall - the EGR valve replacement
After the second part of the recall - SRC mixer, it seems like the mileage dropped with 2 mpg city driving
I'll confirm if that's true after few fill-ups
 
#452 ·
Here are some scenarios on how much more it will cost you assuming the drop is real and you drive the car for 10 years. Other assumptions noted. I estimate it will cost me an additional $2 to $3k. So I figure that's what BMW would owe me to make me indifferent to the mpg drop. I am ignoring the time value of money for now and inflation.

Before I bought my car (I bought a used 2011 X5d) I drove it and others and noted the mileage I was getting (23 - 23.5 mpg). It was a big deciding factor in choosing this vehicle over others. I got even better than that after I bought it. Now I am getting 21. Two months after I bought it.

These are two-way data tables in Excel -- fairly easy to create.
 

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#456 · (Edited)
After few tanks I can confirm 2-3 mpg drop after the SRC mixer recall
The X5 also feels more sluggish than before
I think BMW owes us an explanation. One of the reason we got the diesel is the fuel economy which is almost gone now

I am wondering what will be the mpg if you theoretically do a straight pipe without all these complicated emission components
 
#462 ·
Car was in for third oil change and new tires this week and they did a software update. Had to reinstall my coding for DVD play in motion and removal of welcome screen after update.

This is the second software update I've had in a year. After the first, my urea consumption skyrocketed and gas mileage went down from 32mpg to 30 average. This last gap between 2nd and 3rd oil change was the only one where I had to top off the Urea tank. And I had to put the small two botttles in twice. They checked the tanks at this oil change to see if I had pump issues or leaks and found nothing. And they put in just under 6 gallons, just a tad more than the reported 5.5 gallon capacity of both tanks combined. So not sure what happened but the last software update happened at my 2nd oil change.

I don't expect this software update to fix the problem. To be honest I feel like it will probably make it worse since they don't have to worry about bad press on a car they don't sell anymore. I had to pay for the urea refills in between the oil change even though when I bought the car I was told that normal operation would not require refills between oil changes. My car is a commute car so its just highway miles. The double talk between sales and service is just really starting to bother me.

I was in the process of upgrading to an M3 due to frustration with the 335d issues and a job transfer to a much shorter commute, but a combination of things gave me pause. First, the M3 was taken out of ED pricing right when I was going to order. Second, ED no longer has the two for one airfare pricing. Third, my dealer has cut their loaner car fleet in half and the last 2 visits I've been stuck in a rental. Fourth, the dealer just closed its weekend service hours so now I have to miss work time to get service and the dealer is 40 miles from my office and home. I'm going to keep the 335d at this point, but not sure if I may take a break from BMW at my next purchase.
 
#463 ·
I have confirmed a 5% or 2 MPG drop in fuel economy since the EGR recall. Just went on a 300 mile highway trip today with NO AC. While just under 40 MPG, which is good, it's still is not the 42 MPG I was able to achieve before the recall. At first I thought there was a loss of 10% but half of that was due to AC use.

Hopefully this latest update will restore the MPG. Only time will tell.
 
#464 ·
disappointing...

I have had numerous service issues on my '09 mainly related to the emissions system including a burning smell after shut off and the higher than normal usage of def. Most recently over the past 6 months the "service engine soon" light comes on. 3 trips to the dealer to "replace parts" (temperature sensor twice), the head is off the engine with new parts on order due to a carbon build-up in one of the ports. 56,000 miles and everything is still covered under warranty but this experience does not garner any confidence that the car will be less problematic if and when this issue is resolved and the next issue occurs outside of warranty. Love the power, handling, and mileage on this car, but it should not be this hard to keep a car out of the shop. Great idea, terrible execution.
 
#465 ·
I have had numerous service issues on my '09 mainly related to the emissions system including a burning smell after shut off and the higher than normal usage of def. Most recently over the past 6 months the "service engine soon" light comes on. 3 trips to the dealer to "replace parts" (temperature sensor twice), the head is off the engine with new parts on order due to a carbon build-up in one of the ports. 56,000 miles and everything is still covered under warranty but this experience does not garner any confidence that the car will be less problematic if and when this issue is resolved and the next issue occurs outside of warranty. Love the power, handling, and mileage on this car, but it should not be this hard to keep a car out of the shop. Great idea, terrible execution.
Your comments remind me a lot of my truck. Not that it has had a ton of issues but that particular engine in Fords is notorious for some common problems one of which is injectors. Back when Ford still sold them then it was almost a gurantee that anytime you took the truck in for any sort of service that they would have new ECU programming to put on that was done to try and address the common issues. This went on until basically the trucks/engines were no longer sold or a period of time after they were no longer sold. But did Ford ever figure out a solution to the issues? I don't think so, I paid to put 8 injectors in just last year due to 6 failures over the span of 3-4 months.

I know Ford and BMW are different companies but the same general worry enters my head when I see problems. I must admit though that the occurrence of the same sort of problems for the BMW are nothing at all like the world of those trucks.
 
#469 · (Edited)
37.3 mpg

I just drove 280 miles Seattle to Pullman, trip computer indicated 36.1, hand calculation after fillup in Pullman says 37.3 mpg. I personally don't believe that there has been a loss of mileage with the recall re-programming. GPS says average speed was about 61 mph. Speeds ranged between 74 and 58. This is quite a hilly drive btw.

As I've said before, it's possible - but no-one has yet convinced me - that city driving might be lower than before. But my 'd doesn't show that.
 
#471 ·
So I just got the call about the latest open recall. Campaign # 0013130200
Tried to write down what she read over the phone: Software update for the DDE Digital Diesel Exhaust for selective catalyst reduction. I probably am missing some words or got them wrong but best I could do at work.

Before i have this update apploed, who has gotten the update and what effect did it have on your mileage?

Thx
 
#473 ·
So I just got the call about the latest open recall. Campaign # 0013130200
Tried to write down what she read over the phone: Software update for the DDE Digital Diesel Exhaust for selective catalyst reduction. I probably am missing some words or got them wrong but best I could do at work.

Before i have this update apploed, who has gotten the update and what effect did it have on your mileage?

Thx
In the middle of sorting out related issues . . . here are the details.
 
#472 ·
OK amigos SAD news again!!!!! I did my dyno run last nite and GUESS what? I lost most of my flash from RENNtech(damn it!!) I am so tired of new BMW update, this will be my last update with Them trust on this!! I plan to go to RENNtech again!! to get it bench flashed, I will be doing the 1/2 mile race and we'll see what happens. Keep you posted oh BTW I emailed WAGNER inquiring on the IC to see if it can be shipped to me for the race!! catch u guys next time
 
#474 ·
I took my 335d in for an oil service and the service advisor informed that there was another emissions recall (I didn't receive anything in the mail after the first recall).

They described it on the invoice as an "M57 programming." They also replaced the SCR Mixer.

After driving the 328i loaner, my 335d seemed to be faster than ever. I decided to reset my my MPG right when I got on the freeway (~40 miles from Santa Clara to Santa Cruz with a climb up to 2000 feet). Now this is is a very limited mileage sample, but my MPG indicated 41.5 mpg as I came into to Santa Cruz. Very promising.
 
#477 ·
My car just 'phoned home' and I received an eMail from the dealer indicating it will need:

1. Standard Scope
2. Vehicle Check
3. OPEN RECALL

Just had the Oil service a few months ago, not sure what the 'scope' & 'vehicle check' is. They did a overall check with the oil service. I would think these things would all be kept in sync.

Keeping my fingers crossed the open recall (which I confimed is a DME update) will give back the lost MPG.
 
#478 · (Edited)
Here are my fill-ups before and after the update and SCR Mixer recall. There is no statistically significant difference. Next step is to get the latest (October 2012) open recall -- software update for the emissions and see if it improves. I was hoping someone else did it before me and could provide feedback. There's no going back if mpg heads the wrong way.

before after
22.22 21.96
21.28 23.70
25.76 25.31
25.41 23.86
23.35 25.95
23.17 25.01
25.34 23.23
23.54 25.15
24.70


Two Sample T-Test and Confidence Interval

Two sample T for before vs after

N Mean StDev SE Mean
before 8 23.76 1.62 0.57
after 9 24.32 1.24 0.41

95% CI for mu before - mu after: ( -2.08, 0.96)
T-Test mu before = mu after (vs not =): T = -0.79 P = 0.44 DF = 13
 
#479 ·
Emissions Reprogramming recall

My purchasing dealer wrote me an email advising of another emissions related recall. It is under campaign number 0013130200. Paper work from servicing dealer says open campaign is B13 04 12. I'm confused which number pertains but letting you all know. I believe it is related to the EGR and SCR systems.

I also read of a coming recall concerning a connector between the battery and the fuse box. Go look in the E90 forum. Something about fretting. I discussed this with SA this morning when picking up my D. She said they had no parts for it right now. I have receivec no notice from purchasing nor servicing dealer so can't go forward anyway.
 
#480 ·
Any problems with 35d after Recall 11E A03?

I started the process of buying a '10 35d CPO off lease last weekend and the process has been thwarted by the presence of readiness codes involving the EGR, NoX and O2 sensor heater and one other code. The SA assured me the above recall work has been completed on the vehicle. They are trying to get these codes to clear to pass NY inspection. Reading up on it, it looks like the vehicle has to be started and driven in a very specific way to get the codes to reset so it can pass.

Trying to understand if this is "normal" or if there is someting wrong with this CPO vehicle that they havent figured out yet. If so, I may not take delivery of it.

Anybody have experience with this business of the dealership having to drive the vehicle around for many miles and keep it for several days to get codes to reset (planets to line up) in order to pass inspection?
 
#482 ·
I started the process of buying a '10 35d CPO off lease last weekend and the process has been thwarted by the presence of readiness codes involving the EGR, NoX and O2 sensor heater and one other code. The SA assured me the above recall work has been completed on the vehicle. They are trying to get these codes to clear to pass NY inspection. Reading up on it, it looks like the vehicle has to be started and driven in a very specific way to get the codes to reset so it can pass.

Trying to understand if this is "normal" or if there is someting wrong with this CPO vehicle that they havent figured out yet. If so, I may not take delivery of it.

Anybody have experience with this business of the dealership having to drive the vehicle around for many miles and keep it for several days to get codes to reset (planets to line up) in order to pass inspection?
Yes this is true. You do need to drive it around before the ECU will let you do the inspection. It is designed to prevent people from driving into an inspection facility with codes, then resetting them, passing the inspection and not solving the issues.
 
#483 · (Edited)
Sneaky little b@stards!

I reset my own codes, when they are indeed resetable, and don't have to wait to get the "all clear". I do this with my Garmin HD Ecoroute. Some codes are not resetable and only the dealer can resolve them. For example a low washer fluid would be a hard triggered code. You can't reset it, you would have to resolve the problem first and it should clear itself. Some codes may not clear by them selves and must be reset with a tool. Others are just nuisance where the sensor may send a false signal for a short period and then it recovers. When the computer scans this it triggers the code and it may or may not clear once the signal is correct, often times by itself. These are nuisance alarms.

The Garmin Ecoroute also tells me my car is ready for emission testing, even though we don't have to do this is Florida.

I suppose it all depends on what codes are triggered and if they are just nuisance type that are easily resetable or not. I've had BMW reset codes and they return the next day, obviously they did not fix the problem.

I'd let BMW dealer do what they have to do so you can pass the test. Keep note of what codes were triggered, and then if they return in short order you'll have the proof to get them to fix it properly when you return.
 
#484 ·
I have a July 2011 build (one the last 335d's to role off the line in Munich).
Just had the most recent recall done. They reprogrammed the DDE.

I was talking with the SA. He said a couple of interesting things.
1. He said they haven't really seen a lot of carbon build-up problems in the 335d, at least no where near what they see in the 335i and the 535i.
2. He seemed to think it would be possible to do the walnut blasting on the D.

However, they don't see a ton of diesel bimmers. There can't be more than 2 dozen 335d and X5.35d in the entire county. So grain of salt yada yada yada.
 
#485 ·
Wait, not sure what you mean but do you mean to say you don't think there are more than 24 335ds in the country?

Edit: I now see you said 'county'. Sorry for confusion....nobody talks in terms of counties up in these parts.
 
#486 ·
I just took my 335D in to check status of recalls. Dealer said my vehicle was listed, but couldn't explain what the change really accomplished. I've attached a copy of the service record. After driving 50 miles or so, the pickup seems a bit smoother and more lively, but it could just be the nice spring weather here. :) I wish I knew what really was done via the programming.
 

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#487 · (Edited)
I took my d for recall programming after SES light came on last month. After I left the dealer with recall fix SES came on again. Next day they changed NOX sensor.

I notice a vibration noise now every time I cold start the car in the morning and put in Drive and foot on the brake. It sounds like coming from the muffler/catalytic converter in the back until car is warm. I hear this even in 70's temp. No noise when in park, R or N.

Does anyone have any idea what it could be? I am going to get it checked out but it takes 2-3 weeks to get a loaner at closest dealer. I think car has to sit at the delaer overnight for them to hear the noise. I've been there so many times last month for oil change, SES twice, brakes and a lost wheel lock adapter already.

I also had low oil yellow light pop up for the 1st time and this was 400miles after the oil change. I had to add some mobil1 oil diesel version from pepboys at $12 quart. Still monitoring oils levels for a week every few days now.
 
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