BMW will recall diesel models to fix emissions glitch

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.

Originally Posted by Stevarino

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.

Originally Posted by Stevarino

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.

Any mention of new software? I wonder if some of the recalls will be parts only...

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.

@ 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.

Originally Posted by Axel61

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!!!

Voluntary Emissions Recall Campaign 11E-A03: Check and/or Replace Emissions Monitoring Components

E70 and E90 with the M57Y engine produced from January 2010 to March 2011

Note: There is another recall for nearly the same exact thing which covers X5d and 335d models that were produced from April 2009 to March 2010 and yet another that covers January 2008 to September 2009.

Originally Posted by BB_cuda

@ 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.

I have had great luck with Midtown. I had HORRIBLE luck with North.

Originally Posted by Jim E.

Voluntary Emissions Recall Campaign 11E-A03: Check and/or Replace Emissions Monitoring Components

E70 and E90 with the M57Y engine produced from January 2010 to March 2011

Note: There is another recall for nearly the same exact thing which covers X5d and 335d models that were produced from April 2009 to March 2010 and yet another that covers January 2008 to September 2009.

My car was built in 1/2010. The recall number is also 11E-A03. But it's labelled "SCR Catylist, EGR Valve, and/or DEF Mixer and ECU Software Reflash. In the body of the letter it states that it is for "....certain 2009, 2010, and 2011 model year BMW automobiles with diesel engines...may fail to meet USA EPA ...requirements."

The SA said - best to bring it in on Monday - so that they have the whole week to work on it. He also said bring it in early so that I have the pick of the loaners - maybe a '12 328 with sport?? If I have it for a week I'll definitely be checking out the autostop feature with the AC running.

Make them give you the M6 loaner ....

Glad to hear of your positive experience re: Adv Midtown.

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

Saw a black 335d on Westheimer today. I see more chevy Volts than diesel 3s.

Originally Posted by Snipe656

I have had great luck with Midtown. I had HORRIBLE luck with North.

Originally Posted by dThree35

Glad to hear of your positive experience re: Adv Midtown.

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

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Snipe656

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.

Originally Posted by BB_cuda

@ 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.

BB_cuda, I use BMW West for my 335d because of the close proximity to my office. I'm very happy with their services. You might want to call ahead prior to bring your d there because I have their last EGR valve today. They are expecting another shipment next week.

Got my recall notice yesterday. I'm 3000 miles from my next service. Can I get the done at the same time?

I have 3300 miles until my next service, according to the service indicator; I have scheduled that service for June 28. My service advisor at Passport BMW in Maryland advised that I could wait until then, since the SES warning indicator was not showing.

Originally Posted by 335dlover

I have 3300 miles until my next service, according to the service indicator; I have scheduled that service for June 28. My service advisor at Passport BMW in Maryland advised that I could wait until then, since the SES warning indicator was not showing.

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.

Glad to hear no performance loss post recall. N4S

Originally Posted by Snipe656

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.

The SES indicates a fault code in the vehicle, not that service is overdue. When service is overdue, another icon shows in the dash, I believe it looks something like a wrench. Do not confuse the two. When the SES light comes on, it is best to have it looked at by a mechanic.

Originally Posted by 335dlover

The SES indicates a fault code in the vehicle, not that service is overdue. When service is overdue, another icon shows in the dash, I believe it looks something like a wrench. Do not confuse the two. When the SES light comes on, it is best to have it looked at by a mechanic.

I just quit caring for this car. Not going to rearrange my already hectic schedule for yet again another SES light on it. Not once has a prior one actually been for anything important. If what you say is true about service overdue though then I question why 1700 miles past due I still get nothing of the sort and SES light turned on at some point post overdue so that should have nothing to do with why I never have seen this other light you are mentioning.

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/sho...0&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.

October 1, 2009 build
Recall: drooped off Wednesday.
SA said Cat must be replaced.
Part ordered on Friday.
Expected pickup Tuesday.

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.

Originally Posted by Snipe656

I just quit caring for this car. Not going to rearrange my already hectic schedule for yet again another SES light on it. Not once has a prior one actually been for anything important. If what you say is true about service overdue though then I question why 1700 miles past due I still get nothing of the sort and SES light turned on at some point post overdue so that should have nothing to do with why I never have seen this other light you are mentioning.

Care to share the vin so that all the people here that actually care about there vehicles don't accidentally pick up yours on the used market?



Jay

Originally Posted by Snipe656

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.

It is sad how an otherwise pretty amazing car can leave such a bad taste in your mouth because of crappy dealer support.

So far my car has been fantastic. Minimum issues, typical of what most of us have seen here. Dealer has only had my car a total of 3 times in almost 3 years. All issues resolved first time. So I have no complaints.

Originally Posted by Jim E.

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/sho...0&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.