2014 x5 35d high pressure fuel pump

[kellydthatisme]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first time on this forum. I have a bit of a situation with my x5 35d and I'm not sure where else to turn. I feel sick about this and BMW has basically told us we're screwed at this point as the warranty is up and there are no active recalls on it for this particular issue. Looking for any insight - comments and suggestions are welcome and greatly appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read my story below.

My husband and I own a 2014 BMW x5 35d with 166,000 miles on it. We purchased this x5 in Canada in July 2014. When my husband and I got married, we decided he would move to the states, so we imported the vehicle a few years after purchase.

On 8/8/23, I was driving home. I was around 1.5 miles from my house, driving at a speed of 35 MPH at time the following incident occurred. The vehicle was working perfectly fine up until this point. There have been no issues aside from the regular maintenance of owing a vehicle of this age. We purchased the x5 brand new and I treated that car like it was my child. It was very well taken care of and garage kept for the last 9 years.

As I was driving, all of a sudden a drive train warning came up and the vehicle slowed down, stalled and shifted into neutral automatically. There were no other warnings or any indication prior to this, which is a bit scary. I was able to veer to into a parking lot safely without a collision. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. It was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was later towed to a BMW dealership for more detailed/further testing. It was determined that the high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) had failed and released metal debris into the entire fuel system and most likely into the engine. The entire fuel system will need to be replaced due to the intrusion of the metal fragments into the fuel system. They quoted the repairs at over $20k USD. This was just to replace the fuel system. I was charged a diagnostics fee and paid that which is fine, because they needed to diagnose the problem.

The vehicle is still with the dealer as of 8/29/23. The above repairs are worth more than the vehicle at this point. I am aware that there is a recall on the HPFP in some 2014 x5 35d's, but unfortunately the VIN on our x5 is not a part of this recall. The dealer won’t even buy it from us at this point. Our only option right now is to get her towed home and listing it on Facebook marketplace with a full disclosure - we have the paperwork from the dealer with exactly what is wrong with it and they also provided us with a print out of all major parts that will be needed to fix this so whoever is interested in purchasing knows what’s up.

I guess the reason I’m on here writing this is because first, has anyone else had this problem or is aware this issue? Second - have we done everything we can do at this point? We called BMW NA and BMW Canada and they both basically said “sorry, there’s nothing we can do”. If there is something we can do about this, what would be the suggestion? The entire reason we bought a diesel engine is because they last longer than gas engines and we were hoping to get 12-15 years out of it. Not 9. At this point my husband wants to just let it go, but we can’t even trade it in or get anything for it unless we sell it for “scrap”. And what if we don’t hang on to it and then a recall comes up where my VIN is included in this? Then what? I don’t know why I have such an emotional attachment to this car, but I feel like I need to keep fighting and I don’t exactly know how to do that or where to turn anymore….


Again, thank you for your time in reading this, it is greatly appreciated!

[RED_Y_]

Have you ever replaced your fuel filter? In theory you can try to get all the work done by indy shop instead of the dealership and it would probably cost way less. It makes no sense to pay $20K to fix it, you can just buy another car for the same amount.

[mrrsharma@yahoo.com]

Your best bet is to try to sell it for $10k if you can get that… the hpfp is over $1k for the part alone, you could try to clean the full fuel system but the shaving are really fine. Tune my euro sells a 5 micron filter for the x5
N57 that might clear everything engine bay back. But then the hpfp and the injectors and line will need to be replaced. Even after all that there is a chance the block was scored, in which case the engine needs a rebuild or replacement.

[danasn]

Make sure to file a complaint with NHTSA ! Its a safety issue and I cant understand why 2014 and 15 models dont come up on the recall.. Recall document clearly includes all years 2014-2018

https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index

Keep the receipt for all the work. At some point you will get reimbursed.

[kellydthatisme]

Hi! I did file a complaint with the NHTSA last week. I don't understand it either. Thank you for your input!

[crystalworks]

Sorry to hear. This is my worst fear with owning a diesel BMW. Other things are bad, this one is catastrophic. The recall affects a tiny 11,216 vehicles (don't know how BMW determined that) across 5 chassis. Your VIN (and mine) aren't on the list I suppose.

With 166k miles on it, the HPFP is an overdue maintenance item... unfortunately. Sounds silly I know. BMW isn't the only one with problems with these Bosch (I think that's the manufacturer) pumps. There are preventative solutions like the after filter to protect the fuel system downstream in case of a failure, but that obviously doesn't help you at this point.

Unfortunately, you'll probably have to just list it privately and get what you can for it. Selling to someone who is going to try and replace the HPFP, flush the fuel system, look at the cylinders/clean them, and then going to start it and send it.

You could have your indy do all of the above but not be guaranteed it will be okay afterwards. The pump grenades into tiny particles of metal. Good luck, again, sorry for your situ... looks like a very nice and well cared for X5.

[TorontoCorrado]

Hi there, same happened to my 2015 X5 last night. My Indy is estimating $20k. Dropping it off at the dealer tomorrow for them to diagnose and then I’m going to try and ask for some goodwill. Hoping they could cover some cost. But from reading your post, I’m guessing they won’t.

Mine has 240k and I spent $10k last year on the timing chain, and the previous year the DPF and SCR were replaced under warranty (EGR cooler recall - consequential damage).

Hence why I’m really disappointed in the situation I’m in.

Curious what happened in your case. Did you manage to sell as is and if so, for how much?

[m4forum]

I am reading this and wonder what exactly the consequence of a failure on high pressure pump. if it releases metal debris into the high pressure rail I understand the injectors can be contaminated but the orifices on them are so small that I don see how the engine can get damaged.
The replacement of high pressure requires engine drop or transmission drop as it is located on the back side of the engine. Last time I quote the timing chain replacement at a deater was around 5k.
Would appreciate to understand why 20k. What they are replacing?

[Clifton]

Originally Posted by m4forum

I am reading this and wonder what exactly the consequence of a failure on high pressure pump. if it releases metal debris into the high pressure rail I understand the injectors can be contaminated but the orifices on them are so small that I don see how the engine can get damaged.
The replacement of high pressure requires engine drop or transmission drop as it is located on the back side of the engine. Last time I quote the timing chain replacement at a deater was around 5k.
Would appreciate to understand why 20k. What they are replacing?

If I recall, when the HPFP sh!ts the bed, it contaminates: Injectors, fuel rails, return lines, fuel tank, fuel pump (low pressure), fuel supply line, filter and a bunch of other ancillary goodies.

Also, I do not think the HPFP requires engine or tranny drop. I lives under the intake plenum near the firewall. It's the cover to the camshaft sprocket (see image) driving the high pressure pump that's on the back side of the engine. That's where it gets snug.

Image is back side of engine which kisses the firewall. The HPFP lives in the upper Left of #1, Cam sprocket #1, and tranny mounts lower right of #1.

[m4forum]

understand. The HPFP has a key which connects to the sprocket.
Regarding contamination of the system -> replacing every single component in contact with fuel seems a little bit too much because most of them have filters. The injectors would be the most sensitive but the remaining should be ok.
Once the filter passes the inline filter is clean.

[m4forum]

just curious what happened at the end

[Clifton]

Originally Posted by m4forum

Regarding contamination of the system -> replacing every single component in contact with fuel seems a little bit too much because most of them have filters. The injectors would be the most sensitive but the remaining should be ok.
Once the filter passes the inline filter is clean.

Imagine a glitter bomb going off inside the interior of you car then going to a local Carwash for a wash and vac. Glitter is still going to be present afterwards.

I don't think the factory in-line filter is fine enough to stop micro shrapnel. There are aftermarket filters that can be added that should help.

Your point is not lost about only replacing the parts most sensitive to contamination. The rationale against that option is why replace the injectors $600/each, for example, to risk exposing them to contamination that's still lingering in the fuel delivery system.

Worth noting, if you replace the entire fuel system, you have a warranty. Replace targeted parts, you risk warranty push back plus mechanical breakdown.