HELP! 17 X5M with 52k miles Complete Engine Failure

[P1]

If I recall correctly, didn't you start a thread stating how either you or your wife regretted trading in a Range Rover for the X5M?

Either way, very sorry to see what took place here. Quite shocked a vehicle of this age and miles could have a catastrophic failure such as you've experienced.

Fingers crossed BMW corporate will assist in the repair.

[Bankerbry]

Originally Posted by YvesD

Hopefully not as bad as it first appears?

Did you hear any catastrophic noises at the time or did it just cut out silently?

Ive only had one engine blow up on me (not a BMW) and there was no doubt it was terminal, you can hear stuff inside the engine smashing itself to bits!

Hope this turns out ok for you 👍

It turned out to be the absolute worst case scenario! Internal engine failure. The mechanic said that the oil looked like metallic paint due to having metal shavings from the engine.
BMW has no explanation of what caused this and with the vehicle being 5 months out of warranty it looks like I'm stuck with a $28k bill!
I'm not even sure that I want to spend the money to repair it. One thing is for sure, I will never own another BMW. Every one I've owned has been plagued with service issues and poor reliability.
This is beyond what I could have ever imagined with a 52k mile vehicle.

[Bankerbry]

Yes, I sure did!! This pretty much seals the deal.

[Bankerbry]

Originally Posted by bmwx5er

Sorry this happened, I hope BMW steps up and helps you. If you have a good relationship with your dealership, they should be able to goodwill 95% of the repairs, given age and mileage.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...35010-9999.pdf

Based on where you live or bought the car, check to see if CARB emissions warranty might be able to help you.

Thank you so much for this information, I will inquire about this tomorrow.

[Bankerbry]

Originally Posted by slow_roll

Have to ask.. If the car is maintained, how can this have happened? You normally don't get this much metal filings in the oil unless it's been neglected for a very long time and/or lots of abuse/over the top spirited driving/etc...

I have the same question! How can this happen?!
I've only owned the vehicle for a couple of months, but I did look at the service history which appeared to be good.
I know since we've owned it, it's been driven lightly. Regardless, these vehicles are built to perform. This definitely should not have happened.

[Herofmine]

BMW NA uses and recommends wrong oil for these cars, Concentration of gas in states is different than EU. I never do oil changes at dealer and mostly dealer oil serviced cars blow engines (stock cars).

2nd option could be that previous owner of your car ran a tune and abused the car and you had to eat it.

3rd just defective engine.

[BMWNYC1]

They have no idea what caused this? Rod bearing failure possibly. Otherwise, if there was oil, I can't think of any way you threw a rod at 52k miles. The milage rules out a manufactures defect, this means it has to be something that was worn excessively. The only explanation is a rod bearing leading to a loose rod causing all kinds of damage.

[9vapors]

Originally Posted by BMWNYC1

They have no idea what caused this? Rod bearing failure possibly. Otherwise, if there was oil, I can't think of any way you threw a rod at 52k miles. The milage rules out a manufactures defect, this means it has to be something that was worn excessively. The only explanation is a rod bearing leading to a loose rod causing all kinds of damage.

I would think something like that, but before an engine grenades there is usually some indications, for example at oil changes, they would have seen the metal in it. Sounds or knock etc. I just don't get it and it's pretty scary.

[BMWNYC1]

Originally Posted by 9vapors

I would think something like that, but before an engine grenades there is usually some indications, for example at oil changes, they would have seen the metal in it. Sounds or knock etc. I just don't get it and it's pretty scary.

This is strange, I'm looking forward to seeing the cause but like I said it had oil and since there were shavings it means there was likely some sort of rod issue. I would love to get a peek at my rod bearings and replace those suckers.

[8202632]

Interested to hear more details as they become available. Hard to provide much help without much more detail. Sorry about your misfortune. I was just saying to myself the other day how much I love my X5M. People at the office were asking me what I was gonna get next and I told them I didn’t want anything else at this time!!! Which is a complete opposite statement to what they would expect me to say!!!

[Bankerbry]

Originally Posted by BMWNYC1

They have no idea what caused this? Rod bearing failure possibly. Otherwise, if there was oil, I can't think of any way you threw a rod at 52k miles. The milage rules out a manufactures defect, this means it has to be something that was worn excessively. The only explanation is a rod bearing leading to a loose rod causing all kinds of damage.

I hope to find out more information today, I will keep you posted.

[slow_roll]

Hope OP gets this sorted out. Such a shame to see stuff like happened even if OP has deep pockets per his forum handle (BankerBry)

Jokes aside, this is a great lesson for all of us buying a new or used vehicle. It's worth the extra elbow grease to do some basic maintenance yourself in addition to being a lil OCD. Picked up my 2018 earlier this month. First thing I did before driving it anywhere was an oil change at home with 0W40 Liqui Moly and general look and poke inspection. A good peace of mind to ensure all is well before putting it to work.

[BMWNYC1]

Originally Posted by slow_roll

Hope OP gets this sorted out. Such a shame to see stuff like happened even if OP has deep pockets per his forum handle (BankerBry)

Jokes aside, this is a great lesson for all of us buying a new or used vehicle. It's worth the extra elbow grease to do some basic maintenance yourself in addition to being a lil OCD. Picked up my 2018 earlier this month. First thing I did before driving it anywhere was an oil change at home with 0W40 Liqui Moly and general look and poke inspection. A good peace of mind to ensure all is well before putting it to work.

Yea most important is to make sure the oil is there lol. Most of these grenade engines spring a leak and are ran on little to no oil. I change my oil every other season.

[9vapors]

So to piggyback off of this, what is the oil we are supposed to be running? I keep seeing that the dealer recommends the incorrect oil etc…

[Blue By You]

Originally Posted by 9vapors

So to piggyback off of this, what is the oil we are supposed to be running? I keep seeing that the dealer recommends the incorrect oil etc…

There is an ENTIRE string about oil that you can search and go blind with...

Let me sum it up for you my way.

I used the OEM BMW 0W30 LL01-FE oil while I figured out what I wanted to do and before I confirmed with my tech what I can use.

Based on confirmation from my tech, moving forward I am using Red Line 0W30 LL01-FE compliant in the colder months and will likely use Motul Sport 5W40 in warmer months.

Red Line - https://www.redlineoil.com/0w30-motor-oil

Motul Sport - https://www.motul.com/us/en/products/sport-5w40

Feel free to save yourself some research time and leverage my time investment! The Motul Sport 5W40 has the lowest Noack value (evaporation) and the highest flash point (burn temp) out of anything else that I've seen people running in a 5W40 oil. (I am self-taught through this forum, online resources like Bob The Oil Guy etc., and my techs)

The Motul Sport 5W40 is LL01 compliant but not LL01-FE compliant which is spec'ed in my vehicle's manual and onboard computer. Nonetheless my tech says it should be fine and there are plenty of people on here running other versions of 5W40. Not that I know more than anyone else, but most people have no idea what Noack value or flash point are, and haven't done the research that I have.

And some people are running 5W50 which might be good for a super tuned vehicle, but as far as I can tell is overkill for anything but.

For what it's worth, hope it helps!

[blackoutF15]

Sorry to hear about your experience as I can relate myself. Similarly my last car was a Land Rover which I bought it brand new 5 years ago. After a year plus owning it, I had the exact same incident on the freeway where the car lost power, went into limbo. It was dangerous as I was in the fast lane with my 3 year old daughter in the car. Luckily no one was behind us. Towed to the dealership then found out it needed a new engine. I was in a loaner from enterprise for a month and half until I got the car back. Drove it for another year or less, the turbos were blown. Had them replaced under warranty again. Finally at the beginning of last year, another engine problem. Car was shaking and engine misfired. I took it to my friends mechanic shop because it was no longer under warranty, he determine several pistons had to be replaced and that meant - another engine replacement! I got rid of it right away and now in an x5. I'm much happier now. I hope you find a fair resolution soon.

[Sophisticated Redneck]

Originally Posted by Bankerbry

I have the same question! How can this happen?!
I've only owned the vehicle for a couple of months, but I did look at the service history which appeared to be good.
I know since we've owned it, it's been driven lightly. Regardless, these vehicles are built to perform. This definitely should not have happened.

Catastrophic failure like this at such low mileage can only be caused by one of the two reasons: Absolute negligence (running out of oil, failure to change oil, etc) or Absolute mechanical failure either through a manufacturing defect or abuse.

Assuming you are like most M owners, we can rule out negligence and abuse. This leaves is only with a manufacturing defect, either in assembly or in a part itself.

I would be highly suspect of your oil pump chain and oil pump sprocket. It is unusual for an engine with such low mileage to have issues with these however it's not impossible. Three tiny little bolts hold on the oil pump sprocket and they have been known to come loose. The Chain has no tensioner and can become loose too (I made a video on it below).

I would have your mechanic pull the lower pan, which is super easy to do on the X5, and inspect the chain and sprocket.

If your oil pump checks out, I would be highly suspect of foreign debris left over from the manufacturing process clogging an oil passage.

The very last and this is a bit of stretch at only 55k miles but a completely clogged CCV tubes can cause oil dilution over time but again this is pretty unlikely unless you are going 15k+ miles between changes but have your mechanic check the CCV system next if no other issues are found.

[4everkidd]

Originally Posted by X5eM

I think RK Autowerks also does engine rebuilds? Guy on the forums here worked with them for his x5 although I don't believe he blew his engine and I'm unfamiliar with the process. Just spitballing to see if anything could be less costly.

Any other option will be less costly.

Source a used S63TU out of a wrecked M is an option however you accept the risk of the unknown.

Find a reputable shop to do a full rebuild; Carbahn, RK, etc. from what I understand the S63TU is an absolute nightmare to work on.

Example locally was a failed crank hub on an F80 M3; local dealer wanted north of 35G to replace the motor and he ended up having the work done for 8K at a local Indy BMW shop.

[Bankerbry]

[QUOTE=Sophisticated Redneck;28408294]Catastrophic failure like this at such low mileage can only be caused by one of the two reasons: Absolute negligence (running out of oil, failure to change oil, etc) or Absolute mechanical failure either through a manufacturing defect or abuse.

Assuming you are like most M owners, we can rule out negligence and abuse. This leaves is only with a manufacturing defect, either in assembly or in a part itself.

I would be highly suspect of your oil pump chain and oil pump sprocket. It is unusual for an engine with such low mileage to have issues with these however it's not impossible. Three tiny little bolts hold on the oil pump sprocket and they have been known to come loose. The Chain has no tensioner and can become loose too (I made a video on it below).

I would have your mechanic pull the lower pan, which is super easy to do on the X5, and inspect the chain and sprocket.


Thank you so much for this information. I will pass this on to the mechanic tomorrow and keep you posted.
I appreciate you!

[Bankerbry]

Originally Posted by blackoutF15

Sorry to hear about your experience as I can relate myself. Similarly my last car was a Land Rover which I bought it brand new 5 years ago. After a year plus owning it, I had the exact same incident on the freeway where the car lost power, went into limbo. It was dangerous as I was in the fast lane with my 3 year old daughter in the car. Luckily no one was behind us. Towed to the dealership then found out it needed a new engine. I was in a loaner from enterprise for a month and half until I got the car back. Drove it for another year or less, the turbos were blown. Had them replaced under warranty again. Finally at the beginning of last year, another engine problem. Car was shaking and engine misfired. I took it to my friends mechanic shop because it was no longer under warranty, he determine several pistons had to be replaced and that meant - another engine replacement! I got rid of it right away and now in an x5. I'm much happier now. I hope you find a fair resolution soon.

I'm sorry about your experience also! I have to tell that your post really makes me nervous! My daily driver is a 19 RR Sport supercharged! I absolutely love the vehicle, but now makes me think. Lol
It's hard to tell these days what vehicle is going to be reliable and which ones are not. The real issues is that we aren't talking about hundred dollar or even thousand dollar repairs. It's tens of thousands and that's just ridiculous.
Thanks again

[bmwx5er]

Originally Posted by Bankerbry

I'm sorry about your experience also! I have to tell that your post really makes me nervous! My daily driver is a 19 RR Sport supercharged! I absolutely love the vehicle, but now makes me think. Lol
It's hard to tell these days what vehicle is going to be reliable and which ones are not. The real issues is that we aren't talking about hundred dollar or even thousand dollar repairs. It's tens of thousands and that's just ridiculous.
Thanks again

I bought an extended warranty for this precise reason and peace of mind. Any update from the dealer on goodwill for the repair?

[Blue By You]

Originally Posted by Bankerbry

I'm sorry about your experience also! I have to tell that your post really makes me nervous! My daily driver is a 19 RR Sport supercharged! I absolutely love the vehicle, but now makes me think. Lol
It's hard to tell these days what vehicle is going to be reliable and which ones are not. The real issues is that we aren't talking about hundred dollar or even thousand dollar repairs. It's tens of thousands and that's just ridiculous.
Thanks again

Please keep us posted on how you're doing with this situation.

And if you would, please post here or PM me any specific silver bullet phone numbers or email addresses for BMW NA that you're using. I would like to have an oh-shit strategy if the worst-case occurs with my vehicle. Thanks