35d nightmare (edit: resolved, bmw is covering most of it)

[Vivek.]

My HPFP, according to 2 separate shops verifying the issue, "grenaded"--sending shrapnel through the entire fueling system from the tank to the injectors. Everything on my car that touches diesel must be replaced.

My indy shop recommended asking BMW NA to goodwill part of the repair. They've assigned a case manager and I took it to BMW to verify the issue. Next step is for me to call the case manager back and request that she contact the dealer now that BMW has confirmed the problem.

I am within age on the extended warranty on this part and 7.5% over mileage (129k, warrantied til 120k). Does anyone on this forum have experience with a situation like this? Were you able to get BMW to cover any in the end? Due to the fact that the dealer is twice as much as an indy shop, BMW would have to cover at least 50% for it to be worth it really.

One additional note--this part was recalled on most N57 engines, but not on my VIN. Is there any way for me to find out why?

Edit: update below

[P1]

How good is the relationship with your service advisor? That can make quite a bit of difference in situations like this, as he/she will advocate on your behalf.

[Surgx5]

That's unfortunate. Hope they come through for you. Grenading sounds terminal. What would the cost be to have to have the engine replaced?

[XxBBVTMxX]

He wouldn't have to change the engine, just anything that moves diesel (Injectors, rail, lines and hoses, tank, filter, and the HPFP itself, etc.)

Hopefully, you do have a good relationship with your dealership and/or they value their customers.. this way they'll do it for you.

Your VIN might not have been in the recall because the pump you got was probably an updated version, or the vehicles in your range have shown very little to no issues on this. They sometimes makes exceptions for these though, you just have to file a case which you already did.

You lose nothing by asking. Hope they hook you up 🤙🏽

[Vivek.]

Thanks all. I don't have an established relationship with this SA, but I do with my Indy and the shop owner at the indy used to work with the SA at BMW, so they all seem to be on my side.

Engine does not need replacement. No one has written an official estimate yet but BMW said about 11k in parts and 34 hours. Indy shop quoted around 10k total.

[Vivek.]

Well, this has a happy ending. BMW is covering 50% of what I can only assume is a highly negotiated rate for the job. My out of pocket is going to be about 7500 bucks compared to a dealer bill of 20k or 10k at the indy.

[blue dragon]

That still a lot of money. I'm one of those whose VIN is not covered by the recall. I kept my E70 35D for 10 years and 240k KM, but even though I only have 62k km on my F15, I'm very hesitant to keep it without some sort of coverage for the fuel pump.
I will say that I do not think I have seen many of these failures in Canada, maybe due to differences in diesel fuel quality vs the USA

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by blue dragon

That still a lot of money. I'm one of those whose VIN is not covered by the recall. I kept my E70 35D for 10 years and 240k KM, but even though I only have 62k km on my F15, I'm very hesitant to keep it without some sort of coverage for the fuel pump.
I will say that I do not think I have seen many of these failures in Canada, maybe due to differences in diesel fuel quality vs the USA

You should see if there is some way for the dealer to assess the performance of the pump. They should be able to log fuel rail pressure which will give an indication. The lady at BMW NA was incredibly nice and helpful, as were the SA and service director at the dealership. I would recommend reaching out the BMW customer service if you're concerned about yours.

I also noticed a change in performance at times. If you ever feel any hesitation/stumbling it may be a sign of a dying HPFP.

[devlinsky]

… or a dying injector

Scary stuff, really, but as far as I know, mostly observable in US. Fuel quality indeed?

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by devlinsky

… or a dying injector

Scary stuff, really, but as far as I know, mostly observable in US. Fuel quality indeed?

It would seem so? I'm wondering what to do from here on out to increase longevity. Definitely will be changing the fuel filter often but I don't know which stations have the cleanest diesel.

[Variante Alta]

This has really got me thinking - I have a 2015 35d with 85k miles - drives like a top. For whatever reason, my VIN isn't in the current HPFP recall although is under the extended warranty. I'm not the least bit happy about this…VINs I've checked randomly on the BMW site both before and after my VIN have the recall. I cannot for a second believe there were different pumps installed on the 35d line at about the same production time. Seems the US VINs are more likely to have the recall active than the CDN VINs I found. Better fuel here??? Not sure about that. I'd think the only reason they'd not include more CDN 35ds is their risk analysis folks believing that the catastrophic failures are far more rare here than in the US - assumedly by some measure of reality of these kinds of claims.

The cost of a bad pump failure is crazy…quite a risk they're taking. I've yet to call BMW Canada about this but will for sure to, at worst, register my concern officially so it's on the record. My SA tells me they've done some on newer diesels so vehicles up here are covered, just not as many.

In any case, in the meantime I am thinking hard about fuel filters (I bought a Mahle filter this week for the job) and fuel additives to increase the lubricity of the fuel. The Opti-Lube products seems to come quite highly rated so I've purchased a jug but then I've also heard concerns about BMW perhaps checking your fuel if a catastrophic failure happens and then quite conveniently blaming the additive if they find such in the tank. What to do?? Makes it sounds like we can't win here guys. I am tempted to go with the high quality and proven Opti-Lube XPD for the long term serviceability of the pump (perhaps only after the warranty's up?). Makes me also consider just replacing the pump when the extended warranty runs out (10yrs/120k miles) as it's that nasty a failure at its worst.

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by Variante Alta

This has really got me thinking - I have a 2015 35d with 85k miles - drives like a top. For whatever reason, my VIN isn't in the current HPFP recall although is under the extended warranty. I'm not the least bit happy about this…VINs I've checked randomly on the BMW site both before and after my VIN have the recall. I cannot for a second believe there were different pumps installed on the 35d line at about the same production time. Seems the US VINs are more likely to have the recall active than the CDN VINs I found. Better fuel here??? Not sure about that. I'd think the only reason they'd not include more CDN 35ds is their risk analysis folks believing that the catastrophic failures are far more rare here than in the US - assumedly by some measure of reality of these kinds of claims.

The cost of a bad pump failure is crazy…quite a risk they're taking. I've yet to call BMW Canada about this but will for sure to, at worst, register my concern officially so it's on the record. My SA tells me they've done some on newer diesels so vehicles up here are covered, just not as many.

In any case, in the meantime I am thinking hard about fuel filters (I bought a Mahle filter this week for the job) and fuel additives to increase the lubricity of the fuel. The Opti-Lube products seems to come quite highly rated so I've purchased a jug but then I've also heard concerns about BMW perhaps checking your fuel if a catastrophic failure happens and then quite conveniently blaming the additive if they find such in the tank. What to do?? Makes it sounds like we can't win here guys. I am tempted to go with the high quality and proven Opti-Lube XPD for the long term serviceability of the pump (perhaps only after the warranty's up?). Makes me also consider just replacing the pump when the extended warranty runs out (10yrs/120k miles) as it's that nasty a failure at its worst.

I went to my indy today to thank him for the referral to the BMW SA that saved me from losing my shirt. I asked about fuel quality, anything I could do to prolong the life of the new fueling system. He said that based on what he's seen he can't find any correlation. Pumps go out as early as 40k. Customers will buy a car new and fill only with Chevron, only with Shell for its whole life and still have issues. I'll have a 2 year warranty on all the new parts, and I'll use the hell out of it until then and reassess from there.

If I had this car from new, knowing what I know now, I'd replace the HPFP at 10 years/120k. The part is listed as about $1200 on my repair order, I'd estimate a reputable shop could do it in the 2k range. This should be a sticky of some sorts because I don't feel it's as well known as it should be on this car.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by Variante Alta

This has really got me thinking - I have a 2015 35d with 85k miles - drives like a top. For whatever reason, my VIN isn't in the current HPFP recall although is under the extended warranty. I'm not the least bit happy about this…VINs I've checked randomly on the BMW site both before and after my VIN have the recall. I cannot for a second believe there were different pumps installed on the 35d line at about the same production time. Seems the US VINs are more likely to have the recall active than the CDN VINs I found. Better fuel here??? Not sure about that. I'd think the only reason they'd not include more CDN 35ds is their risk analysis folks believing that the catastrophic failures are far more rare here than in the US - assumedly by some measure of reality of these kinds of claims.

The cost of a bad pump failure is crazy…quite a risk they're taking. I've yet to call BMW Canada about this but will for sure to, at worst, register my concern officially so it's on the record. My SA tells me they've done some on newer diesels so vehicles up here are covered, just not as many.

In any case, in the meantime I am thinking hard about fuel filters (I bought a Mahle filter this week for the job) and fuel additives to increase the lubricity of the fuel. The Opti-Lube products seems to come quite highly rated so I've purchased a jug but then I've also heard concerns about BMW perhaps checking your fuel if a catastrophic failure happens and then quite conveniently blaming the additive if they find such in the tank. What to do?? Makes it sounds like we can't win here guys. I am tempted to go with the high quality and proven Opti-Lube XPD for the long term serviceability of the pump (perhaps only after the warranty's up?). Makes me also consider just replacing the pump when the extended warranty runs out (10yrs/120k miles) as it's that nasty a failure at its worst.

Be careful with additives. I've read/heard that BMW will immediately deny any coverage of warranty, goodwill, etc if they detect additives. Apparently they sample the fuel to test for water/additives/gasoline in an instance of HPFP failure.

No personal experience with the above, so take it for what it's worth. Personally, the wife and I have concluded we will drive the 35d through the summer and then sell it on afterwards. At 7 years old and 96k miles, there are too many gotchas than we want to deal with. Already replaced 2 injectors and did the fuel filter, but as posted HPFP seems to be a random failure as the Bosch pumps were just experiencing failures in design (not just in BMWs FWIW).

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Be careful with additives. I've read/heard that BMW will immediately deny any coverage of warranty, goodwill, etc if they detect additives. Apparently they sample the fuel to test for water/additives/gasoline in an instance of HPFP failure.

No personal experience with the above, so take it for what it's worth. Personally, the wife and I have concluded we will drive the 35d through the summer and then sell it on afterwards. At 7 years old and 96k miles, there are too many gotchas than we want to deal with. Already replaced 2 injectors and did the fuel filter, but as posted HPFP seems to be a random failure as the Bosch pumps were just experiencing failures in design (not just in BMWs FWIW).

What else goes on these engines? All my injectors (4 grand in parts) will be new, along with a lot of other high-ticket and failure-prone fueling items. CA law says that basically anything emissions related must be fixed for free at the dealer--I'm hoping between these two factors most of the diesel-specific engine issues will be mitigated.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by Vivek.

What else goes on these engines? All my injectors (4 grand in parts) will be new, along with a lot of other high-ticket and failure-prone fueling items. CA law says that basically anything emissions related must be fixed for free at the dealer--I'm hoping between these two factors most of the diesel-specific engine issues will be mitigated.

Your California specific protections should allay some fears in that case. The other common stuff is very much related to emissions components. DEF fluid lines (some are heated and fail, ours threw a code for this during the winter), EGR parts, etc. But at 100k miles you also have to start worrying about normal BMW maintenance like full front suspension rebuild, cooling system rebuild, etc.

It's too bad because we really like ours and it is very heavily optioned, but we are going through so much trouble trying to get our E70 diesel back on the road that the F15's recent cold-weather code for SCR efficiency has us spooked. The E70 has had a whole host of components replaced and is currently a driveway brick because the DME has locked itself in no start condition. DEF fluid quality countdown was reached.

The E70 is a long story. But what this has taught us is that the diesels are sort of a "black box" vehicle that can/will brick itself in certain situations. Dealerships throw parts at them at owner's expense so costs can rise very quickly.

Glad yours was 50% good-willed, good result for sure. But even a $7500 bill from the dealer would have me balking. I maintain all of our Bimmers (6), have a laptop with BMW software, own an ICOM, and other dealer level diag tools, am a very capable wrench... and still not capable of unlocking the DME on the diesel after it shuts itself down. I have to pull the DME, CAS, and a key to send off to a service.

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Your California specific protections should allay some fears in that case. The other common stuff is very much related to emissions components. DEF fluid lines (some are heated and fail, ours threw a code for this during the winter), EGR parts, etc. But at 100k miles you also have to start worrying about normal BMW maintenance like full front suspension rebuild, cooling system rebuild, etc.

It's too bad because we really like ours and it is very heavily optioned, but we are going through so much trouble trying to get our E70 diesel back on the road that the F15's recent cold-weather code for SCR efficiency has us spooked. The E70 has had a whole host of components replaced and is currently a driveway brick because the DME has locked itself in no start condition. DEF fluid quality countdown was reached.

The E70 is a long story. But what this has taught us is that the diesels are sort of a "black box" vehicle that can/will brick itself in certain situations. Dealerships throw parts at them at owner's expense so costs can rise very quickly.

Glad yours was 50% good-willed, good result for sure. But even a $7500 bill from the dealer would have me balking. I maintain all of our Bimmers (6), have a laptop with BMW software, own an ICOM, and other dealer level diag tools, am a very capable wrench... and still not capable of unlocking the DME on the diesel after it shuts itself down. I have to pull the DME, CAS, and a key to send off to a service.

Thanks for the response/sharing your experience! I bought this car to keep for at least 5 years (and I love the thing) but I guess time will tell if that makes sense to do. I have a pretty high tolerance for the inconvenience of it all as long as it doesn't cost a fortune lol. This is my 10th or so BMW, half of which over 120k

[danasn]

My 2015 F15d VIN is not included under hpfp recall either.

PLEASE, file a complaint with NHTSA! That's the only way BMW will add remaining VIN numbers.
Keep the receipts for all expenses you have right now and if/when BMW issues the recall you'll be able to request a refund!

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

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by danasn

My 2015 F15d VIN is not included under hpfp recall either.

PLEASE, file a complaint with NHTSA! That's the only way BMW will add remaining VIN numbers.
Keep the receipts for all expenses you have right now and if/when BMW issues the recall you'll be able to request a refund!

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

Thanks for the info, I had no idea this was possible! I will submit the request once I have all the documentation.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by Vivek.

Thanks for the response/sharing your experience! I bought this car to keep for at least 5 years (and I love the thing) but I guess time will tell if that makes sense to do. I have a pretty high tolerance for the inconvenience of it all as long as it doesn't cost a fortune lol. This is my 10th or so BMW, half of which over 120k

They are amazing vehicles. We just put another 500 miles on ours this Sunda and averaged about 29mpg. LOL, we have 6 Bimmers currently so that 2 of them are perfect and ready to road trim at all times. They all rotate in a queue for service/maintenance garage time. Glad I married a car chick.

BTW, before leaving town BMW did replace both NOX sensors for us under the extended warranty at no charge to us. The F15 was throwing a CEL and they diag'd it as the sensors. Was nice to, for once, not be on the hook for a lot of money or having to do more work to resolve on my own.

Not sure if that will solve the codes we were getting before, but at least that's one less high dollar item we have to to worry about. BTW, the NOX sensors are ~$500 online each. Not sure what BMW would charge, but I'm sure with the parts and labor the total bill would be $2000+ easily.