[Danalemas]

I brought a 320d Msport Touring last week at a local second-hand car dealership. It has FSH, has travelled 128,000 miles and both exterior and interior are in great condition for its age (2011). Having never previously owned a BMW before I made sure I researched the car online for known issues. My biggest concern was over the weak timing chain issues so I intently listening to the engine on idle to make sure there were no audible clues that it was on it's way out. All seemed good, I brought the car and began to fall in love!

Yesterday, however, five days into ownership, the crankshaft pulley (another recognised weak area) sheared off after a motorway run and I had to have the car recovered back to the dealership, who will be repairing the car under warranty. This leaves me a little dubious about the car and I'd really appreciate some enthusiasts views on the subject. Would you put this down to bad luck and wear and tear, or as an indication the car has previously been driven harshly and maintained poorly?

[bishbosh]

Bad luck.

It's purely random and the crank pulley can fail whenever, it's not part of any scheduled service.

Mine failed at 186,000 miles and I keep my car in tip top condition with oil changes over and above the recommended service intervals.

It's now passed 200k miles and still on the original clutch and turbo.

[therealdb1]

That is bad luck. I don't think anyone would ever maintain a crank pulley so you cannot blame it on neglect.
On the positive side, it failed under guarantee and the dealer has no qualms about fixing it.
Sod's Law normally states a failure like this happens just after your guarantee expires!

[bishbosh]

Originally Posted by therealdb1

That is bad luck. I don't think anyone would ever maintain a crank pulley so you cannot blame it on neglect.
On the positive side, it failed under guarantee and the dealer has no qualms about fixing it.
Sod's Law normally states a failure like this happens just after your guarantee expires!

Or on holiday in the far North West of Scotland!!!

[VRB]

Mine pulley is just broken and I was far away from home. The car is e91 330d and has 189k km on the clock. I had the same issue on a previous car, e46, and I replaced a faulty pulley with Contitech brand pulley, which lasted for 2 years only, about 65k km. So, my question is, which brand should I use now? Because I've heard same stories about Contitech from different users...

[Lucas219]

Originally Posted by VRB

Mine pulley is just broken and I was far away from home. The car is e91 330d and has 189k km on the clock. I had the same issue on a previous car, e46, and I replaced a faulty pulley with Contitech brand pulley, which lasted for 2 years only, about 65k km. So, my question is, which brand should I use now? Because I've heard same stories about Contitech from different users...

What brand did you go for and is it still working?