[tomgwuyn]

Hi,

Recently i took my e90 330i (manual txn) for an Oil change and brake fluid flush to my local bmw dealer when they told me that my oil filter housing gasket and Valve cover gasket is leaking badly and they are seeing around 1 to 1.5 gallon in the pan. They quote around 1500$ to fix oil filter housing and around 700$ for Valve cover gasket.

Do I really need to fix them? The mileage is currently 105K miles on the car.

Also the dealer mentioned the following be replaced,

Front brake pads,rotor and sensor - I know I am due on this one. Dealer is quoting 1200$ for both and mentioned explicitly that the current brakes are not OEM. How much would it cost if I do it at an Indy shop? Does it matter if I dont put OEM brakes?

Ignition Coils

Differential Fluid

Coolant Flush - This was done at 85K miles.

Manual Transmission Fluid.

[YasF80_SLO]

The OFHG is a common issue, 1500 is high, but not off the charts for a stealership. Mine was around 1000$, luckily covered under warranty.

Ignition coils, you can get some online, and have an idie shop put them in, or put them in yourself (really isnt hard) and save yourself some $$


you dont NEED to use OEM brakes, but if you were too, id make sure to get equal quality ones or better. You really dont want bad brakes.

[ChuckThomas]

Yes fix the oil leaks. You will eventually get used to it leaking and probably forget to keep checking the oil/cleaning up leaks, then the oil will starting contaminating other parts, then "poof". I would not pay the dealer even 50 dollars to change my ofhg. Also not sure why they charge you way less for valve cover. Crazy. I would find a new "dealer"

[bsmoov]

LOL are you sure it's not 700 for the OFHG and 1500 for the VCG?

Those prices seem ass backwards. How is a 15 minute job and a $7 gasket cost more than a 4-5 hour job and $50 worth of gaskets?

Either way, do it yourself. If you can't, do the OFHG yourself at the very least. OFHG is too easy not to do yourself.

[hassmaschine]

Those prices sound insane. Maybe for the VCG. BMW brakes are easy to work on and the parts are pretty cheap - I would DIY all of that if I could.

also 1.5 gallons of oil? In the oil pan or belly pan? Did they mean 1.5 liters? I don't know how even that much could stay in the belly pan, and the engine holds about 7 quarts. If you were only 1 quart low that's not really a big deal. Anyway, the only critical oil leak is the OFH since it leaks onto the serpentine belt which can end up damaging your engine.

[Efthreeoh]

First off, no oil leak on an engine through a OFHG or VCG is going to leak any significant amount of oil that would deprive the engine of proper lubrication. The OFHG can leak enough oil over time to contaminate the serpentine belt and possibly cause it to slip off the pulleys and possibly damage the front seal of the crankshaft. On your engine the OFHG is an easy and quick repair that should not take more than 2 hours of quoted shop time. So an Indy should charge about $250 for it.

The VCG is a bit more involved, but not more than 4 hours of quoted shop time. So, $600 on the high side. Be cautious since the dealer will know you are going to Google what they said needs to be done, so you'll think they are necessary repairs. I suggest you take pictures of the front of the engine and the passenger side of the engine (up close) and post them here so we can provide guidance.

As far as brakes, the car tells you when the brakes are spent and need to be refreshed. Any BMW Indy shop can replace the brakes at a lower price than the dealership. Coils do not need to be replaced with the spark plugs. Plugs require replacement at 100,000 miles for the '06 330i. Coils need replacement only if they fail.

Diff and trans should be changed at 100,000 miles per BMW requirements.

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

First off, no oil leak on an engine through a OFHG or VCG is going to leak any significant amount of oil that would deprive the engine of proper lubrication. The OFHG can leak enough oil over time to contaminate the serpentine belt and possibly cause it to slip off the pulleys and possibly damage the front seal of the crankshaft. On your engine the OFHG is an easy and quick repair that should not take more than 2 hours of quoted shop time. So an Indy should charge about $250 for it.

The VCG is a bit more involved, but not more than 4 hours of quoted shop time. So, $600 on the high side. Be cautious since the dealer will know you are going to Google what they said needs to be done, so you'll think they are necessary repairs. I suggest you take pictures of the front of the engine and the passenger side of the engine (up close) and post them here so we can provide guidance.

As far as brakes, the car tells you when the brakes are spent and need to be refreshed. Any BMW Indy shop can replace the brakes at a lower price than the dealership. Coils do not need to be replaced with the spark plugs. Plugs require replacement at 100,000 miles for the '06 330i.

Diff and trans should be changed at 100,000 miles per BMW requirements.

well done mister!

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by GoRomeo

well done mister!

All from memory

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

First off, no oil leak on an engine through a OFHG or VCG is going to leak any significant amount of oil that would deprive the engine of proper lubrication. The OFHG can leak enough oil over time to contaminate the serpentine belt and possibly cause it to slip off the pulleys and possibly damage the front seal of the crankshaft. On your engine the OFHG is an easy and quick repair that should not take more than 2 hours of quoted shop time. So an Indy should charge about $250 for it.

The VCG is a bit more involved, but not more than 4 hours of quoted shop time. So, $600 on the high side. Be cautious since the dealer will know you are going to Google what they said needs to be done, so you'll think they are necessary repairs. I suggest you take pictures of the front of the engine and the passenger side of the engine (up close) and post them here so we can provide guidance.

As far as brakes, the car tells you when the brakes are spent and need to be refreshed. Any BMW Indy shop can replace the brakes at a lower price than the dealership. Coils do not need to be replaced with the spark plugs. Plugs require replacement at 100,000 miles for the '06 330i. Coils need replacement only if they fail.

Diff and trans should be changed at 100,000 miles per BMW requirements.

Thanks. I will send the pictures shortly after I get off from work.

[mike sevel]

There are helpful DIY's here and on YouTube. I replaced my gasket for only $8 bought at FCPEuro. It is an OEM equivalent with good reviews. You will need a E10 1/4" socket along with 1/4" universal and extension. The lowest bolt is a bear and best removed with an E10 ratchet. Take your time and you will be proud of the savings and job well done
Mikey

[Greyfox]

"seeing around 1 to 1.5 gallon in the pan."

Are you talking about the oil pan attached to the engine or the plastic cover under the car?

7 liters of oil in a N52 engine... that equals 1.85 gallons US...

If you had 1 gallon in the oil pan you were down 3 liters of oil....

[CTinline-six]

I can picture it now:

BMW dealership service advisor: "Yeah we noticed a few oil leaks on your car"

Customer: "How bad is it leaking?"

Service advisor: "Oh it's pretty bad... there was about 1.5... uh.. GALLONS... of oil in your plastic tray"


If you had 1.5 gallons of oil in your plastic tray you'd be leaving a trail of drips everywhere you went and your engine would probably seize from so much oil loss.

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

"seeing around 1 to 1.5 gallon in the pan."

Are you talking about the oil pan attached to the engine or the plastic cover under the car?

7 liters of oil in a N52 engine... that equals 1.85 gallons US...

If you had 1 gallon in the oil pan you were down 3 liters of oil....

The service rep told me "there is a bad oil leak and there is around 1 to 1.5 gallons that has dripped into the pan"

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

Thanks. I will send the pictures shortly after I get off from work.

I am getting the following error message, when I try to upload the pictures.
"
Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing or mismatched. Please contact the administrator".

[Greyfox]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

The service rep told me "there is a bad oil leak and there is around 1 to 1.5 gallons that has dripped into the pan"

Your engine would of seized up if that were the case...

What dealership was this?

[hassmaschine]

I think they told him that just to scare him (instead of saying it was a quart low, which isn't a big deal).

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

The service rep told me "there is a bad oil leak and there is around 1 to 1.5 gallons that has dripped into the pan"

The pan is basically flat and could never hold 1 gallon of oil. When the oil leaks onto the belly pan it collects sand and dirt and turns into a paste like peanut butter. I let my car leak for a long time, well over 3 years and 100,000 miles, and even at the worst rate, it never leaked on the ground when parked. Take it to an indy shop, and tell them you want to have them remove the belly pan and bring it to you to look at, or see if they will let you look at the car while it is on the lift. Offer them $50 diagnosis time.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

The service rep told me "there is a bad oil leak and there is around 1 to 1.5 gallons that has dripped into the pan"

That's a joke and a gimmick to sell you those two services.

Everything Efthreeoh said is correct in regards to pricing, labor and requirements.

One thing is for certain, and that is that you definitely have an oil leak.

Now here's a catch, sometimes valve cover leak can be misdiagnosed. OFHG leak can make its way to the back and seem like the valve cover is leaking.

If you can, remove the belly pan and thoroughly clean all oil, sand and grime. While the pan is off spray brake cleaner all around the suspect areas so that everything is looking clean of oil residue.

In a few days follow up with an inspection at an independent bmw shop and have them replace the required gaskets unless you feel inclined to do so yourself.

[hassmaschine]

I would skip an oil pan gasket change unless you just like crawling under cars for fun or it became serious enough to warrant the expense.

think of it as free rust protection..

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The pan is basically flat and could never hold 1 gallon of oil. When the oil leaks onto the belly pan it collects sand and dirt and turns into a paste like peanut butter. I let my car leak for a long time, well over 3 years and 100,000 miles, and even at the worst rate, it never leaked on the ground when parked. Take it to an indy shop, and tell them you want to have them remove the belly pan and bring it to you to look at, or see if they will let you look at the car while it is on the lift. Offer them $50 diagnosis time.

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

I would skip an oil pan gasket change unless you just like crawling under cars for fun or it became serious enough to warrant the expense.

think of it as free rust protection..

Couple of gems in here

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The pan is basically flat and could never hold 1 gallon of oil. When the oil leaks onto the belly pan it collects sand and dirt and turns into a paste like peanut butter. I let my car leak for a long time, well over 3 years and 100,000 miles, and even at the worst rate, it never leaked on the ground when parked. Take it to an indy shop, and tell them you want to have them remove the belly pan and bring it to you to look at, or see if they will let you look at the car while it is on the lift. Offer them $50 diagnosis time.

Thanks. I'll do that.

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

First off, no oil leak on an engine through a OFHG or VCG is going to leak any significant amount of oil that would deprive the engine of proper lubrication. The OFHG can leak enough oil over time to contaminate the serpentine belt and possibly cause it to slip off the pulleys and possibly damage the front seal of the crankshaft. On your engine the OFHG is an easy and quick repair that should not take more than 2 hours of quoted shop time. So an Indy should charge about $250 for it.

The VCG is a bit more involved, but not more than 4 hours of quoted shop time. So, $600 on the high side. Be cautious since the dealer will know you are going to Google what they said needs to be done, so you'll think they are necessary repairs. I suggest you take pictures of the front of the engine and the passenger side of the engine (up close) and post them here so we can provide guidance.

As far as brakes, the car tells you when the brakes are spent and need to be refreshed. Any BMW Indy shop can replace the brakes at a lower price than the dealership. Coils do not need to be replaced with the spark plugs. Plugs require replacement at 100,000 miles for the '06 330i. Coils need replacement only if they fail.

Diff and trans should be changed at 100,000 miles per BMW requirements.

I did take some pictures finally. Let me know if this is not at the correct angle. I can take more as per your inputs.

http://i.cubeupload.com/Q4rm60.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/qYL88L.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/ilIpbr.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/NYHjxt.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/kyULdL.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/pd2afV.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/fccpEb.jpg