[STE92VE]

Originally Posted by jaserion

sorry to bring back the dead horse, but trick50 can you update your status? i'm going this at the moment. get this engine malfunction: reduced power at 196mi, 290mi, 490mi, and 590mil. and picked up my car on nov. 30th. and it has been at the dealer every week.

shit. this is not good. i dont go through this!!

any helps will greatly appreciated. thanks.

UPDATE STATUS: Trick50's car was totaled

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100892

[335er]

Originally Posted by 335er

Oh boy. I had the engine malfunction: reduced power warning come on this morning during my drive to work. When I got to the garage, I turned the car off, got out, locked it, then got in and started it back up about 90 seconds later. The message went away. Hopefully, it will not be a problem on the way home...

And here we go again, three days later. The engine malfunction: reduced power (limp mode, I guess?) function lit up on my drive home this evening. Tomorrow, I'm going to try to make a service appointment. Wish me luck! I'm not looking forward to an extended service stay, especially with the rental Nissan Sentra they're sure to give me.

[jaserion]

Originally Posted by 335er

And here we go again, three days later. The engine malfunction: reduced power (limp mode, I guess?) function lit up on my drive home this evening. Tomorrow, I'm going to try to make a service appointment. Wish me luck! I'm not looking forward to an extended service stay, especially with the rental Nissan Sentra they're sure to give me.

sounds like my problem. they did something to the solenoids. the engine malfunction stops now, but my car shakes when idled or stopped. yes, i've been back the the dealership every week (more than 1 on certain) except for xmas break. my car is at the dealership as we speak. i dont know if i can lemon it. this is crazy. my 2006 325i had NO problems!

[GMWNashville]

thats bc your 325i was alot less complex than your 335...but as far as what you guys are saying some dealers are better than others...some throw parts at the car..others actually diagnose it...but yea im a tech...if you have any questions feel free to PM me

[pincud]

Hello,

My name is Dan Pincu, and I live in Phoenix, Arizona. I bought my first BMW in September 06, a space gray coupe with red coral seats and six speed manual. At 100 miles, the fuel pump broke down, and after 8 weeks, it was replaced with a new one. Over the following 8 months I took the car in to the shop 24 times, around 3 times a month for all sorts of problems. 13 months after I bought a new car, the problems still came up and up, and some of them, Camelback BMW could not fix. At that point I had enough and asked for my money back. BMW offered me the sticker price minus 12 cents per mile, around $43,500. I paid off the loan, and bought a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee with a HEMI engine. The list of options on this car puts the BMW to shame. And everything works. The only thing that got hurt was my ego, for about 5 minutes, for "stepping" down to a Jeep. The salesman that sold me the Jeep had a 10 month old BMW 335 sedan. The car was in the shop for over 40 days with the fuel pump, and when he got the car back, the new fuel pump failed again, and the car went back to the shop for another 15 days. I never wanted to buy a BMW because they had a terrible reputation, but this car was beautiful and stole my heart. And then broke it again and again. It forced me to sell it, and not consider buying a BMW for as long as I live. These cars are not for everyone. The owner has to put up with repair after repair and remain indifferent, and have plenty of time to run around, get rentals, return them, come back to the shop the next week, etc. If the car doesn't work, get rid of it and move on to a different brand. There are so many out there that are not as fast or a beatiful as the 335, but they work and the only time they see the shop is for the oil change. Jeep wants me to change the oil every 3000 miles. When I told them that BMW recommends 15K, they laughed and laughed and laughed. And yet, we have grown men on the forum who get viciously mad and angry when somebody says anything against their beloved brand name. I was the same way for the first 6 months, but then all the problems overwhelmed me, and in the end I concluded that my car was a POS that had to go. And it did. Some of the 335's have no problems at all and the owners should feel good and lucky. But after so many owners are complaining about issues with these cars, this should be considered as a real indicator as to the lack of quality and customer service this brand brings to the automotive market.

[GMWNashville]

haha im a BMW tech and i still change my oil in my own car every 5k(with full syn of course)...take that for what its worth...but in all honesty you cant compare a jeep to a BMW..its apples and oranges...i will say yes sometimes these cars have a buttload of issues...considering just how complex they are with all the busing systems and fiberoptics and blah blah blah honestly they are hard as hell to work on sometimes...i just graduated STEP almost 2 months ago but regardless BMWs are retardedly complex..sometimes more than they need to be...esp when they come in with some wild problems that you cant figure out...

[335er]

Originally Posted by jaserion

sounds like my problem. they did something to the solenoids. the engine malfunction stops now, but my car shakes when idled or stopped. yes, i've been back the the dealership every week (more than 1 on certain) except for xmas break. my car is at the dealership as we speak. i dont know if i can lemon it. this is crazy. my 2006 325i had NO problems!

Well, I brought it into the dealership today. We'll see what sort of luck I have in getting it resolved. I also told them about a couple of problems, when they asked if there was anything else, such as the arrows not popping up during navigation, the CD continuing to spin and not playing the last track at which I left off, and the fact that if I plug in my iPod before the Bluetooth phone is recognized, Bluetooth doesn't function. I wonder if they'll update ProgMan.

[thealbert]

Originally Posted by 335er

And here we go again, three days later. The engine malfunction: reduced power (limp mode, I guess?) function lit up on my drive home this evening. Tomorrow, I'm going to try to make a service appointment. Wish me luck! I'm not looking forward to an extended service stay, especially with the rental Nissan Sentra they're sure to give me.

Do let us know what they find wrong with your car and what they did to fix it! I have a friend who's car's also in the shop and it sounds like its the same problem.

[jmonier]

If these problems involve a stuck VANOS solenoid I would refer anyone with the problem to the following thread:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106696

Basically, the solenoid DOES fail but it is due to another problem so the failure re-occurs within a few miles. The thread includes a copy of the tech's description of the final fix and the PUMA case no. The tech should definitely open a PUMA case and work the problem with BMW Tech Support as the fix is completely counter intuitive.

[335er]

Originally Posted by jmonier

If these problems involve a stuck VANOS solenoid I would refer anyone with the problem to the following thread:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106696

Basically, the solenoid DOES fail but it is due to another problem so the failure re-occurs within a few miles. The thread includes a copy of the tech's description of the final fix and the PUMA case no. The tech should definitely open a PUMA case and work the problem with BMW Tech Support as the fix is completely counter intuitive.

Well, here's the update - the tech said that the VANOS valve had failed, and that they replaced it. They also said that there were some intake hoses that needed to be tightened, so they did that as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed that there is not more to it than that.

[jmonier]

Originally Posted by 335er

Well, here's the update - the tech said that the VANOS valve had failed, and that they replaced it. They also said that there were some intake hoses that needed to be tightened, so they did that as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed that there is not more to it than that.

That was what they did for me - twice - but the problem came back within 100-200 miles. If it happens again, make sure they don't just replace it again. As I said, they should open a PUMA case and get it fixed right. See my posts in the link for full info.

But, I hope your's is fixed now so you won't have to go through that.

[trick50]

first they replaced the solenoid then a day later same problems....then they wanted to replace the vanos sensor or something...part was on back order and my car sat at the dealer for 4 weeks...i got it back around sept 30th or early oct and the car was running great since then...then i totalled it on 12/11/07

waiting for allstate to pay it off etc...so i can get another beautiful headache.

I am such a glutton for punishment. lol...In all seriousness if it wasn't for my dealerships lack of being thorough I would have been fine with everything...but o well shit happens we all knew what we were getting into buying a first production car with turbos...we knew there would be problems etc...so whatever it is what it is...I still loved the car and I am getting another one asap.

[thealbert]

hmmm.. sounds like this "VANOS failure" problem seems to be getting more common now. could it be another one of those fuel pump issues where most first year production cars will experience it? i'm sure this will make everyone nervous again. were any of you guys running procede or any other kinds of mods on your cars?

335er - keep us updated on how your car runs after you get it back!

[jaserion]

Originally Posted by trick50

first they replaced the solenoid then a day later same problems....then they wanted to replace the vanos sensor or something...part was on back order and my car sat at the dealer for 4 weeks...i got it back around sept 30th or early oct and the car was running great since then...then i totalled it on 12/11/07

waiting for allstate to pay it off etc...so i can get another beautiful headache.

I am such a glutton for punishment. lol...In all seriousness if it wasn't for my dealerships lack of being thorough I would have been fine with everything...but o well shit happens we all knew what we were getting into buying a first production car with turbos...we knew there would be problems etc...so whatever it is what it is...I still loved the car and I am getting another one asap.

damn, i hope that my car will not give me that engine malfunction again. like i've said earlier, they did something to the solenoids and now it's fine. it's just the shaking/vibrating at stop and go traffics that drives me crazy at the moment.

[Brunotheboxer]

even after i read all of these threads i still desire to purchase a 335 in the future. if i had some of the problems you people had it would be the last bmw i ever owned. with all the other great cars out there i would switch brands.

[thealbert]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

even after i read all of these threads i still desire to purchase a 335 in the future. if i had some of the problems you people had it would be the last bmw i ever owned. with all the other great cars out there i would switch brands.

Considering its a first, going on second year production engine right now, I'm sure there are still a lot of glitches that need to be ironed out. I'm sure BMW will fix them and once you're ready to buy your 335i in the future, you'll be in a much better position to get a car that has fewer problems. The E46 M3 was plagued with engine problems when it first came out as well and I honestly won't be surprised if the new M3 would have a problem or two here and there.

[GMWNashville]

yep..considering the complexety of the cars...its just kind of going to happen..though we have yet to see a vanos sticking problem at my dealership with these 335s...just fuel pump issues

[335er]

Originally Posted by thealbert

hmmm.. sounds like this "VANOS failure" problem seems to be getting more common now. could it be another one of those fuel pump issues where most first year production cars will experience it? i'm sure this will make everyone nervous again. were any of you guys running procede or any other kinds of mods on your cars?

335er - keep us updated on how your car runs after you get it back!

Here is what the write up says in my invoice:

Customer states engine failsafe message displayed twice. Tech noted: After inspection and scan found fault codes for VANOS valve currently present. Also found SIB # 12 28 07. Resecure intake hoses. Replaced VANOS valve per SIB # 11 05 05. Resecured intake hoses per SIB # 12 28 07. FP Number 11 36 7 516 293 Electromagnetic val[ve].

I have been out of town for a few days, so I haven't driven the car much (just to and from the airport, at this point), but, knock on wood, it's been fine so far.

[335er]

Originally Posted by 335er

Here is what the write up says in my invoice:

Customer states engine failsafe message displayed twice. Tech noted: After inspection and scan found fault codes for VANOS valve currently present. Also found SIB # 12 28 07. Resecure intake hoses. Replaced VANOS valve per SIB # 11 05 05. Resecured intake hoses per SIB # 12 28 07. FP Number 11 36 7 516 293 Electromagnetic val[ve].

I have been out of town for a few days, so I haven't driven the car much (just to and from the airport, at this point), but, knock on wood, it's been fine so far.

So much for knocking on wood. At the end of my commute home today, my engine malfunction/reduced power warning popped up again. Ugh. I'm hoping for a service appointment tomorrow.

[jmonier]

Originally Posted by 335er

So much for knocking on wood. At the end of my commute home today, my engine malfunction/reduced power warning popped up again. Ugh. I'm hoping for a service appointment tomorrow.

Sorry to hear about it. It may help to refer my previous posts and get the copy of my service invoice and PUMA case number to take in with you. Your problem sounds like just the same thing that I had and these may help in pointing your dealer (and BMW Tech Support) in the right direction.

In any case, I would insist on your dealer opening a PUMA case. Based on my experience, I don't think they will solve it on their own.

[335er]

Originally Posted by jmonier

Sorry to hear about it. It may help to refer my previous posts and get the copy of my service invoice and PUMA case number to take in with you. Your problem sounds like just the same thing that I had and these may help in pointing your dealer (and BMW Tech Support) in the right direction.

In any case, I would insist on your dealer opening a PUMA case. Based on my experience, I don't think they will solve it on their own.

Thanks very much. I printed out your post - it was PUMA case 13859843, right? - so that I can bring it with me as soon as I get a service appointment. I also called BMW's Owner's Circle, to see if I could get the ear of someone higher up. I am usually a pretty laid back person, and was on the phone with the Owner's Circle people, but I do not have the patience for continual trips back to my service advisor (even more so this week, when my wife is out of town on business).

[DrewKo]

Man, I read these posts and can't believe I've had no problems with the engine of my car....nov. 2006 build auto 335i.