[surge98]

Originally Posted by nyteryda3

its a 2011 328i purchased in California but when looking up my car on vin decoder it shows:

328i N52N (From 01.09.2008)
E90N sedan USA
Manufacture date: 03.2011

Check the emissions label on the underside of the hood. If the car originally came from a dealership in another state, you might have the N52.

[culto]

Just had my crankshaft position sensor replaced under the SULEV warranty. Previous repairs under the warranty include valve cover replacement, replacement of all 6 coils, fuel pump and fuel tank replacement and fuel line replacement.

[surge98]

As a reminder, there are two parts to the SULEV warranty: one that covers the list of parts, and one that covers you in the event of a failed emissions test. That second part is where things get interesting, because in theory that coverage could extend to anything that throws a service engine light. The service advisor at my dealership told me my warranty claim for carbon buildup in the cylinder head was denied because the cylinder head is not part of the emissions system. I told them that it should absolutely be covered because it blocks the airflow from the secondary air system, which is part of the emissions system and is what is referenced in the active fault code of P0492. They wouldn't budge, so I contacted another dealer and they got a tentative approval to cover it under warranty. They have to confirm the diagnosis and submit some paperwork, but they seemed to think it wouldn't be a problem. I'll remain skeptical until I sign the work order that says it's covered, but consider this a reminder that you may get different answers at different dealers.

[marmit2017]

Wow. Talk about dedication. I got the SULEV warranty to work in TN tho, a non sulev state... You just have to have a good service advisor and push for them to look into it for you because if it's a non sulev state it's not common for the service advisors to be familiar with it. Or you can call BMWNA and have them talk to your service center to confirm everything.

[surge98]

Originally Posted by e46reg

surge98, I replied to your PM. Best of luck but with persistence, you can get the head replaced under SULEV warranty!

I wanted to follow up on this, since the carbon buildup issue has come up a few times in this thread. I'm happy to report that Preston BMW in Youngstown, Ohio was able to get a SULEV warranty authorization to pull the cylinder head and clean out the carbon buildup. Ohio is not a SULEV state, so I had to spend some time going over the warranty information with the service manager and he needed to make some calls to confirm coverage. While the dealership was great to deal with, BMW really dragged their feet. It took a full month for the dealership's warranty contact at BMW to tentatively agree that it should be covered. After that, I left the car for two days while they ran through a serious of troubleshooting steps that BMW sent them. They ultimately confirmed the diagnosis I got at the other dealership, that the secondary air port airflow was blocked by carbon buildup in the cylinder head. They submitted the necessary information and after two weeks, BMW finally authorized the repair. I'm dropping it off next week.

The lesson here is to not take no for an answer when you're absolutely sure the terms spelled out in the warranty are met. One dealer completely dismissed my claim of coverage, while another kept following up with their warranty group until they agreed to cover it. You would think that BMW would have a record of what they've covered in the past, and would be able to quickly look it up and verify that it was covered. For whatever reason, that doesn't seem to be the case. So not only did my dealership in Pittsburgh lose out on a $4000 warranty job, they also lost out on a sale. I'll probably replace this car with a 2 series later this year, and I'll buy it from the dealership who took the time to get this covered instead of instantly dismissing my warranty claim.

[213e90n51]

Did anyone ever had to get a new engine from this warranty? Anything with metal engine shavings or a block rebuild?

[JingChai]

Regarding the warranty, do modifications done in the interior void the SULEV warranty? I installed an aftermarket head unit and swapped my driver seat for a sport seat.

My E90 328i has been in California it's entire life.

[surge98]

Originally Posted by JingChai

Regarding the warranty, do modifications done in the interior void the SULEV warranty? I installed an aftermarket head unit and swapped my driver seat for a sport seat.

My E90 328i has been in California it's entire life.

I would have to imagine that your mods aren't the type that would void the warranty of any SULEV part. It's probably more of an issue for the people with performance-related modifications.

[JingChai]

Thanks, just wanted to make sure. I been extra careful of any performance-related mods because of CA emissions and SULEV warranty.

Originally Posted by surge98

I would have to imagine that your mods aren't the type that would void the warranty of any SULEV part. It's probably more of an issue for the people with performance-related modifications.

[213e90n51]

I had to get my head cleaned and rebuilt because of what your saying to. Clogged ports or something. Do you htink this effects long term reliability?

[Gammicus!]

I've read every post on this thread. First time post and I have a few questions...

I just called Chapman BMW in Chandler, Arizona. As soon as they heard I had a 2009 they immediately went into deny mode. I persisted and eventually I spoke with someone who said they would double-check with their "warranty administrator" (or something along those lines) and get back to me. To his credit, he called me back within 5 minutes to tell me that the VCG would have only been covered for 7 years/70K miles.

I'm still looking over the SULEV_PZEV_Emissions_Coverage doc though (attached) and I'm convinced that page 4 makes it pretty clear the SULEV warranty covers 15 years/150K miles and page 20 lists the VCG. The only caveat is that my vehicle isn't currently registered in a SULEV state.

Questions:

1. Has anyone had any luck getting a dealership in Arizona to cover these items under the SULEV warranty? I'm considering the Vermont workaround that tyronelatour@latouresquir posted but I've got a feeling these dealers will fight me even if I show up with Vermont plates.
   
2. Has anyone successfully used a receipt showing SULEV warranty coverage from a non-SULEV state to convince another non-SULEV state dealer to cover the fix?
   
3. Does BMW NA issue a letter to assist with dealer negotiations?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[surge98]

Originally Posted by Gammicus!

I've read every post on this thread. First time post and I have a few questions...

I just called Chapman BMW in Chandler, Arizona. As soon as they heard I had a 2009 they immediately went into deny mode. I persisted and eventually I spoke with someone who said they would double-check with their "warranty administrator" (or something along those lines) and get back to me. To his credit, he called me back within 5 minutes to tell me that the VCG would have only been covered for 7 years/70K miles.

I'm still looking over the SULEV_PZEV_Emissions_Coverage doc though (attached) and I'm convinced that page 4 makes it pretty clear the SULEV warranty covers 15 years/150K miles and page 20 lists the VCG. The only caveat is that my vehicle isn't currently registered in a SULEV state.

Questions:

1. Has anyone had any luck getting a dealership in Arizona to cover these items under the SULEV warranty? I'm considering the Vermont workaround that tyronelatour@latouresquir posted but I've got a feeling these dealers will fight me even if I show up with Vermont plates.
   
2. Has anyone successfully used a receipt showing SULEV warranty coverage from a non-SULEV state to convince another non-SULEV state dealer to cover the fix?
   
3. Does BMW NA issue a letter to assist with dealer negotiations?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Where was the car originally purchased? It has to be both purchased and registered in a SULEV state for coverage to apply. If you bought the car in Arizona you're going to be out of luck, even if you register it in Vermont.

[Gammicus!]

Originally Posted by surge98

Where was the car originally purchased? It has to be both purchased and registered in a SULEV state for coverage to apply. If you bought the car in Arizona you're going to be out of luck, even if you register it in Vermont.

The carfax shows the vehicle was originally purchased from a dealer in New Jersey - SULEV state - way back in 2009. I bought it here in Arizona though.

[surge98]

Originally Posted by Gammicus!

The carfax shows the vehicle was originally purchased from a dealer in New Jersey - SULEV state - way back in 2009. I bought it here in Arizona though.

You can try, but they will likely deny your claim. BMWNA is only helpful in situations where coverage is obvious. In one case, I had an ignition coil go bad while out of state and took it to a dealership who knew nothing about the warranty. After several hours of trying to explain the warranty to them, I just paid out of pocket and had them reimburse me once BMWNA confirmed that it was covered.

Trying to get my cylinder head covered was a different matter entirely. The dealership where I bought the car told me it wasn't covered because the cylinder head is not on the list of SULEV parts. So I took it to another dealer, who got it approved based on the part of the warranty that says BMW will fix your car at no cost if your car fails an emissions test. A service engine light is an instant failure in most states. Your best bet is to try multiple dealerships and see if any of them say yes. But I think you might be out of luck.

[Gammicus!]

Thanks again for the information. I found a different SULEV warranty thread where someone had BMW North Scottsdale (AZ) replace their VCG: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...0&postcount=15. I pinged him to see if he could share his contact from that dealership. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[Gammicus!]

I called BMW NA and the young lady I spoke with just kept repeating 7 years/70K miles. It was frustrating. Next I called BMW North Scottsdale and Arizona and spoke with Mike. He said he would look into the SULEV warranty and get back to me. About an hour later he called me back to tell me the VCG should be covered under the SULEV warranty and to schedule an appointment. I got the car back yesterday and paid $0.00! Sp here are my answers to the original post:

a) issue diagnosed

Valve Cover Gasket leak

b) total cost of repair

$0.00

c) if SULEV covered initially or you had to be reimbursed

SULEV covered

d) if your dealer gave you a hard time

Chapman BMW Chandler wouldn't do it.

BMW North Scottsdale were amazing.

e) if BMW NA had to be involved

I involved them but they only confirmed what the first dealership told me.

Good luck out there to the non-SULEV state residents!

[mikezbmw]

Had two success cases at Tulley BMW at Nashua NH.

One was fuel pump failure and one was cracked valve cover. Both were covered under SULEV warranty.

This is on 2011 328 with 130K.

[gbmw311]

Originally Posted by mikezbmw

Had two success cases at Tulley BMW at Nashua NH.

One was fuel pump failure and one was cracked valve cover. Both were covered under SULEV warranty.

This is on 2011 328 with 130K.

2009 E93, 90,784 miles - fuel pump message in iDrive stating an issue, reduced power, etc. completely died by the time I read the message. Car sat for about 10 minutes and started with no issue.

a) issue diagnosed - faulty fuel pump/delivery unit

b) total cost of repair - not provided

c) if SULEV covered initially or you had to be reimbursed - I brought up the fact that it was an SULEV when I called to make appointment; they said I'd be reimbursed the diagnostic fee if it turned out to be covered. It was covered; they'd never charged me the diagnostic fee, so nothing to reimburse

d) if your dealer gave you a hard time - not really, though the advisor told me she'd replaced same on a 2011 a few weeks earlier, and shortly thereafter the SES light came on and the EKPS control unit had to be replaced. She said this often happens and said the EKPS wouldn't be covered by warranty. Picked up car today and so far, so good. If the EKPS becomes an issue, I will advocate that it should be covered (it's included in the listing of covered parts that's linked in this forum)

e) if BMW NA had to be involved - no

[Leslie731]

2011 328i Calif car so my sulev warranty is 15 yrs 150k miles so far i've had 2 O2 sensors, coil pack (only#2 was bad but all replaced) and just had the valve cover gasket replaced No problems ever with Irvine bmw in so cal

[213e90n51]

got my gas tank and the parts around it, 5 Valve cover gaskets, A valve cover, coolant hoses, some vapor purge valve, rebuilt engine block, PCV, oil pan gasket and oil filter housing gasket, and etc. All cuz of Sulev.

[Cburch]

New guy need help. Just took my bmw 2013 328 xdrive to the dealer l cel was on Turns out I had misfires and they said spark plugs and fuel injectors need to be replaced. Quote is 2400. Think this fits under this sulev Warranty? Car only has 76000 miles on it !

[m_thompson]

Originally Posted by Cburch

New guy need help. Just took my bmw 2013 328 xdrive to the dealer l cel was on Turns out I had misfires and they said spark plugs and fuel injectors need to be replaced. Quote is 2400. Think this fits under this sulev Warranty? Car only has 76000 miles on it !

Does your 328 have an N51 engine?