[Tallgeese179]

I recently purchased an 09' 335i (xDrive) and noticed even before purchasing it that there was wastegate rattle. The car had 60K miles at the time so I knew it was well within the warranty period for the wastegate rattle fix. I'm at 63K right now.

I've spent lots of time reading through other threads that talk about how to go about getting the car serviced and have a copy of a SIB from 2012 that specifically explains the terms of the warranty. I have also read that different dealers treat the warranty differently, with some dealers making you jump through hoops and quickly accepting that the wastegates are shot. This is specifically why I would like to know if anyone has had their car serviced in the Pittsburgh area and what your experience was like. So far I have only visited Bobby Rahal BMW to pick up maintenance parts and my experience has been pleasant.

I have watched some YouTube videos of the sound and have disconnected/plugged the vacuum line on the left exhaust flap to eliminate other common rattle noise problems. It has become so bad that I will often shift out of gear and roll up to stops in neutral just so I don't hear the loud rattle. Honestly it's somewhat embarrassing driving such a nice car that sounds so awful.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Tallgeese179]

No turbo warranty experience in the Pittsburgh area then? I would also consider any dealers within a two hour drive. Thanks in advance.

[ajaye]

My colleague had work done by Rahal's a few months back, non-turbo and he bought the car from them, but he had no complaints. It was all CPO covered and no hoops at all according to him.

[Leroi]

I bought my '07 @ Bobby Rahal and have had it serviced only there since. After a couple years, I took it in with all mods. However, have only had routine service and a fuel pump recall. I've talked openly about my JB4 and downpipes with the various SAs I've used.

[kamfa39]

I would go to rahal. Sales manger, Tim Brady , good friend of mine.
Tell him dj recommended him

[Tallgeese179]

Bobby Rahal BMW is very close to my work so that would be great. I've bought misc. routine maintenance parts at Rahal and was pleased with how quickly they took care of everything I needed.

kamfa39, thanks for the help. I'll make sure to mention Tim and mention your recommendation. From how bad the wastegate rattle is, I'm really hoping that they don't try to give me the run around.

Thanks again for the help.

[Tallgeese179]

Originally Posted by kamfa39

I would go to rahal. Sales manger, Tim Brady , good friend of mine.
Tell him dj recommended him

UPDATE

Now that the weather is nice and my windows are down all the time, I quickly got annoyed with the rattle. I have a 6MT, so I can hide the rattle most of the time (just roll around in neutral), but sometimes it can't be avoided. So, I finally got around to scheduling the inspection at Bobby Rahal BMW. The appointment was last Thursday (5/28/15) at 1PM. I dropped the car off and went back to work with a co-worker. An hour later I got a call from them that went something like this:

SA: "Your car definitely has rattle. In the SIB it says we can't replace it for rattle, but lucky for you it also has a clanking noise. You will be having the turbos replaced under warranty. We can't take the car now as it's hot, but you can schedule an appointment, drop it off, and we'll give you a loaner for the two days we’ll have it in”

The excitement was nearly impossible to contain. I went in to pick up my car (freshly washed and vacuumed by BMW) and discussed the details. He said that the tech working on the car is a master level technician and handles pretty much all of the n54 turbo warranty replacements. The SA, and technicians were very knowledgable about the N54, making me very comfortable about having the service done there. The one technician actually recommended I get JB4 as soon as the turbos are on.

I will be using the opportunity to get some maintenance done as well, as the engine will already be out. The only thing I discussed with the SA is the oil pan gasket and the VTG transfer case fluid. Are there any other things (valve cover gasket or clutch) that I should get replaced to take advantage of the fact the engine will be completely out of the car? The car has 69K on it, and I have just recently replaced the OFH gasket, walnut blasted the intake, and replaced all of the vacuum lines.

Once again, thanks for all the help fellas. I will be keeping this thread updated over the next week on the progress of the warranty. I’m dropping my car off on Tuesday night and they will begin the replacement on Wednesday (6/3/15). The SA told me I could stop by at the end of the second day to take some pictures of the progress. They will also document the replacement with some pictures along the way.

[Leroi]

Good for you

Guessing you have already changed spark plugs? Would like to know what they charge for the VCG.

[Tallgeese179]

Originally Posted by Leroi

Good for you

Guessing you have already changed spark plugs? Would like to know what they charge for the VCG.

Yeah, the spark plugs were a part of the recent tune-up that resulted from a leaking OFH gasket. Once we realized the intake manifold had to come off, I just gave up on making it a weekend job and caught up on all maintenance the previous owner may have neglected.

The way he explained the transfer case fluid was that it should be replaced by 100K miles. The problem is that there is a sensor that monitors the condition of the fluid. After changing the fluid they have to reset the "fluid condition" value so that it doesn't trigger a flag later in the future, or something like that. He quoted it at $150 if I remember correctly.

[Tallgeese179]

I talked to my SA and he said that I could stop by today after work to check out the progress on my car. All I can say is that I'm impressed by how quickly the technician dropped the subframe and motor/tranny.

The photos show the progress on the first day. It will be put back together and tested by the time I get off of work tomorrow. Below are the pictures from today.