[IndianPoweredE90]

Recently i was driving and my power steering had gone out and the battery light had come on as well as the ac didnt blow cold. Luckilly i was very close to my house so i parked and looked under the hood and noticed the "serpentine" belt had snapped.

I recently learned that the serpentine belt is a commong mishap in the early production 335i.

Well heres the problem.

I took my car in courtest of BMW roadside to my local dealer which always does the work..

I have had the following done by them since actually purchasing the car.

HPFP replacement
Heatercore Replacement
Main tensioner replacement
and now this recent problem

The dealer is stating the power steering pump had some wrong bolts used to put it back together? Supposedly the bolts of are the wrong size and length and material?

Iam really bummed because the local dealer refuses to submit it for warranty. I spoke to someone at BMWNA already and they stated they HAVE to go by what the local dealer is saying which is the screws are of the wrong type and thats what caused the failure and for the belt to snap.

Can someone please help me and let me know what i can do to get this taken care of? I sure as hell cant afford the ~$2100.00 the local dealer wants to get this done and fixed. No way in hell i can afford that. Thats what the warranty is for. They keep stating that i had someone else touch the car inbetween when they had fixed it.

No one in fact has touched the car besides the dealer. Why should anyone else when i have warranty? I keep thinking to myself that a tech at the dealership used the wrong bolts since they indeed had replaced the HPFP and the Tensioner Pulley(i think this is right)



I need some help asap as this is my main mode of transporation. Either i need some help for BMW NA to approve this or someone to do this for me.

Please HELP!!!

most appreciated.

[IndianPoweredE90]

Wow...I just got off the phone with the service manager and the decided to actually fix it outta their own pocket! I'm very amazed and happy

[GMWNashville]

that doesnt make sense as the PS pump wouldnt need to be removed to do any of the repairs you mentioned. if you can get a picture of the PS pump with the bolts in i can tell you if they are OEM or not. something doesnt make sense here...

[IndianPoweredE90]

I understand the repairs I mention has nothing to do with that. But what I meant was the techs were the only ones playing around with the car. What says a tech accidently put those bolts while doing a repair

[Placey]

i dont know exactly what models were affected but there was one specific model that had some problems like this. has to do with the pump hitting off the bottom of the subframe will cause the belt to slip a rib, and then from there, it'll eventually cause failure. The engine could actually suck pieces of the belt into the timing chain through the crank seal when it fails. It's very odd, however it has happened. As long as they covered it, your probably clear from any issues relating to the failure

Edit: found the bulletin relating to this
E82, E88 (1 Series) with N54 engine up to 4/08

E90, E92, E93 (3 Series) with N54 engine up to 4/08 except xi models

SIB 11 09 08

The models listed above utilize a single serpentine drive belt for the power steering pump, alternator, and air conditioner compressor. During normal driving, the front engine mounts allow the engine to move slightly on the front axle carrier. However, under extreme conditions, such as driving at high rates of speed over curbs or speed bumps, the engine movement can result in the serpentine belt or power steering pump pulley contacting the front engine carrier. If this occurs, the belt and/or pump pulley could be damaged.

PROCEDURE
When diagnosing a complaint related to a broken drive belt or a drive belt which has come off the pulleys, it is important to carefully examine the power steering pump pulley for any signs of damage.

If there is no damage to the pulley, continue with normal troubleshooting.

If the pulley is chipped or cracked, then the pulley and the belt must be replaced.

In cases where the pulley has been damaged, the front axle carrier should be examined for any signs of contact in the area below the power steering pump pulley.

If the axle carrier has any sign of contact, then the carrier must be replaced. For E90, E92, and E93 vehicles produced up to 3/19/07 which require replacement of the front axle carrier, the left side engine support (P/N 22 11 6 760 317) must also be installed.

Covered under the terms of the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

[Potty_Pants]

after reading the first post... my first impression (and I've never raised legal action against anybody) was to contact a lawyer and start the paperwork.

I'm glad you got it resolved.

this is probably my first and last BMW... this wouldnt of happened at my local infiniti dealer.

ppp

[mylydiamy]

Originally Posted by Potty_Pants

after reading the first post... my first impression (and I've never raised legal action against anybody) was to contact a lawyer and start the paperwork.

I'm glad you got it resolved.

this is probably my first and last BMW... this wouldnt of happened at my local infiniti dealer.

ppp

^+1/ My previous one was a Infiniti. I got my BMW because I wanted a convertable and needed back seats. I almost had no choice other than e93. Its has been a year and I am disappoited with quality of some of the materails used, paint, reliability and definetely service. During my 2 year 60000 miles affair with Infiniti I hadn't had a SINGLE issue.

[sfr811]

this just happened to me too on saturday. unluckily i was 70 miles away from home. atleast they towed my car home first and gave me a free ride back(they wanted to charge me $119). had them tow it in to the dealer yesterday.

[lostkhan]

Same happened to me last night. The Steering wheel got really stiff and Battery sign popped up. 2 Weeks before my car was at the dealer to replace Some Pulley and Belt because i had a coolant leak and they said there is damage underneath the car. (warranty didn't cover) . Lets see what happens this time!

[Sigma 3]

Originally Posted by Placey

i dont know exactly what models were affected but there was one specific model that had some problems like this. has to do with the pump hitting off the bottom of the subframe will cause the belt to slip a rib, and then from there, it'll eventually cause failure. The engine could actually suck pieces of the belt into the timing chain through the crank seal when it fails. It's very odd, however it has happened. As long as they covered it, your probably clear from any issues relating to the failure

Edit: found the bulletin relating to this
E82, E88 (1 Series) with N54 engine up to 4/08

E90, E92, E93 (3 Series) with N54 engine up to 4/08 except xi models

SIB 11 09 08

The models listed above utilize a single serpentine drive belt for the power steering pump, alternator, and air conditioner compressor. During normal driving, the front engine mounts allow the engine to move slightly on the front axle carrier. However, under extreme conditions, such as driving at high rates of speed over curbs or speed bumps, the engine movement can result in the serpentine belt or power steering pump pulley contacting the front engine carrier. If this occurs, the belt and/or pump pulley could be damaged.

PROCEDURE
When diagnosing a complaint related to a broken drive belt or a drive belt which has come off the pulleys, it is important to carefully examine the power steering pump pulley for any signs of damage.

If there is no damage to the pulley, continue with normal troubleshooting.

If the pulley is chipped or cracked, then the pulley and the belt must be replaced.

In cases where the pulley has been damaged, the front axle carrier should be examined for any signs of contact in the area below the power steering pump pulley.

If the axle carrier has any sign of contact, then the carrier must be replaced. For E90, E92, and E93 vehicles produced up to 3/19/07 which require replacement of the front axle carrier, the left side engine support (P/N 22 11 6 760 317) must also be installed.

Covered under the terms of the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

I hate to bring this thread back but i had this issue recently with my 07. BMWNA says they wont pay for it under the CPO warranty. I noticed there was a class action against them in the E46 for subframe issues. Is this the route I should persue. I have had several people from the dealer ship use phrases like "known design flaw" but they dont want to own up to it financially. Any Advice?

[Gdickey@beckman.com]

This is the best post on this issue.
I just had both turbos replaced and now this broken belt issue.
I hope they cover it under cpo waranty.

[nikitino25]

Is there any fix for this issue or any way to prevent this from happening?

[Gdickey@beckman.com]

I just talked to my SA regarding this major repair.
They will pay for all parts sub frame, belt, alternator, etc. but expect me to pay the labor cost of 1000.00 does that sound like a fair deal.
I don’t think so.
I would like all members to comment on this matter.
BMW needs to be better than this and have all sub frames replaced on all cars at risk. This is one problem that is just not likely to happen to many owners unless driving conditions are just right. My opinion: I would expect this problem to be more common on all 3 series 07-08 modals as the engine mounts age.
Maybe someone can make an aftermarket part that will protect the power steering pulley or stop some of the downward movement of the engine.
The replacement of front sub frame and damaged parts is very expensive over 3700.00.
I think there are many owners out there with belt issues and only BMW knows how many at this time. Legal action will tell us much more.
Please check this link. http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showth...erpentine+belt


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[nikitino25]

I think bmw should recall all cars and either replace all needed parts or engineer a fix to prevent this from happening. If they ignore it and somebody gets seriously injured or worse from a crash caused by this (power steering goes out) i'm sure they could be sued out the wazoo. Also, i don't think we should have to fork out 3700 bucks or whatever to have this preventatively fixed since it's a design flaw on their part or basically a dangerously faulty product.

[twinship]

Just happened to me, w/in 24 hours of getting the car back from a body shop after getting rear-ended.

Seems the crash is the likely cause, but from the posts above it doesn't look like my dealer will cover under CPO. It may be that my best bet is convincing the insurance company that the crash caused the problem... but it may be hard to prove cause-and-effect.

8(

[techwhiz]

I'd take the bulletin to the insurance company and let them know that BMW says that an accident like this can cause the issue.

[Gdickey@beckman.com]

Here is the invoice on what had to be done to make my car safe to drive.
Here is a good question.
Why did BMW certify this car when it was not safe to drive.They sold it to me as a pre owned certified car and new about this subframe issue.
This problem is just not happening enough for BMW to care.
It really pisses me off that I had to pay over 800 to make my care safe to drive.

[secretsquirrel]

Grrrr. I've had to replace the belt twice now. Its starting to get very aggravating.

[Blackhawk36]

Originally Posted by Gdickey@beckman.com

I just talked to my SA regarding this major repair.
They will pay for all parts sub frame, belt, alternator, etc. but expect me to pay the labor cost of 1000.00 does that sound like a fair deal.
I don’t think so.
I would like all members to comment on this matter.
BMW needs to be better than this and have all sub frames replaced on all cars at risk. This is one problem that is just not likely to happen to many owners unless driving conditions are just right. My opinion: I would expect this problem to be more common on all 3 series 07-08 modals as the engine mounts age.
Maybe someone can make an aftermarket part that will protect the power steering pulley or stop some of the downward movement of the engine.
The replacement of front sub frame and damaged parts is very expensive over 3700.00.
I think there are many owners out there with belt issues and only BMW knows how many at this time. Legal action will tell us much more.
Please check this link. http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showth...erpentine+belt


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I'm no lawyer, but BMW offering to pay for the parts is sort an admission of guilt. I would push them to cover it all. Dealers are paid much less in labor for warranty work as straight time. Sometimes as much as 50% less. That is why they want to you pay labor.

[Ddang06]

This just happened to me last week. exact symptoms and problems now

[omerfar23]

i think I am going preemptively check and replace the tensioner and ps pully and a new belt. Once I remove the PS pulley I will check for damage from possible contact with subframe.

[kodathedog]

I changed mine about 6 months ago - do not buy the tensioner from Rock Auto, even though it says it fits, it doesn't. End up going OE. The parts guys also said the OE belt is much quieter than the Goodyear Gator belt I purchased.
This is an easy job for DIY'er