Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| SI-B11-07-09 | 08/01/2009 | 10030850 | Bmw: thermostat housing inspection. the retaining springs of the thermostat housing quick release couplings for the coolant hoses may not be locked correctly. this situation may result in a coolant leak. models affected are m3 sedan (e | 12/09/2009 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - HOSE | |||||
| SI-B11-07-09 | 08/01/2009 | 10030850 | Bmw: thermostat housing inspection. the retaining springs of the thermostat housing quick release couplings for the coolant hoses may not be locked correctly. this situation may result in a coolant leak. models affected are m3 sedan (e | 12/09/2009 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||||
| SI-B12-22-08 | 04/01/2009 | 10029304 | Bmw: as originally installed, the dme programming may cause the obd diagnostic to erroneously evaluate the efficiency of the catalytic converters. model e46 (m3) coupe and convertibles. *pe | 07/06/2009 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||||
| SI-B12-22-08 | 10/01/2009 | 10032574 | Bmw: voluntary emissions recall 08e-a03; m3 s54-dme reprogramming for catalyst conversion diagnosis. the dme programming, as originally installed, may cause the obd diagnostic to erroneously evaluate the efficiency of the catalytic conver | 04/14/2010 | |
| SI-B12-22-08 | 04/01/2009 | 10029304 | Bmw: as originally installed, the dme programming may cause the obd diagnostic to erroneously evaluate the efficiency of the catalytic converters. model e46 (m3) coupe and convertibles. *pe | 07/06/2009 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 10/31/2011 | 110000 | ||
| Before i start explaining, i should mention that the car has been meticulously maintained with majority of the parts being genuine bmw. the chassis has 110,xxx miles at the moment, and the engine has 78,xxx miles. the engine had a failure in 2006 due to a rod bearing failure (recalled from bmw), and a remanufactured engine has been installed by bmw technicians at a bmw dealership service center in virginia. recently my 2004 bmw m3 had a failure inside the engine that could have been very dangerous. on halloween night 2011, as i was leaving the gas station, i hear a very faint rattling noise up in the engine bay. i was contemplating rather i should take the car to the local dealership, or fix it myself. but prior to this, i've read many unsatisfying experiences people had at their local bmw dealerships. i worried that since this was a major problem that could be life threatening, i decided to do the work myself. i removed the valve cover, and noticed the exhaust side hub on of the bmw double vanos has failed. a mechanism designed to improve torque and fuel consumption. the hub had one of the 2 tabs completely broken off. luckily the broken tab was still stuck inside the oil pump. if instead the broken piece came out of its location, and moved around in a engine this could cause a catastrophic failure. ranging anywhere from approx $15,000 remanufactured engine replacement to possibly a high speed collision if the car was in motion during the failure. with a damaged engine, it is difficult to follow the minimum speed limit of 40 mph on the local freeway. the total replacement parts in my situation costs well over $3000 using bmw parts. unfortunately, even with the current replacement parts from bmw, the problem would not be fixed since the currently new parts have just as much chance of failing as the old. | |||