[lmcq784]

I've had my 328i xDrive GT MSport since November 2013, and it's been great since. Love my ride, and so does the wife (who has an X3).

In the beginning, it was eating up some oil pretty quickly, but I was told that's expected for turbos, and unless it persisted at a high rate, just to leave it be.

Well, I started smelling some strange burning odor last week, every time the car started, for the initial few seconds... and since it was time for some routine service (dash alert), I made a note with a service advisor to have that odor looked into while doing the maintenance (along with finally deciding to getting Dinantronics and Shockware installed).

My service advisor called me back yesterday, saying that they actually found an oil leak in the bottom of the engine, and at a place he wasn't familiar with. It was leaking through a bolt (through the threads and washer) just above the oil pan.

He said he had never seen an N20 leak there before, and decided to look into it further, just in case it's a symptom from another cause that may be a bigger problem. (I really appreciate his professionalism in actually looking into it without me asking him to... rather than just replacing the bolt, and calling it a day)

He said he escalated the issue to BMW (NA/USA?), and to await instructions. He informed me that their head technician is in charge of my car's diagnostics now, and he'll make sure it's properly taken care of. He said he has no idea how this play out... it could either be as simple as wrapping some teflon tape around the threads of the bolt, or can be as big a deal as getting the engine replaced.

So now, the maintenance stuff has been completed, my new (provided) color corrected (white) LED fog light bulbs put in free of charge, and Shockware is installed. He said they're just waiting to see what to do with the engine and the oil leak before doing anything with Dinantronics....

Good thing this happened just BEFORE I got it tuned - so BMW can't be pointing fingers! (and I'm glad I've never got the car's powertrain messed with at all... no tuning *yet*, no coding *yet*, nothing but new rims, CF mirror covers, and some LED build changes.)

I sure hope BMW does what's right. If something's really wrong, I don't mind having to get a new engine... as long as BMW stands behind their products, and won't be charging me anything. Of course, finding out that everything is fine, and it was just a faulty bolt or seal, and getting those replaced is fine too, so long as it's done properly.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed! In the mean time, I'm in a pretty basic 528iX loaner... (funny how that feels a little smaller and a little more firm than my F34... but I wouldn't trade the space and versatility of my GT for a sedan)

[Billfitz]

That bolt may be a oil passage drain, so simply replacing it may be the only action required. I'd be more concerned about the smell, as collected oil on the block shouldn't burn off with the engine still cold. Collected oil in a cylinder or in the exhaust system, including the turbo, would smell on start up. That would indicate bad rings, gasket or seal, which also explains high oil consumption.

[kbsilver]

A few comments. This is exactly why I do not believe we should be modifying/tuning anything while under warranty.

I also do not like when service advisors state that consuming oil is normal. I've never had a car that consumed oil, even with 200K miles on them except for an Accura TSX (quart every 900 miles).

Finally a 3 series GT is one of the cars in the running for replacing our 16 year old 540iT. While the 328 has enough power, some of the things I am hearing is making me think the 335 (if I go BMW). Items such as this OP topic plus occasional mention of oil related failures on the 4-cyl. The whole idea of a variable output oil pump to add a fraction of MPG is scary. Why would you want to oil starve an engine?

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by kbsilver

While the 328 has enough power, some of the things I am hearing is making me think the 335 (if I go BMW). Items such as this OP topic plus occasional mention of oil related failures on the 4-cyl.

I did a lot of research into reported engine problems before buying. Noting how most of them were from users with MSport, often modded, and comments that led me to believe that the drivers probably pushed them pretty hard, I wasn't concerned. It also seems that the 335 has just as many problems, if not more, and probably for the same reason. IMO you don't pay the extra for the 335 if you're a conservative driver.

[lmcq784]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

I did a lot of research into reported engine problems before buying. Noting how most of them were from users with MSport, often modded, and comments that led me to believe that the drivers probably pushed them pretty hard, I wasn't concerned. It also seems that the 335 has just as many problems, if not more, and probably for the same reason. IMO you don't pay the extra for the 335 if you're a conservative driver.

Correct... I have other friends with BMWs, who mod them like crazy, and do shit to their cars I would never do.

That's why I did a proper break-in per instructions, never tuned or modded the drivetrain, and why I picked Dinan over something like BMS/JB4s - for the warranty and guarantee, and having it installed at my BMW dealer. I'm a spirited driver, but I'm no ricer, and definitely no racer. I push my car like it's designed to be, but I don't go crazy on it, and only been to the drag strip once to see what it can do. I'm very conservative when it comes to messing with my car.

And I did a good bit of research too, before buying. The N20 doesn't necessarily have more problems than the N54/N55 engines out there. It probably comes down to sheer volume/number of them out. No engine model is 100% trouble free - even if it's a 0.0001% problem rate on a certain engine, there's bound to be at least 1 out of a million that will see a problem. And with the N20 being such a popular and common engine (it's in everything smaller than a 6-series), you're bound to see something pop up every now and then... I see that as acceptable, as long as the manufacturer (BMW) takes care of it. There is a recall out for oil pumps, and my car definitely fit in that list, but again, as long as BMW takes care of it appropriately, I'm cool with it.

kbsilver, I wouldn't let this deter you from getting a 328i, but if you want more power (and does not want to entertain the idea of tuning), the 335 would be good too. That's one of the reasons I want the Dinan tune... a "pseudo buyer's remorse". I don't want to full on say "buyer's remorse" because I still love my car very much. For day to day driving, commuting, etc., the 328/N20 handles just fine, and there's no shortage of power. It's a perfectly competent, fun car to drive. It's just those moments when I want to let go a little more, or wish to feel that pull while already on the highway, that I wish it had a little more "Oomph" (passing on the freeway, for example - the N20 does it, I just want to do it quicker and sink into my butt-dyno more).

It was a truly "head vs. heart" decision at the time of purchase, between 328 vs 335... $4k difference isn't small, and the 328 is perfectly good... I went with head over heart, especially knowing that I eventually would have the option to tune if I really want a little more power, and still not be over the $4k difference - and the idea that gas (MPG) savings add up over time too.

Originally Posted by Billfitz

That bolt may be a oil passage drain, so simply replacing it may be the only action required. I'd be more concerned about the smell, as collected oil on the block shouldn't burn off with the engine still cold. Collected oil in a cylinder or in the exhaust system, including the turbo, would smell on start up. That would indicate bad rings, gasket or seal, which also explains high oil consumption.

Agreed... but the SA said something about the oil dripping onto the catalytic converter... but I agree that it should take time for the cat to heat up, and wouldn't be instant burn. I'll see what they end up saying and update everyone here. The burnt-stuff smell is literally coming through the vents at the moment of startup, for a few seconds (car still in "Park").... and nothing afterwards.

I hope they do a full and thorough diagnostic and see what's up. I don't want them to plug this one, just to have another unidentified problem lurking underneath - and when it surfaces later, BMW may say that the problem is due to the Dinan tune, and not take responsibility for it. That would be bad.

[kbsilver]

Originally Posted by lmcq784

.. but the SA said something about the oil dripping onto the catalytic converter... but I agree that it should take time for the cat to heat up, and wouldn't be instant burn. I'll see what they end up saying and update everyone here. The burnt-stuff smell is literally coming through the vents at the moment of startup, for a few seconds (car still in "Park").... and nothing afterwards.

A little out of the box thinking on the smell. While you are diving the car (forward motion) even with oil dripping on the hot cat, the smell is pulled away by the air going by. But when you park the cat is still hot and the residual oil still smoking, collecting/concentrating in the vent system. There the smell sits until you start the car the next day and the HVAC fan it blows inside the cabin.

[lmcq784]

Originally Posted by kbsilver

A little out of the box thinking on the smell. While you are diving the car (forward motion) even with oil dripping on the hot cat, the smell is pulled away by the air going by. But when you park the cat is still hot and the residual oil still smoking, collecting/concentrating in the vent system. There the smell sits until you start the car the next day and the HVAC fan it blows inside the cabin.

! Interesting! That's a good possibility that I never thought about!

(just spoke with my SA later yesterday, and he asked me if there was smoke coming out of the tailpipe on startup - apparently there's another recall on that as well - but I told him I'm usually alone, and the last time I was behind the car when it started was in the winter, so I wasn't apparent to me if that would have been vapor/steam or smoke....)

No update as of yet today.

[lmcq784]

So, they did a bunch of test runs, no more leaks... They also did a once over on the engine, and found no anomalies. Gave it a clean bill'o health, and is back with me.

No chance to "test" the Dinan tune yet, but my butt dyno approves.