[Drivaar]

Hi everyone! Over the years, you've shared a ton of helpful advice here, and I'm here to ask one more time...

So, my 2007 E90 335i with 120K+ miles on it has some issues and I need to decide whether to repair or move on.

Here's what going on:

- There is an engine oil leak that seems to be dripping on an exhaust manifold, causing some smoke / burning smell from to time. My shop says the required repair is the valve cover and valve cover gasket ($1900) + oil pan gasket ($1700).

- The automatic transmission has been going into limp mode intermittently at low speeds (like in traffic). Seems to be when there are lot of 2-1 downshifts. This problem never showed up previously because I always kept it in Steptronic Manual mode... which means it was always in 2nd gear at a stop. Unfortunately, the thin wire inside the shifter that allows shifting into Manual mode has broken, right at the end of the wire so it cannot be easily attached, and a new shifter would be needed, the shop says. I try to get around this by using the paddles constantly, but that only shifts the driving mode temporarily... after about 30 sec of no inputs, it shifts back to D. Which uses 1st gear and causes the transmission problem again.

I can start getting these things repaired but I just don't know whether it's time to move on. If the transmission fails, that's going to be a very expensive repair... not to mention any troubles with the turbos.

It's a great car, and aside from these issues, still works very well.

Mathematically, all I have to do is spend less $ on repairs than a replacement car would depreciate per year, right? Are there any big ticket repairs that typically pop up around this time?

Any advice? Thank you for your time!

[gT-BMW]

you have 2 options. or maybe 3

option 1: work hard so you can pay someone to up keep the things you like

option 2: work hard and learn to do it yourself (some people dont have time for this) soo..

option 3: sell

either way your gonna lose something (time, money or both) but gain something. its up to you to decide the value

[balxoscar]

Is the smoke coming from the engine bay or the exhaust?

If you can diy the valve cover, it can be <$400. Not $2500 which is ridiculous. There are many diy walk-throughs and it's fairly easy and straightforward, just get the right extensions and tools.

Oil pan gasket you'd probably want to let them take care of it, you need to remove subframe and possibly access to an engine hoist.

That transmission limp mode sounds like a worrisome problem. A replacement tranny will make a dent in $$.

[David0ff]

2500$ for A VC? Whhatt da fakkk

[Biginboca]

It took me, an amateurish driveway mechanic, about 4 hours to do my valve cover gasket. The cost for the parts was less than $70.

How on earth did you get a quote for $2500!?!? That’s about $600/hr labor rate.

[hassmaschine]

$2500 for a VCG sounds like insanity. Also, the oil pan gasket can't possibly leak onto your exhaust. I would find a different shop to get a quote on the VCG and see if that fixes your smoking issue.

The oil pan can be ignored unless it's really leaking a lot (no puddle = no problem IMO). It just costs too much to fix and doesn't really cause any problems to justify it.

[Drivaar]

Sorry folks -- I didn't describe one of the repairs correctly. It was for the valve cover plus valve cover gasket, so a total of 8 hours of labor and roughly $600 of parts.

[Breathing_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by gT-BMW

you have 2 options. or maybe 3

option 1: work hard so you can pay someone to up keep the things you like

option 2: work hard and learn to do it yourself (some people dont have time for this) soo..

option 3: sell

either way your gonna lose something (time, money or both) but gain something. its up to you to decide the value

Very well said, it's all on personal value really.

[Drivaar]

I guess one thing I'm trying to assess is the likelihood of upcoming future repairs... any thoughts on that would be helpful. Thank you!

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Drivaar

Sorry folks -- I didn't describe one of the repairs correctly. It was for the valve cover plus valve cover gasket, so a total of 8 hours of labor and roughly $600 of parts.

A valve cover gasket or a valve cover gasket with cover is the same amount of labor, like 4 hours for a completely amateur mechanic (me). It’s not a $2000 labor job! A pro who has done it before can likely get it done in under 3 hours. With parts included should come in under $1k easily.

Find another shop is your first best move. Your location says you are on Earth. I’ve been there you can definitely get the job done for less somewhere on Earth.

Take your car somewhere else on Earth and get another assessment on what you actually need done.

[pcjackson06]

Find independent shop to help. Just have VCG done for $600.

[Captain comic]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

A valve cover gasket or a valve cover gasket with cover is the same amount of labor, like 4 hours for a completely amateur mechanic (me). It’s not a $2000 labor job! A pro who has done it before can likely get it done in under 3 hours. With parts included should come in under $1k easily.

Find another shop is your first best move. Your location says you are on Earth. I’ve been there you can definitely get the job done for less somewhere on Earth.

Take your car somewhere else on Earth and get another assessment on what you actually need done.

Stop repeating nonsense - I'm not a completely amateur mechanic, but it took me about 6-7 hours to do job properly for the first time that is. So think about how idiotic things you are saying. Stop bullshiting people. Oh wait you wrote it will take for a Pro less than 3 hours who have done this job already, and yet for you a completely amateur mechanic it took 4 hours! Lol so difference between a completely amateur mechanic who does it first time and a Pro who had done that job before is like 25% LOL Wow - maybe get a reality check? Complete amateurs can easily take 3-4 times as long as a Pro who knows what the is doing.
Besides I'm very familiar with VCG job and no shop would do it for 3 hours labor lol - do you think maybe they can do it in 1 hour or even for free? lol Statistically on forum owners who have done it for the first time - did it over weekend (some for 2 days, some were able to get it done same day). However, some of them run into separate additional issues and it may easily become longer than planned project. Besides it's no use of us talking about all this if OP is never going to do VCG himself (he might not even know how to change a OFHG, let alone VCG) or he might not even have a garage and tools. You fuckboys driving old e90 cars think that every BMW owner is a rich motherfucker who has nice big house with garage and stock piled with all necessary tools etc, and that more importantly have time to do it?! Reality check - 80% of e90 owners here on forum are either fuckboy living in his parents house still and thinking that $1000 bill is very expensive for BMW maintenance or best case scenario they are middle class (if even that) dad that has to work hard Monday-Friday for living. It's not like you morons have a X5M for $120k and/or can easily afford spent all weekend to fix that old piece of shit 11 years old car

OP: given your shitty knowledge of car - best advise is to sell it as-is and get a new car. With 120k+ mileage and a bunch of issues you already have with tranny - you are looking for more and more issues piling up (more oil leaks, turbos it's never ending - your car is fucking 11 years old with worst reliability wise engine BMW ever produced lol) - it's not worth your time and nerves. Get a lease if you can't afford to buy newer car - drive for 3 years without any headache and save money meanwhile

If you are completely broke that can't even fucking afford a lease for 3 years - then fix that VCG and leave everything else alone - it will stop smoke coming out of your hood on streetlights, and drive couple more years until your tranny stops functioning and then you can pretty much sell your car for $300 to junkyard

[Drivaar]

Captain comic: You are harsh but I appreciate you telling it like it is. So many times I have posted here and people are always saying how each every repair is, but what you're saying makes a lot more sense.

As you said, I'm not going to be servicing it myself -- don't have the time, equipment/setup, etc...

If there was a car out there I was excited about, I'd be jumping to get it. (I'll start a different thread on that topic.)

Thanks!

[hassmaschine]

I don't think he's telling it like it is. $2500 for a VCG is a rip off, plain and simple. I've seen this come up many times on the N52, which on the later models with plastic covers also need replaced - often it's around $800. It's not going to be much different on an N54 - if anything, it's less complicated because you don't have to deal with the VVT motor.

So far I'm not convinced much is wrong with your car other than you're going to a mechanic who's either trying to screw you or is hoping you'll sell the car to him for peanuts because you're so frustrated with imaginary problems. Then he'll fix the VGC leak himself for $100 and flip the car for a profit..

[sonofsun]

Agree with captain Comic. 3 hrs for a pro for doing the VCG replacement? If it was three hours only I would've gotten it done with any pro who can stand by his work. I've seen too many people falsely exaggerate their own repair achievements.

I did the VCG job myself. It took me a total of 9 hours only because one of the last few bolts I was torquing (used cheapo 3/8" horrible freight torque wrench instead of a good 1/4" torque wrench) broke loose and had to extract it out after removing the valve cover. Also ran out of new bolts and had to extract it from old valve cover. Also the oil vapor vent connection on the back is a PITA to remove. If you aren't slow, patient and careful with it you can break that too.

Why does the valve cover itself need to be replaced? Did the nipple for the oil separator cyclone break? Is the cover itself broken? Ask this question.

BMW broke my valve cover vacuum nipple for the cyclone when I took the car in for the vanos bolt recall and they just superglued everything together.

[Drivaar]

Also: the estimates have been roughly the same from both nearby 5-star Yelp-reviewed shops (in the SF Bay area). Seems like that is reasonably the best I can do!

Also important to note: the $1900 includes both labor & parts. They said that they will of course see if the valve cover replacement can be avoided.

[madskillzE90]

Originally Posted by Drivaar

Hi everyone! Over the years, you've shared a ton of helpful advice here, and I'm here to ask one more time...

So, my 2007 E90 335i with 120K+ miles on it has some issues and I need to decide whether to repair or move on.

Here's what going on:

- There is an engine oil leak that seems to be dripping on an exhaust manifold, causing some smoke / burning smell from to time. My shop says the required repair is the valve cover and valve cover gasket ($1900) + oil pan gasket ($1700).

- The automatic transmission has been going into limp mode intermittently at low speeds (like in traffic). Seems to be when there are lot of 2-1 downshifts. This problem never showed up previously because I always kept it in Steptronic Manual mode... which means it was always in 2nd gear at a stop. Unfortunately, the thin wire inside the shifter that allows shifting into Manual mode has broken, right at the end of the wire so it cannot be easily attached, and a new shifter would be needed, the shop says. I try to get around this by using the paddles constantly, but that only shifts the driving mode temporarily... after about 30 sec of no inputs, it shifts back to D. Which uses 1st gear and causes the transmission problem again.

I can start getting these things repaired but I just don't know whether it's time to move on. If the transmission fails, that's going to be a very expensive repair... not to mention any troubles with the turbos.

It's a great car, and aside from these issues, still works very well.

Mathematically, all I have to do is spend less $ on repairs than a replacement car would depreciate per year, right? Are there any big ticket repairs that typically pop up around this time?

Any advice? Thank you for your time!

Those repair cost are beyond crazy!!!
I can swap out a valve cover and gasket in less then an hour, as long as no bolts are broken.
brand new cover and gasket ebay $120.00
So you can just stop yourself from going to where ever you went..

This is the type of crap I hate hearing about, shops charging beyond!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ridonkulous prices and claiming it takes hours.......
Then... they will give you car back with a new problem that did not even exist when you dropped car off lol

[El Cheapo Loco]

I think we can all agree that 3 hours for VCG is pipe dream and $1900 is a rip off. You can easily find a shop to do it for $800-$1000. But this is just a low cost maintenance item for the N54. What happens if/when your turbos and injectors fail? If you want a reliable car with low cost of ownership, a high mileage N54 is simply not a good choice. IMO I'd be more concerned with your transmission than the VCG. A blown tranny can set you back $4k+.

[BMW ONLY]

Originally Posted by Drivaar

Hi everyone! Over the years, you've shared a ton of helpful advice here, and I'm here to ask one more time...

So, my 2007 E90 335i with 120K+ miles on it has some issues and I need to decide whether to repair or move on.

Here's what going on:

- There is an engine oil leak that seems to be dripping on an exhaust manifold, causing some smoke / burning smell from to time. My shop says the required repair is the valve cover and valve cover gasket ($1900) + oil pan gasket ($1700).

- The automatic transmission has been going into limp mode intermittently at low speeds (like in traffic). Seems to be when there are lot of 2-1 downshifts. This problem never showed up previously because I always kept it in Steptronic Manual mode... which means it was always in 2nd gear at a stop. Unfortunately, the thin wire inside the shifter that allows shifting into Manual mode has broken, right at the end of the wire so it cannot be easily attached, and a new shifter would be needed, the shop says. I try to get around this by using the paddles constantly, but that only shifts the driving mode temporarily... after about 30 sec of no inputs, it shifts back to D. Which uses 1st gear and causes the transmission problem again.

I can start getting these things repaired but I just don't know whether it's time to move on. If the transmission fails, that's going to be a very expensive repair... not to mention any troubles with the turbos.

It's a great car, and aside from these issues, still works very well.

Mathematically, all I have to do is spend less $ on repairs than a replacement car would depreciate per year, right? Are there any big ticket repairs that typically pop up around this time?

Any advice? Thank you for your time!

I do my own VCG and OFHG. The VCG is what is causing the smell and smoke. You can do those yourself. The pan you don't need to do it. I was told by a stealership that my pan was leaking and it turned out that the bolt that is tightened after an oil change was bad. It leaked oil and over time got dragged to the rear of the car where it looked like a pan leak. Have an Indy show it to you to make sure.

With the limp mode, tranny is a big headache. On this Id do the math and see if it is worth it.

I like to keep my old cars.

[BMW ONLY]

Originally Posted by madskillzE90

Those repair cost are beyond crazy!!!
I can swap out a valve cover and gasket in less then an hour, as long as no bolts are broken.
brand new cover and gasket ebay $120.00
So you can just stop yourself from going to where ever you went..

This is the type of crap I hate hearing about, shops charging beyond!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ridonkulous prices and claiming it takes hours.......
Then... they will give you car back with a new problem that did not even exist when you dropped car off lol

Exactly. They fix one thing and intentionally fuck up 5 other things. Might even screw up a thing or two unintentionally.