[Bpsuls]

New to the forum, very informative. Here's my situation. So my 2014 328d was due to go in for the T-case Flex/disc recall in the summer, I brought it in on Sep 1 and despite having asked to make sure they had a T-case (they told me it would be replaced in June when I went the first time) they didn't and it was rescheduled to the 15th. Well last Saturday as i was taking off from a stop sign on a hill i hear a big BANG and whirrrrr and that's it, lost propulsion. I thought, crap, the t-case kicked it literally 3 days before the appointment! WTF! Anyways i had the heap towed to BMW and told them I want my money back for the tow, it should have been fixed on the 1st. Anyways they call back and tell me its not the T-case its the Front Diff! Really?? It glides in Park. Need the E brake to keep the car still. Would a exploded front diff do that? The tech said it could, and he said there is play in the drive shaft so the diff is toast. I'll admit I believe him on that one because I felt some small amount of play last winter when i was servicing it too. I just didn't think if you blew a front diff you would lose all propulsion and that the car could not be placed in park. Any thoughts? After some reluctance they told me they would do the recall with the diff "broken". Of course i will fix it myself, they quoted me $6300 to fix it!! I found a 17k donor for 800$.

But its nagging at me, is it really the front diff? I guess I'll know for sure tomorrow as I'll check to see if it drives. I was going to pick it up with a U-Haul trailer and my 3/4 ton.

Really appreciate the feedback. My first Beemer, probably my last this thing has been nothing but trouble. Thanks.

[Enabled]

It sounds like the transfer case output flange, not the front diff.
I'd have someone else verify.

[Bpsuls]

Update on the car. So I went back to get it and I asked: did you guys try to drive it? I'll bet it drives. And then the manager sheepishly says yeah it was a combination of the diff and the T-case/Flex disc. I told him year right, you know i was right and you were wrong. None the less the diff is in fact toast but was not the reason for the tow call. I am still getting it replaced, but not by that shop. Car works fine now that it has a new T-case and flex disc as part of the recall. Now to try to get them to refund me the tow call...

Thanks for the feedback Enabled!

[n00bkiller944]

Welcome to the forum! Crappy circumstances, but glad you got it figured out. Any clue why you lost the diff as well?

[Bpsuls]

Not sure about the Diff. it is definitely toast. i actually disabled the T-Case actuator so the car only drives the rear wheels in the interim until i get it fixed. of course the dash light went on but the grinding noise went quiet as such. Its been doing that for a long time, at least since December but didnt read into it that much, car was new to us. I just think you cant put a diesel into the same powertrain as a gasser and expect everything to just be fine, they are entirely different powercurves. Everything should be beefier on a diesel vs gas like it is in trucks, especially since they tend to put higher gearing in diesels. But thats just my opinion.

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by Bpsuls

I just think you cant put a diesel into the same powertrain as a gasser and expect everything to just be fine, they are entirely different powercurves. Everything should be beefier on a diesel vs gas like it is in trucks, especially since they tend to put higher gearing in diesels. But thats just my opinion.

The rear drive components are actually stronger on the 328dx than the 328/330ix. The 328dx has a larger differential and stronger rear half shafts. As you found though, the front drive stuff is all the same between the gas/diesel models.

[Bpsuls]

Oh ok good to know about the rear. The front diff came from a 330i so definitely the same as a gasser. identical part numbers.