[Slick_FThirty]

Originally Posted by Phoenix704

Thats good advice. My only thought however is that initiating legal action individually would likely exceed the cost of just having the chain replaced. With the settlement there's at least some potential cost abatement.

Ya exactly, I totally agree. Legal costs are hefty, and I don't think the results would be any better than this 3 year lawsuit. This 8 year and 100k mile is the verdict.

However, if you are above 100,000 miles and are therefore not eligible, or are not eligible due to the year cap, then by staying apart of the class action, you are signing that you legally agree that you are not entitled to any reimbursement of any kind from BMW for any issues arising from the timing chain.

Perhaps if you are in a car accident because of engine failure, lost power etc. and want to sue, I wonder if it would have implications and would not be able to sue them. I'm not sure.

For those reading, just note that regardless of the time component, all vehicles will be covered for one year from settlement according to mileage. So for one year, the age of the car does not matter.

So at the end of the day, I'm not too sure how much it would matter. The suing part may be significant. Anyways....

[js8mc]

Hi sjbender Would you mind sharing where you were able to get that offer on your X3 (private sale? did you contact dealerships or repair shops?) We're in the same boat with our X3 (not worth the hassle of repairing at this point) and looking for advice on the best places to try to sell it.

[bucketfoot]

Originally Posted by js8mc

Hi sjbender Would you mind sharing where you were able to get that offer on your X3 (private sale? did you contact dealerships or repair shops?) We're in the same boat with our X3 (not worth the hassle of repairing at this point) and looking for advice on the best places to try to sell it.

You're asking a valid question, but I'm pretty sure his car was 5 series.

[Solidjake]

Timing chain job done at the indy. Picking up the car this Saturday. He said that the chain did have some stretch but overall the chain/guides looked good. At least I have a piece of mind now with very long commutes to work.

[chrisca70]

Originally Posted by Solidjake

Timing chain job done at the indy. Picking up the car this Saturday. He said that the chain did have some stretch but overall the chain/guides looked good. At least I have a piece of mind now with very long commutes to work.

Good to hear your chaing+guides were ok, what mileage and oil change interval?

[BWbimmer]

Originally Posted by Solidjake

Timing chain job done at the indy. Picking up the car this Saturday. He said that the chain did have some stretch but overall the chain/guides looked good. At least I have a piece of mind now with very long commutes to work.

You did replace your tensioner as well?!

[jsouth]

Originally Posted by Solidjake

Timing chain job done at the indy. Picking up the car this Saturday. He said that the chain did have some stretch but overall the chain/guides looked good. At least I have a piece of mind now with very long commutes to work.

Same here. We take lengthy road trips (at least pre-COVID, and hope to again) and I didn't want to be stranded 1500 miles from home with a failure. Since I'm keeping it long term, the decision to replace was a no-brainer for me.

I'm almost at 140k miles now, and the car is still comfortable and looks nice. And I don't worry.

[Solidjake]

Originally Posted by chrisca70

Good to hear your chaing+guides were ok, what mileage and oil change interval?

Yup, glad they were ok and not on the brink of blowing up. 97,000 miles. Purchased at 58,000. Oil changes 7000 miles and auto start/stop disabled once I purchased the car.

[Solidjake]

Originally Posted by BWbimmer

You did replace your tensioner as well?!

Absolutely. I purchased the timing chain kit from FCP Euro.

[Solidjake]

Originally Posted by jsouth

Same here. We take lengthy road trips (at least pre-COVID, and hope to again) and I didn't want to be stranded 1500 miles from home with a failure. Since I'm keeping it long term, the decisions to replace was a no-brainer for me.

I'm almost at 140k miles now, and the car is still comfortable and looks nice. And I don't worry.

Nice mileage! I might catch up eventually My work commute is 180 miles a day, 16 days a month. Avg is going to be 36-40k miles a year. I just need to replace the turbo and control arms in the spring and I'm set for a while. Everything else is good.

[GreyF30]

Originally Posted by Solidjake

Absolutely. I purchased the timing chain kit from FCP Euro.

How much did you end up paying for labor?

Loving how your car looks btw. Wish mine is in 6MT as well

[Solidjake]

Originally Posted by GreyF30

How much did you end up paying for labor?

Loving how your car looks btw. Wish mine is in 6MT as well

Thanks! Manuals for life! haha

around 1,600 labor after taxes. Parts were around 700 (fcp chain kit plus oil/filter)

[Slick_FThirty]

Just asked my dealer how much they would charge for changing the timing chain.

Their answer: $11k CAD = $8400 USD.

[jsouth]

Originally Posted by Slick_FThirty

Just asked my dealer how much they would charge for changing the timing chain.

Their answer: $11k CAD = $8400 USD.

Obviously, they don't want/need the work. I paid $2700USD at an indy shop in the midwestern US.

[DadzBmer_N2o]

Originally Posted by MyEvo8u

Hey All!

Longtime lurker on the forums, thought I would share the bad news with everyone. Back in May of 2015, I took ownership of a new to me BMW 328i F30. I have had no issues with the car for 4 Full years! It was my baby and i never beat on it since I have another car to do that in. This car was met to be my daily for many years to come and I was also planning on becoming a loyal BMW customer with hope of getting the wife in a X5 within the next year or so.

Well let's jump into the issue that made my week go to hell. Driving to work approx. 55 MPH. I get the low oil pressure light followed by the Drivetrain malfunction light. I pulled over to the side of the road asap and had it towed to BMW. BMW called today, cause of failure was timing chain which then took the whole motor out. They want $11,000 to replace the motor...... I am super frustrated since I am a year out warranty and currently sit at 107,000 miles. There were absolutely no warning signs which makes me even more upset. As I said i don't beat on the car, i coded it to jump into eco-mode at all times. It rarely comes out of eco-mode and was never modified or tuned.... Other issue, I still owe $9,000 and was planning to either trade in this month for a new BMW or pay off in full due to balloon financing. Still trying to weight in on what to do here.

I do have a case in with BMW USA right now, but highly doubt they are going to cover anything. What pisses me off is that the failure occurred because of the timing chain issue that had an extended warranty.

So currently shit out of luck and kind of stuck in a huge predicament. I babied this car and always serviced it on time. Timing chains shouldn't go like that ever.....

I will keep you all updated, but as of right now. Pretty upset BMW owner. And I understand BMW doesn't owe me anything, but this is some screwed up situation.. Especially since there was an extended warranty for this.

EDIT: BMW USA already got back to me, their not going to cover the car at all.

EDIT #2: If you are reading this and you own a 2012-early 2015 N20. I would strongly recommend spending the money to have the new timing chain and guard put in, or trade it in now. I had no warning signs.

Edit #3: Was able to source a 2016 N20 Motor. It is going in this week. Hope this problem has been dealt with and the car will last another 5 years now hahahahaha.

Edit #4: If you have had a timing chain failure: Report it to NHTSA! the more reports they receive the better chance for a recall! This also helps aid in the legitimacy of the Class action suite! It took me 5 mins to do!https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/

This was the No.1 reason why i sold mine this past September and still almost got $15k for it (13' 320ix) w/ 45k miles..

[sjbender]

Originally Posted by js8mc

Hi sjbender Would you mind sharing where you were able to get that offer on your X3 (private sale? did you contact dealerships or repair shops?) We're in the same boat with our X3 (not worth the hassle of repairing at this point) and looking for advice on the best places to try to sell it.

I had a 2013 528xi, sold it on Facebook Marketplace to a private seller.

[GreyF30]

Originally Posted by Solidjake

Thanks! Manuals for life! haha

around 1,600 labor after taxes. Parts were around 700 (fcp chain kit plus oil/filter)

Used to drive an MT Mazda 6 before switching to F30. Having that MT itch right now, especially when there is no traffic during this quarantine LOL - such a perfect condition to drive a manual.

Thanks for sharing. Wow that's pretty pricey, but as expected. Mine is still inside the warranty period but the fact that it might break anytime makes me nervous when I want to floor it.

Thinking about paying for it on my own for peace of mind..

[peregrine128]

This weekend I am picking up a very clean used 2016 428xi GC with 16,000 km. Trading in a 2013 128i MT () but wife and arriving baby will be happy.

Absolutely love the car. Incredibly clean with performance and premium package, 19 in wheels, and m sport brakes. Interior is not how I would spec new but the more I see it the more it feels right.

Reason i'm posting is that dealer has offered BMW Platinum warranty with the vehicle. At 16,000km I'm hoping that it will be a long time until any of these more major mechanical problem became an issues.

Also, this new car is more technologically and mechanically complex than my 128 and I am leaning towards the reassurance of a warranty.

Should I go for the BMW Platinum warranty?

Cheers! and happy driving this weekend

[Slick_FThirty]

Originally Posted by peregrine128

This weekend I am picking up a very clean used 2016 428xi GC with 16,000 km. Trading in a 2013 128i MT () but wife and arriving baby will be happy.

Absolutely love the car. Incredibly clean with performance and premium package, 19 in wheels, and m sport brakes. Interior is not how I would spec new but the more I see it the more it feels right.

Reason i'm posting is that dealer has offered BMW Platinum warranty with the vehicle. At 16,000km I'm hoping that it will be a long time until any of these more major mechanical problem became an issues.

Also, this new car is more technologically and mechanically complex than my 128 and I am leaning towards the reassurance of a warranty.

Should I go for the BMW Platinum warranty?

Cheers! and happy driving this weekend

If build date is more than 03/15, then timing chain wise you should be fine.

Generally, it seems to be a solid car as long as you change your fluids at proper intervals. Don't change oil at BMW intervals. 8k km is my maximum. Change coolant, transmission fluid , differential fluid, brake fluid, etc. In general, do proper maintenance.

Since you are at low km, I would recommend an oil catch can to not have carbon buildup on the intake.

Transfer case can be a problem, which seems to be with decent frequency, if you have xdrive. There are steps that you can take to reduce that risk.

Whether I would go for the warranty depends on the price and how long it will last. Personally, I don't view it as an absolute necessity with this car, again, as long as you do all of your maintenance properly. Generally seems to be decently reliable beyond Timing chain, transfer case, thermostat, and turbo.

There are the trademark BMW problems, like Valve Cover, cooling system, oil filter housing etc.

Warranty wouldn't be my first instinct for this purchase. But if it were a really good deal and the value seemed to be worthwhile compared to the repairs and when those repairs happen then I would. You are at 16k. Depending on how much you drive, it could take you many years to reach the point where Valve cover usually needs to be replaced, for example. If the warranty doesn't cover this, then I wouldn't factor the cost of valve cover in to the value of the warranty. Or cooling system problems as well occur at higher mileage, so if the warranty does not extend until then, then there is no benefit there.

[sjbender]

No new PACER entries as of 10/19/2020. Last entry was on 9/30/2020 for doc number 76.

[Slick_FThirty]

For the Canadians, Strasbergco LLP in Toronto is initiating a class action for the N20. Likely, the same results will be applied to Canada. They began the case at the same time as the US lawsuit, but now that one is resolved, it's probably quick and easy to just accept the results of that lawsuit by filing a class action and presenting those results.

Interestingly, originally they were looking for $250 million in damages and $25 million in punitive damages. Perhaps gives a glimpse into the extent of the issue.

[Pauloxxi]

Originally Posted by peregrine128

This weekend I am picking up a very clean used 2016 428xi GC with 16,000 km. Trading in a 2013 128i MT () but wife and arriving baby will be happy.

Absolutely love the car. Incredibly clean with performance and premium package, 19 in wheels, and m sport brakes. Interior is not how I would spec new but the more I see it the more it feels right.

Reason i'm posting is that dealer has offered BMW Platinum warranty with the vehicle. At 16,000km I'm hoping that it will be a long time until any of these more major mechanical problem became an issues.

Also, this new car is more technologically and mechanically complex than my 128 and I am leaning towards the reassurance of a warranty.

Should I go for the BMW Platinum warranty?

Cheers! and happy driving this weekend

It is very personal opinion. I opted out of extended warranty on my CPO.
Although maintenance can be expensive, I opted to take some risk that time.