The BMW Dealership is MYSTIFIED...

[Chas_97]

My beloved 2014 Imperial Blue w/Silverstone cut out on the freeway this past February, Drivetrain Malfunction-Go Sacrifice Your Firstborn to the Dealership.
Smoke poured out the exhaust and from under the hood.
Dealership replaced HPFP, one bank of injectors, four spark plugs, catalytic converter and the battery.

3 months later, on the expressway again, same exact thing. Tow truck company customer loyalty rewards starting to accumulate.

Had it towed to the other BMW dealership in Atlanta and they replaced the low pressure sensor/delivery module, all of the injectors and are currently admitting that they are not sure what the problem is.

I'm told it's a fuel pressure problem, but root cause is currently unknown after a week at dealership.

During the two failure instances the smoke suggests the injectors dumping a lot of fuel into the combustion chamber.

SA dismissed my ideas that it could be related to low battery voltage, DME banks, VANOS or valve/camshaft timing/positioning.

Who among this fine forum membership can give meaningful input here?

PS: The SA mentioned that BMW switched from Bosch injectors to Delphi injectors....???? The S63TU engine training manual says these injectors can operate up to 2900PSI.

[Chas_97]

Been at the dealer for two weeks now and all major fuel prep and delivery components have been replaced per dealer.
They checked the wiring/connectors and no luck.

They tell me there is only one field engineer for the southeast US and he's in school in New Jersey this week.

Man this is really concerning....

[speedracerlo]

that sucks.. sorry to hear that
sometimes it's hard to just enjoy this damn car

[5tony]

Originally Posted by Chas_97

Been at the dealer for two weeks now and all major fuel prep and delivery components have been replaced per dealer.
They checked the wiring/connectors and no luck.

They tell me there is only one field engineer for the southeast US and he's in school in New Jersey this week.

Man this is really concerning....

What were the actual codes they pulled each time?

[Chas_97]

Originally Posted by 5tony

What were the actual codes they pulled each time?

I'm told there were several codes the first time they scanned.
Then a few less codes afterwards.

I'll have my SA provide me that information and post it to this thread.

PS: 3 weeks now and still no fix, the field engineer is finally visiting today so I was told yesterday afternoon. Hopefully he can get things moving along.

[Chas_97]

Well the dealership has had my M6 for almost 7 weeks now, and they are still not able to diagnose and fix the "Drivetrain Malfunction" error.

No end in sight it seems.

Looks like I'm going to have to decide what to do now. Continue to wait and hope for a fix OR take the loss and just switch over to Porsche. A 911 turbo S sounds good right about now.

[ARC550]

Originally Posted by Chas_97

Well the dealership has had my M6 for almost 7 weeks now, and they are still not able to diagnose and fix the "Drivetrain Malfunction" error.

No end in sight it seems.

Looks like I'm going to have to decide what to do now. Continue to wait and hope for a fix OR take the loss and just switch over to Porsche. A 911 turbo S sounds good right about now.

Lemon!?
911S... Yum mm!!!

[Cpark352]

BMW should buy the car back. Dont know what the policy is towards suck thing but i would be so upset at this.

Which dealer you take it to? I live in atlanta as well.

[dentaltech]

I would not wait any longer, 7 weeks makes you a very patient man. With no resolution in sight its time for you to get aggressive with the dealership. Was this a purchase or a lease?

[Chas_97]

Originally Posted by Cpark352

BMW should buy the car back. Dont know what the policy is towards suck thing but i would be so upset at this.

Which dealer you take it to? I live in atlanta as well.

The car is being serviced at United BMW of Gwinnett (N. Atlanta).

If BMW can't fix this major safety issue then I'd want BMW to buy the car back in good faith.

[Chas_97]

Originally Posted by dentaltech

I would not wait any longer, 7 weeks makes you a very patient man. With no resolution in sight its time for you to get aggressive with the dealership. Was this a purchase or a lease?

I agree. First it was new injectors, then new HPFP, then fuel sensor, then DME banks, then wiring harness, and all that lead right back to square 1.

This was a used car purchase from a local used car dealer in the N. Atlanta area.

I met with an experienced consumer attorney last Friday. He advised me of two possible options:

1. Because the used car dealership failed to include the Federal Trade Commission "Buyer's Guide" as part of the paperwork provided to me at the point of sale, my attorney says I have the right to file suit for "revocation of sale". Basically I'd get my money back along with my legal fees.

2. Demand in writing that BMW buy the car back since it has a major safety issue that their own service center cannot identify root cause or fix.

The day before the Drivetrain Error reappeared on the interstate I had just finished installing brand new rotors, pads and ATE brake fluid flush, some $2400 worth of parts from ECS Tuning.

At this point my SA has handed this debacle over to the service center manager, who called me Friday and said, "by the time this is over with you're going to have a completely new fuel and DME system".

The thing is the car is out of mfg. warranty, bought used from an independent used car dealer, but the BMW service center says I won't have to pay more than 20% of the repair cost OR possibly I won't have to pay any of the repair cost. Assuming of course they can actually repair the car. Thus far after 7+ weeks they have not been successful.

Hmmm....what to do?....?

[dentaltech]

My thoughts are that even if they were to rebuild the entire fuel system you then have a car that has been ripped apart by techs that I would bet have not done MOST of these procedures on this car. Dealership or not I am not too excited about these guys stripping things. Things always rattle after they do these extensive replacement.

I think that if you had not done the brakes it would be an easy pass and get the hell out of dodge and just look for the next car you can feel a bit more confident in and at the very least ENJOY.

There is a reason I never buy used, your just lucky the lot screwed up and did't have their paperwork in order.

Good luck!!!

[Chas_97]

Update:
After 2 months at BMW service center and more BS excuses day after day than even Hillary Clinton can come up with, I have experienced the Drivetrain Malfunction 3 more times since picking up the car from the service center on July 3. Very disappointing, but not surprising at this point. The service center replaced the entire fuel delivery system, one DME bank, both cats and O2 sensors, spark plugs and two wiring harnesses. They openly admitted that they don't know what is causing this major safety problem.
Of course I don't have any confidence whatsoever in the car's safety or reliability and BMW NA claims they are reviewing "resolution options" and have asked for my financing details of which I have provided a few weeks ago. So far no word back from BMW NA.
In the interim I've acquired a new 2015 Porsche 911 Turbo S which has consoled my otherwise depressed state of being.
Since January the repair bills related to the drivetrain malfunction error have totaled over $20,000, and because the cats and O2 sensors get damaged BMW was forced to cover most of this bill under the emissions warranty.
Personally I'm convinced the root of problem lies in the DMEs themselves, but I can't prove it outright. Just my own feelings based on the cumulative experience thus far.
I guess eventually BMW will get tired of paying for new cats, fuel pumps and injectors OR God forbid someone get injured or killed, then perhaps I'll get a buyback offer from BMW.
At any rate DON'T LET BMW of Gwinnett (N. Atlanta) service your car for this error. They clearly lack the resources and talent to work on M6 cars at this level.

[dentaltech]

Wow so sorry to hear this. When you didn't post back I had thought they figured it out.

I am sure it sours you to the brand, especially when you expense this kind of money on a car only to have a dealer not have a reasonable excuse as to WHY its happening.

Enjoy the Porsche its a wonderful car, Congratulations!!!