BMW Forums : BimmerForums banner

2007 E91 320D SE Touring (177Bhp) - N47 Timing Chain Snapped

2K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Anchorman 
#1 ·
Mine is a 2007, '57 320D SE (177BHP) Touring with the doomed N47 engine..

I was driving on the M40 on Tuesday in the fast lane when the engine suddenly lost power - luckily I was able to coast it onto the hard shoulder.. Turns out the timing chain has snapped.

It has quite a high mileage of 153,000 miles but has always been serviced at an official BMW garage.

I contacted BMW today who advised they would need to 'diagnose' the issue and they may well offer a goodwill payment. They seemed quite helpful but I don't hold out much hope because of the mileage (although it is a common fault and in theory - the timing chain should last a lifetime). I know they do offer goodwill payments for the N47 problem.

I obviously have to pay for BMW to diagnose the problem, but I'm worried they're going to just turn around and say they can't cover any of the cost because of the mileage.. (As they could tell me this before me shelling out for the diagnosis).. Has anyone else had any experience of this, or does anyone know whether they would consider a goodwill payment with such a high mileage?

If they aren't going to pay, I'd rather take it to a specialist for a rebuild as they are much much cheaper, but as the car has never been serviced outside the official network, I don't want this to harm my case just yet..

Any help, or advice would be much appreciated.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I have two fundamental problems with the idea of paying for such a 'diagnosis':

1) In this case, it is obvious what has happened (presumably verdict of AA or whoever) and a known and predictable issue with that engine. You don't need them to tell you what has happened. Decent customer care would be to take it at face value, rather than insisting on charging for time to confirm facts which are prob99 assured.

2) On a more general level, I view franchised dealers as an extension of the manufacturer so I object to paying them for their time spent learning about defects in their own product. I have often wondered if their is a market for auto repairs conducted on a 'payment by results' basis.

If they are very insistent about the way they want do it, you may have no option. How much labour time do they want to verify the snapped timing chain? Anything more than an hour is p***-take.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for your reply gfewster,

They have said that the diagnosis would be an hour - possibly less. The hour test which i assume is some kind of compression test and computer diagnosis is charged at just under £150. I also have to organise and pay for the car to be transported from my house to the dealer which the lowest quote is 60 inc VAT for 9 miles.

BMW customer services said that they would only consider a goodwill claim once this test has been carried out to verify that the problem is with the timing chain, which it clearly is.. They referred to to the local BMW dealer to have this test carried out.

For the sake of £150, my thoughts are that it is worth it to find out whether the goodwill claim will be paid.. However, one of my concerns is that they will write back to me saying that because of the high mileage, they wouldn't entertain the claim, even when I've already told both BMW customer services and the franchise of the mileage, as they could have told me that before paying for the diagnosis..
 
#4 ·
Hi

I would take the risk and get the diagnosis done, i would be surprised if they will not offer some sort of goodwill payment and it will certainly be for more than the £150 it will cost you to have the fault diagnosed. Granted, it may cost you more in labour costs having it done at a main dealer. If you have FBMWSH then they will almost certainly offer you some assistance and i don't believe the mileage should matter. The timing chain is not a serviceable component and should therefore last the lifetime of the car, (hence why is it in such an inaccessible part of the engine at the back). I suspect from reading previous posts that BMW will offer you either free parts or labour but not both.

good luck
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top