general problems of the 2011 BMW 328 - part 1

I took my car to the tigard oregon BMW dealership for my three recalls that were needing addressed. I turned my car over to them in good working order. After picking it up after the repairs my service engine light came on. My car started knocking and rattling louder and louder. I returned to the dealership and requested they fix the issue. After a few days they contacted my and told me it needs a new engine. They say they checked over their work and the problem isn't their fault. I disagree. They say they found metal shavings in my oil. They did an oil change a week earlier and mentioned no metal in my oil.

I believe my car is effected by the active BMW recall NHTSA campaign 23v-707. I have called BMW and gave them my VIN number and was rudely rushed off the phone being told my car has no active recalls. I have done a ton of research and the car sounds just like every other car effected by this recall. The car starts and idles fine initially but as soon as it drops to normal idle rpms it makes a loud clanking noise and vibrates really bad. When I go into the engine bay I hear the noise coming directly from the vanos area. The car had one code which was 2a7c before the noise. I cleared the code it has not come back but the noise is still there and therefore the vehicle is unsafe to drive. It feels and sounds like if I drive this car on public roads something catastrophic will happen. I believe that my vehicle should be covered under this recall even though they are saying my VIN has no outstanding recalls. This is literally the same exact issue for the recall in the first place and it would be amazing if they could help me out.

I brought my vehicle to an authorized dealer for three open safety recalls. Two were performed at no charge. The third, the vanos adjustment unit screw connection recall, was not performed. The dealer stated in writing on the repair order that the vehicle has a broken valve cover bolt, that the valve cover will not seal properly, and that a new valve cover is recommended to complete the recall. They quoted $1,077. 43 for a valve cover as a customer-pay repair and stated the recall could not be completed until that was done. I declined the valve cover. The recall was not performed. The bolt is not broken and the valve cover is not broken. The threads in the cylinder head bolt boss are stripped, and a larger bolt was installed that holds. There is no oil leak. A new valve cover would thread into the same stripped hole in the cylinder head and would not repair the damaged threads. The dealer's proposed repair does not address the condition they described. The manufacturer's dealer bulletin for this recall lists a cylinder head cover profile seal as a recall part and does not list a valve cover in any parts list. The remedy requires removing the cylinder head cover regardless. I left without signing the repair order. The recall remains open. I am reporting that a free safety recall remedy was conditioned on a customer-pay repair. The dealer could have performed the recall, documented the pre-existing thread damage on the repair order, noted that the customer was advised and declined the valve cover, and disclaimed responsibility for any future seepage at the cover. I would have accepted that. Instead they performed neither the recall nor any repair, and left a federal safety recall open.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the vanos bolts had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to TSB number: sib 11 04 14. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was covered under the TSB. The failure mileage was approximately 157,637.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving on the streets and the highway, the vehicle lost automotive power. There were no warning lights illuminated at the time of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked unexpectedly, stalled, and failed to accelerate over 30 mph. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for further assistance and stated that the failure could be related to a recall. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure started after the vehicle was repaired under an air bag recall by the dealer, and the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

> while driving the car, low oil pressure indicator came on and within less than a mile later there was a sudden loss of power, engine stalled and then would not start again, requiring vehicle to be towed off the road and to a repair garage. Yes, vehicle is available for inspection upon request. >vehicle was immobile on the road putting driver of vehicle and other vehicles on the road at risk of accident and injury. > attached documentation reviews the issue. > vehicle originally inspected by non-dealership garage that strongly recommended the vehicle be evaluated by BMW. Vehicle was towed to and inspected by BMW sewickley [xxx] . BMW states not covered under vanos recall. >only immediately prior to stall. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

> while driving the car, the low oil pressure indicator came on, and within less than a mile later there was a sudden loss of power, engine stalled and then would not start again, requiring the vehicle to be towed off the road and to a repair garage. > vehicle was immobile on the road putting driver of this vehicle and other vehicles on the road at risk of an accident and injury. > vehicle originally inspected by non-dealership garage that strongly recommended the vehicle be evaluated by BMW. Vehicle was towed to and has been inspected by BMW sewickley [xxx] . > only immediately prior to stall. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Engine lost all oil pressure, smoke came through vents with the smell of burnt oil. Engine stalled, intake camshaft no longer moves when the engine is trying to turn over. Vanos system failed.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an abnormal dinging sound coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a detached vanos bolt. The contact was informed that the failure was due to unrepaired recall NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling). The recall repair was performed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that when the vehicle was released to the contact, the contact stated that the vehicle was shaking violently, and the rpm was fluctuating. In addition, the engine shut off while idling. The contact stated that the failure occurred before leaving the dealer. The dealer requested that the vehicle remain at the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer the following day. The vehicle was inspected, and the contact was informed that the failure was not related to the recall. The contact was requested to provide a diagnostic fee for further diagnostic tests and the contact declined. The contact stated that the vehicle was in worse condition after the recall repair was performed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,000.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The vehicle was restarted several times but continually stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The contact examined the engine and discovered metal shavings in the vanos solenoid engine oil. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 120,000.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that the headlights and taillights remained illuminated after the vehicle was turned off. Additionally, the vehicle intermittently failed to start up. The contact stated that aaa jump-started the vehicle, and it was determined that the battery was in good working condition. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact associated the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 17v676000 (electrical system); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact had received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling); and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact stated that upon returning to pick up the vehicle, he was informed that the vehicle would no longer start, requiring the vehicle to be towed back to the residence. The dealer diagnosed a failure with the vanos solenoid. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the recall repair, and the dealer seemed to concur with the sentiments but had not provided any further assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 240,000.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to slow down, the vehicle started to jerk abnormally, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the camshaft adjusting unit was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

I took my car in for the vanos bolts recall at a BMW dealership they said they could fix the car. Keep in mind I drove the car there just fine and now there saying its gonna cost $3300 to fix my car and its not drivable and idk what to do because im not spending that much money when I took my car in for a recall.

The vehicle has been under recall for over a year and the fix is known and takes approximately 4 hours. BMW has had ample time to coordinate a repair, please enforce the repair for the vehicle.

Unknown.

My car has the same issue as other BMW 328i made in 2011. However, when I put the vehicle VIN number in my car does not pull up this as a recall. The camshaft timing bolts are kicking off a check engine light. There is already a recall on this for other cars like mines see campaign 23v707000. Not sure what to do, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Nothing has malfunctioned yet on the vehicle, however, these recalls are putting my daughter at risk while driving as there is an air bag and engine recall on the vehicle. Every time we contact the dealership, the recall is still unavailable.

I had my car towed to BMW northwest in fife on October 8th to have my recalled fixed for the vanos bolts that can cause engine problems. My car had shut down the day prior I couldn’t drive it. Through October 8 all the way till the 31st I had been in contact with BMW checking on the status of my car . . I have text messages between me and BMW about my car . I was told that 4 vanos bolts broke off into my engine and that BMW couldn’t find them they had to take my engine apart. . Then on October 31 I had got a call from BMW saying that they could not fix the the recall due to sludge on my engine, and that the reason that my engine had shut down was due to power maintenance . My car has all maintained regular oil change and kept up with the maintenance. So now BMW is trying to give me my car back with the vanos bolt still stuck in the engine in my car not starting and they said they were not gonna fix the recall.

The vehicle owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred several times while driving on the same day. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle shuddered and surged. The vehicle was taken to the o'reilly, where diagnostic trouble code p054b, which indicated a vanos bolts failure, was retrieved. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000(engine and engine cooling); however, the dealer charged a diagnostic fee and informed the contact that the vehicle would need to be diagnosed for 2 hours prior to the recall repair. The contact denied to pay the fee. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

There is a voluntary safety recalled #23v707 issued for my 2011 BMW 328i that deals with the vanos solenoid. My VIN is not included on this recall per website. My check engine light diagnosis shows a vanos solenoid issues. Dealership replaces vanos solenoid. Light comes back on, now the whole unit needs to be replaced. I separately went to a german mechanic and he communicated two times that my issue should be covered under the recall. How is this not associated with the safety recall issued in October 2023? wouldn’t faulty bolts directly impact the engine and cause the whole unit problems? I feel terrified driving my car as I transport my elderly parents and fear for our safety.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. Parts distribution disconnect.

See attached document for complaint.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 23v707000 (engine and engine colling) and 24v513000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000. Parts distribution disconnect; for NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling). VIN tool confirms part not available; for NHTSA campaign number: 24v513000 (air bags).

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling) and 24v513000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

My engine has been giving me trouble and my car is now unsafe to drive. There was factory recall issued for the vanos system in my engine back in October 2023. The vanos system is where I am experiencing the problems. It has now been 9 months since the recall was issued and there has yet to be a remedy available. I don't feel that a solution is being found in a timely manner. I am unable to drive my car safely until a remedy is found.

I was driving down the highway when the car started to stall and it sounded like it wanted to shut down. The engine light came on and the airbag light on. I pulled over to the side of the road and the car started jittering and the engine was stalling and making a hit pitch noise. This incident was really dangerous in the highway where sometimes you don’t have enough time to pull over especially with engine problems. I had to pay to tow my car from the high way to my house because the dealership wouldn’t take it in to fix it, they want to charge me for a diagnostic check to see what is wrong with it but my issue is that if I pay for this and they want to charge me for other work and at the end of the day the issue is still happening, I don’t want to waste thousands of dollars when I know the problem is coming from the recall that it needs and it’s been on standby for almost a year. This is really un safe and now I am out of a car because it is now non- operational. This issue is exactly the same as the recall issues they describe on your online site.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328xi. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound while driving. The check engine warning light, the traction control warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the vanos bolts were replaced twice; however, the obd scanner indicated diagnostic test codes related to the vanos bolts. The vehicle was temporarily repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the vanos bolts had fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Check engine light with code for timing error, intake vanos bolts are damaged are verified via visual inspection with a bore scope. Code p0012: intake camshaft position timing- over-retarded (bank 1).

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i coupe. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.