Welcome here
I've taken this from AN other place
I'd say your in the safe zone in regards to timing chain, the key is more regular oil changes, half the requirement from BMW's extended intervals
The other key to x3 longevity is the tyres keep the star rated and <2mm of difference from to back, change tyres across the axle, but take note of depth differences
Happy reading!
I'll leave my original post intact for information, however in the last week it seems that BMW have finally admitted fault for premature wear of the timing chain. Cars are now being checked when in for a service as part of a 'Quality Enhancement'. If your car falls into the 'danger' bracket of the earlier engines and is getting noisy give your local dealer a call to make sure you are covered.
They are replacing the chain tensioners with a revised part and also checking timing chains for premature wear/stretching. If this is found they are also replacing the chain.
link to the PDF of the bulletin:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attachmen ... 1427723613
We seem to have had lots of threads asking about timing chains recently, so I thought rather than keep writing similar answers it would be better to put all info into one place for easy reading and to refer people to. This isn't a thread for reporting failures or noise as there's already plenty of those! All rough Prices quoted are from Indy's, NOT BMW main dealers. Please correct me if I'm wrong with any of this, but I've compiled it through my own research after having the problem.
EDIT: Engine codes don't seem to be matching up properly, so go by DATE of production/registration, not engine code. Also to point out, your car could have been produced a while before it was registered, which is why I originally thought engine codes were better. If anyone has any further info regarding this please add it!
Which cars are affected?
ALL N47 engined cars (114D, 116D, 118D, 120D, 123D, 125D) produced from 2007 onwards can be affected, with the potential impact and likelihood of it occurring being higher in the earlier models.
01/02/2007 - 05/01/2009 - Danger Zone
These are the worst affected engines. These are more likely to get noisy and CAN FAIL. To fully repair a noisy chain on one of these models will require a new crankshaft, guides and chains. Average repair price £1500-2000. (NB the chains and guides can be replaced without changing the crank, costing £1000, but this cannot guarantee the chain will not snap in future).
If the chain snaps the repair bill increases substantially, depending on the speed at the time of the failure. (More about this below)
05/01/2009 - 01/03/2011 - Won't snap, still noisy
These are the first revised engines, featuring the new crank and newly designed guides. These are less likely to get noisy, and there are no reported instances of them failing. To repair a noisy chain on one of these engines will cost around £1000, as only the chains and guides are replaced.
01/03/2011 onwards - Won't snap, still noisy
These engines feature the latest revised parts. However can still get noisy, even in the newer F2x models. BMW are refusing warranty repairs to cars with the latest revised parts if they are noisy, although we have a couple of members on here that have successfully managed to get them done under warranty. There is no risk of failure, just the noise, and BMW have yet to figure out how to solve this.
When it comes to changing noisy chains, BMW are offering 'Goodwill' gestures to owners who have a full BMW service history and reasonable mileage (under 100k). Some people have managed to get an 80% reduction in repair cost, whereas others only achieve around 50% off parts. It's done on a case by case basis so you need to argue your case to the service manager, especially if the car was bought as an AUC etc. If you think you qualify for goodwill then get it booked in for diagnosis at BMW and get a claim going!
My chain's failed - what are my options?
- Goodwill. What is your mileage and service history? If the history is full BMW and mileage is reasonable (<100k) then get the dealer to get a goodwill claim going. Be careful if they want to charge you for diagnostics, A full snapped chain diagnosis can be over £1000. Goodwill, if approved, could see a heavily reduced bill - but it's also a risk because of the diagnostic charge. Also BMW won't repair engines, and a new engine fitted is around £7,000 from them so even a discounted bill will be large.
- New (secondhand) engine. Not advisable to buy one from ebay - to bigger risk and too many variants to ensure perfect match and no issues. Even a decent engine could have issues if not an exact match. This replacement engine would also need the updated parts to ensure it won't fail again, which would be difficult to confirm. Only place I'd buy from would be somewhere like Quarry motors, but they're expensive. Not really a good option.
- Engine rebuild. Depends how fast you were going/revs when it failed, but if it was on startup (as most are) then the damage shouldn't be catastrophic. I've seen quotes in the £2-3000 region for this from specialists advertising the service, depending on extent of damage and what else needs doing (new cranks are nearly £1000 on their own). This would most likely be my favoured option, from a trusted specialist such as Peter Van Der Veer. At least you'd then know that you had a freshly rebuilt and inspected engine with the latest chain related parts so this couldn't happen again, hopefully giving some peace of mind and ensuring the car lasts much longer.
I'm worried, which warranty should I buy?
A warranty could potentially save you a massive bill, but be careful here. Due to the nature of the problem (guides wearing out rather than explicitly failing) and engines needing to be removed because of a 'funny noise' most 3rd party warranty companies will not pay out to have a noisy chain replaced, and leaving it to snap in the hope they will then pay out is obviously a large gamble. They will make you pay for the engine to be removed so that they can diagnose the fault (around £4-500 labour) and then most likely deny the claim due to nothing having actually broken, leaving you out of pocket and with a car in bits. This is what my third party warranty provider tried to do.
The BMW Mondial warranty is by far the best bet here, and comes with 3 levels of cover. The price increases after 60,000 miles, and again at 100,000 miles, can be paid yearly or monthly, and can be reduced by setting either a £100 or £250 excess. However - be aware that the basic 'driveline' cover has a £5000 claim limit and therefore will not cover the full cost of a snapped chain, which is around £7000 at BMW. You've been warned!
How can I check to see if I have the problem?
If your chain/guides are badly worn there will be a loud metallic ticking sound coming from the back of the engine. The noise is most apparent at between 1500rpm and 2000rpm when stationary and through 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear. Mine sounded similar to a pushbike freewheeling or peddling backwards at higher rpm's. The best way to listen for it is to either park up against a wall, or to listen around the back of the passenger side front wheelarch whilst someone else holds it at 1500rpm. There are plenty of videos on youtube, from those with the beginning of the problem right up to seriously worn chains, have a search!
Who can repair my noisy chain?
It would be good to compile a list of trusted specialists that can repair chains, with their approximate prices and location. Please post details if you've had yours repaired and I'll add them to the list. I'll start with Peter as he's mentioned on here often.
Peter Van Der Veer
repair cost - £1000 noisy chain (without changing crank)
Location - Huddersfield
Sports Tech Ltd
repair cost - around £1250 noisy chain without crank (I didn't get a full quote as I got rid of the car, but I've used them before and they have done these repairs before and are trustworthy)
Location - Nottingham
JMC Service & Repair
repair cost - £1350 without crank
Location - Sutton in Ashfield