Nightmare dealer situation (Updated)

[GreyM340i]

Step 1. Don't go to the dealership ever.

Step 2. See Step 1.

Sorry this is happening though, but understand that this car is 20 years old now and the techs that actually know how to work on them/give a shit are retired and/or gone.

Find an Indy shop to get a second opinion because I would not trust a single word from the dealer at this point.

I like step one and two. LOL

[GreyM340i]

How many miles on your car now? If the original rod bearing replacement was done close to 100K miles in the past, you could argue for them to pull the pan and inspect and since a bunch of the labor is done, just do the bearings. Offer to split labor on that - if the inspection is good. If the inspection shows any issue, then it should be all on them.

For the future, I would go reach out to one of the great independents in the Chicago area for work - I personally go to Performance Eurowerks with mine. They are very familiar with the E46 M3.

The car currently has 95k and rod bearings were done at 36k. I only took this car in for the recall and asked them to check the oil before I left. Then this nightmare happened. Went into the dealer this morning and talked to the service manage. Just waiting to hear back from him for a acceptable solution. I told him how can you prove to me that the internals are fine and healthy? I said at the minimum the oil pan has to come off and rod bearings and crank have to be inspected with pictures and video. He was being super cool and admitted it was their fault for the oil issue. Hope they will do the right thing.

[Sharocks]

Step 1. Don't go to the dealership ever.

Step 2. See Step 1.

Sorry this is happening though, but understand that this car is 20 years old now and the techs that actually know how to work on them/give a shit are retired and/or gone.

Find an Indy shop to get a second opinion because I would not trust a single word from the dealer at this point.

[sleeks]

How many miles on your car now? If the original rod bearing replacement was done close to 100K miles in the past, you could argue for them to pull the pan and inspect and since a bunch of the labor is done, just do the bearings. Offer to split labor on that - if the inspection is good. If the inspection shows any issue, then it should be all on them.

For the future, I would go reach out to one of the great independents in the Chicago area for work - I personally go to Performance Eurowerks with mine. They are very familiar with the E46 M3.

[K-Dawg]

Man, this sucks. Buckle up for a bumpy ride.

"Take it for a drive" is probably not the best thing to start with.

[GreyM340i]

For what it's worth, the first noise you usually hear when you run an engine low or out of oil is the cam chain slapping because the tensioner loses pressure. It's a terrible noise but shouldn't really cause a permanent issue.

Of course it entirely depends how long you ran it with no oil. The next thing to go would be the rod bearings or main bearings.

Smoke/vapor coming from a hot engine oil fill port is not uncommon and I'd consider it normal.

Just remember when negotiating, start high and end up somewhere in the middle where you will be happy.

I turned it off the second I heard that noise and it sounded like it wanted to die. I just hope we can come to a agreement to open the bottom end and check the rods and crank. Maybe get some rod bearings out of this. Haha

[cobra]

For what it's worth, the first noise you usually hear when you run an engine low or out of oil is the cam chain slapping because the tensioner loses pressure. It's a terrible noise but shouldn't really cause a permanent issue.

Of course it entirely depends how long you ran it with no oil. The next thing to go would be the rod bearings or main bearings.

Smoke/vapor coming from a hot engine oil fill port is not uncommon and I'd consider it normal.

Just remember when negotiating, start high and end up somewhere in the middle where you will be happy.

[GreyM340i]

The red oil light came on and then the car shut off on the exit mid turn. When I checked the dip stick I thought I saw some oil on it however not sure because I didn’t have anything to wipe the stick with. There was also some smoke when I opened the oil fill cap. Problem now is they filled up the car with new oil when they got it back and may of changed the filter without me getting to check it. Good thing is they did admit that it was their fault when I talked to the SA. I have been nice the whole time and never got loud or anything. Just told him I’m very concerned about the noise I heard and the health of the engine. He said they will check it tomorrow and take it for a drive. Don't think they’re opening the bottom end tomorrow not sure what tests he was talking about the tech will do.

[cobra]

man I'm sorry that really sucks.

[Slideways]

Were you able to check the oil dipstick after it came to a stop? And did you get a yellow or red oil light? It would have been best to have them capture the remaining oil and write down the amount. Usually, the oil light (and beep alert) will give the driver enough time to shut off the engine to prevent damage.

[Icecream]

My last 3 BMW’s have been from this dealership and my M340 was this past September 2021. I’m hoping they will agree to take the oil pan off and inspect with images the rod bearings and crank.

What bad luck, sorry to see this.
I don’t think this model M3 will shut off with low oil, newer ones probably do. If you heard noises and it stalled, I don’t think the dealer is in for a good time. Just be nice to them, if the SA pushes back, escalate it nicely, don’t be a jerk, it was a mistake that will cost this dealer several thousand to remedy. I wouldn’t accept the car until the bottom end is opened. They will agree eventually. At a minimum, check the oil filter right now with you and the SA present (so they don’t play games) and use a flashlight. Any sparkles, they own it. No sparkles, open bottom end. If you take it home without them doing anything and the engine blows next week you will own it. Tell them all you want is conformation the bottom end is ok and you will walk away happy. You shouldn’t have to pay for a thing.

[maw1124]

My last 3 BMW’s have been from this dealership and my M340 was this past September 2021. I’m hoping they will agree to take the oil pan off and inspect with images the rod bearings and crank.

This they will probably do. And they’ll probably let you stand there and observe when they do. Best of luck, and please do report back. These are stout beasts, so unless you see metal shavings everywhere my guess is you’re good. But do alert your carrier.

maw

[GreyM340i]

Prepare for them to tell you that they will charge you a daily store fee (not cheap) if you don't pick it up promptly. They have played this game thousands of times (and well) and are waaaaay ahead of anything you think of.

BMWCCA is unlikely to be much help unless you have a past record of new BMW purchases.

My last 3 BMW’s have been from this dealership and my M340 was this past September 2021. I’m hoping they will agree to take the oil pan off and inspect with images the rod bearings and crank.

[Estoril]

I will not pick that car up until we can come to a acceptable agreement. I just don't know what would make me feel good about the health of the motor. This is so annoying since I was so excited about this M3 purchase. I feel like the crank and bearings need to be checked however how do I trust they will be honest? You think BMWUSA would help if gotten involved? Just not sure what to do about this.

Prepare for them to tell you that they will charge you a daily store fee (not cheap) if you don't pick it up promptly. They have played this game thousands of times (and well) and are waaaaay ahead of anything you think of.

BMWNA is unlikely to be much help unless you have a past record of new BMW purchases.

[GreyM340i]

Daaaaaaaaamn. So how low is the oil level? Like how much actually came out on your drive?

The vacuum in the engine should keep most of the oil in even with a loose drain plug. The reason I say this is because when I first got my car, I did the first oil change and the drain plug came out revealing loctite on it, it was stripped and would not thread back in properly. Long story short, I finger tightened it, filled the car up with oil even though it was leaking pretty bad, drove it like 45 minutes to my friend's shop, and hardly any oil was lost on that drive. But as soon as I turned off the motor, it dumped oil everywhere. So unless the plug was like TOTALLY loose or not even there, I'd be surprised if you lost that much oil while the engine was running.

What I would do next is call my insurance, tell them what happened so you are on record. That will be advantageous no matter where it goes from there. I would insist that the dealer drop the oil pan and check the rod bearings and crank. And make sure a different tech does the work LOL.

I think more than half of the oil was gone when I stopped maybe more I couldn’t tell. It must of been leaking the whole drive home.