[Matt4552]

To my non-expert eyes, that looks like water damage. How the hell you got rust and pitting in that area without water in there, I have no idea. There definitely should not be water in there! Looks like it was sat for a year with water in the oil.

Also, if that rust is up the top, have they checked the bottom end?

The pitting could be caused by a faulty casting in the production of the camshaft. If it is water damage I would have expected it to be consistent over the top of the engine and the exhaust cam looks perfect, along with the cover over that cam and everything that side of the engine. Which is strange as that's where water you have first been poured in as that's the oil filler side. They are going to check the bottom end as well but haven't heard back yet. I will also do a few oil analysis when I get the car back to give me an idea of what else is going on. Its all very strange and probably won't ever get to the bottom of it all.

 

[nastypoker]

The pitting could be caused by a faulty casting in the production of the camshaft. If it is water damage I would have expected it to be consistent over the top of the engine and the exhaust cam looks perfect, along with the cover over that cam and everything that side of the engine. Which is strange as that's where water you have first been poured in as that's the oil filler side. They are going to check the bottom end as well but haven't heard back yet. I will also do a few oil analysis when I get the car back to give me an idea of what else is going on. Its all very strange and probably won't ever get to the bottom of it all.

Seems unlikely to be a casting problem. I think all BMW engines, at least performance ones from the late 00's onwards, used sintered camshaft lobes.

Oil analysis may not be conclusive if it has been changed a couple of times since whatever happened happened.

 

[Matt4552]

The pitting could be caused by a faulty casting in the production of the camshaft. If it is water damage I would have expected it to be consistent over the top of the engine and the exhaust cam looks perfect, along with the cover over that cam and everything that side of the engine. Which is strange as that's where water you have first been poured in as that's the oil filler side. They are going to check the bottom end as well but haven't heard back yet. I will also do a few oil analysis when I get the car back to give me an idea of what else is going on. Its all very strange and probably won't ever get to the bottom of it all.

Seems unlikely to be a casting problem. I think all BMW engines, at least performance ones from the late 00's onwards, used sintered camshaft lobes.

Oil analysis may not be conclusive if it has been changed a couple of times since whatever happened happened.

Thanks, didn't know that and good to know.

Thats true but it was more to check if there was any small particles or larger amounts of specific metals in the oil that might point to rod bearings be worn. Its hard without stripping the whole engine. When the lock down is over I will contact the dealers that serviced the car previously and see if they have any other info or if the can send a message to the previous owner asking them to contact me.

 

[50pence]

If you Google brown ish red residue in oil there are quite a few references, many applying to BMWs.

I wonder if the car has been hammered consistently, or overheated at sometime, or perhaps the opposite to hammering it, lot's of very short school run type trips where it doesn't warm up; either way from the pics it's unclear whether it is massively excessive wear, and if it is I'd be also worried about the bores and the bottom end.

Was the oil pressure checked before it was dismantled?

I'd not be spending thousands without more of an idea of the cause.

--

 

[Matt4552]

I will have a look at that thanks.

Out of all those options I would have said it was the short runs due to where the car was based and the mileage it had done prior to my ownership.

I am unsure if they did or not and will need to ask.

I agree and I don't want to be spending thousands but had to take the view that I either spend the £5k and fingers crossed or pretty much write the car off and the £17k I paid for it. I don't have the money for a new or low mileage engine to be bought and installed as that's the only way to guarantee a total fix. All in all its just rubbish . I did discuss trading it in against an M140i but due to them offering less then £8k on a trade in and not having any cars in an okay spec that I would want, the specs of the ones they had were pretty much all the opposite to what I would want!

 

[marco_polo]

Can you list the SH for us please?

16,456 - 1st engine service
.....or whatever.

 

[Matt4552]

1st service at 19,550 miles on the 26/10/15
brake fluid at 26,480 on the 28/10/16
2nd service at 31,053 on the 27/10/17
3rd service was an oil change from the dealer I bought the car from in July of 2018 at 34,000 miles
4th service and brake fluid was at 42,819 on the 15/5/19

Thats all the info I have. The first two services at main dealers and the 4th was an independent specialist I used.

Edit; I would have preferred the services to have been every year or no more than 10k miles but guessing if it wasn't someone massively into cars they would just do it when the car told them to. The 3 cars I looked at had all been serviced the "BMW" way!

 

[marco_polo]

Sounds ok, provided they used decent oil. 11,500 in two years (15 - 17) is slightly lower than average, but shouldn't problematic unless it was sat stationary for a year, or something.

Was the first keeper a 4 year PCP rental?

 

[50pence]

How many miles has it done since the 15/05/19 service? And do you have a receipt stating what oil was used?

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[Chapscrap]

20k before first service isn't ideal, but at least it would have had the original BMW fill oil in it, which would have been good quality. There's so many possibilities as to what has caused the wear, especially as the exhaust cam isn't affected. The rust on the ferrous parts is another conundrum. I really don't envy your situation. Ultimately I guess it depends on your morals, ethics, and financial situation as to what you do moving forwards.....
If it is reassembled would it run reasonably quietly? WBAC are called WBAC for a reason....

 

[Matt4552]

I am guessing it was a 4 year deal whether PCP or a HP deal but not sure. Is there somewhere you can check that?

Its on 47-48k miles now, give or take. Yes the specialist I used uses genuine part for all its services, one of the reasons I went to them.

I agree, the first service is the only one that worries me a little especially when these don't have a run in service. Morals wise I decided I couldn't sell it on to anyone and now its been documented with BMW I wouldn't be able to trade in at a main dealer. I am not really in a position to buy a newer car without taking some form of loan or finance which I don't really want to do. I can just afford the repairs so I am just hoping nothing else is underlying but bang goes my exhaust, remap and LSD fund!! That was my first idea, just reassemble and take it to WBAC but to be honest anyone with half a clue would know that there was noise there that wasn't right. They might not have known what it was but would have probably heard it. Its going under a harsh life lesson !

 

[marco_polo]

I'd seriously consider buying a warranty from BMW going forwards, can save you a small fortune, especially if it's a bit of a pup.

https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk/Login/Index

 

[Matt4552]

I'd seriously consider buying a warranty from BMW going forwards, can save you a small fortune, especially if it's a bit of a pup.

https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk/Login/Index

Thanks Marco, its on the top of my list. Doesn't look like a bad price either all considered.

 

[sir_dave]

As per my message on Pistonheads, this is actually a very common issue, but when the valvetronic motor fails, it defaults to throttle body only, so barring the slight/occasional clicking on startup, the normal man in the street wouldnt notice a difference. It doesnt give an EML (but will show a shadow fault code on proper diagnostics), so the only other tell tale is poor mpg, but you already own the car by that point if you havent read the codes.

To put it into perspective, when i was looking at the back end of last year, 5 out of the 7 M135is i looked at had the following code:

Fault Code: 133E10
Fault Explanation: Valvetronic system: disabled to frequent Verstellfehler

Search the US forums and its far more detailed info/fix wise as they are much more mechanically aware.

Info:

http://www.fluidmotorunion.com/bmw-valvetronic-eccentric-shaft-failure/

More info:

https://bmwtechnician.com/2017/03/27/n55-eccentric-shaftvalvetronic-motor/

Google search term:

https://www.google.com/search?q=n55...alvetr&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l3.3875j0j7&hl=en-GB&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

If the valvetronic motor fails (usually as the shaft isnt being lubricated properly), the eccentric shaft stops turning, this then causes all manner of issues with the cams, ie scoring, etc if left too long.

 

[surayne]

Can this happen with the B58? Other than frequent oil changes, how can you prevent Valvetronic system issues like this?

 

[50pence]

As per my message on Pistonheads, this is actually a very common issue, but when the valvetronic motor fails, it defaults to throttle body only, so barring the slight/occasional clicking on startup, the normal man in the street wouldnt notice a difference. It doesnt give an EML (but will show a shadow fault code on proper diagnostics), so the only other tell tale is poor mpg, but you already own the car by that point if you havent read the codes.

To put it into perspective, when i was looking at the back end of last year, 5 out of the 7 M135is i looked at had the following code:

Fault Code: 133E10
Fault Explanation: Valvetronic system: disabled to frequent Verstellfehler

Search the US forums and its far more detailed info/fix wise as they are much more mechanically aware.

Info:

http://www.fluidmotorunion.com/bmw-valvetronic-eccentric-shaft-failure/

More info:

https://bmwtechnician.com/2017/03/27/n55-eccentric-shaftvalvetronic-motor/

Google search term:

https://www.google.com/search?q=n55...alvetr&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l3.3875j0j7&hl=en-GB&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

If the valvetronic motor fails (usually as the shaft isnt being lubricated properly), the eccentric shaft stops turning, this then causes all manner of issues with the cams, ie scoring, etc if left too long.

I've read about the valvetronic issue, I understood it affects early N55s and N20s mostly and it's accompanied by a loud chattering prior to start up. It's definitely relevant to the OP though I'm not sure how it causes cam lobe damage.

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[nastypoker]

From the reading I have just done about this issue, it seems if the motor fails, it is likely due to a lack of lubrication. You can see it has an oil spray nozzle right on top.

I wonder if there is an oil blockage somewhere in the galleries around the top end, it would prevent proper lubrication of this item AND the cam lobes. Motor stops working and cams begin to degrade. Car is still usable though.

 

[CharlieM135i]

I had a similar issue with my March 2013 M135i in December 2017 with 72,000 miles on the clock.
My local garage wouldn't touch it, took it to an independent BMW specialist who replaced some components in the head (forget which), but he wasn't happy as the engine still wouldn't self-calibrate properly.
It went into limp-mode again so got recovered to BMW main dealer, who were great.
£4,500 total bill for work including new Servomotor, new Eccentric Shaft, reduced to £1140 by BMW UK as goodwill gesture.
1st 3 services were BMW under lease (previous owner)
4th service was my local garage, but he'd used correct oil and BMW filter, so BMW had no issue
113,000 miles on the clock now and still going fine

 

[50pence]

I had a similar issue with my March 2013 M135i in December 2017 with 72,000 miles on the clock.
My local garage wouldn't touch it, took it to an independent BMW specialist who replaced some components in the head (forget which), but he wasn't happy as the engine still wouldn't self-calibrate properly.
It went into limp-mode again so got recovered to BMW main dealer, who were great.
£4,500 total bill for work including new Servomotor, new Eccentric Shaft, reduced to £1140 by BMW UK as goodwill gesture.
1st 3 services were BMW under lease (previous owner)
4th service was my local garage, but he'd used correct oil and BMW filter, so BMW had no issue
113,000 miles on the clock now and still going fine

What were the original symptoms in your case?

--

 

[CharlieM135i]

The car would hold 1200-1500 revs when cold - couldn't pull away on gravel drive without the wheels spinning - was driving fine otherwise, so took it to local garage who read fault code:
133E10 Permanent Valvetronic system: deactivated, adjustment fault too frequent

BMW indy then replaced the faulty actuator (Short circuit in old unit) but the new unit wouldn't learn its limits. The code initially cleared but had returned after the road test along with a second code for position learning.

Car drove ok for a few miles, before going into full limp-home mode - car just would not go above about 35 mph, so then had it recovered to main dealer.