I have a 2012 M3 that will be out of warranty at the end of this month. It has 32k miles and has had 5 oil changes, three by the dealer per the service contract and I changed it between those intervals so it averages 6k miles per change. It runs perfectly. Is the rod bearing problem a legitimate concern? I've seen a lot of conflicting information.
Well can't say it is not an issue but it's not as bad as the internet makes it out to be. I really don't see that many fail out of how many M3's I work on and your oil change intervals will help with this in my opinion.
I also have a 2011 e92. under 36,000mi and I plan on getting an ESS 65hp supercharger. Part of the install ($2200) is replace the rod bearings. Should I let them do it? Should I take it to the dealer I've been going to and expect BMW to fix it for free? After all, THEY designed my very expensive/prestigious sports car with inferior parts?
I was hoping Charlson would be back for a more definitive answer for you - presumably he's on vacation beating the heat someplace! l'm not intimately familiar with the issue, but I'd say it would be worth asking what, if anything, BMW would do. Unless there's a specific campaign to replace them, I'd guess they wouldn't replace them pre-emptively, and then the deal, possibly, is some sort of extended warranty to cover if they do fail - obviously your dealer can confirm that. Presumably they wouldn't suggest doing so as part of your supercharger install unless there was a reason to do so... so, I'd be inclined to say it might be a good idea to give the go-ahead on that for some reassurance down the line. But, yes, unfortunate to have to deal with that in addition to anything else!
Sorry for the late response been remodeling the home. As for the rod bearings ess recommends the replacement because of the extra stress caused by supercharging the engine. Bmw will not replace these without a recall or signs of failure. Either ess or BMW would have no issue replacing these for so really that's comes down to who's cheaper.
