Has anybody out there had a vanos system go bad? I have a 2002 BMW M3 and in Jan '07 I had to have the double vanos replaced. This past week I put the car back in the shop to fix the exhaust gears in the vanos. Mucho dinero! Kelly BMW stated that they have never seen an M3 with 102,000 nor this type of failure before.
The vanos system is know to fail on certain production dates through the 2001-2002 e46 m3's and all the e46 330i's. I found out the hard way when my m3 hit 56,000 miles, it set me back $2,300. There are diy write ups on e46fanatics.com and you can also go a different route and buy a vanos block off plate.
I just looked up drvanos.com to see if he has come up with a rebuilt unit for e46 m3 (when I had my vanos problem he was still working on it) and he has finally finished. I suggest you contact him for pricing and etc. my buddy had his vanos fail on his 330i zhp and he said his car ran a whole lot better and he iss known for pricing his units less than half of what bmw charges.. goodluck
Thank you very much. I have already repaired them, but I didn't have the intake gears replaced, so if this fails, I will contact drvanos. Also, thank you for the info that this problem does occur on the 330i. Now I can tell my wife that trading in my 330 for the M3 might not have cost so much after all. Wish me luck! And thanks again.
Not a problem.. if you want to really avoid any more vanos problems look into this write up it shows you how to save yourself by only spending $30... http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=225780
Cam bolts Hi, just replaced cam bolts with new and inpoved bmw cam bolts!, Car is a 06 m3 with 23k miles. All were loose, with wear down to the root dia. Of the threads!. Don't put this update off. Talked to dealership about this problem with serice writer,he said all the mechanics that owner m3's changed thairs and used red locktite. It is a rather complex job. Can be done by omeone with a little time and know how. Any questions dont hesatate to ak me.......larry
