VANOS solenoid - is this genuine BMW or not?

[pmorg4]

Hi all

I'm thinking of replacing the VANOS solenoids on my N52 330i. Having a look in the usual places I came across this supposedly genuine BMW solenoid, but price wise it seems to be significantly cheaper than the dealer price (which has jumped up in recent years). Can someone who has bought one please offer a view on whether this is how a BMW solenoid is packaged, particularly what appears to be a vacuum sealed plastic bag containing the sensor?



If it's a fake I'd rather just buy a known brand such as Febi, which are available at a reasonable price, unless someone can point me to the OE manufacturer of these.

Thanks

[Court_S]

I’ve bought bought one, but nothing I’ve bought from BMW has been in a vacuum sealed bag like that. Also, the boxes have been plain white.

Was this an eBay special? How much was it?

[Touring442]

It's fake.

Real ones aren't in sealed bags and the typeface for the numbers on the sticker is wrong.

Febi stuff is OE with the BMW logo ground off.

[Touring442]

This is what it should look like.

White box and gaps between the digits on the part number.

https://motostacja.com/p/OE-BMW-11367585425/

[pmorg4]

Thanks all. I figured it was fake, I've never had anything from BMW vacuum packed like that, glad to have a wealth of knowledge on here to confirm my fears.

It was around £50 which is cheaper than the Febi part. If you're interested you'll find it easily enough on the Bay - not sure whether I'm allowed to post direct links to ads.

I'll buy a Febi part, always had good experience with the quality of their parts, and if it's the OE part for BMW all the better.

[Sofa]

Touring442 said:

This is what it should look like.

White box and gaps between the digits on the part number.

https://motostacja.com/p/OE-BMW-11367585425/

Yeah not a VANOS Solenoid admittedly but when I bought a new gear knob from Cotswold BMW it came in a box with a label that looked pretty much exactly like the one you linked. Seems they stick the label in such a way that you can't open the box without breaking it too, you can't see in that picture but I'd be willing to bet the sticker went onto the right-hand side and has the BMW Group logos on it.

[Touring442]

The white/grey box was eighties and nineties. I've not seen one like that for years.

[g3org3y]

As above, not legit.

Here's how the genuine items come (bought from the official BMW eBay store), in these boxes wrapped up.



(Yes, I kept the old ones...just in case they might come in handy)

[Krikkit]

The vacuum bag makes it look exactly like the NeoBros ones I've just fitted to my 130i, basically triple the price to re-box them for a scam.

[pmorg4]

Thanks again! They might be perfectly fine but I'd rather be aware of what I'm getting so that I can get comfortable on whether or not I'm willing to take a chance on a part that might cause more problems than it solves.

Definitely staying well clear, as noted I'll likely go for Febi.