Vanos unit gone, what would you do?
Discussion
I've had an 03 e46 M3 for 2 weeks and purchased from a main dealer.
I've had to have it sent to my nearest BMW dealership on recovery truck as the engine managment system light appeared. I've now been told the VANOS unit has gone and needs replacing. I have only done 448 miles in the car of which 230/240 miles was driving it home from the dealership I purchased from.
Basically I now have no faith in the car and am asking if any of you have already had the job done? Also if it was you in my situation would you return the car if possible and get your money back or get the job done and keep the car?
Thanks in advance for any replies!!
I've had to have it sent to my nearest BMW dealership on recovery truck as the engine managment system light appeared. I've now been told the VANOS unit has gone and needs replacing. I have only done 448 miles in the car of which 230/240 miles was driving it home from the dealership I purchased from.
Basically I now have no faith in the car and am asking if any of you have already had the job done? Also if it was you in my situation would you return the car if possible and get your money back or get the job done and keep the car?
Thanks in advance for any replies!!
If purchased from a main dealer, they should repair it under warranty. They do fail, but I wouldn't let that ruin your faith in the car, when it's sorted all should be well again.
Get onto to the dealer asap and get it sorted out.
Edited to say that as the dealer you bought it from is miles away, your local dealer should be able to do the work as the car will be covered by the BMW used car warranty.
Get onto to the dealer asap and get it sorted out.
Edited to say that as the dealer you bought it from is miles away, your local dealer should be able to do the work as the car will be covered by the BMW used car warranty.
Edited by bob1179 on Saturday 6th October 11:36
Bi-VANOS units go. Simple as that. I wouldn't let it put you off the car, just make sure you know how much it would cost to replace if you had to pay for it and take it into consideraton before deciding whether to buy the staggeringly expensive extended BMW warranty when the current one expired or risk going without. The Bi-VANOS issue is a famous one in the E36, but I've never read about it going in an E46, but I guess if it's the same unit it will suffer the same issues.
Plantins said:
The car is covered by the warranty, but I'm totally pi***d off!! and have lost all faith in the car to say the least.
Don't be, get it fixed at the warranty's expense and enjoy the car. Then when the warranty runs out remember you are in the great position of the vanos having just been done!If and when the vanos on my E39 M5 goes I certainly wont let it ruin the M5 experience. My garage may get a bit pi$$ed off with my calls telling them to hurry up.
My knowledge of the E46 is limited but with the E39 I've heard of cars needing them doing at 35k miles and other cars having not needed them doing at 140k miles. My E39 is going strong on the original vanos at 88k miles.
One thing to be aware of though is that using the approved Castol TWS 10w60 oil (on the E39 not sure about the E46) and letting the engine AND oil heat up properly before booting it should give less cause for vanos problems.
One thing to be aware of though is that using the approved Castol TWS 10w60 oil (on the E39 not sure about the E46) and letting the engine AND oil heat up properly before booting it should give less cause for vanos problems.
dazren said:
My knowledge of the E46 is limited but with the E39 I've heard of cars needing them doing at 35k miles and other cars having not needed them doing at 140k miles. My E39 is going strong on the original vanos at 88k miles.
One thing to be aware of though is that using the approved Castol TWS 10w60 oil (on the E39 not sure about the E46) and letting the engine AND oil heat up properly before booting it should give less cause for vanos problems.
My research into the E36 M3 Bi-VANOS issues suggests the same.One thing to be aware of though is that using the approved Castol TWS 10w60 oil (on the E39 not sure about the E46) and letting the engine AND oil heat up properly before booting it should give less cause for vanos problems.
Plantins said:
I've had an 03 e46 M3 for 2 weeks and purchased from a main dealer.
I've had to have it sent to my nearest BMW dealership on recovery truck as the engine managment system light appeared. I've now been told the VANOS unit has gone and needs replacing. I have only done 448 miles in the car of which 230/240 miles was driving it home from the dealership I purchased from.
Basically I now have no faith in the car and am asking if any of you have already had the job done? Also if it was you in my situation would you return the car if possible and get your money back or get the job done and keep the car?
Thanks in advance for any replies!!
isn't there a 1000 mile 30 day exchange thing plan on BMWs. I am sure there is..I've had to have it sent to my nearest BMW dealership on recovery truck as the engine managment system light appeared. I've now been told the VANOS unit has gone and needs replacing. I have only done 448 miles in the car of which 230/240 miles was driving it home from the dealership I purchased from.
Basically I now have no faith in the car and am asking if any of you have already had the job done? Also if it was you in my situation would you return the car if possible and get your money back or get the job done and keep the car?
Thanks in advance for any replies!!
If you buy a vehicle from a dealer, you’re covered by the Sale of Goods Act 1979. This means it must be:
• Of satisfactory quality, bearing in mind its age, what it cost and how it was described to you. It should be free from serious defects, other than those you were made aware of
• As described. If the dealer says it's a 2-litre, and it's actually a 1.6-litre, you can reject the car and seek a refund or replacement
• Fit for any reasonable purpose. The car should do all that you reasonably expect of it, including any specifics you state to the dealer. If you need a car for towing and the dealer says a 1-litre supermini will be fine, you can reject the car if it struggles
However, if you pay for the car to be inspected, the dealer is not responsible for any faults the inspection should have found and you should always get a statement on the car's condition from the dealer.
If your car is faulty, you have six months from the date of purchase in which you can reject it. You can demand repair or a replacement, unless it would cause 'disproportionate' or 'significant inconvenience' to the seller.
Examples of this would be if a repair would be as effective as a replacement, or if a price reduction would be more appropriate for minor defects.
Dealers must now prove the vehicle was of satisfactory quality when it was sold. This means you no longer need to seek an independent inspection.
However, if you believe your car is faulty, you must stop using the car immediately, and contact the dealer directly. You need to follow this up in writing, providing evidence of the problems.
If you've bought the vehicle from a franchised dealer, you can speak to the manufacturer direct. They don't want to get a bad name because a dealer hasn't provided the expected level of service.
• Of satisfactory quality, bearing in mind its age, what it cost and how it was described to you. It should be free from serious defects, other than those you were made aware of
• As described. If the dealer says it's a 2-litre, and it's actually a 1.6-litre, you can reject the car and seek a refund or replacement
• Fit for any reasonable purpose. The car should do all that you reasonably expect of it, including any specifics you state to the dealer. If you need a car for towing and the dealer says a 1-litre supermini will be fine, you can reject the car if it struggles
However, if you pay for the car to be inspected, the dealer is not responsible for any faults the inspection should have found and you should always get a statement on the car's condition from the dealer.
If your car is faulty, you have six months from the date of purchase in which you can reject it. You can demand repair or a replacement, unless it would cause 'disproportionate' or 'significant inconvenience' to the seller.
Examples of this would be if a repair would be as effective as a replacement, or if a price reduction would be more appropriate for minor defects.
Dealers must now prove the vehicle was of satisfactory quality when it was sold. This means you no longer need to seek an independent inspection.
However, if you believe your car is faulty, you must stop using the car immediately, and contact the dealer directly. You need to follow this up in writing, providing evidence of the problems.
If you've bought the vehicle from a franchised dealer, you can speak to the manufacturer direct. They don't want to get a bad name because a dealer hasn't provided the expected level of service.
My first E46 M3 had the Vanos fail just after its first inspection 2, around 42K miles. I still to this day suspect it was something done at the time of service as the top end was adjusted and it happened 2 days after the service, when it had been running perfectly since the day I drove it out of the showroom with 10 miles on the clock.
It was all fixed under warranty, total cost was £2200 as I recall, and ran without issues to, at the last time of checking, well over 120k miles (not in my ownership)
It was all fixed under warranty, total cost was £2200 as I recall, and ran without issues to, at the last time of checking, well over 120k miles (not in my ownership)
MitchT said:
dazren said:
My knowledge of the E46 is limited but with the E39 I've heard of cars needing them doing at 35k miles and other cars having not needed them doing at 140k miles. My E39 is going strong on the original vanos at 88k miles.
One thing to be aware of though is that using the approved Castol TWS 10w60 oil (on the E39 not sure about the E46) and letting the engine AND oil heat up properly before booting it should give less cause for vanos problems.
My research into the E36 M3 Bi-VANOS issues suggests the same.One thing to be aware of though is that using the approved Castol TWS 10w60 oil (on the E39 not sure about the E46) and letting the engine AND oil heat up properly before booting it should give less cause for vanos problems.
Edited by y2blade on Sunday 28th October 18:20
y2blade said:
ditto...im curantly looking at buying a E36 M3 but (the VERY grey area) the VANOS issue is eating away at my enthusiasm
Don't worry about it too much at all. as has been mentioned here and on other threads it is a little over hyped. I have had mine replaced, not because of a mechanical failure but preventative maintenance. It did develop a minor fault with one of the solenoids but was still driveable and was still running completely fine after 100k+ miles. I weighed up the cost of the solenoid as opposed to the cost of a replacement unit and decided to just get the lot done - probably the last I'll ever see of it now it's done.
A good indi's (like the guys who look after mine) will be able to supply & fit you a new unit for £1,500 ish. What you have to remember is these were a £30k+ car when new and still demand £30k+ money to keep them in tip-top condition - Sorry, not trying to insult your intelligence here
.In the 3.5 years of ownership I must have spent 10-12k on mine making sure that it is how BMW intended it to be.
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