The 2014 Alpina D3 Touring with 335K+ miles

[Huskyman]

ATM said:

ATM said:

Its dragging on now. Excuses work for a bit and then it starts to become obvious they can't deliver. Dont want to sound negative but its taking too long if you ask me. Although obviously if you really want the car back with a new engine thrown in then you just have to wait and abuse the free 520d.

I'm disappointed to see this recent chat about bailing. If the car can be fixed then surely it would be a good car or better than when the OP bought it assuming a new engine makes it better. I cant imagine the car is unreparable as surely a new engine would fix it. Ok BMW may not know what a new engine looks like for an Alpina but once they figure this out then surely that would then mean the car can be fixed. We all know that this is basically a 330d with some go faster bits installed. Personally if it were my car and I really wanted an Alpina D3 estate [which is almost true for every reader of this thread] then I would be patiently waiting and pushing but dismissing any talk of bailing.

It looks like they don’t have any new engines available at the moment only reconditioned ones... I looked into a new one of these when I was earning plenty of ££££ and the main difference seems to be in the Turbos, fuelling and mapping, and the cooling package? It’s probably the turbos that are holding things up as if there is a suspected main bearing failure then these should be rebuilt with new bearings, all the oil lines flushed and the oil cooler binned for a new one

[Seek]

I just went through the Alpina parts catalogue.

The engine block including internals is stock 335d N57D30B (T1) engine.

Alpina-specific hardware comprises of:
- exhaust manifold
- engine mounts
- intake channeling + hose between turbo-intercooler
- intercooler
- exhaust pressure and temperature sensors
- exhaust
- Motronic DDE 7.3.1
- engine cabling

The oilpan and oil level sensor are stock 330d

[JakeT]

Ironic because all of those bits are external to the engine, so it seems they could buy an engine and slap on the bits that make it ALPINA.


This seems every more fishy to me. I also reckon a cheque is on the way. Or a car that comes back with a rear quarter full of filler.

[Waitey]

Seek said:

I just went through the Alpina parts catalogue.

The engine block including internals is stock 335d N57D30B (T1) engine.

Alpina-specific hardware comprises of:
- exhaust manifold
- engine mounts
- intake channeling + hose between turbo-intercooler
- intercooler
- exhaust pressure and temperature sensors
- exhaust
- Motronic DDE 7.3.1
- engine cabling

The oilpan and oil level sensor are stock 330d

Oil pump and oil nozzles are also Alpina only.

Which is what is apparently causing the issue.

[peetee7]

Eagerly watching this thread. Looking forward to the day you get your D3 back.

[tgr]

Waitey said:

Oil pump and oil nozzles are also Alpina only.

Which is what is apparently causing the issue.

That's interesting. I imagine that they don't have crate engines or this would already have been solved long ago.

Are the pump and nozzles on back order or are they using the Covid excuse?

[Waitey]

So an update.


A proper update. After bking BMW UK for the lack of any sense regarding the car.

The actual state of play:

Car has no engine in it.....

New 335d engine sat in the workshop

All the Alpina parts needed to convert it are sat next to it.


The issue is, there's no fitment guidance, BMW don't want to just use the standard part fitting guidelines, as the parts are different and they don't want the new engine to fail.

Alpina Germany, have no fitting guidelines as they don't manufacturer the engines. Alpina's engine builder doesn't have the specs as they build from a bare block and not from backwards from a fully built unit. Where we go from here who knows...


So the outcome is, everyone is a bit stuck. BMW are embarrassed, Marshals are embarrassed.


I'm being given a new BMW X3 from next week out of BMW's own fleet (to get me out of the loan cars, which has so far cost near £4k.....).


I'm going to see my car next week to see what state its in.


So I'm no further forward but at least I know the actual state of play. (Not just the waiting for parts line).

Edited by Waitey on Thursday 20th August 15:29

[scottos]

Glad to hear its going somewhere, even if its kind of not at the same time!

Sounds like the engine needs stripping down and the piston oil squirters installing. The competition engine builders i help out at does this modification on quite a lot of engines, including bmw motorsport engines from days gone by. It does sound an embarrassing situation for a lot of the people involved!

[Inspire]

These engines must have had a rebuild/repair in the past so its difficult to believe there isn’t a guide (somewhere!) on how to do it. Are there any other UK Alpina dealers that might be able to help/give guidance?

Thanks

Rob

[Waitey]

Inspire said:

These engines must have had a rebuild/repair in the past so its difficult to believe there isn’t a guide (somewhere!) on how to do it. Are there any other UK Alpina dealers that might be able to help/give guidance?

Thanks

Rob

On with Nottingham now to see if they can lend a hand.

Thing is, you rarely change an oil pump, since if it fairs the engine is generally toast...

[ATM]

ATM said:

I'm less inclined to agree. You are all assuming it is understandable and therefore forgivable that BMW do not know what engine parts to order in for an Alpina. This should be as simple as looking on their computer and ordering the correct parts. If the BMW parts system does not know what engine or what parts goes into an Alpina then how is that ok?

Coming back to an earlier comment from Me when BMW ordered in the wrong engine. BMW should know what parts go into an Alpina. Not knowing how they go together is something more specialist and perhaps forgivable.

[leglessAlex]

Waitey said:

New 335d engine sat in the workshop

All the Alpina parts needed to convert it are sat next to it.


The issue is, there's no fitment guidance, BMW don't want to just use the standard part fitting guidelines, as the parts are different and they don't want the new engine to fail.

Alpina Germany, have no fitting guidelines as they don't manufacturer the engines. Alpina's engine builder doesn't have the specs as they build from a bare block and not from backwards from a fully built unit. Where we go from here who knows...

Am I missing something?

Surely the fix is realtivle simple, strip the new engine down to a bare block and rebuild it using Alpina's engine builders' guidelines.

Okay, it'd be quite labour intensive, but it would solve the problem, wouldn't it?

[ATM]

leglessAlex said:

Waitey said:

New 335d engine sat in the workshop

All the Alpina parts needed to convert it are sat next to it.


The issue is, there's no fitment guidance, BMW don't want to just use the standard part fitting guidelines, as the parts are different and they don't want the new engine to fail.

Alpina Germany, have no fitting guidelines as they don't manufacturer the engines. Alpina's engine builder doesn't have the specs as they build from a bare block and not from backwards from a fully built unit. Where we go from here who knows...

Am I missing something?

Surely the fix is realtivle simple, strip the new engine down to a bare block and rebuild it using Alpina's engine builders' guidelines.

Okay, it'd be quite labour intensive, but it would solve the problem, wouldn't it?

The current thinking is they dont have any guidelines.

[leglessAlex]

But, Alpina's engine builder can give them the guidelines from a bare block, as that's how they do it. They just can't given them the guidelines to replace the parts in a built engine, or, at least, that's how I read it.

[JakeT]

Oh christ. That's really something. If Styner Nottingham can't help, Phil Crouch at CPC might be able to. He's the ALPINA whisperer.

[bolidemichael]

Yes, perhaps you can convince them to outsource the work?

[ATM]

Not sure how a modern German company (or pair of companies working together) can do business in the motor industry without a way to change an engine after a failure. We all know about strict TUV approval. Do these companies really sell cars with no documented process for engine replacement.

First they order the wrong engine. Now they have an engine which is apparently correct but it needs to be stripped and rebuilt with bespoke alpina parts but they don't know how. Why do they bother selling these alpina parts if they can't tell their techs how to install them.

Why sell Aplina cars through the BMW dealer network if you cant support the products

Sounds like we're better off buying a 330d and having someone like Birds bolt on generic go faster bits.

[NewUsername]

NewUsername said:

ATM said:

bolidemichael said:

That's a reassuring email and I would give them the benefit of the doubt, due to the turmoil that COVID has caused to business operations.

I'm less inclined to agree. You are all assuming it is understandable and therefore forgivable that BMW do not know what engine parts to order in for an Alpina. This should be as simple as looking on their computer and ordering the correct parts. If the BMW parts system does not know what engine or what parts goes into an Alpina then how is that ok?

i think its forgivable as Alpina are not BMW's, i'm not party to whether they use a common parts system in the dealerships or if the techs are trained on Alpina products? Either way, i bet its not a common job and theyve held their hands up.

I was spot on lol.

[John Locke]

7th April

JakeT said:

Truth be told I think that's as good of a time as any for the chain to snap. I know it's a pisser you're without the car for a long while, but that's really quite something. Hope you get some (good) news about it soon. With a new chain you're good for 500 large, too!

8th April

Waitey said:

scottos said:

Do these 3.0 diesels typically have timing chain issues, do you know? I knew of the 2.0 ones but not the 3.0.

I had the 3.0 in an e46 way back when and loved it, despite being a diesel hater normally and if the e90 Alpina had a 6 pot diesel in i'd definitely have one right now. I've got a Golf R estate at the moment which is brilliant in all aspects but i do fancy a D3 in your shape next!

The older one do have issues, apparently my N57N engine doesn't. Then again there aren't many with over 200k on them.

There's a few posts from the USA regarding 530d's with my motor in having issues with very high mileage.

My heart bleeds for the appropriately named Waitey, and I hope that a satisfactory resolution is imminent. Surely though, isn't reliable 200,000 + mile capability well within reasonable expectations for a correctly maintained 2014 car?

Edited by John Locke on Saturday 22 August 23:34

[Aluminati]

If Jim is still in the workshop at Sytner Notts, he’d build that with his eyes shut.

Have you spoken to Matt Kidd there ?