Inspection 2.. When things go badly wrong
Discussion
Sorry this is fairly long.
So I left work at 4pm on Friday to pick my Z4MC up from the dealer after Inspection 2 and gearbox oil service.. Paid £900+ checked the service book was stamped, all good!! I started my 40 mile journy home along the M3. I immediately noticed what looked like smoke or dust coming from the back of my car and thought it must be condensation or dust from end of the fast lane.. Anyway I kept watching and moved into the middle lane and changed down and the white smoke got worse. I eased off and after 10 minutes it was still there so called the dealer and they said to bring the car back. Unfortuntely they said they wouldnt be there (as it was after 6pm) but to leave the car outside, they would have a courtesey car waiting and I was to post the keys through their letter box.
As soon as I arrived at the dealer smoke started to poor out of the bonnet, I jumped out of the car and heard lots of spitting sounds come from under the car and thought the worst that the car was on Fire. I made sure i parked right under their CCTV camera, so they could see everything if needed. Having taken everything of value out of the car very quickly i called BMW emergency services, they suggested calling the fire brigade or opening the bonnet.. I was slighty nervous at opening the bonnet, but decided to do it. After opening the bonnet there was lots of smoke and spitting, crackling noises but i couldnt see any flames. BMW said i should wait for the dealer to look at the car on Saturday. After the smoke had cleared i notice there was oil all over the engine, bonnett, sprayed down the the drivers side of the car and over the rear. Not good!! I made sure to take pictures and a video.
At around 7:30 i received a phone from the service manager saying he had moved the car inside as the dealer was on a trading estate. He said someone would call me on Saturday.
Saturday came and I spoke to the dealer and I asked them to send me an email explaining what had happened, see below...... I would be interesting in understanding your thoughts on this (what is the likely hood on this being a coincidence?) and what you would do in my positon.. ask for compenstation ect?
Thanks for reading all this and any advice you can provide is appereciatd.
Mr XXXxxx,
As per our conversation this morning.
After inspection we have found oil to be leaking from Rocker Cover Gasket, the Rocker Cover was removed so we could carry out the valve clearances during the Inspection II Service on your Z4 M, a new gasket was fitted at this time. The gasket fitment was checked by 3 other technicians in the workshop this morning along with the service manager and was seen to be fitted correctly, however the part itself would have appeared to have failed causing oil loss and smoke from exhaust/bonnet. The oil level has been checked and topped up to the correct level. 1.5lt of oil was required and although this amount of oil made a mess of the engine bay and underside of the car it would have no detrimental effect on the operation of the engine.
The vehicle is to have a final Quality Check by the workshop supervisor on Monday and will also be valeted and refilled with fuel ready for your collection Monday Evening.
Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Many Thanks
So I left work at 4pm on Friday to pick my Z4MC up from the dealer after Inspection 2 and gearbox oil service.. Paid £900+ checked the service book was stamped, all good!! I started my 40 mile journy home along the M3. I immediately noticed what looked like smoke or dust coming from the back of my car and thought it must be condensation or dust from end of the fast lane.. Anyway I kept watching and moved into the middle lane and changed down and the white smoke got worse. I eased off and after 10 minutes it was still there so called the dealer and they said to bring the car back. Unfortuntely they said they wouldnt be there (as it was after 6pm) but to leave the car outside, they would have a courtesey car waiting and I was to post the keys through their letter box.
As soon as I arrived at the dealer smoke started to poor out of the bonnet, I jumped out of the car and heard lots of spitting sounds come from under the car and thought the worst that the car was on Fire. I made sure i parked right under their CCTV camera, so they could see everything if needed. Having taken everything of value out of the car very quickly i called BMW emergency services, they suggested calling the fire brigade or opening the bonnet.. I was slighty nervous at opening the bonnet, but decided to do it. After opening the bonnet there was lots of smoke and spitting, crackling noises but i couldnt see any flames. BMW said i should wait for the dealer to look at the car on Saturday. After the smoke had cleared i notice there was oil all over the engine, bonnett, sprayed down the the drivers side of the car and over the rear. Not good!! I made sure to take pictures and a video.
At around 7:30 i received a phone from the service manager saying he had moved the car inside as the dealer was on a trading estate. He said someone would call me on Saturday.
Saturday came and I spoke to the dealer and I asked them to send me an email explaining what had happened, see below...... I would be interesting in understanding your thoughts on this (what is the likely hood on this being a coincidence?) and what you would do in my positon.. ask for compenstation ect?
Thanks for reading all this and any advice you can provide is appereciatd.
Mr XXXxxx,
As per our conversation this morning.
After inspection we have found oil to be leaking from Rocker Cover Gasket, the Rocker Cover was removed so we could carry out the valve clearances during the Inspection II Service on your Z4 M, a new gasket was fitted at this time. The gasket fitment was checked by 3 other technicians in the workshop this morning along with the service manager and was seen to be fitted correctly, however the part itself would have appeared to have failed causing oil loss and smoke from exhaust/bonnet. The oil level has been checked and topped up to the correct level. 1.5lt of oil was required and although this amount of oil made a mess of the engine bay and underside of the car it would have no detrimental effect on the operation of the engine.
The vehicle is to have a final Quality Check by the workshop supervisor on Monday and will also be valeted and refilled with fuel ready for your collection Monday Evening.
Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Many Thanks
Sounds like they probably misfitted the gasket when fitting it, As long as you had no oil warning lights coming on meaning you had run low on oil i would say the car will be fine and now they have now fitted new gasket and cleaned every thing up and topped up oil i would say it will be fine, Might be worth trying to get your next oil service free to make up for your inconvenienice though, Cheers
If car is returned to you in the state you first left it with them (clean with no residual oil anywhere) then no problems. You shouldn't have to ask, but I hope service manager offers a 'little something' to compensate you for your inconvenience and anxiety, say next oil change free. Good luck, and lucky escape!
The rocker cover is indeed removed to do the shim adjustment on an Inspection 2. Loosing 1.5 litres of oil in 40 miles is ALOT. Even if there was a hole in the gasket, I would be surprised if that much was lost.
Cleaning all of the oil off will be very difficult and although its unlikely any serious damage was done due to the low oil level, it is possible and I think its entirely reasonable that the garage offers some form of warranty on the engine for say the next 2 years, certainly as £900 is a ludicrous price for the actual work involved.
Cleaning all of the oil off will be very difficult and although its unlikely any serious damage was done due to the low oil level, it is possible and I think its entirely reasonable that the garage offers some form of warranty on the engine for say the next 2 years, certainly as £900 is a ludicrous price for the actual work involved.
So, either someone has done the rocker cover up too tight and squeezed the gasket out, or it wasn't bedded in the locators properly. I would have expected an advanced technician to be working on an M engine, but not unknown to let the newbie re assemble. I have never everseen a gasket failure due to the part itself. Methinks thats going to stink of oil for quite some time.
CharlesElliott said:
Did you notice if the oil filler cap was fitted when you opened the bonnet?
Would be interested to know if that part looks 'new' when you get the car back and they replaced it 'anyway'. You could also ask to see the 'failed' gasket.
my thoughts too^^^Would be interested to know if that part looks 'new' when you get the car back and they replaced it 'anyway'. You could also ask to see the 'failed' gasket.
following with interest
My comments are based on the fact that I find it hard to believe (in fact, impossible to believe) that you lost 1.5l of oil in 40 miles through a faulty rocker cover gasket.
If the gasket was faulty, there would be little or no oil sprayed around the engine bay. It would have hit the rocker cover and then leaked out downwards over the engine.
If the gasket was faulty, there would be little or no oil sprayed around the engine bay. It would have hit the rocker cover and then leaked out downwards over the engine.
I think your stuck with going to that dealer for any future work. If there is engine issues later on it would be easier to argue that they have looked after it all along.
1.5litres loss on 5.3litres, but you only have their word on that. Like others have said I suspect the oil cap wasn't on.
Certainly worth a chat to the branch manager. Start off with an extended warranty (not sure how old your car is), discount on the £900 or future work.
1.5litres loss on 5.3litres, but you only have their word on that. Like others have said I suspect the oil cap wasn't on.
Certainly worth a chat to the branch manager. Start off with an extended warranty (not sure how old your car is), discount on the £900 or future work.
Not ex-BMW but having been a tech, there is no way on earth that a road test and under-bonnet inspection was carried out after the clearances were done. This is exactly why the dealers that we worked for insisted EVERY car had a 3 mile road test then a visual inspection for leaks, levels etc. On a £900 service its totally unacceptable in my book.
Sounds to me like the job was done and stuck outside to valet or collection.
Sounds to me like the job was done and stuck outside to valet or collection.
Thanks for the advice guys...
I will asked why a proper test drive was not carried out and ask to see the failed part.
To me what has happened is totally unacceptable as the car has covered 48k miles and I dont believe in the part failing at exactly the same time as it was removed and put back on!
I will make sure they car is cleaned properly, ask for a 2yr warranty on the engine bay and ask for 3hrs at my hourly rate to be given as compensation.....
Cheers Ben
I will asked why a proper test drive was not carried out and ask to see the failed part.
To me what has happened is totally unacceptable as the car has covered 48k miles and I dont believe in the part failing at exactly the same time as it was removed and put back on!
I will make sure they car is cleaned properly, ask for a 2yr warranty on the engine bay and ask for 3hrs at my hourly rate to be given as compensation.....
Cheers Ben
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