M4 Valvetronic fault Expensive I Think!!

[Oscarmac]

My M4 has suddenly developed a Valvetronic fault. Started with a clicking noise after pressing open button on key fob.

Car then would start under ignition but immediately shut down.

Local BMW dealership closed for COVID + weekend so had it taken to local mechanic with BMW diagnostics.

Multiple error codes but after shutting down all of them came back with Valvetronic issue.

Waiting to hear from BMW this morning on how to get it to one of their open workshops.

Car is out of warranty by 6 months so potentially I am going to have to take an expensive repair on the chin but does anyone have any knowledge of how common this fault is?

If it’s a known fault I may have some recourse to BMW.

Thanks for any replies

[PorkInsider]

Does it do it every time you unlock the car?

As far as I know it's not that unusual but seems to be more common when cars have been stood for a while.

Have a look on M3Cutters forum. There's quite a few threads on there about it.

Edit: if you can't see the threads on there, do a search for 'woodpecker' as that's what people usually report when they get Valvetronic issues.

[Oscarmac]

Thanks that’s very helpful

[rk55]

Yeh I had exactly that. Didn’t do it every time. Used to drive me mad. Dealer had it for a week on 2 occasions before they heard it and replaced it. Under warranty thankfully.