2013 BMW 528I: sudden loss of power

Filed Jul 21, 2020 · Engine · 137,800 miles · CA

Iissue with the timing chain which I understand to be a common problem with many bmw's drivetrain malfunction warning light came on and I had a loss of power along with low oil pressure warning light.took the car the a bmw dealership for a diagnostic and the results were the timing chain needed replacement along with cam adjuster solenoids and phasers. Estimated cost almost $5k. Car is currently sitting in my driveway for the past 40 days. My understanding is that this is/has happened to many bmw owners of 2012-2015 cars.

Filed Nov 15, 2019 · Engine · 111,000 miles · FL

I was driving my vehicle on the highway and a drive train malfunction indicator was displayed on the screen. The car immediately lost all power and I was forced to pull over on the side of the road. I towed my vehicle to the closest certified repair shop. After the repair ran their diagnostic test, they informed me that I needed a new engine because it had seized. They also quoted me at $9,900 for a new engine. My car currently has approximately 111,000 miles.

Filed Jul 21, 2019 · Engine · 120,000 miles · CA

This incident happened on april 19th. Whilst climbing an uphill on a multi lane road, I felt I was losing power, confused and worried, I pushed on the gas pedal harder and harder only to realize I was rapidly slowing down, and the engine had stopped revving! Looking at the dash, the transmission automatically had shifted to neutral and the car was coasting uphill steadily losing speed. Was in the center lane, hit the hazard lamps and tried to change over to the right lane in an attempt to get over to right shoulder for safely. Car in the adjacent lanes parallel to me, not being able to see all flashers going were not friendly at first to let me change and thank god, I somehow forced my way in and jumped over to the shoulder. Enough to say, I and my family in the car were scared of being rear ended or side swiped and would have been in a multi car collision that was all avoided from my quick thinking on my heels and bit of luck on my side. I towed my car to bmw dealer. Dealer found low oil pressure codes, on further debugging found broken timing chain guide, and informed me that engine was damaged from the broken timing chain guide. Only solution now is to switch to a new engine costing approximately $17k. Since I have 120k miles. I leant about my warranty extension for timing chains and oil pump. My request for any assistance under warranty extension has been declined by bmw because the car has 120k miles vs. 70k miles warranty period. While I understand and appreciate that, I am baffled at the fact that, bmw knew this problems and possible engine damage but did not notify the customers of possible sudden loss of power and catastrophic engine failure. If I had know I would have replaced the timing chain at my cost and potentially saved the engine. At least they should have updated the maintenance schedule to inspect the timing chain degradation.

Filed Jul 21, 2019 · Engine · 120,000 miles · CA

This incident happened on april 19th. Whilst climbing an uphill on a multi lane road, I felt I was losing power, confused and worried, I pushed on the gas pedal harder and harder only to realize I was rapidly slowing down, and the engine had stopped revving! Looking at the dash, the transmission automatically had shifted to neutral and the car was coasting uphill steadily losing speed. Was in the center lane, hit the hazard lamps and tried to change over to the right lane in an attempt to get over to right shoulder for safely. Car in the adjacent lanes parallel to me, not being able to see all flashers going were not friendly at first to let me change and thank god, I somehow forced my way in and jumped over to the shoulder. Enough to say, I and my family in the car were scared of being rear ended or side swiped and would have been in a multi car collision that was all avoided from my quick thinking on my heels and bit of luck on my side. I towed my car to bmw dealer. Dealer found low oil pressure codes, on further debugging found broken timing chain guide, and informed me that engine was damaged from the broken timing chain guide. Only solution now is to switch to a new engine costing approximately $17k. Since I have 120k miles. I leant about my warranty extension for timing chains and oil pump. My request for any assistance under warranty extension has been declined by bmw because the car has 120k miles vs. 70k miles warranty period. While I understand and appreciate that, I am baffled at the fact that, bmw knew this problems and possible engine damage but did not notify the customers of possible sudden loss of power and catastrophic engine failure. If I had know I would have replaced the timing chain at my cost and potentially saved the engine. At least they should have updated the maintenance schedule to inspect the timing chain degradation.

Filed May 15, 2019 · Engine · 107,000 miles · CA

I was driving my vehicle on the highway and a drive train malfunction indicator showed up, then I lost all power and had to pull on the side of the road. I eventually got it towed to bmw of vista, ca. They told me I needed a new engine because it had locked up. For no apparent reason. I wasn't due for an oil change not was it low on oil. They quoted me at $13,500 for a new engine when seemingly it wasn't me neglecting the vehicle. It seems that bmw should fix something like that if it just happened out of nowhere. My car currently has approximately 107000 miles and has been well taken care of.

Filed May 13, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 102,000 miles · PA

Engine immediately lost power on highway at approximately 70 MPH with no warning. The car went into neutral stating to get to a safe area, which I was able to drift to. Once the car stopped it switched to park. I tried to restart the engine but it would not turn. Because the engine was not running you can not put the car into neutral. This caused difficulty in getting the car towed from the highway shoulder. The bmw n20 engine has a known flaw with the oil and timing chain. The vehicle was towed to a bmw service center where it was confirmed that the engine is damaged from the chain and the engine will need to be replaced at a value of $18,000. The vehicle has 102,000 miles on it. Bmw na states that the can not assist in cost since it is outside of the warranty period, although they have already extended the warranty for this fault once. All maintenance had been completed based on the service intervals. The chain service check is not until 150,000 miles. It is hard to believe that a once reputable car manufacturer would let their customers stranded on the road and then again in the service center with a repair bill worth more than the vehicle itself. I look forward to the resolution of the current class action lawsuit in this matter as my car sits unusable.

Filed Nov 8, 2017 · Engine · 120,000 miles · LA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 bmw 528i. While driving approximately 55 MPH, a pungent odor was perceived in the vehicle. Approximately twenty seconds later, the transmission kicked out of gear and the parking brake warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle lost power and shut down. The contact was alerted by another driver that the vehicle was on fire. The contact opened the hood and flames shot out from the engine compartment. The fire department extinguished the fire, but a fire report was not filed. The vehicle was damaged and towed to the contact's farm. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a representative stated that the failure was unusual. The representative informed the contact that a specialist would call within twenty-four hours. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.