Bmw engine n20b20 known timing chain issue. The car in question is 2013 bmw 528i xdrive, 4 cyl. Turbo engine, automatic, all wheel drive, sedan. I was at work and started driving home, got out on the highway, hit 65 MPH and immediately notified by the instrument display that there is powertrain issue and to pull over and call service. I had to tow the car home and then again to the service since it would not start. I had 77130 miles on the car at the moment. I got call from the service this morning 05/29/2020 where they stated: car had 3 quarts of oil instead of 5 which caused mechanical damage and wear. Plastic lead for the timing chain broke and chain is loose. Camshaft I believe is broken. They also stated that the fix is engine replacement $11,000.00. I asked is there any other solutions beside whole engine replacement they said no except for getting used engine instead of new. Now I have one more bmw (2007 328i, n52 6 cyl. Engine, 6 speed manual, rear wheel drive - still in great shape, never left me on the side of the road 176000 miles and counting), I am enthusiast, I take great care about my cars. Always full synthetic oil every 5000 miles, always mann filter(s), always bmw spec ll-01 for us, always castrol made in belgium. All the parts genuine, best tires. With all that care I know the weakness - oil thirsty engines. The car that's in problem got it's oil checked that morning or day before and showed up max. Those new engines have electrical oil reader (no stick anymore) so I have to rely on that. I am heavily disappointed in bmw and how they are handling this issue. They should offer remedy and full reimbursement or recall for this well known problem.
2013 BMW 528XI transmission complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 16 of 16, newest first, as owners wrote them.
A catastrophic problem occurred with my bmw, a 2013 528i model, while I was driving on a busy expressway. A warning message indicated the oil pressure was low. As I attempted to navigate to the shoulder, another message stated there was a drive-train malfunction. The car proceeded to decelerate,.shut down and the engine completely fail.
While driving on the interstate at 70 MPH, the car, without warning, gave an error message that the oil pressure was low and then another message that said drivetrain malfunction. The car went into neutral on its own and wouldn't go back into drive. In traffic on a 4 lane highway, I had to immediately pull over (dangerous), and get the car towed. The belly pan had to be removed in order to manually engage the car in neutral so the car could be towed(dangerous to do on a busy highway). After the car was taken to a bmw dealership, I was told the engine was locked and the replacement was $18,000! This car has been serviced and was full of oil, so the dealer could not tell me what the issue was unless they tore it down. I complained to bmw north america (corporate) that there was obvious an issue with this vehicle, and they only came back with giving me the warranty rate of $12,000 and they would pick up 15% of the cost. This is not good enough on a vehicle that cost $$60,000 and does not hold its value. After further research, I found out that total story about these cars. Bmw's who have the n 20 or n26 engines have a timing chain that have a systematic defect. My vehicle has a n 20 engine. Once these vehicles approach 70,000 - 100,000 miles, the timing chain will break which will cause extensive damage to the engine. Bmw is aware of this issue, but have refused to do a recall to install the repair kit. This is most likely due to the cost of the replacement kit, but bmw would rather compromise one's safety and for over priced repairs. Instead, bmw issued an extended warranty on the drivetrain unit up to 70,000 miles. However, bmw is aware that the timing chain will break after 70,000 miles. In the vehicles with these engines, it is not a matter of if the chain will break, it is a matter of when it will break. I will never purchase another bmw product.
Transmission total failure and was replaced around around 55,00 oil chain pump & timing chain resulting in a total motor failure at 72000 car has been non op for a year
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 bmw 528xi. While attempting to accelerate from a stop, the drive train malfunction warning indicator illuminated. As a result, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to bmw seattle (1002 airport way s, seattle, wa 98134, (206) 829-5004) when the failure first occurred, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact called the same dealer to schedule an appointment for another diagnostic test since the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
Drive train malfunction: drive moderately error, car lost power as driving and went into limp mode. I had to have flatbed tow truck come and get vehicle and take to dealership, this particular error is widely referenced by bmw owners for this model year, could have caused major accident had I been pulling into heavy traffic, could not shift out of park. Car was bought new, had 50k mi inspection and currently has 98k miles on it.
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