One bad day for a customer! CAR WIZARD found TWO insanely unrelated issues at time on '12 BMW 535i
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- Опубликовано: 16 ноя 2022
- This car perfectly explains why the CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ hates BMWs! Customer brings in his car only to find two totally unrelated items have failed at the exact same time!
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95% of all BMWs are still on the road. The other 5% made it home.
😂😂😂😂😂
When I started reading your comment I was thinking oh here we go a BMW defender. 🤣🤣
Me: Laughs in E28😂 one of the last trouble free bmws ever made
Laughs in my 2010 x5 xdrive30i 😂😂210,127 miles later with ORIGINAL parts
That's hilarious
BMW engineers do an awesome job of designing their cars and parts to fail outside of manufacturers warranty. They make it an art form!
Jealous you can’t afford a new one?
No that's not it. I have friends that bought them new and used had nothing but trouble. I've even assisted a mate replacing all the cooling system plastics because they just perished and cracked, that sh!t box had just 96000 kilometres on it.
@@seanm3ify Whatever bullshit you might come up with doesn't make it less true. 🙄
@@seanm3ifyso he's jealous that he doesn't want to buy a pos bmw?💩💩💩
Fords and GM too.
"I feel sorry for the customer. Its the holidays. This is the last thing he needs." I like the Wizard because he is a great teacher as a mechanic. The bonus is that he really cares for his customers.
...and charges them $150 an hour LOL
@@chrismemphis8062 hes running a business not a charity, more then likely has employees in the background and such, once he pays tax and bills like power and such hes probably only getting a 1/3 in the hand and the end of the day, so think about your comment before you judge others, many mechanics will charge alot more, this guy is humble and understands his customers, most shops will ripp you on the hours then bill you.
@@doccyboy5018 So does the garage where I go! He has insurance, a mortgage, employees and all that comes with it and I'm in the northeast. He's in Kansas!
@@chrismemphis8062 RIGHT! And Magic Mark is dong the work.... Bet Mark is getting less than $40 an hour for his labor..
@@doccyboy5018 Only in the USA can $150 turn into $50 an hour profit. CASH is King!
It is what it is, at 200k , those aren't the only things gonna go bad, those starter usually go out around 100k , the n55 motor is actually pretty reliable
I agree…..I mean dam 200k on an Xdrive bravo
Yea this is pretty impressive to see 200k for modern BMW. That's like 400k in toyota miles.
I was feeling nervous till he said the car has 200,000 miles on it. I went phew 😮💨. Mine only has 92000.
@@andresparrow2971that’s what I was thinking!! This dude milked his car to the end!!!
So you guys deem a 2011 bmw 535xi a good sedan?
The best part about Wizards videos is the normal/relaxed energy he has throughout the video, apposed to most car youtubers with almost a crackhead-like unnaturally over excitable vibe. Wizards videos are so much more relaxing to watch because of this XD
XD? Does that actually mean something? 😅
Yep, yelling seems to be a national sport over there
Yea but the condescending attitude and "Victim mentality" really get s to me after a short while.
I wish all mechanics were like Dave.
Hey, don't knock crack until you've tried it.
When I was much younger, I was really into BMWs. Unfortunately, I owned a few endless money pits. My mechanic told me, if you can’t afford a new BMW with a warranty..you’ll never afford a used BMW without a warranty
Yeah, that's what puts me off buying a secondhand one...
Yeah you really have to be able to just dump thousands without caring or really even noticing to own a german car out of warranty. If you can do that a grand a month payment or whatever is probably well within your budget. When I bought my porsche I realized there was no way in hell Id own it long enough for even the warranty to expire more or less actually ever need a repair. 2-3 years till the next one max
Exactly! I’ve been a BMW enthusiast for 10 years and currently own 2, an E30 and an E39 but you have to be willing to pay the price of ownership. So many people buy old German luxury cars for the “look” or what have you but don’t realize the maintenance on a $6000 BMW is that of a previously $80,000 BMW. The price of
parts doesn’t go down in value like the car does.
I feel sorry for your customer, I’ve own a couple 7 series and a X5. Had problems with both but they were un😅warranty. Wizard isn’t 200K a lot of miles for any car?
Most buyers lease these for two or three years then bail out of the lease well before the warranty expires. Many businesses write off the lease cost as a business expense. Additionally, these cars go through multiple owners and most subsequent owners buy these as status symbols but do not possess the financial resources to keep them properly maintained.
The old, worn out starter failing could be from a brief but extreme exposure to the overheat condition that just tipped it over the edge. I had this same thing happen on a Chevy once. The down side is, it could be a sign of just HOW hot that engine got…
or auto stop start wearing it out over time or just plain bad luck
@@raven4k998 Yes, good idea to code these cars to remember the start/stop setting, so if you turn this feature off, it doesn't turn on automatically next time you drive.
As a BMW devote, let's take a step back and review what you said. The 535 has over 200k miles? Was that the original starter? If so, well it lasted 200k miles. I am glad to hear the driver safely pulled over when having car trouble however many times, significant damage is done to a car after overheating and warning lights come on. Upon calling for a tow truck, the owner should have requested a flatbed to insure the car can be towed away. Importantly, as a failsafe, once certain sensors are triggered, it will enable the car not to start so not to cause additional damage to the engine and most importantly passengers. Lastly, electrical parts just fail over time especially when stress and the hose clamp failed due to fatigue thus the coolant leaking out. The owner has a reliable car with over 200k and it is probably paid for so to pay $2k in repairs is more than reasonable especially for a 12-year-old car.
Understood BUT the inability to put the damned thing in neutral unless you jack it up and crawl underneath with tools is just plain dumb.
200k and the starter fails on a BMW is good? I gotta old dodge truck 385k on it and the only issue it's had was the ac pump failed lol
@@l042987 God luv ya, man! A BMW starter lasting 12 years with over 200k miles will not make me mad by any means!😂😂😂
@@frozentundra7446 seems a bit soon for such a high standard car company!
As someone who delivers auto parts to independent mechanic shops I can tell you that I've seen starters, alternators, ac compressors, air struts etc all fail on BMW's with way less than 100k miles. I've seen a bunch fail at under 60k. Maybe the starter lasted 200k in this one, but that is HIGHLY and I mean HIGHLY unusual. They are tiny little starters that look like they belong on a go-cart. I still have the original starter in my 02 Silverado with 370k. Didn't have to change the ac compressor until 285k. The alternator lasted until 345k. The entire suspension is original at 370k. You will never get a BMW to that kind of mileage, but if you do, you would have replaced virtually the entire car 2 or 3 times.
If the starter solenoid DIDN'T fail, he would be needing a new engine now. You know he would try and make it home.
Yupppppp
My thought exactly
Yup he purposely ignored the low coolant light, drive up the bill some more to a whole new starter hahahah 😆
ikr
Divine Providence.
200K miles, dang I’m impressed it lasted that long
My 2012 Fiat Punto has almost that much.
My 318 E46 from 1999 has 225.000 kilometers and it needs extra attention lately. Overall it has been reliable . But to think that a Fiat Punto is still running at 200.000 miles = 320.000 km is on another level.
ANY CAR can have a starter go out, oil leaks, and a hose blow off at 200K miles.
@@ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow Agreed. I'm not a fan of BMW but by the time something has that many miles on it you've got to expect SOMETHING to fail.
last week, i seen a bmw 525d xdrive reach 480.000km. on service for timing chaing replacement. still working.
Yeah this had been a problem from like 2008-2014. When they overheat they won’t start to protect the engine. But you can do massive damage by continuing to try to cool it just until it will start.. then drive.. until the engine dies again. It’s been resolved now though.
I loved my '01 E46 325i when I owned it. It was always leaking from somewhere, mainly coolant. I eventually gave it to my daughter who had constant problems so she sold it after 2 yrs. It was a wonderful car to look at and drive, but too temperamental and expensive to fix.
Heat is a killer. Maybe the engine overheating cooked the solenoid. It is mounted to the block at the hottest point of the engine, Under the intake. Probably right next to the exhaust manifold.
Nah. Intake is the cool side of this straight size. Exhaust and turbo are on the other side. Apparently they're just junky starters.
He probably drove it too much distance when the the engine was already overheating. I had a coolant hose burst on my BMW in chilly weather, could see white smoke coming from the front of engine, I pulled over the car and shut the engine off immediately just before the needle reached the red area. The cost of the repair was only $200 for hose, coolant (which bought from BMW dealership), and diagnostics.
The thing about these cars or any car is if you catch the issues quickly, you could be saving a lot of frustration and money.
@@cthis4786 I don't see any real evidence to blame this exact situation on "because BMWs are junk"
And from experience I can say that BMW XDrive is one of the best in the snow and ice. When everyone else is having a hard time getting around, XDrive will get you through it
@@chipmunk1631 twice a year!lol.All you need is studded winter tires
@@chipmunk1631 My BMW is super old, doesn't even have xDrive but has planetary AWD (similar system on modern Mercedes AMG vehicles) which is much superior in terms of handling and dynamics, yet handles just well in the snow with all season tires. Just get good Michelin all season's. xDrive destroys the handling on a BMW, a BMW should be rear-wheel drive only, but xDrive sells in colder climates.
The videographer, Mrs Wizard, deserves credit for her skills. This particular video really demonstrates the level of comprehensive diagnosis for any viewer to understand the problem. This is better than most auto tech pro schools training videos.
I never thought of this, but you are ABSOLUTELY right
She does an incredible job.
Kudos for not shaming people because they like what they like. You’re a class act!
True. He can't alienate his biggest cusomers to fix their garbage. He only said twice that he hates BMW. Overengineered bullshit.
He’s one of the only techs on RUclips I really watch, gets into detail especially with these newer BMW’s that are Nothing but O-rings & plastic now smh but I wasn’t aware of the starter issues they’re right there next to Honda when it comes to that.
and the plastic parts cost a fortune to fix.
@markdamstra what plastic parts?
That neutral override is a crazy safety hazard. I can imagine someone on the side of the road on a slight incline. Jacks up a corner of the car to put it into neutral, then the car rolls off the jack...
Definitely a safety hazard but maybe it's actually such a hassle to get it into neutral it requires someone that knows what they're doing
The idea that you need to crawl under a car to then put it in neutral is the most insanely stupid and dangerous thing I have ever heard of. Imagine forgetting to engage the e-brake, or the e-brake failing? Absolute stupidity.
Horrible all around
the latest bmws made it EVEN HARDER to reach the neutral override, now its actually a pin that acts like a lever, here is the tool on how to use it..and they show your safety hazard issue..ruclips.net/video/oTy6lD_H2wg/видео.html
Thats actually terrifying....
1: Push start button or attempt to start the car (even if it doesn't turn over, just push it down anyway
2: Push the lever twice in to N
3: Push the lever to N and hold for 5 seconds
4: Transmission is now disengaged for 15 minutes after which it will re-lock itself.
Lol what a procedure
What would be wrong doing it like every other car 🤷♂️
@@OBrechkin you mean every other car that switched to a system just as chaotic?
WTF
Why did BMW design such a complex and stupid system? Why?
@@Seenoevilspeaknoevilhearnoevil so you don't accidentally knock it into neutral.
It should be Mandatory for All Vehicle Engineers to Work on these Hard to Reach Parts like the Starter and Hopefully THEN they would Design Engine Operation Components Placement Differently...
A few months ago, I was hauling down the interstate when I too lost all my coolant through a broken hose element. Fortunately for me, the location of the failure caused the coolant to dump onto my hot engine and throw a jumbo jet contrail behind me. Hard to miss!
Looks to be a very well maintained, 200,000 mile BMW. Nice and dry under there. Too bad about the hose, seems odd that it would just pop off on its own. Hope the engine survived running without coolant. Sometimes they do... sometimes they don't. Edited to add: I wonder if someone has serviced the coolant recently. I noticed it was green, should be blue (BMW oem). If they pulled that hose to drain the coolant and didn't get it back on correctly, it could explain why it came off.
agreed something is a little strange there with the coolant but the starter is normal wear and tear.
Not to mention, as a BMW mechanic for 15 years, always do a full cooling system overhaul every 60-80,000 miles. Avoids 90% of these headaches.
@@spencerh1813 true, just an actual inspection would help a lot too.
@@spencerh1813 Spencer being a BMW mechanic for 15 years would mean drinking ALOT for me
My Water Pump just went out I drive a 2009 328i with 177k miles on it, I parked the car heard a loud pop and all the coolant leaked onto the floor luckily I was home, ordered a new pump my secret I know a mechanic that's really good and will only charge 200 bucks to install it😄 Cant believe the original pump lasted that long car runs great!
Just replaced the starter on my 528xi last month at 175K miles. Not a fun job, but if you scan RUclips, there are plenty of tips to make the job easier. If you're going to own a BMW that's not under warranty, (1.) Make sure that it's not your only vehicle. (2.) Make sure that you can do most of the repairs yourself.
Exactly..
So what's you second car ?
I have 2 volvo's and a vw sharan
And I wouldn't even have a visitor park a BMW in my driveway 😂
@@zigzag7194 innit? i mean i have an old beat up volvo 940 turbo, which makes twice its factory horsepower, and for sure things go wrong from time to time (although i've never had one of those fuck my brains for reasons other than external intervention, like mods or crash damage), but it's my bmw owner mate who constantly tells me my current ride is shite, while his e92 a)doesn't go as intended; b) guzzles absurd amounts of petrol for no apparent reason; c) has some other quirky issues that need a crystal ball to figure out, but otherwise a beautiful specimen. I guess owning a bmw (in many ways like owning an old volvo) isn't a rational choice, it's a sexual orientation or something.
This is so narrow minded… There’s hundreds of different BMW models out there, it’s so silly to generalise and say what you just said
Luckily my second hand car is a city bus to take me to school. Lol
Sounds like my 04 SVT Focus. I noticed that the car was vibrating a bit, and I also heard a pop when the car shifted momentum directions. Pulled over, and the outer CV joint was sloppy. I gave it a wiggle and shook the axle, sure enough the axle had just given up. No torn boot, I had just done a control arm and saw nothing obvious. I got in the car, started it, and the belt started squealing, something had locked up badly enough to shred the belt. Got out, saw nothing leaking.... Decided to cut the belt and drive the mile home. Turns out that my water pump had chosen that exact moment to shank the bearing. Ball bearings were butted up against the pulley flange. A week and a Rock Auto box later, the car is running flawlessly and drives much better.
Love your vids Wizard, I don't have many people that share my passion for cars to tell stories to.
My Lexus same setup with starter.
It was easy to get to under intake. I pull fuel injection harness to the side, not disconnect it.
Then a few vacuum lines were tricky to pull off, not all need pulled.
A front water by pass hose will come off with intake pull to back firewall. Push hose from coolant side same time it expand and releases better. Reverse to reinstall.
One hose under air duct part of intake is easier to put on with intake in place and resting on a block of wood for access
I'm a little surprised you even let it in the shop 😆
He probably got made fun at for being afraid to work on bimmers
I was thinking the same,he made a stand awhile back on not wanting them to come in. Should have sent this to the ninja
Where is the sledge hammer?
Heap of trash car 🚗 junk 😑
Must be his friend or charging a premium
Great video but it's important to note that wizard is a BMW hater, and probably has a skewed perspective on BMW's since he only sees them when they blow up. Also if you're going to daily drive a BMW that's 10 years old with 200k miles, you need to have money in the bank for repairs. I say 200k miles and only a hose going and a starter failing seriously isn't that bad.
you have great diagnostic skills, 1st sign of a Master tech, carry on. I dig your videos, they are solid, factual and complete.
Hi Wizard. Love watching your videos all the way from Finland in the Nordic countries. People here think that the German premium brands are somehow saint and holy. Your videos show the exact opposite. Love them!!
I’m a BMW tech and funny enough, I’d consider the N55 (the engine you’re working on) one of the most reliable engines BMW has ever made. The only thing is that they are reliable as long as they are taken care of properly. I’m working on an almost identical F10 535i right now and you can clearly tell the car has not been taken care of. My personal car has the same engine, except it was taken care of and it’s in very good shape even at 125,000 miles. Also for anyone who is curious, some common issues for the N55 are the turbo chargepipe blowing (mine lasted 110k miles), the water pump will go out around 100-130k miles (mine has not been replaced yet) and the common leaks after a lot of miles or old age. Other than that, it’s a very reliable engine!
He probably did serious overheating damage because he didn't pull over immediately and shut the engine off. People think maintenance are a nightmare, but in fact I find it cheaper to change oil than what a Toyota dealership charges for my friend's Sienna.
BMW gets a bad rap because people skip the maintenance because "it costs too much" and than they drop it onto the next owner. Also i do agree with you 100%
I had a 2011 535i. The biggest problems I had with it were cooling system and oil leaks. Valve cover leaked, water pump failed at 100k and oil filter housing pump started leaking oil everywhere. In the back of my mind I was always worried about having to replace the turbo. Luckily someone hit me and totaled the car out lol. I think I would prefer the 2011 528i if I decided to buy another F10 in the future because for that one year it was the naturally aspirated N55.
The B58 takes all the great things about the N55 & improves on them. If you’re going to buy a BMW get a B58 powered vehicle. If you look at the tech specs you can see BMW made reliability a much bigger priority with the B58. Coated rod bearings (N55s are notorious for rod bearing issues,) mechanical water pump, almost no gaskets (very rare for a B58 to have an oil leak,) closed deck / entirely forged internals, much stronger charge pipe, etc
@@theslavsyndicate8524 Also because they rent the car for 3-5 years and delete the maintenance
200k miles is great for a BMW starter motor. They normally go before half of that.
Oh god i hope not... I'm just about at 110k on my mini. Not the worst thing in the world to replace but I'd like to be able to relax on maintenance this month.
Agreed. Expect much less if you let your sister learn how to drive a manual with it.
They typically last less than half that if you go by the bmw service intervals. Service it twice as often and you'd be surprised. They can actually last twice as long from that alone.
Depends on the number of start ups. That's a 10 year old car with 200k miles. That's pretty average. My 1996 Thunderbird's starter motor lasted 24 years and 150K miles before it went out. It likely did more than double the number of starts as that BMW's considering most of my miles are city.
@@elihernandez330 Maint on a CAR starter ?
Thank you Mister Wizard. Will be adding starter to the shopping list. Got same car for wife . GT version. Well I has been in my shop longer then on the road so far … in 12months. Keep tips rolling.
Because some of us are just just need endless repair project.😅
Good video and lovely shop. I agree about this over complicated and unreliable junk. Thank you.
It has 200k miles what do you expect?
The motor overheated a 200k starter and you can get a new starter for 150 bucks and the intake is super easy to take off. The N55 is a good motor think about 200k miles on any engine you will have problems. I like the fact you took this on wizard and didn't just send it to the ninja. BMW makes the best six cylinder engines in the world, yes I am saying this with first hand experience, you can tune them and make amazing power and they are silky smooth. Now the problem with BMW as a brand is there V8 and four cylinder engines are garbage for some reason they can't make a valve seal or timing set for either that are worth a dam. Your customer could DIY this job for an inexpensive price but he is in good hands and no one really wants to be their own warranty, Excellent content Wizard you make all of us proud your honesty and experience is worth every dollar your customer is lucky to have a tech as good as you are in the area.
Wouldn’t say super easy. But easier with practice and it seems Everytime this car has an issue, you’re having to get that manifold out of the way to get to the source.
Agreed. I love my 535i. I upgraded the charge pipe to aluminum. Brand new coils and plugs. She runs beautifully. Will be doing my oil filter housing gaskets next to save myself a future headache.
Sorry, 200K miles is nothing for a decently designed engine, especially a diesel.
@@rogerfroud300 The N55 is a direct injected petrol engine not a diesel and I agree 200k on a diesel is not a lot
Yes, BMW makes one of the best inline six-cylinder engines in the world. Unfortunately, their cheap plastics self-destruct after 12 years, and the car's electronics also start crapping out. If I were to buy the best build and most reliable new BMW, I would definitely get the BMW-powered Toyota Supra and not the Z4 BMW, Toyota makes the BMW inline 6 much more reliable than BMW itself!
EV Electric motor engineer here- Depending on how hot the engine got (above normal) I could see the starter solenoid/starter winding insulation being near failure, overheating, and dying.
Or coolant on it
Failure temperature of wiring enamel is nowhere near 105C (typical max coolant temp) and the starter never gets that hot anyway. The engine block won't increase much past 105C due to its large thermal mass even after the coolant is lost.
I had the 2011 BMW 535i xDrive for over 4 years, September 2018-November 2022. I was lucky as this car proved very reliable for me personally, I only had to do regular maintenance and oil changes. I know I am a rare case though lol.
How many miles did you put on the bmw while you owned it?
From a BMW enthusiast, I have to say you're right, absolutely right. The thing that people don't understand about the brand, and yes it's gotten worse since 2005 but really has always been like that, they're built like airplanes.
They'll last forever with frequent and preventative maintenance. If you're not a fan of how they drive, don't buy one. If it's just looks and utility you'll always end up frustrated because of what you have to put in. If you're not a DIY person do not buy anything older than 2 years or younger than 20 years (models from back then simple enough for most shops).
If you're not willing to deal with the tech in the car, how it works and what it does, don't buy any BMW.
When I say airplanes I mean it, just as fragile, needy and expensive but also ultimately the most agile, highest performing and fun cars on the road when theynrun right - most don't.
Due to this most components until around 2010 are very lightweight and also wear out sooner than comparable other brands i.e. suspension.
Unfortunately, since around 2010 comfort has crept in and there is really no point in buying the brand anymore. A bloated, heavy and expensive car can be had from Mercedes but it's built much sturdier, maintained less and cheaper and rides the same.
Additionally, in the late 90sncost cutting went overboard and some decisions wrt materials, electronics, packaging were just plain reckless and eventually lead to planned obsolescence i.e. the car quickly reaches the point of economically being totaled if anything major comes up which it will sooner or later.
Finally, the 535 here with 200k miles I'm honestly amazed it got this far, I say that as a fan. Cooling system on this needs to be entirely replaced at 150k miles at the very latest, will then run on to 300k easily. The battery issue, you need BMW diagnostics INPA or the new version it will tell you the order of events.
The engine if you can turn it freely is most likely fine but head gasket needs to be checked for condition. We're talking 3k at least, I estimate residual value of 8k in the US market? Simply wrong car for this customer. Buy a Merc or better screw the German brands and go Lexus etc - driving a lot and liking how a F10 drives but unable/willing to deal with the airplane maintenance you will not go back to BMW ever.
Not surprising to hear the customer didn't like the report on his 200k mile BMW
😂
Lkq pick your part will buy it
I say c
Be careful with diagnosing starters on bmw's!!! We had one in the shop for a few days that wouldn't start just like yours, the engine was not grounded, the strap had corroded and there was 5v drop between the negative battery terminal and anywhere on the engine block!
Yes, I would also checked the negative from starter
Good catch!
Here is a crazy idea: the engine overheated and partially/temporarily locked due to som dilatation. While in that state, the user tried starting it. This triggers the starting sequence which could have overheated the starter motor until it was gone!
you should check the harmonic balancer on the crankshaft,it may be the original cause of overheating....
I have to comment on this one. I agree it horribly expensive to replace that starter, but the car has held up for over 200K miles. That's exceptional. Anyone operating a car over 150K miles knows they are on borrowed time waiting for the big failure.
Just my opinion
Yeah, i agree. When you divide $1200 by 200,000 miles, it’s not unreasonable, price to pay when compared to any other luxury automotive brand. Sure when compared to the price of a starter replacement on a chevy impala, it looks expensive. But fixing this 10 YO BMW, is far less expensive than it would be to buy a replacement vehicle.
Not if you driving a Toyota Camry,Avalon,4Runner,Honda CRV,Honda Accord, Lexus or Acura. At 150K those cars I mentioned just ready for the road
A well maintained Toyota is just getting broken in at 150k miles !
@@JAMUSA2018yeah but those cars are far more boring, less powerful, and have less features than this bmw so why compare the 2?
@@JAMUSA2018 yea but they are all appliances that drive like a wet napkin. People still love 5 series decades later, nobody says that about a Toyota
BMWs. We have a love hate relationship with them. Wife’s e90 328i is just about the most reliable one out there. We had infamous Dmtl leak. Had to do a smoke test and turned out it was the fuel pump. My f01 750i. Probably the least reliable BMW with the n63. Had to replace the alternator and was quoted $2000 at an independent shop. Got a remanufactered alternator from autozone and did it myself. But it took two weekends of carefully taking apart the car and making sure not to break any plastics. Did the turbo oil return lines while I was in there. I’m thankful for the diy community.
Funny thing, that front differential right next to the oil pan with the passenger-side cv-shaft on an extension through the oil pan is exactly like the setup on my '04 Buick Rainier that has the 4.2L Atlas inline six. I noticed this the first time I went to change the oil, but that car has never leaked any oil out the bottom, though it did need a valve cover gasket replacement because oil was leaking into the spark-plug wells. AFAIK it was arranged like that on all of the GMT360 platform vehicles (Trailblazer, Bravada, Rainier and Envoy) with AWD for a few model years, though don't know when they went unibody instead of having a real frame.
Like you say yourself; it just so happened. Two or even three problems at the same time do occur. Dealing with it myself in a different industry but it happens every now and then.
Wizard, I truly feel your pain, my friend! Back in the day, I’ve had my share of silly coincidences only to have the customer accuse of me sabotage. That’s a problem I don’t need. You’re fortunate to have an ‘intelligent’ and understanding customer. Keep up the great work 😊
If the customer were intelligent, he wouldn't be driving a 10-year-old X-drive BMW.
I’ll say ‘yes’ to that! 😂
Breaks
More
Wallets
All these expensive repairs paid for his yacht so I doubt he is in any real pain. If everyone drove Toyotas and Hondas, he wouldn't be driving Maseratis and all his other toys.
Did a starter on an E90 330i. Wasn’t a fun job. As the Wizard said, the intake manifold had to be moved to the right. Mine didn’t die completely, but every now and then the motor would rotate slowly (and the battery was fine).
Edit: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, do not get x-drive unless you absolutely need it. It can become a nightmare to maintain, and it makes the handling/ride worse. Gets in the way of everything. When I did the starter job, I also did my WP and thermostat (was getting codes for the WP going bad). The stupid driveshaft made things much more difficult than they had to be.
My e46 x drive isn’t bad, thermostat and water pump was like working on a Chevy truck, water pump was even an ac delco brand…
That is way I still drive a 20 year old BMW with planetary AWD, super solid and none of complexity.
Just curious, under what conditions would someone need the x-drive? Is there something special about them that does something special?
@@weswest8666 Yup, that was a different system. Seems to be more reliable than x-drive. On the E46, the WP was mechanical, making it more reliable (I think) and cheaper to replace.
It would be best to just avoid BMW if you need AWD. If you want luxury and reliable AWD, get a Lexus. Or an Acura.
I used to have a honda accord k24 and the starter died like that, intake also had to come off for that one but it wasn't difficult
that differential location.....omg.....a lesser mechanic would just say "nope". I do like the wizard's channel because it brings me back to sanity every time I have a bout of stupidity and start to think about financing a vehicle.
One thing people forget when you overheat the engine is to change your trans fluid. If you overheat the engine, you cooked the fluid affecting the additives and lifespan of it and the trans too.
For a high mile car, that thing looks great. I can see why people grab them. I've had a couple, and they were the 'good' ones. Meaning they were worth the trouble and cost.
I appreciate your honesty regarding BMW's
I was very close to buying a pre owned BMW 6 months ago. I didn’t know anything about BMW’s except they look really great, and they have the connotation of “class”.
Then, I did my research on them. I was shocked at the results of my research. And I was SO glad I did my research and did not make an impulse buy.
Its a shame, looks like the customer really loves his car, for a 2012 its in really nice condition and he pays attention to know to pull over asap when its overheating. He cares more about the car than BMW itself probably does.
BMW and most of those 'luxury' Euro brands 'engineer' their vehicles to last the duration of the lease and that's it. Beyond that, you need intermediate to advanced mechanical skills as a DIYer or be prepared to shell out major $$$ to a shop.
It's unlucky that both of these things happened at the same time BUT this car has 200k miles don't forget that hear, if a starter goes out at that kinda miles on a 10 year old car, I think it's fine
@@chriskonte1909 Agreed, 200k is a lot for any starter in any car. However, the difficulty in replacing the starting is inexcusably complicated, typical of a European car.
thats why i love you ,,you just said you dont like the car because of what it does to your customers ,,,awesome bro ,,most hate em cause the work sucks ,,you rock and you really care
As a master Bmw tech for 17 years I can confirm they all leak oil lol. Few things I'd like to add about this video, #1 Bmw engineers told me flat out to have tow truck drivers just drag the cars onto the flat beds. 2nd on the no start did you check the ground cable? On this car it attaches to the transfercase. High resistance (corrosion) on these put undo stress on starting and charging systems and cause premature failure of the starter.
good video wizard ,and filming never been a big fan either but door gaps and interiors r good
I have the same car abandoned in front of my house
😬
Makes a nice lawn ornament...no?
@@johna.4334 yea lol but pretty dusty 😂
Great video. Now excuse me while I go outside and give my 4Runner a big hug.
Thank You ... excellent advice ....one of the many reasons I drive Hondas/Toyota
A wise mechanic said to me many years ago: "If you can't take a joke, don't own a car".
Don't own a bmw
So BMW = joke? As a former (one time) BMW owner I agree.
@@nicholasvinen
I see alot of older ones with suspicious blue smoke coming out the back...
Disasters waiting to happen?
As someone who has owned many cars including BMWs, all cars suck, all cars break. My bimmers have actually been pretty reliable. People bitch about them because specialist German mechanics charge more than people who work on domestic stuff. If you know how to work on cars and know your BMW shit it's not a bad ownership experience at all. When it's bad is when you don't know not to overheat it or else and end up having to pay and wait for an overbooked and overpriced tech to replace your cylinder head. I should have just bought a good engine out of a wrecked car and an engine hoist but i was a kid and knew nothing about cars at the them. The ownership experience with a BMW is solely dependent on the owner and the due diligence they do when purchasing a car
@@andrewgarcia3136 my BMW broke more than all the other cars I've owned put together. I probably owned the BMW for 5 years and it broke 10 times,.most of those times leaving me stranded. Of the other cars I've owned for a total of 30 years, including Toyotas, Hondas, Fords and Mazdas, they collectively broke maybe 3 times and I don't think they ever left me stranded. So I don't think you can convince me BMWs aren't worse than average.
They don't want you to get it into neutral, they want you to get it lifted and taken to them 😂
Its designed for the German Tow Truck Operators
Welcome to BMW's Stealership world!!💸💸💰💰
Incredible to see bmw still has a cooling system problems, from 1980s to 2023 still same troubles pff. I have e46 328ci as a daily, what car would you recommend as an reliable upgrade? I was considering 2014 w204. Thank you.
The lack of frustration in his voice when is he says “I don’t know what it is about BMWs and losing coolant and locking up the engine….” Clearly indicates he’s never been stranded by one 😂😂😂😂
I am more baffled that Wizard let at BMW though his door 😱 i am suprised he didn’t kick it all the way to the Car Ninja!
I can’t even drive my ‘11 335is right now because the CAS module is toast. Can’t get one until next year due to national back order. Gotta try to send off the ECU, CAS, and key to have it repaired. My BMW ownership has also been a sob story of random crap breaking. And mine only has 75k on it. BMWs drive great, but the newer ones are complete junk. I won’t own another.
AT 9:55, the starter solenoid failing may have been due to it being subjected a much higher temperature that it was designed to handle. A solder joint could have opened. The main contacts might have been damaged so that high current could not be achieved. Perhaps a piece of plastic was being used to maintain connections. Or, some other failure occurred. But, regardless of the details, the failure was most likely due to a temperature that was too high for the starter to survive. It is sort of like an engine that overheats destroying an automatic transmission.
What about resetting the ECU back to factory? I do it on my JK Wrangler sometimes when weird stuff happens. Might clear the codes and erase any bad diagnostics the ECU is retaining. Worth a shot....
Heat kills starters so it makes sense to me that if the coolant hose blew and the engine bay got extremely hot killing the starter makes complete sense.
In theory, I would agree.
ahhhh.... someone mentioned something similar in that the starter was mounted next to the part of the engine that gets really hot. if the engine wasn't getting cooled properly and got really hot maybe it "fried" the starter as a byproduct of the failure.
I think this is a very plausible explanation.
I think really old starters had a starter relay or starter solenoid attached to the outside of the starter motor, that was the part that burned out causing the owner to replace both. I'm sure that still have a similar setup but now next to impossible to remove it.
Just replaced my starter 2 weeks ago. The Bosch starter was $200 and it took me about 4 hours to replace it going slow. Easy peasy. If you don’t have the budget then you have to be able to turn a wrench. I’m just too cheap lol. Also these starters just don’t suddenly fail, they progressively fail and you have to press the button multiple times until 1 day it just stops starting.
What did you think of the size of the starter?? Little tiny thing isn't it?? The first time I saw one I thought it was a joke. Probably why they fail so often.
I just changed the starter. Best course if action is buying a remanufactured starter. These engines are actually superb. Plan on replacing all the hoses from and to the CCV/oil separator...which I changed. Total cost: 400. Ok, probably not a job for the average owner. But that engine ..... everything actually looks good for a 200000 mile car!
Actually there's another way to get these cars in neutral
1: Push start button(try to start car)
2: Push the lever twice in to N
3: Push the lever to N and hold for 5 seconds
4: Transmission should disengage
Copied from the f10 fourm
The problem might not be the starter. I think it’s one of the ground wires that is not attached properly. This also can cause the engine not to crank.
BMW!! Break My Wallet !!
Can’t hardly complain about a 200,000 plus mile car
Expensive cars have expensive repairs. I wouldn't really complain. If you could afford to own a car like that, 2 or 3k repair jobs is just par for the course.
One repair out of that 200k I haven’t had any issues on my Crown Vic with 200k yeah a few maintenance wear items
@@stevelouie5928 Totally agree...200 000 miles !!
@@1983dmd We don't even know the repair history. If this was his only big repair over the life of the car, then I'd say bravo for BMW. I have a 2017 BMW now and so far so good. I had a 1993 audi and put 200k miles on it and the biggest repair was a failing heater core that cost 1.5k to repair.
@@WarriorOfEden3033 Those are known to go a million miles as Taxi cabs. Old technology, but very reliable.
My new mechanic slash technician to learn from, so keep educating us new mechanics
Excellent content 👍
I've had my car towed 2x in almost 7 years and I am glad that it's a manual transmission and the tow truck driver was also
It's really tough to find tow truck drivers with manual transmissions these days!
@@Wpjgdmtu The new trucks usually dont even come with the option of a manual trans
@@Wpjgdmtu my car was a manual transmission, not the tow truck
I’ve had numerous BMW’s over the years and I have had a love/hate relationship with them. In this case, a starter needing replacement at 200k isn’t unusual to any car, or the cost of the part. The location of it, along with the $150/ per hour cost is the main problem. People need to be able to work on them, themselves or find a garage with more reasonable rates
Wisdom
Or just dont buy a junk ass car, that is neither luxurious, fast, or classy. It fails at literally EVERY thing it tries.
I'm sorry, but you don't buy a modern BMW to work on them...
If possible, start the car with ... another starter, just to see how the engine does.
Theese cars are very expensive and should 't have these issues with starters...or, if they must have these problems, starters should be affordable.
Also congratulations for you and your outstanding way describing things..
As a tow truck driver I had problems with getting bmws into neutral too. Sometimes I had to read the manual. Awful.
When hoses are popping off I normally worry about head gaskets. That takes pressure.
I had a problem with my 56 VW convertible, during the 70s and early eighties; with my starter failing to reliably turn the engine over in cool or cold weather. The VW dealer replaced the starter 5 times and the ignition switch once. Then at an out of town dealership the problem was correctly diagnosed with the solenoid replaced. The part was only FIVE dollars and though separate from the starter, it was easily replaced.
I love my 2011 550i. 165k on the clock and it runs like a champ! However.... I always tell people, I would never own one if I had to rely on someone else to repair it. I have had to do quite a bit of work to it in the past 1.5 years that I have owned it. But only having to buy parts and not paying for labor I only have about $1500 into it.
What failed if you don't mind me asking ,
@@Conekillah most recently I had an oil cooler line burst and lost all my oil. Almost lost the engine. Due to the loss of oil pressure my bank 2 timing chain jumped a tooth and while dealing with that, I notices the top chain guide was broken. After replacing that, a strange ticking I have had since I got the car, suddenly disappeared. I almost missed the fact that it was broken an the broken piece landed on the wiring harness instead of making it down to the floor. The car gods were smiling upon me that day.
Yup, you have to be able to wrench.
The Chevy in the background would cost 10k in parts by 200k this guy is a joke
This example of terrible timing reminded me of an incident last year on my classic 1991 Mercedes W126 300SE. The low coolant warning light came on the dash and when I pulled the bonnet release lever to open it to top up the reservoir the bonnet latch failed to open. After 30 years that was the exact moment the bonnet release mechanism decided to break. I had to then nervously drive 90 miles with the low coolant warning light on to see a Mercedes specialist to manually release the mechanism from underneath the car to get the bonnet up. Gah !!
Feel bad for the customers. I'm glad I know how to fix most of the engine problems on all 8 cars we have including BMW E38 (timing chain issues, I do myself) and Mercedes W212, took me 7 hours to change an alternator where the shop wanted to charge me $1500 labor. I'm retired and have more time to do this and keep my $1500. Alternator about $450. My 65 Corvette alternator last I bought was $68 and took 5 minutes to change. LOL.
It makes the case that the starter situation might be related to the overheating, engines can get tight from overheating, probably strained an already weak starter, or there is a more systemic engine problem, so very possibly related in some manner
That's the only thing that makes any sense. I have the 3 version of this non x drive. But I don't have that little coolant box underneath. Very strange for that clip to pop off. Almost seems like sabotage.
You reminded me of a mechanic I knew at a Toyota dealership I used to work at that worked on the sales managers 85 MR2 race car. He had mentioned that the starter used to fail on a regular basis because of it's proximity to the exhaust manifold. But after they had wrapped up everything with heat shielding the car never again had a starter fail.
Makes me appreciate my old school solid axle ohv rwd Mustang even more
I never had any trouble with mine, but I do replace components at their estimated fail rate and perform regular maintenance myself. I just turned 194,000 miles. It has never failed me. I absolutely love this vehicle. I understand that they are not made for everyone after the "new" phase. Regular maintenance and inspection is crucial.
Also, I'm not sure where this gentlemen is getting his starters from. I replaced mine, OEM new for $289. It didn't cost $1200. His labor rates are also comparable to a dealership. I wouldn't buy this guys sorrowful feelings towards a BMW owner.
My boss had a 2013 (or maybe 2012) BMW 550xi (F10, same gen, just a bigger engine) and barely had a single problem with it EXCEPT he had to replace the engine. That's an issue of the 4.0 V8. But after that it was rock solid, didn't leak anything and never let him down. He got it used with something like 50k km (35k miles) and drove for another 100k at least, it wasn't a Sunday car.
The starter can sometimes be "helped" by knocking it with a hammer. I would try that just to see if you get the engine running before you decide to fork out money on a starter change.
Exactly I'd try to get it running at least once 1,200 is way too big a gamble. Customer needs to get a less high end mechanic. Wizard is good/competent but caters more to the price is no issue customers.
Our E39 525IT was pissing coolant right after we replaced the coolant reservoirs. This was after replacing the zf transmission as it keeps going into limbo. Turn out the transmission ECU was bad. Sold that thing for $1.5K and never look back. Been driving Japanese car for about 7 years now. The peace of mind is unreal.
Japanese cars are amazing and made to be worked on and serviced
@@tommoon2700 clearly havent worked on an old bmw. Everything is serviceable
@@burntnougat5341 your correct I haven't
We were driving a Pontiac Wave East bound on the 401. After having asked our mechanic to find where the Dexcool was leaking from and he didn't find the leak. The lower rad hose blew. Even though we pulled over immediately, the timing belt had already slipped and destroyed the engine. losing coolant is not a joke.
Even AFTER you fix the starter the customer will still have this creeping doubt in the back of their mind thinking that you “might” have scammed them. This is an unfortunate consequence of the industry we’re in. This type of stuff happens IRL, and customers don’t fully understand.
Beacuse this industry is riddled with fast talking mechanics who 80 percent of the time overcharge and over repair. 8 out fo 10 times I have had mechanics try to misdirect repairs luckily I am a bit more savy and done most the works myself.
@@SwiftGQbro there U go the reason why people hate BMW's, not savy enough,bet they don't know they can reset valvetronic adaptations to position 0 and coolant circulation and oil circulation all through the accelerator.
Example reseting valvetronic
Everything off but ignition stamp accelerator in I think 15 times and you will hear it do it's job,did I mention you can read your fault codes through the integrated computer,art form indeed.also another thing😂 the Germans developed a jet plane literally seconds before getting ass gropped by the Russians and zero finance
I've owned a few BMW vehicles, an X5 with 205k, a 328i wagon, and a 1995 M3. All were exceptional cars, pre i-drive, but still, wonderful cars, easy to work on, and very fun to drive. I think the fun factor is well worth the maintenance cost but they were also relatively simple vehicles without all the bells and whistles the newer ones have. I'd buy another BMW in a heartbeat, but I can also work on them so there's that..
You aren't working on this one by yourself. Even worse with newer ones.
Old BMWs are not the same to work on as the new stuff. My e39 540i is easy enough to work on despite the tight packaging. Tried to work on a friends '19 X1 and that thing was a nightmare. Giant pain in the ass to chase down 1 leaky banjo bolt on the power steering.
@@majist0 I am a DIYer and can replace that starter. I've already done it for a friend. Engine work? No way. But all the other junk is on you tube.
Same. Have a 06 E90, no iDrive, no Xdrive, dead reliable. I've had a couple early 2000's BMW's, all fantastic cars. The smooth ride, excellent power delivery and frankly unmatched steering is worth it. All my cars have reached over 400k km, (260k miles) with largely no issues, just basic maintenance.
@@majist0 Why not? It's still held together by nuts and bolts.
I've owned 9 Bimmers and haven't once had a starter issue. Coolant leaks, oil leaks, valve cover leaks, yes. But never a starter. Love Bimmers. I'm about to buy another one this week and I can't wait. For the mechanically UN-inclined, it's a riskier purchase. But if you know how to fix things and keep up basic maintenance, these things will go forever. I get it that you only see the ones that fail in your shop, but there are many more success stories than failures. So please temper the BMW bashing!
IMO, most people that buy a luxury vehicle new, never do any maintenance. Typically they will take it to the dealer while it is in warranty. Likewise, the manufacturer has made most items to be “no maintenance” within the warranty period. So the dealers offer minimal maintenance service during the warranty period. Once a luxury car goes out of warranty, the typical buyer will trade in and buy new. The used luxury cars look like an affordable upgrade for the average consumer who has been buying domestic cars. However, they run into sticker shock as soon as they need to take in for service, as few automotive technicians have experience working on them. Regardless of the badge on the hood, rubber hoses and belts will fail on all automotive brands regardless of price
I recently considered a used xdrive, so am glad I saw this video.
To me, a starter failure at 200k is not surprising, as it is to Mr. Wizard. I grew up when we replaced starters and alternators before 100k. It is a testament to the reliability of modern cars. However, my BMW transmission went out at 60k, which cost me $4k, so I was not sad to sell my car.
Tow truck driver here, yes, we absolutely hate these cars for the transmissions not going into neutral, and being garbage all around
Here in Balkan, I've seen plenty of these 5 Series models (F10) over the years (whether they're parked or on the road). I can definitely tell that they're some of the more reliable modern BMW models ever produced, as some models I looked at have well over 300k kilometers.
We need to get you more subs! You are an amazing mechanic!
I owned 2007 BMW 335i - twin turbo - I installed stage 2 everything, it was a ROCKET. But it always needed something. Some little shit would always brake. I am thankful for that car - I will never buy a BMW again.
Place jump pack on jump start ports under hood to place it in neutral! Just went thru this to get my 535i xdrive on the tow truck a week ago!
Just bought an older BMW yesterday. I hope it gives me reliable kilometers/miles but inevitably any car will require repair work. I'm very pleased about the idea that basic maintenance and repairs doesn't always involve pulling front bumper partially or fully or worst case dropping the whole engine along with the subframe. What I'm saying is it's not the absolute worst there is to work on.
But yeah.. I need to maybe start checking and planning replacement of all the leaky parts before I get comfortable with it.
Lol 😂 you better get your wrenches and start replacing the entire cooling system