BANG!!! And now I'm stranded in Virginia Beach, VA

[ajm55]

Thanks 1320racer. A mate fitted the billet mount so not entirely sure but will ask. As far as I know the GAW unit comes equipped with delrin bushing so there is no fitting of the stock bushes. I’ll see whether the issues subside when I reinstall the stock mount and go from there

[dhm118]

Originally Posted by ajm55

Sorry to read about your troubles. Sure the car will be awesome when all is done. Since installing my GAW diff bracket I’m hearing diff backlash and diff whine. Im looking into having the diff refurbished (bearings etc) here in South Africa. Curious to know whether refurbishment is an option in the US as I haven’t read anything about it. If not, is there a reason for this

This is likely due to the solid bushing used the with that mount. That's also why I went with the RK mount on my car.

[1320racer]

Picked up my car this week from the shop and all was fine on the drive home. Wow! The catless downpipes sound amazing when you are in the throttle, but I was surprised how quiet the stock mufflers were when idling and driving normally. I can hear turbos whistle now too.

About an hour later I went to fill up the gas tank and then my car had a valve train error and went into limp mode. I also smelled oil. The code was a misfire on cylinder 2. I was less than a mile from home so I drove home very slowly. I opened the hood and oil was on the top and down the passenger, front side, of the motor. I removed the air intake and a few other items and pulled out the front two plugs (plugs 1 and 2). There was some oil on the plugs and on the coils so I cleaned up everything so the engine bay was completely clean again. I installed the plugs I’d recently removed just in case the new plugs were now fouled out. After clearing the codes, I started the engine. The service light turned on immediately returned to limp mode.

The car was towed back to my shop and I’ll update everyone as soon as I know what the problem is. I’m hoping something minor became loose causing the oil to leak. I did not see any more oil leaking when I restarted the motor. When the oil did leak, it almost appeared as if the oil pressure became too high and it was forced out the filler cap.

[TinCanSailor]

Physically I am feeling the pain for you. I hope this passes quickly and without any further trouble. You and this car deserve a nice spirited drive out in the country once this is all done.

[1320racer]

My shop performed a compression leak-down test and cylinder 2 has no compression. The motor is likely done

My motor issue seems very similar to this thread...

[TinCanSailor]

Originally Posted by 1320racer

My shop performed a compression leak-down test and cylinder 2 has no compression. The motor is likely done

My motor issue seems very similar to this thread...

I've been through it and the upside to it is that you'll have a nice fresh engine to flog the hell out of.

[1320racer]

TinCanSailor. I just read your experience with a spun bearing and I hope all continues to go well for you. I'm glad RK did you right with the engine rebuild.

https://www.rkautowerks.com/index.ph...stock-rebuild/

[TinCanSailor]

Originally Posted by 1320racer

TinCanSailor. I just read your experience with a spun bearing and I hope all continues to go well for you.

https://www.rkautowerks.com/index.ph...stock-rebuild/

a little over 12k miles and a year later and she is still running strong. A couple of moths ago I took my wife on a very spirited drive down to the Key for a few days of fun. It was our first long road trip in it in over a year. I would say the drive was better than trip but it was Key West and the kids were at home

To go from broken down and sitting in the drive to the attached picture was a long trip in itself but man getting to Mile 0 with it, and back, made it all fade away.

I can't thank my wife and the good folks of @rkautowerks enough for their patience.

Sincerely wishing you and yours a speedy recovery.

[ajm55]

Originally Posted by 1320racer

My shop performed a compression leak-down test and cylinder 2 has no compression. The motor is likely done

My motor issue seems very similar to this thread...

Sorry to hear this. Really sucks. Any idea how this may have happened?

[1320racer]

Not totally sure of the root cause of the failure, but oil went by the rings in at least cylinder #2.

Guessing….? Maybe fuel injector for cylinder #2 failed open and hydro locked the cylinder.?.?.?. I was not pushing the engine excessively when the failure happened. I’ve read some remote instances of this, but actually believe my shop would have noticed immediately if gas was in the oil. There’s been no mention of that thus far.

My shop is waiting to hear back from my warranty company regarding tear down to determine the root cause of the failure. My shop unfortunately does not rebuild this particular engine but has done engine swaps.

Any advice from anyone would be warmly received!

[TinCanSailor]

Oh man, I am truly sorry to hear this but it does get better.

Have an engine delivered from @rkautowerks if they approve the engine swap. There is very little that can be done in regards to cylinder repair and if it locked it might have bent a rod. RK is an Automotive OEM turned privateer builder of stock and forged BMW Mx engines like the S63tu.

His shop uses some of the most modern tools available, laser scanning, 4 axis cnc, to make aftermarket parts and in regards to the aftermarket parts they buy for rebuilding and selling long block they thoroughly qualify them all. They also drive what they build aka eat their own dog food/drink their own champagne.

Add to that his team has never once left me hanging even with smallest of questions, that said I also try not to be a pest to him or them but they are absolutely the most customer service-centric people I have dealt.

More importantly the advice I gave myself when this happened to me was take your time. I knew little of the S63tu but had been a longtime owner of an N63 and read plenty on the S85 which was what I was looking to collect when I bought my M6 GC. As much as it pained me to see it sit in the garage with a dead engine it wasn't getting any worse and that allowed me the time to fully consider all my options. In the end the wait was well worth it. Adding ya to my prayers for the speedy and positive resolution to your woes.

Best regards.

[1320racer]

I expect to have my warranty company approve the motor review this week and will know soon after that where things stand. Hope and pray that they cover the motor repair.

[TinCanSailor]

Got you on my prayer list brother hoping for a low cost and speedy return.

[bmwmike89]

Originally Posted by 1320racer

My shop performed a compression leak-down test and cylinder 2 has no compression. The motor is likely done

My motor issue seems very similar to this thread...

Wow was not expecting that! Sorry to hear but fingers crossed you're extended warranty covers it!

[1320racer]

Thank you everyone for your supportive messages. I just received this message that was forwarded from my shop…

“Good Morning Prestige Automotive Solutions LLC,

This is in reference to our mutual customer XXXXXX with the BMW M5 Claim ID: XXXXXXX.

Thank you for your patience, this claim is on high priority here, however it is a large claim. Please bare with us, you will receive an answer by the next business day.


Thank you

Alex Brenner”

Hoping to hear good news tomorrow.

[TinCanSailor]

Positive thoughts and vibes.

[1320racer]

I am not trying to speak in a derogatory way regarding my warranty company with this post. I just want others to be as informed as possible if they find themselves in a similar situation.

Late yesterday, I received a call from the owner of Prestige Automotive and the decision from my warranty company is they will cover the cost of rebuilding the engine, excluding gaskets and fluids.

Regarding warranty claims, after dealing with three BMW dealers and two independent shops with this vehicle, I have determined that Concord consistently does NOT initially cover customer claims!

What I’ve noticed—All submitted claims must be worded VERY precisely and in accordance with the warranty policy. My warranty co has gone so far as calling the BMW dealership in Virginia Beach dishonest and untrustworthy. This was done by Concord due to some of the language used within a different claim — and everything went down hill after that. The dealership was truly being honest but their wording could’ve been more precise and the pictures provided could have been described more clearly. My current shop resubmitted that same declined claim for me with very clear and very concise dialogue and great pictures. After numerous emails and phone calls, then the claim was accepted by Concord.

Clear documentation, relevant pictures, past parts, and past maintenance records make it much more difficult for viable claims to be denied. If there are any ambiguities in the statements or documents, then they WILL NOT cover the claim, even if it should be covered.

I am very lucky to have come across a shop that has years of successfully dealing with warranty companies and their claim departments. Clarity, honesty, and persistence are what are needed. I am very happy at this point and it will likely take 5+ weeks since my shop is closed all next week for Thanksgiving, but I hope to be on the road with my M5 soon.

Thanks again for everyone's positivity and have a wonderful weekend

[ajm55]

Awesome news. Huge relief, no doubt

[TinCanSailor]

That is great news. You will surely be in a great position with this car for many years to come. Having a good independent shop to work with is vitally important these days. Automobiles are terribly complex, difficult to maintain on your own due to specialty tools/software and manufactures engineering for obsolescence and vendor lock. You provided some sage advice about your indy being able to clear the warranty company's wickets for approval, this is a topic I use when qualifying a shop for use.

Congrats!

[1320racer]

I wanted to let you all know that my shop is sourcing my rebuilt motor from RK AUTOWERKS.

https://www.rkautowerks.com/index.ph...stock-rebuild/

I’m hoping to have my car back around Christmas, but may not get it until after the new year. I’ll keep you all updated.

[TinCanSailor]

Outstanding! I am very excited for you. See if you can get pictures of the tear down and a first start video. I recently returned home after mine sat for 2 months and there is nothing like getting in, starting it up and driving this great car with no worries of engine failure in the back of my mind.

Raza, Mike and the team have an incredible depth of knowledge and a sincere commitment to customer service. Just good people.

[1320racer]

The rebuilt motor from RK in TX was delivered Wednesday, December 15. I’m looking forward to seeing how the installation is going. If I’m able, I’ll take some pictures next week of what has been done thus far.