VANOS rattle fixed

[KrazyRushin]

I have seen people post a lot of problems about their VANOS unit rattling. i had the same problem, AND YES, I FIXED IT AND SAVED MONEY DOING IT. I bought a 95 m3 just recently with 54K miles. I instantly put Mobil1 10w30 in. The noise was there. I took it in to the BMW dealership and didn't believe what they told me. They told me to switch from Mobil1. :eek: I was scared to do so, but I was willing to try anything. I put Pennzoil 15w40 in. This is the same oil they use at the dealer. Noise got quietter, but it was still there. One month later, not a sound to be heard. Car runs great.

The reason as they explained it to me, is that the oil is used to control the VANOS unit. Mobil1 is simply too thin. It doesn't work well with it. They said I saved my VANOS unit.

This is a risky try... due to the fact that they say to never switch from synthetic to conventional... but it worked for me. This is just my two cents from my personal experience. I don't want to take responsibility for anyone getting different results.

I hope this helps :)

[ChipM]

I have seen people post a lot of problems about their VANOS unit rattling. i had the same problem, AND YES, I FIXED IT AND SAVED MONEY DOING IT. I bought a 95 m3 just recently with 54K miles. I instantly put Mobil1 10w30 in. The noise was there. I took it in to the BMW dealership and didn't believe what they told me. They told me to switch from Mobil1. :eek: I was scared to do so, but I was willing to try anything. I put Pennzoil 15w40 in. This is the same oil they use at the dealer. Noise got quietter, but it was still there. One month later, not a sound to be heard. Car runs great.

The reason as they explained it to me, is that the oil is used to control the VANOS unit. Mobil1 is simply too thin. It doesn't work well with it. They said I saved my VANOS unit.

This is a risky try... due to the fact that they say to never switch from synthetic to conventional... but it worked for me. This is just my two cents from my personal experience. I don't want to take responsibility for anyone getting different results.

I hope this helps :)

They said that in the 70's when synthetics were new. Now, you can switch back and forth with no problems.

[teasley]

why not just put a 15w40 synthetic oil in? I don't know off the top of my head if mobil has that wieght in sythetic, but im sure someone does.

[KrazyRushin]

i don't know for sure, but i believe the thickness is different between 15w40 synthetic and non-synthetic. The thickness is what they said determines the VANOS rattle. :confused

[Bernanke]

really?? interesting, maybe its time to switch to a 40 weight

[ImageDynamicsM3]

the weight doesnt help... i've ran 15/50 with no improvement all the way down to 0/20 with no differences...

[Bernanke]

hmm i wonder then why his made difference unless it was something else

[KrazyRushin]

according to the dealer, they diagnosed the problem to VANOS, 100%. A lot of it could have something to do with how many miles were put on the car with the noise. My car only has 54K miles on it, so i might just be lucky due to catching the problem early.

Another thing is, the noise didn't go away instatly, but in a few weeks.

[///M4life]

im running mobil 0w-40 and i dont have a peep out of my motor:) she purs like a kittin