Hi guys, I purchased my first BMW the other day, a 2008 328i with impeccable maintenance records for all 153,000 miles. Car drives as smooth as can be. Sport package as well, no xdrive.
I noticed only one thing, over the past few days. Occasionally upon startup, the car will quickly dip in rpm's and then it'll jump back up and high rev for a second or two, almost correcting itself a little, then evens out and idles normally.
Is this something common? Other than this, I don't notice it any other time, just immediately upon startup, maybe 1 out of 10 times.
Thoughts?
Thanks....
The engine likely has vacuum leaks. Finding all the leaks requires the smoke testing of the intake system. Find a reputable indie shop that specializes in bimmers at www.bimrs.org.
This, in earlier models, is a classic manifestation of failing(ed) VANOS seals.
If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue
Ok, thank you. Can you tell me what VANOS is? Sorry, coming from a lifetime of VW Im not yet familiar with all the BMW Tech.
Update on the symptoms:
-Still getting mostly normal starts
-Today upon cold start the dash showed an icon that appeared to be a car on a lift (service??)
-I got one start with the dip in rpm
-I got one start where for about 3 seconds, the car felt wobbly at idle, then normal
Car runs very smooth otherwise, its only upon start up. Cold vs warm start doesnt seem to make a huge impact.
Does this narrow things down at all? If its VANOS seals, does anyone have a replacement cost ballpark? The car has been serviced to a T by a local private BMW tech, and the previous owner has 4 bmw's and swears by the guy.
Thanks.
VANOS is BMW’s version of variable valve timing.
The first step in diagnosing a problem is to scan the engine computer (DME in BMWspeak) for codes. The Service Engine Soon (SES) light is on only for emissions related codes. Find a reputable indie shop that specializes in bimmers at www.bimrs.org.
Today the car started fine all day long, many times. Then this evening, twice in a row, I started the car and it immediately died. Second attemp, started normal both times. Didnt run even for a second, just started and died. Next attempt was fine. Car runs normal after that. Any suggestions? Anyone experience this before? I only have 1 car so bringing it to a shop is my backup. Thoughts?
You need to have the engine computer scanned for codes. Period!
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