2011 328i ignition coils replacements with particular peculiar questions ha!

[Sionnach31]

So for thoroughness' sake I'll start at my beginning, which was noticing my slight engine rumble/wobble. It came, it went, and came again over a 5 weeks span really. When it got fairly violent I checked into wobbly engine posts online which lead me to these forums. I decided to replace a coil myself after determining it'd fix my issue - I hit a parts store and got my coil and plug and did the dealie where each coil is loosened and replaced in order to listen for engine fluctuations. I thought I found my bad coil and replaced it, still didn't change anything so replaced the plug, and still didn't change anything. I didn't perform the process of changing the coil and driving on it and clearing the codes after and rechecking codes etc. And the mechanic I ended up taking to I doubt did this process either.

I put my engine covers back on and drove another 10 days before taking it to a euro-specialist mechanic who ran codes and told me maybe 4-5 cylinders were misfiring, along with a couple other problems with the car which I may or may not mention by the end of my post here.
As they all will say, I was told to replace all coils and plugs at the same time. This runs about $675 parts/labor and I'm really not interested in paying that amount. My idea was to replace them all myself but after a short talk with the mechanic and shop guy I am not so sure. What's stopping me is them telling me they had BMW bulletins that advise against using Bosch coils and plugs and instead prefer another brand (which I am stupidly forgetting the name of now!) (not NGK), and also forgot to ask why my coil and plug replacement didn't work. I did not check the coil boot for holes or rips and it might've very well been a bad coil or plug right out of the (new) box(es). I understand the issue could be fuel injectors too, which they advised were maybe around $500 to replace and also would need registering? Something like that and I'm hating myself for not remembering exactness of the convo. They said they'd charge a hundred for this diagnostic but never did. So I'm pleased with that part and would like to give them my biz if it comes down to needing to! I believe the mechanic simply ran my codes and that's it. Not sure any coils were inspected, or plugs. I really should've asked and may still be able to.

Can these people get this job done better than I?! I understand these misfires are damaging my car, and want the best for her while I still have her. Really concerned about replacing coils and plugs myself and having the problem remain. The mechanic said he'd replace these and blankly suggested it's exactly what to do, without checking fuel injectors, wiring, or anything else related. I understand this is probably the best thing to do as it's fairly cheap (not to me, a poor chef!), and then rules out coils/plugs and "allows" other things to be considered. So I've gone looking and can't find this bulletin about Bosch coils being a no-no in my 2011 328i. Anyone know which brand is now recommended?

Hoping a pic of my invoice attached from Imgur: <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/8krzduk"><a href="//imgur.com/a/8krzduk"></a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

http://www.imgur.com/a/8krzduk

Valve cover gasket leak at $755 sounds doable by me, a complete novice.
Transmission service needed at $650 sounds a bit more daunting. Was told there oil in there or something.

Any advice on all these issues would be appreciated. I know I can search the forums for coil and plug replacement advice and it'd be welcomed in this post too, but bascally was wanting to know about this brand name issue with Bosch being out, and also what I may consider if I get all these coils and plugs in and still sustain the engine wobble.

thank you!

[MadJoe]

The OEM plugs are Bosch and NGK, so I can't understand what they're talking about as far as that. You can get full sets off Ebay for about $22, so changing all 6 should be your first step. I would link the page but my work blocks Ebay, so just search them out. If anyone else has heard this Bosch nonsense, please chime in.

Replacing your coils is about $125 to $150 a set, those can be found on Amazon. I'm thinking this shop knew this and that's why they scared you away from Bosch parts as the sets on Amazon for those prices are all Bosch and changing your coils is easier than changing your air filter.

The oil in your transmission thing...I'm skeptical. Did they show you what they saw? I'd definitely get a second opinion on that.

Valve cover gasket is certainly doable by you. You should watch a tutorial video on the process a time or two before jumping into it and have it handy while doing it, but it isn't all that hard, having confidence is key and the video should help with that. ETA: Also make sure it isn't your Oil Filter Housing Gasket that's actually leaking, as these are notorious for that. It may be both, and even if it isn't, might as well do both while you're in there.

Lastly, if you haven't already, cross post this to the bimmerfest and e90post e90 forums to get more traffic.

[jclausen]

The coils BMW switch to was Delphi normally on a misfire fault the first thing to do is mark and move coils and spark plugs to different locations clear faults recheck if the misfires move coils if they don't not coils or spark plugs, I don't know what quality coil you would be getting on amazon if a coil set is only $150.00 the coils them selves list for like $80.00 each. If you have the skills and the know how to work on the car great, but if you don't them maybe your not able to. Shops make money on parts and labor,, it's a business. And they can extra if you bring your own parts. So don't fault them for there estimates.

[JDStrickland]

I just sold an E36 with 160,000 (rounded up) miles and the factory coils. I'm on my 5th BMW in 20 years, many of them all at the same time, and I can't remember ever replacing a coil. Coils are generally a go-no-go item, they work or they don't and when they don't you know. There is no guessing about a coil. That is, there is a obvious presentation of trouble that you might not know is the coil or not, but you swap the coil to another cylinder and see if the symptom (usually misfire) follows or not. If the symptom follows then you know it's the coil, if it doesn't then you know it's not caused by the coil. A failed coil will give a misfire code P0301 - P0306. The misfire could be from other causes, and you move the coil to a different cylinder to see if the code changes.

There are far to many unknowns here. Do you have a Check Engine (SERVICE ENGINE SOON) Light? If you are indeed having a misfire, then you should have the light. If you have a misfire on two cylinders but guessed at and replaced only one, then you still have one if you managed to guess right on the one you replaced.

YOU REALLY NEED TO GET an code reader. Go to eBay or Amazon, your choice, and get an ELM-327 module. This will plug into the OBD2 Data Port and talk to your phone or tablet. If they have a module for Apple or Android, get the right one, but I don't think they separate the OS. Now, go to the app store for your phone or tablet and get an OBD2 diagnostic app. There are free versions and fee versions. Get the free version and play around and see which user interface you prefer, then go ahead and buy the fee version. The difference in fee or free is the fee versions let your build graphs and collect live data. You pick some data points and drive the car and you can see on a graph what the car is doing. With the module and the fee for the app, you are into the whole ball of wax about $30, and you can see everything your car is doing relative to engine management. You do not need to guess which coil is not working because the car will tell you. Any app will give you OBD2 codes for any car built after 1996, and will reset the CEL after you make repairs.

[MadJoe]

"I don't know what quality coil you would be getting on amazon if a coil set is only $150.00 the coils them selves list for like $80.00 each."

You get OEM quality parts no matter what you pay for them as long as they're OEM. Amazon has a set of 6 Bosch for $125 and 6 of the Delphi come out to about $175. If you prefer Delphi, which I agree you should, pay a little more but don't pay $80 each just because you think that's what they need to cost.

[Sionnach31]

"I don't know what quality coil you would be getting on amazon if a coil set is only $150.00 the coils them selves list for like $80.00 each."

You get OEM quality parts no matter what you pay for them as long as they're OEM. Amazon has a set of 6 Bosch for $125 and 6 of the Delphi come out to about $175. If you prefer Delphi, which I agree you should, pay a little more but don't pay $80 each just because you think that's what they need to cost.

think perhaps I should use Delphi coils with Bosch plugs, or?

- - - Updated - - -

Yes I indeed have my check engine light on. And, did get an ELM327 module, and it'd given me 4 codes; cyl 2, 4, random-unkown-cylinder, and I think B2aaa which is a code meaning the reader would throw another code if only it was a better reader and could communicate with either my car or my software or something.
So it's a definite three cylinders issue and I plan to replace coils and plugs myself soon - truly hoping this doesnt actually fail to please my car and instead end up with injector issues.

[MadJoe]

I would start by changing all the plugs because they're cheap and easy, but only the 2 coils from the misfiring cylinders because they're tough and rarely fail in my experience (I have 2 N52s with a combined 250,000+ miles and have only ever replaced 1 coil). And yes, I'd use the Bosch plugs because I've read the NGKs are not great, and Delphi coils because I've heard they're better and are reasonably priced. But I used a Bosch the one time I changed a coil and it's lasted 100,000 miles so far without issue, so if they're more in your budget I would go that route.