spark plug change = new engine at local auto shop, looking for thoughts/opinions

[tuj]

Hello all:

This is my first time posting here although I used to be very active on the 1addicts forum. I am having an issue my local shop and I would like some other perspectives and opinions before I fully form my own about what, if anything, to do about this rather awful situation. So I am interesting in hearing from not only owners but especially techs and others who have worked in the repair business, in terms of how you might handle this situation in your own shop, how would you treat the customer, what actions, etc. I have asked about this some other car places and received quite varied responses as to how those people would feel in my shoes. Love to hear y'all.

I'll try to be straight-forward and factual:

- 2013 E82 N55 (135i), ~55k mi, MT. Only mod is a BMS CAI, really just for sound. Car has BMW performance exhaust from factory/dealer. Never touched the DME. Always 93 octane. Oil changes have generally been done at 4-5k mi intervals which is shorter than prescribed I believe.

- have used repair shop in question here for 5+ years, have always been treated fairly. Have taken them my BMW and a couple different Miata's, numerous jobs from coolant expansion tank (Miata) to shocks, tires, alignments, etc. Shop has long local history and reputation, extremely high number of 5-star (and seemingly legitimate) Google reviews.

- once had a failed trunk latch on this BMW, took them 3 times to properly fix the issue. At this time I asked them if they were comfortable working on BMW's, knowing there are some quirks, but they assured me they were...

- began with failed charge pipe while driving, 3rd time it has happened. First two were repaired at BMW and replaced with OEM charge-pipes which each subsequently failed.

- asked shop if they would install a metal aftermarket charge pipe (I wanted the BMS one). They said 'ok' but wanted to select the part themselves, which I said was fine, gave them a list/links to the 3 aftermarket ones I knew of. The new pipe came in (they did not tell me what brand pipe they used), installed it, picked car up and drove home, all seemed fine.

- Couple days later I drive about 5-min to a nearby stop before planning to continue errands. Cold start the car drove fine, when I tried to restart the car after my first stop (warm start), it would barely idle and I had to use the throttle to keep it up until I could get it moving. I managed to limp it back to the shop.

- Shop was having trouble reproducing issue, it was running fine. I told them the cold/warm thing and they tried it and were able to reproduce the bad warm-start idle. In trouble-shooting, they said the problem went away and they were suddenly unable to reproduce it, after trying numerous days. We discussed and attributed to a possible issue with the DME learning new trims with the new pipe. While it seems plausible, it also seems a bit unlikely to me. No matter. They suggested a precautionary spark plug change and then pick the car up. Ordered OEM plugs.

- Several days pass, I find that one of the plugs was snapped off in the head. They claimed after they installed the plugs that they were getting misfire codes, and in taking the *new* plugs out, snapped one off in the head. They ask for some time to get the broken plug out because they 'want to take time to do it right'. I am aware the N55 is an aluminum DI head, so I also know this is potentially very bad.

- Several days pass, I am told that in removing the broken plug, the plug well threads were stripped. But worse, the 'service advisor' tells me his 'tech' plans to use a 'sert'. I tell him that a helicoil is not an acceptable fix, he responds it is a steel 'sert' they will put in. I tell him that this is not possible given the canted plug (e.g. could not ream straight) besides the fact that it's a DI head and there's no way you can ream this out. I accept that on certain (I think some Fords?) engines, a big batch of bad aluminum heads was fixed with a factory-authorized steel insert, in a rather difficult operation to do without removing the head (although possible). We are at an impasse on the issue. I tell him I will call some Euro-specific shops and ask them if an N55 plug well can be fixed this way, he says he will get back to me. Indeed everyone I talked to said such an operation is a joke on the N55. One told me that depending, it might be fixable from the chamber side with the head off, the rest said 'new head'.

- Several days pass, I call and get a different SA, describe the situation, and he starts laughing when I mention the 'sert' and agrees that is not possible. He tells me they are sending the car to their 'engine builder' and plan to fix the head from the chamber side if they can, otherwise they will put on a new head.

- I am concerned about this operation given the much higher technical nature and worse, a lack of recourse if the engine fails when I get 3 blocks away. I call the manager, go to the shop and we discuss the situation and my concerns about reliability. He 'assures' me they will 'drive it hard' for about a hundred miles to make sure it's ok... Unacceptable. We finally agree to a 1-yr/12k warranty on the top end, I ask them to write up both the current situation and said warranty and he agrees to have this to me by end of the week.
- Weeks pass. SA #2 calls me to say the engine builder found a cracked piston. He does not know what number cylinder, nor what number cylinder plug well was damaged. He tells me they are going to put a new (rebuilt) full engine in. I ask him about any additional damage, in particular the turbine and he says these are ok. The request for written documentation is again expressed.

- Wrote to owner, recounted in great detail the timeline. Owner did not respond; manager called/texted me that day saying he heard I was unhappy. I again expressed the wish for written documentation of anything. A couple times I have been told it would be ready that week, once in mid-Dec, and once in early Jan. Both times requested written documentation, now including VIN, mileage, and if possible, compression per cylinder of new engine.

- This started mid-Sept, I had the car for 3 days in mid-Oct before it went back. Currently the ETA is unclear and I have zero documentation.

I have had responses ranging from 'seek legal help' to 'they are trying to make it right, what are you expecting?', from quasi-knowledgeable gearheads. I'm sort of baffled what to make of this. I get that stupid problems like snapping a plug will happen if you wrench long enough, I quit wrenching myself many years ago bc of physical limitations, but I get how mistakes happen. The problem I have, and I communicated this very clearly to the manger, is that when you make a mistake, you have to take responsibility. In my job, when I screw up, it generally costs someone a pretty large sum of money, and those phone calls or messages are some of the hardest to make. But if you are upfront, immediate and honest, the damage is limited and often things work out ok or even if you lose a customer, they often still respect you for being upfront and honest. I know the auto repair businesses have been slammed since pandemic / supply-chain issues and the shop manager said they had went from 8 to 18 techs in the last year. Right now I imagine they will eventually get it back to me, probably 1-2 months from now, and I suspect there will be no written warranty ready or if there is, it will be only valid to be used with their shop, which becomes quite a problem should something break.

Again, I have some ideas where to go with this but I really would like to hear thoughts from others. I have tried to be exceptionally calm throughout all of this but it's pretty hard especially the longer it goes on. Thanks for reading this far!

[modular93fox]

1, if they broke the plug they should fix the plug. never ever heard of a spark plug snapping off...ever... but then if you use some amazon special plugs maybe.

2, time sert the spark plug \is possible, i've done it on an n55 when installing a spark plug by hand, it got 1/2 way and gauled up the threads. maybe cause there was debris or something in the threads? dunno... short story, bought the tool and time serted it with the proper kit and insert. never saw the car again. I did take the valve cover off and the injector well so I could see as much as I could.

3, get a lawyer and get the car fixed or something... now you know why dealers charge more than indys....

[bmwdirtracer]

I'm sorry to hear about your terrible experience. And, let me say that I'd be incredibly upset if it were MY shop involved, whether I'd made the mistakes, or another tech did.

But, going by your description of events, I'd have to say the shop owes you an engine. A new engine, from BMW, runs $12K. Your car's value, according to KBB Private sale value, is ~$14K.

I think you need a lawyer, since the shop isn't responding properly. This is absolutely not an issue for a service advisor to handle. And for a shop with 18 techs, it's not even a big bill to have it fixed correctly.

And next time, take your BMW to a BMW specialist.

[tuj]

I'd have to say the shop owes you an engine. A new engine, from BMW, runs $12K. Your car's value, according to KBB Private sale value, is ~$14K.

So you are saying if this happened at your shop, you would use a crate engine (0 miles) rather than a rebuild? They claimed it would be ready this week (unlikely), said they were chasing a vacuum leak...

What BMW-specific qualification would make a tech an 'expert', in terms of an 'expert witness'? Not sure if I'm going to have to pay for someone from BMW NA corporate or if a BMW local master tech (?) would be adequate.

Thank you so much for your feedback.

[bmwdirtracer]

Realistically, my shop is MUCH smaller, and 12K would hurt me a lot.

I'd ask you how much you would take for the car. I'd ask you what it would take to make you feel like my shop had done the right thing by you.

SO, what would it take for you to be happy?

Not "your wildest dreams" happy, but to make you feel the shop had done the right thing.

Here's a current, and true example:

We don't really work on Volvos, but my (just retired ) tech said he was fine with them, and a guy had brought his, I dunno, 2020? Volvo sports wagon in for brakes. He's very proud of it. We did the job, sent it home, and a couple weeks later he said his car's been making a clunking sound since our work. He brought it in for a free check, and I put it up on the lift, and found the factory spring shipping plastic lumps had never been removed as they should have been before the car left the dealership. I removed them, and backed the car out....and the electric garage door closed on the hood as I was reversing, scratching it.

I told the customer what had happened, and had a mobile detailer come in and buff out the hood. It looked pretty good, cost me $400 for a full detail.

Customer came back a week later, said he still wasn't happy, wanted to have his hood repainted at a certified Volvo shop for $2000.

So, there's only really one answer: I told him I will pay for it.

No technician is going to offer to be your "expert witness". BMW NA isn't going to offer anyone either. Really, you need to tell the shop owner what you need to make it right, or, since they're dragging ass on fixing it, have an attorney send them a letter , and/or file a claim in small claims court.

I am not a lawyer or any kind of legal expert, and I absolutely hate litigious behavior. That said, I, and my shop, do what's right. And I sincerely hope a customer would also do exactly that too.

If I, or my technician, screwed up a customer's car, it's my shop's duty to make it right again, or buy it at a fair price, or whatever is fair and acceptable to the customer and to the principle that I need my shop to always be seen as honest and straight.

[tuj]

SO, what would it take for you to be happy?
...
No technician is going to offer to be your "expert witness". BMW NA isn't going to offer anyone either.
....
I am not a lawyer or any kind of legal expert, and I absolutely hate litigious behavior.

Well trying to answer your first question is why I came here asking, hoping to get the opposite perspective (shop owners). For me, I think a rebuilt engine of similar or less miles, with checked compression numbers, with a provided VIN number, and a written warranty for the engine (1yr/12k was what we had agreed). The biggest thing for me is that since the beginning I have asked for ANYTHING in writing, yet I have nothing. Not an estimate or write-up of what happened or what will be done, what shop did the engine change, nothing.

I do not want to litigate. That's why I have tried to contact the owner, and have had multiple conversations with the manager. We shouldn't have to get lawyers involved in this. That said, any litigation would not be in small claims court (where damages are capped) because the shop here was possibly negligent. As such, negligence cases require 'experts' to provide testimony to establish this point. As far as techs not wanting to do it, I don't think that is true given the case law I have reviewed (auto shop negligence cases) have all had experts testify regarding the cases, blown engines, classic cars screwups, etc. Obviously expert witnesses are compensated (very well btw) for their time, which would be a big expense I'd have to eat. By the time we end a jury trial, each side will have spent north of $100k probably. It's stupid. That said, if the shop would be found negligent, besides damages and legal costs, state law says they would also owe PRE-INTEREST on said damages.

Again, I have absolutely zero desire to waste my time and wager money on this. At the same time, I'm rather incredulous at this whole thing. How do you crack a piston changing plugs?

[bmwdirtracer]

That's something I wondered, too. I have no answer; it seems impossible.

A local generic shop did an oil change on a ratty '04 Jetta, left the oil filter loose, killed the engine in 15 minutes. They tried to buy the nasty POS car for twice what it was worth, owner refused. (The car wasn't even worth $1000, but they offered $4K).

That shop bought a used engine with half the miles, and paid my shop to install it...and paid for a rental car for the customer, for 3 weeks. Total cost to them was ~ $9K

Really, this business is incredibly difficult, and it's hard to make a decent profit, contrary to popular belief

[tuj]

Really, this business is incredibly difficult, and it's hard to make a decent profit, contrary to popular belief

The reason I'm so conflicted here is that I've worked with this shop since 2017. They have generally done what I consider good work. They had serious trouble with the BMW trunk latch, after ordering the replacement part from Germany, it still took 2 more visits to get it properly working. At this time I tried to be very frank with the service advisor, as we also take our Miata there, and asked him if they didn't want to work on BMW's or even just on my car, something I would accept as I would still use them for the Miata. We had purchased their so-called 'preferred customer' status, with inside window sticker they put on to signify.

Since I found out the spark plug was broken, we were also told the Miata had a problem with the rear axle (sorry but they told my wife who isn't a gear-head and based one what she recalled, I was assuming CV joint(s), they said they would text a picture but never did). I took the Miata to another shop that I researched and also has a very good reputation, much. much smaller. I think the only had one lift and it was outside(!). I told them the above, and asked them to look at the entire rear axle, diff, PPF, half-shafts, joints, boots, etc. They found nothing. I stress them, did you find a cracked boot or even anything minor? They could not and charged me virtually nothing. This was obviously a major problem for me, and I lost confidence the the aforementioned shop we had been using, and where this incident happened.

While I agree that the repair business is often lean, from my conversations with both shuttle drivers who took me home, the SA's, and the manger, they are absolutely swamped with business and they are getting it. One shuttle driver told me a story of a woman w/ an Audi who disputed their 7k estimate but found the local Audi dealer charging 11k for the same job, so she came back. Likewise, increasing the number of techs so dramatically may have caused them problems. I strongly suspect they had a bad hire on this one, but no one has owned up to that.

Early in this process, I took an Uber back to the shop after making arrangements to talk with the manager. I told him I wanted to talk face to face, like reasonable people, and explain where I was coming from rather than getting into it on the phone or email/txt. In our conversation, I emphasized that I understand mistakes happen, and that they are very busy, in high demand. I also emphasized that acting responsibly when something happens involves communication with the customer and prompt transparency. I gave him an example in my line of work where I had to call a customer and tell them they had lost just over $1.1M in the last 24hrs. I could have sat there and waited for them to find out another way, or I could have pretended that our side didn't make the mistake, but we absolutely did. I'm just asking to be clear with be, be straight with me, and if you agree to put something in writing, you do it, you come through on it.

On the one hand, a super-shady shop would leave me with the bill for the engine, I totally get that. There is a degree of effort to put things right here, absolutely. That's why the situation is honestly so confusing and so ambiguous. I don't want to have animosity towards this shop and I would love to think I could continue using and trusting them, but at this point that seems impossible. I don't want to have an adversarial relationship, and I want to be clear, I am not *that* customer, the one you mention asked for a full hood re-paint. Because I *do* know the type of person you are talking about (a friend who had this problem had his S2000 repainted 3 times because he could 'see waves'). That's not me. My car is not perfect, it's not a show car or anywhere near a like-new condition. It's a 10-yo daily driver, and as you point out, a crate N55 is very likely a greater cost than the entire car. I'm guessing a rebuilt/used N55 is ~6-7k for them which is still nothing to sneeze at.

We've spent a lot of money at this shop, and generally they have done us right, which again is why this is so confusing, this incident followed by the reported problems with the Miata that could not be independently found. I am not sure if this is a case of expanding too fast and failing to control quality, or if they are just doing so much business that they don't care.

[BimmerBreaker]

I'm not sure I agree they owe you a brand new engine. I've worked and ran a shop (and yes it is quite difficult to make money at it especially being a small scale honest mechanic) and been a customer at many so I see both sides. I do feel they owe you at the bare minimum returning the car to you in the condition it originally arrived to you in. So if they ruined your 55,000 mile engine I would say they owe you a good engine with 55,000 miles or less. I wouldn't really trust them to install it though so it can get a little muddy trying to have another shop install it but that's the route I would try to take.

A lot of shops do good work on "normal" cars but struggle with BMW's... So you may have had years of good experiences with them with other cars but they just don't know BMW. BMW's are a little more difficult to work on but imo the more important thing is that they are way more finicky about things being done "right". You could train a monkey to work on GMC's for example (and sometimes it seems like the assembly line does just that) but a BMW needs to go together correctly...

[bmwdirtracer]

I love your line about monkeys, BB !

You're right, the shop doesn't really owe the OP a brand new engine; but, like you, I'm not sure I'd trust the shop to pick, or install, a used engine. And, like the generic shop did with the crappy Jetta, they should have a specialist shop install it.

As for the Volvo owner (who initially came to us because he thought the factory brakes on his "sport wagon" weren't big enough to fill the wheels and look good; I talked him out of that), well, he too deserves to have his car back as he brought it to me. With an unscratched hood. My garage door, my mistake. Personally, I'd rather have a few little scratches than a repaint, especially on a multi-color-metalflake black car. But I do need to make the customer feel that my shop has done the right thing, so I shall.

[tuj]

I'm with you guys, I never expected a new (crate) engine. The head job (before they found the piston) was being done by a 'specialist' shop but they would not tell me who. Regarding the rebuilt engine, I have asked for the engine seller, shop that did install, VIN, miles, and compression per cylinder on the engine, and documentation of warranty we discussed. Currently none of that has been provided. Like I suspected, they did not finish it last week despite their claim it would be done. The original ETA on the new engine install was early-Dec.

Re: BMW quirks and 'monkeys', I get it. Again, when I had the trunk latch issue, I asked the shop if they didn't want to work on BMW's, or on certain BMW models, or even just on my specific car. I told them that I was aware BMW does things a bit 'weird' sometimes, like the battery charging stuff, and that I would totally understand if they didn't want to do BMW jobs; I would still bring our Miata there. Again, this all falls under my "just be honest with me" requests. I understand mistakes happen, I really do.

Requests for documentation were reiterated, currently have nothing written since dropping car off in late September.

[ross1]

These stories anger me. Seems that you've been a long time customer in spite of the fact that they clearly struggle repairing this car. AND you have actually PAID for "preferred customer" status. Don't even tell me how much you got clipped for that.
They have been evasive about who's done some of the work and have been jerking you around since,... September??
You are far too patient and they are clearly exploiting that.
A job like yours should be first priority, not last.
Lawyer up, sir.

[bmwdirtracer]

The Volvo hood was painted, and today I paid the $2148. bill.

As for someone paying the shop to be called a "Preferred Customer"...that's just fkg WRONG!

[pbonsalb]

I agree the comment about paying for preferred customer status. I would find another shop. But the OP should probably get this problem sorted out first. One option is to take the car back, have it fixed and then bring a small claims action for the repair cost against the shop that screwed up the car. After 2 months, that is probably where this matter needs to be.

It is ironic. The preferred customer’s engine is damaged by the shop and the customer is then lowest priority to have it fixed. The preferred customer is preferred only for work that pays; they are lowest priority when the shop causes a problem and has to fix it at its own expense.

[tuj]

Last week they called me, said it was "running great" and they "drove it hard" but that it was throwing a "lean code". Now I'm not totally ignorant; why the hell would you drive a car hard if it's running lean? That seems like a terrible idea. Even if it's lean at idle, I don't think I would risk it, but I'm no tech, but I do understand predetonation kills engines fast. Makes me wonder if that's how the piston cracked?

Anyway, the guy blames my cold air intake and tells me tuning is required to use these. I tell him, it's a BMS CAI, you can call them and ask them regarding tuning, it doesn't add horsepower it's simply a sound thing for me. The intake has been on the car since about 3-weeks after I took possession, e.g mid-2013, so it has been fine for 55k mi. But now no? Hmm. I tell him, fine, please put an OEM intake on if that is what you think it needs to run properly. He asks me if the car has ever been tuned. No, I have never had anyone mess with the DME (at this point I do not think he understand BMW parlance..) nor have I ever run a piggyback controller (wonder if he knew that one? geez).

Possibly the issue goes back to the charge pipe. They picked their own choice for a pipe. I had offered to procure a BMS pipe along with all-new mounting hardware; they wanted to select their own. I wonder if this is somehow screwing up the sensors?

Again, I am not a tech, but when you install a new engine, I would assume you need to reset the fuel trims in the DME right? Can that be done without BMW-specific service tools/software? I know some cars had 'funky' procedures for doing this, my RX-8 had a series of presses on the trip meter and number of rapid brake presses that would trigger resets of various RAM in the ECU, namely trims.

[tuj]

Also last week I extended an option to the manager: I said if you just want to be done with this, I will accept an offer if you want to buy it.

Based on what I see in the market right now, and the fact it's an MT (that was hard to find in USA in '13), they could probably do pretty well and we'd all save a lot of time and pain and provided the offer is proper (e.g. includes comp for the hassle of all this), we could all walk away. I'm not happy about that, but at this point I'm scared to keep whatever they give me back. I have zero confidence the engine or associated systems won't fail. Maybe the engine is 'fine' but throws debris into the turbine, bye bye... "oh we didn't touch the turbo". Sigh.

I don't really want to search for a new car, especially in this market, but at this point that seems inevitable. The only question is then is how much time they want to spend in court, because it won't be small claims. This could very easily fall into a Trade Practices act in my state, in which negligence or other cases are full-fledged civil jury trials. Damages are unlimited and can include punitive. If I was a indy shop owner, there is no way I want to go through that, especially because my tech who screwed up is going to end up getting questioned and do I really want to trust the outcome on his testimony? The whole thing would be a giant waste of money and time for everyone, however perhaps they do not understand that some individuals have the resources to bring such a case against them and see it through. Someone may act outside of their own economic interests if they feel they have been substantially wronged. And a finding of negligence by a jury is probably not good for business in general.

Sigh.. it doesn't have to be like this.

[pbonsalb]

My suggestion for small claims was based on the fact that this really should be a small claims action. It’s about a $5k repair or a $10k comparable used engine plus labor. Small claims is faster and more “regular person” friendly — you don’t even need a lawyer. But if you want a jury trial or want to bring a consumer protection case, small claims typically does not have jurisdiction.

Litigation is fun for the lawyers. I did it for about 20 years. But it’s not much fun for the businesses or individuals, regardless whether they are the plaintiff or defendant. And it is rare that the outcome is certain, no matter what one side might think. Maybe you will get a bunch of money and your costs and fees reimbursed. That would be great. But no guarantees. With the backlogs in many courts, a trial could be 2 years away. And many judges really knock heads together to settle, but settlement rarely comes before a lot of hard work is done over a fairly long time span. Only a tiny percentage of cases go to trial.

I would pay a lawyer to write a reasonable demand letter. Maybe the threat of litigation will motivate the shop. See what happens and go from there.

[tuj]

Called shop today to ask for status. They told me 'it's running great' and 'we are still chasing a lean code'. And 'we going to get a second master tech to look at it'. I reiterated my request for documentation which has never been fulfilled despite the promise I would have it two days after my request which was in October. I have reiterated my request for them to make an offer on the car so we can all walk away.

Maybe what's worse, I didn't get to speak to the manager, but rather SA#1 who has never been truthful, and he tried to act like this was all normal, that everything was fine, etc. I get trying to smooth things over in situations with irrationally anger customers. I am not irrational nor do I yell or curse or make threats. I have tried to be calm in all my dealings but.. I mean.. I think I know how some of you might feel.

[tuj]

This is what they say on their website re: BMW

We Know the BMWs Inside And Out.

Not all customers can get to a premium dealership of BMW for the repair and maintenance of their precious cars. But, if you are located anywhere close to us, our trained experts will cater to all of your needs. Our team of BMW mechanics in [redacted] has a wealth of experience and training to skillfully and efficiently work on your BMW. They also have access to the right equipment at our service station that helps them to troubleshoot, repair, and service your finely tuned and uniquely equipped automobiles.

At [redacted], we believe in treating our customers and their esteemed BMWs with the respect and courtesy they deserve. If your BMW needs a repair due to any reason, our technicians will assess the issue you are experiencing and come up with the most fitting solution. We are committed to fixing your car and returning it to you in a safe and reliable driving condition. With our technicians, you will never have to worry about repairs or routine maintenance. They know BMW models inside and out, from badge to the tailpipe.

Why Bring Your BMW to Us?

BMW machines are complicated and heavily built. You can’t just open and fix them in a regular repair shop. This company’s cutting-edge technology requires just the right amount of knowledge and expertise. At our BMW repair shop in [redacted], we have a team of technicians that have been specially trained to service these complicated machines.

[328 Power 04]

What are the exact codes its throwing? Re: lean codes , and any others?

No, a CAI can't do that since there is a MAF that reads the air flow. It's pretty ridiculous for them to suggest it's due to lack of tuning.

There is no way to reset fueling adaptations with pedal combinations. Normally it would relearn within 5-10 miles plenty to not throw codes, even if the long term trims were off already. A clear would not really be needed.

[bmwdirtracer]

+1 ! I had a technician who tried to pull that same nonsense with me, blaming the lean codes on a Mercedes he'd installed a new manifold on, on the air filter housing being loose. It was BS, and we both knew it. Turned out he had put a massive crack in the brand new aluminum manifold by grossly overtightening a bolt. (He's no longer employed by my shop).

I wonder if your shop cracked the accordion- shaped vent/breather pipe on the intake - very easy to do. Part 23, here:

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=11_4753

I'd certainly start with a smoke test, if I were seeking a lean code....but then, a shop which doesn't specialize in German cars may not have a smoke machine.

Please get the exact codes from the shop.

[ross1]

The Volvo hood was painted, and today I paid the $2148. bill.

As for someone paying the shop to be called a "Preferred Customer"...that's just fkg WRONG!

Ouch!
THIS is how a shop should handle their mistakes.
Some, dare I say most, will try to substitute lip service for responsibility(key word in the phrase) in spite of the prose in their advertising extolling their expertise.

I still say Lawyer up.
This shop needs to be compelled to make this right, even if that entails the car going elsewhere to be repaired at THEIR expense.

[tuj]

Update: blamed CAI for another week. Had a 'discussion' with the manager, regarding how he felt about testifying himself, and how he thought the business owner would feel about this particular tech testifying, how would he feel leaving this with a jury, because that's what we're talking about, not small claims.

Sadly, or perhaps not, this has prompted a change in responsiveness. I have received and update almost every day since.

First, they added a second tech to look at it, assuming he would confirm the CAI was the offender. They claimed they did a smoke test and couldn't find anything. Apparently the second tech found the 'new' valve cover they installed was warped. They manager claimed the valve cover arrived from BMW warped. They replaced this part but told me it still isn't running right.

He said: "We found the injectors are not functioning properly and rather than trying to re-code all of the injectors, I ordered a complete new set to make sure we have no issues."

Honestly I don't really understand this. Don't the injectors come with a used engine? And so.. doesn't it seem like the DME would have to somehow be instructed to learn new trims? I really have no idea. I'm confused how they can know the injectors are malfunctioning.

[pbonsalb]

At least on the N54, injectors were a common problem. BMW had about 12 versions trying to improve them. And yes, they have to be coded to the ECU. Don’t know if N55 uses the same style and the same problems.

[tuj]

They say it's running ok, ready to pick up. I am going to go Monday. I have some thoughts but I'm curious how you might handle these aspects:

- whatever warranty they offer me is likely to be backed by their shop to do the work. That's clearly a concern given how this has gone, so I'm not sure how we convert this to a guarantee of financial responsibility for work to be done somewhere else

- I have no knowledge what state the car is in. Should I get a compression test now? And a general look-over by another competent and euro-centric shop? I am very worried I have a ticking time bomb. Given the failed injectors and PCV, I suspect the engine is salvage, not a rebuild; does that seem reasonable? Is there anything that would clearly indicate the engine has been rebuilt/refreshed or at least checked in the most basic of ways?