F30 320I LCI turbo and Cat advise

[zippy320]

Hi Guys

Been a long time , Hope everyone is well and keeping safe , I have had too many car dramas this year from my E46 to my F30 it has not been a good year for me and cars , I can sit and talk about them for hours , so kind of went into a hole and sat there haha . Anyways.

So Our 2015 F30 is off motorplan , A month ago it decided to spew out a whole lot of white smoke from the exhaust .
car was immediatly switched off and towed to BMW ,
BMW Diagnosed it stating that the Turbo is gone , and oil was then pumped into the catalytic converter and that to needs to be replaced .

I went and had a look at the car , while it was stripped and had a look at the turbo , the scroll ( fan like thing ) just moves and flaps around in the housing . I asked if they checked for any additional damage , and they say there is non, They put a camera down the cylenders and found no damage or issues .

They quoted a pretty high price to replace the turbo and cat as well as many of the pipes and sensors .

Do I have any other options?

Im going to have the car towed home ,

Can I remove the turbo from the car and send it someplace for repair?  Would that be the safest bet?  Any suggestions on where I could have it repaired?

Replacement of the cat is also very expensive , Do I have any other alternate options?  ( Somebody suggested I just remove it and fit a "Downpipe" ) what is that? Will it have any negative effects on the engine? Will my fuel consumption and the car noise go up?

I was also told that the Cat can be cleaned of its oil , Is that possible?

Thanks so much for the advice , the cars milage is of around 122 000kms , its been babied and hasnt been driven hard at all , Funny enough this cars had two major issues in its life , at 102 000km *( while under motorplan ) the transmission was replaced . Now just off motorplan the turbo goes .

Any advice would be greatly appreciated .

 

[SubLoaded]

Hi bud,

Your signature says 2016 but post says 2015. I'm trying to figure out your build year so I'm assuming 2015? (do you have N20 or B series motor? I don't know if lci = B series as the N20 was in production for longer than I thought, according to the interwebs. If N20 then just sell the car as your issues are probs just about to start...).

Are you still around in Durban? Honestly don't see the point doing major work at bmw unless it's for an enthusiasts car and you need to retain some sort of factory documentation for it.

Its weird that your tranny grenaded itself, but not unheard of I guess. Don't forget to attend to the ZF service in due time. I am sure there is still plenty time for this given the replacement.

With regards to the downpipe, take it to ACE and ignore the replacement of the cat as an option in its entirety. For the turbo work, get a price from bmw (parts and job) and then get pricing from places like ODR, the BM Workshop and I can PM you my mechs details however he is only back from next week.. I believe he's done a few F series 4 pot turbo jobs recently...

With regards to the audible change in doing the downpipe, it's not going to be loud. Perhaps a little more grunt but doubt you will even notice. Fuel consumption should also be okay however it could jump up a tad. In this event, software (ecu) can remedy that but perhaps the 20i/28i/30i guys can chime in there. I am just assuming it's the same as mine with the sensors being directly on the turbo etc...

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[AshG108]

Hi bud,

So not repeating what Sub has already said, I think get the turbo sent off to Gabby at Fastec here in Jhb, let him sort it out and hybrid it at the same time, then remove the CAT and get software done on the car to sort out the cat removal and to cater for the boost from the hybrid turbo and also a bit more power with the entire combo.

Everyone normally does software, DP and turbo as mods to these cars, minimum is normally software & DP to release the horses.

Software - R6000 (max)
DP - (R4500 max)
Turbo - (R9000 max)
Labour and other costs exclude from above and you should be running again.

P.S. Software would be customed to what you want so guessing you want a mild tune just to get the car running reliably again. You can also just get another OEM turbo as well but finding one and trusting its condition I find is difficult so I would rather get current turbo fixed.

 

[zippy320]

Hi Sub and Ash!

Its a 2015 LCI with B48 engine , built in 2015 middle of the year I think? , we received delivery in December so was registered with the licence in 2016 .
I need to amend my sigg to the correct year of build sorry .
Motorplan ended at 100k , we extended it to 120k .

The car was somewhat reliable during the last few years , its just when it hit 100 k that the transmission went poof , and now at around 120k the turbo has gone .
We had extended the motorplan so luckely the transmission went in that last bit of its extension , BMW Replaced the transmission with a new ZF 8 speed transmission .
Since replacement , the cars only done 20k . I will definanatly keep up with the ZF maintainance schedlue for this transmission .

I have taken it to BMW , as soon as we saw white smoke from the exhaust , we had it towed to them for diagnoses , they Quoted on a turbo replacement , plus cat replacement some pipes and sensors . the quote came to a lot  .

Yip Im still in Durban . Just been preoccupied with so much this year havnt had time to be online or do much . Car issues , work issues , Covid causing work issues etc etc .

On the F30 ,  I dont mind if there are impreovements made to it or it stays standard , I prefer not to mess about with tuning and software etc , I prefer the car stays and performs as stock standard .(apart from the cat and turbo now )

Im going to get a second opinion on the car as well . As soon as I can get it out of that Dealership and sent to another that im more comfortable with .

SubLoadedHi bud,

Your signature says 2016 but post says 2015. I'm trying to figure out your build year so I'm assuming 2015? (do you have N20 or B series motor? I don't know if lci = B series as the N20 was in production for longer than I thought, according to the interwebs. If N20 then just sell the car as your issues are probs just about to start...).

Are you still around in Durban? Honestly don't see the point doing major work at bmw unless it's for an enthusiasts car and you need to retain some sort of factory documentation for it.

Its weird that your tranny grenaded itself, but not unheard of I guess. Don't forget to attend to the ZF service in due time. I am sure there is still plenty time for this given the replacement.

With regards to the downpipe, take it to ACE and ignore the replacement of the cat as an option in its entirety. For the turbo work, get a price from bmw (parts and job) and then get pricing from places like ODR, the BM Workshop and I can PM you my mechs details however he is only back from next week.. I believe he's done a few F series 4 pot turbo jobs recently...

With regards to the audible change in doing the downpipe, it's not going to be loud. Perhaps a little more grunt but doubt you will even notice. Fuel consumption should also be okay however it could jump up a tad. In this event, software (ecu) can remedy that but perhaps the 20i/28i/30i guys can chime in there. I am just assuming it's the same as mine with the sensors being directly on the turbo etc...

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[AshG108]

Also, BMW should try help out with a replacement of turbo since you just came off motorplan, normally i think they call it "good faith" repairs.

Maybe try see if you can get that convo in? may help, worth a shot bud.

 

[Steph745]

Sorry for your troubles . Didn't think B48s threw up these sorts of issues, especially not at such low mileage (and also not beaten on like you mentioned). The transmission replacement is also a shocker. Hope you get sorted soonest :thumbs:

 

[MOE 000 GP]

Try mr turbo aswell and just decat the car ...also turbo city

 

[zippy320]

Hi guys!

So a little update , I had the car towed home from Dealership 1 yesterday ,  This afternoon I decided to look around and see whats happening for myself . Removed the airbox and pipe to have a closer look at the turbo , Havnt removed anything else ,  and I noticed that the nut is missing , Or is it missing? ( Im not sure if it should have one ) , I also noticed that the fan inside is very loose ) invluding the "shaft" ? , It seems to be attached and not knocking around but you can move it forward and back , left and right up and down . It is loose in there .
I noticed to slight dents on the fan .

Where could that nut have gone? I did ask the dealer1 if there was any damage to the cylenders etc and they told me there was non . But this missing nut is concerning to me . (they did not tell me about the missing nut btw)  Where do broken parts from turbos go?

Maybe a good thing the car was immediatly switched off after the white smoke and not turned back on :dunnoanymore:

Heres a picture of the turbo , see the dents on the edges of the fan and the missing nut in the centre .




@"Steph745"  I know , I myself am supprised by all of this , Our cars are not in the least abused , The transmission was an absolute shocker , BMW tried everything on it but it was just dead so they replaced the whole thing .

Sigh

 

[gollum]

Zippy , to refurb the turbo use turbo exchange in Prospecton . If you looking for a decent bmw shop try Anand at SA Autotech . The Cat will need to be removed and if anything did break on the turbo you will probably find the pieces there

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[zaleonardz]

+1000 on what AshG108 said.

Gabby from Fastech for the turbo service, or if you really want to do "the right thing/over careful, go buy a new OEM garrett turbo" which can be had from BMW with decent discount (speak to some forum sponsors) or Alert engine spares, or Gold wagen.

As for the bolt, you will probably find out that some tech removed it to determine shaft play on the turbo, it did not mysteriously fall down into the engine, or you would have heard far more then "white smoke",

If anything and it did come loose, which I will bet my kitten on that it did not, it would get stuck in your intercooler before entering your engine. Your motor is fine.

Do the following.
* New or repaired turbo
* Strip out intercooler and send it in to get serviced (in jhb you can use tombo for this)
* Strip out cats out of their enclosure or replace with downpipe depending on budget, but do not replace the cats.. screw the dolphins, they taste good on toast
* Take it for a tune at your favourite "tuna"
* burn the oil out of the exhaust, so its going to smoke for a bit
* Done

Its that simple, you can actually DIY most of this if you want, as its bolt on bolt off. FROM UNDERNEATH, never from the top !!!

 

[zippy320]

Hi Guys!

Hope everyone is doing well and safe ,
Thanks soo much for all the advice , Im new to anything "turbo" Thrown into the deep end with this car . ( didnt expect it to fall apart just off plan and we did buy it new as well )

So an update , I looked through the interior of the car this afternoon and found this bolt in one of the cup holders , it seems like it could be the bolt that should have been attached to the turbo . @"zaleonardz"  I think you may be correct ?  I did a test fit , and it does seem to screw onto the turbo .  If this is the bolt then its possibly nothing came off the turbo and I wont have to strip and clean the intercooler?

How do the blades in the picture look?

Should I change the valve cover as well  ( I was told the PCV valve could be clogged as well due to the oil and the the PCV is built into the valve cover )

Im looking into the feasability of replacing it with a new turbo ( not sure the cost yet)  If its to much then I will look at recon of the Turbo.

@"zaleonardz"   is it a Garret turbo? Or does Garret make turbos for this car?

My initial findings when putting in the part number for the turbo online 11658631891 and 11657637563  was that this is Mitsubishi turbo

https://turbo-diesel.co.uk/product/...8631891-11658631891-bmw-220-i-b48b20-new-mhi/ 

I found these people online who seem to sell Mitsubishi turbos https://www.turbodirect.co.za/    ( Turbo Direct ) anyone know of them ? are they reliable ? I havnt contacted them yet .   Their site says that they are "TurboDirect SA was appointed this month as the official agency and distributor for Mitsubishi Turbo’s in Southern Africa"  

I really want to avoid "tuning" or anything to do with the cars computer . If I remove the cat and fit a Downpipe , can I use cat foolers instead ? or do these dont last that long?

Thanks guys for all your help .

---

So I found this

https://sprzedajemy.pl/turbosprezar...02404-49477-02406-siedlce-2-6bea9f-nr59515544

Looks like the same nut screwed onto the fan like the one I found loose in the cupholder

 

[PsyCLown]

So bit of a necro, but what happened @zippy320

 

[zippy320]

So bit of a necro, but what happened @zippy320

Hi Psy

Soo the cars at home in the garage, I weighed up my options , Spoke to many many people and most have told me that these Turbos seem to have a lifespan of up 80k to 140k , Not sure how true this is but that’s what almost all the turbo guys as well as independent and BMW techs were telling me . So who knows , this car wasn’t abused at all and yet the gearbox failed at 100k and the turbo fails .

I found a few people selling second hand turbo from wrecked 2016 and 2017 cars in Durban and Johannesburg , with mileages of between 60k and 120k Prices varied of between R8 000 to R14 000 .

To spend that much money on a second hand turbo which may be nearing the end of its life , not sure how abused it might be , being unsure of its condition and with no real warranty made me pretty uneasy going the second hand route .
Regarding repair , Almost all the guys have told me that they have not repaired this type of turbo , but they will try , some quoting me ridicules prices of between R8 to R10k , I couldn’t justify paying that much for an uncertain repair I highly doubt they would use original parts either, So that was a no again .

I figured my only option would be to source a new turbo. Called up a few places and none of them had stock of the turbo. I then called Alert engine and they told me that they don’t have stock on it but have many on backorder, (guy told me that these seem to have a high failure rate off plan ) They were at least able to give me a price on the turbo at R15800 inc vat. But I’d have to keep calling in to check on the stock as he does not know when the stock might come in.

So for now, I will wait. I feel a lot more comfortable fitting a new unit.

With regards to the Cat , I was told that if its just oil and the internals are not damaged , I could clean it out , Soak it in soap / water / engine cleaner and rinse it out . So I will try that. If it cleans it , and I can see through , im sure it wouldnt cause much harm.

I wish to replace all the pipes as well as the valve cover while im at it. I might just buy the turbo from Alert and have BMW do the rest of the work when the time comes. It does seem like a simple job , although tedious . The one thing that makes me a little uneasy with regards to doing it myself is the fact that the TIS states that the Cooling fluid needs to be filled into the system while under pressure. Iv read that this is a very important step. Im not capable of doing that . Iv also read that the turbo itself needs a special oil .

So for now , Ill weigh up the costs of all the parts and labour and report back . Sigh , I would have never thought a turbo car could be such a headache. Im not under much pressure anymore though to get the car running, we Bought a new Toyota Carolla Quest Exclusive CVT . Not a bad car at all , lots of features , supprisingly comfortable , perfect for running although it has a really strange Auto box lol and it has NO turbo .

 

[Ralphie147]

In the same boat, im no mechanic, bmw quoted 108k as turbo needs replacing, time chain and kit needs to be replaced, oil pump as well. Bm M power in wynburg quoted 57k. Any advice who I can go to im in midrand. Bmw 320 f30 2013 model with 124k on the clock full service history out of motorplan

 

[zippy320]

In the same boat, im no mechanic, bmw quoted 108k as turbo needs replacing, time chain and kit needs to be replaced, oil pump as well. Bm M power in wynburg quoted 57k. Any advice who I can go to im in midrand. Bmw 320 f30 2013 model with 124k on the clock full service history out of motorplan

You have the N20 engine I have the B48 Engine , I think yours is a Garret Turbo , I know the N20 suffers from timing chain and oil pump issues , Id advise changing the Valve cover as well if it hasnt been changed ( PCV valve is built into the valve cover and when that gets clogged aparently it can lead to the turbo failure and a host of other issues, which I suspect was the case on my F30 ) My turbo seems almost non existant at alternate places even though its a Mitsubishi turbo , but i was quoted R16k +/- from Alert engine , BMW Quoted 49k ex vat just for the turbo , although its on back order at Alert , im going to wait for it as im not confortable with a second hand or repaired turbo , Im going to buy the turbo new from Alert and have BMW replace it for me with the pipes and valve cover . The cat im going to clean out as best I can and reuse it as it just had some oil in it and not really damaged beyond repair . My repair was quoted at also over R100k as well with the bulk of the cost being the Turbo and the Cat . So if I can remove those two the cost will be much lower .

I have noticed that Goldwagen has a few options for engine parts these days , you could try them but its a hit and miss with those Topran and fibi parts, sometimes you get original ( with the BMW Badge ground off ) parts in the boxes , make sure you open the boxes to see what your getting inside before you buy , I prefer original or the original part manufacturer when it comes to anything on my cars . Get a quote from them and compare parts costs to the BMW prices . If there isnt much of a difference Id go with original BMW parts for the engine .

 

[Steph745]

@zippy320 ...so how did this turn out?

 

[operator323]

In the same boat, im no mechanic, bmw quoted 108k as turbo needs replacing, time chain and kit needs to be replaced, oil pump as well. Bm M power in wynburg quoted 57k. Any advice who I can go to im in midrand. Bmw 320 f30 2013 model with 124k on the clock full service history out of motorplan

Bavarian jack auto can sort you out,check them out on facebook,he is around midrand

 

[zippy320]

@zippy320 ...so how did this turn out?

Hi Steph745

Sorry for the late reply , Just saw the post now , So , there's no real update to the car , Its just been parked off in the garage with its broken turbo , hasn't been started since , I have kept the battery charged but that's about it .I rolled it out of the garage , gave it a wash and rolled it back in a few months ago . Might be due for another as the dust kind of settles on it . I Haven't done anything to fix its problem since then .

Im going to save up and just replace the whole turbo with all the lines and fittings , as well as have the valve cover replaced (as a preventative item) at the same time . The car uses a Mitsubishi turbo , which is same as the original part that the dealer would sell at over 50k and so buying it from Alert at around R16k is much cheaper then getting it from the dealer , So I will eventually get one of those from Alert engine , and have BMW fit the turbo in along with everything else . For now , the cars on a long holiday .

Will update this thread if and when any progress is made

 

[Steph745]

Hi Steph745

Sorry for the late reply , Just saw the post now , So , there's no real update to the car , Its just been parked off in the garage with its broken turbo , hasn't been started since , I have kept the battery charged but that's about it .I rolled it out of the garage , gave it a wash and rolled it back in a few months ago . Might be due for another as the dust kind of settles on it . I Haven't done anything to fix its problem since then .

Im going to save up and just replace the whole turbo with all the lines and fittings , as well as have the valve cover replaced (as a preventative item) at the same time . The car uses a Mitsubishi turbo , which is same as the original part that the dealer would sell at over 50k and so buying it from Alert at around R16k is much cheaper then getting it from the dealer , So I will eventually get one of those from Alert engine , and have BMW fit the turbo in along with everything else . For now , the cars on a long holiday .

Will update this thread if and when any progress is made

Seriously, 50k for that little turbo?! Lol now I don't feel so silly for contemplating a k04 swap on my A3....