Input please... what would you do??
 

3 day old '04 'S p/u after 600 mile service. Does not sound right, i.e; too much valve-train clatter from left head... brought right back to dealer. End all is the valve adjuster(?) stripped out, broke off, and dropped into lower end. BRAND NEW motor has to be pulled and split. Dealer has been straight up- got a '04 'S loaner with 250 miles. What should I be concerned about/with splitting a new motor? Should I ask to have the crank balanced while the motor is split?(or is that just a Harley thing?) Not looking to be a hump and try to get a new bike or make a federal case out of it...just want it be taken care of properly. Did I mention this is a Brand New Bike?! What should I be concerned about or ask for/about? Thanks

Sorry to hear that Migs.I don't know what you should do though I guess if they take the complete motor apart and rebuild it you should be ok.Just not a nice experience on your new bike but things do happen.I hope you have better luck with the bike once it is fixed but it sounds like it was just one faulty component wich can happen once in a while.

:cool:

Be a hump. You have PM.

:D

Ask for a new complete motor to be exchanged.......

If the shop is known for building performance engines, I think I'd push for them to do all the extras you can get. I would expect anything done that is mostly labor, like balancing, and part replacement to be free. I would also expect performance parts to be at cost and no labor cost. You have them at the best advantage you'll ever have them. But I would push for this only if they are known for performance work. Otherwise I'd push for a new engine swap.

Why do they have to take the motor apart, if it is just the adjuster that broke off? No luck fishing it out?

Negative...pulled the right jug expecting to be able to reach it. No-Go. Kinda paranoid about having a new motor split. Would not mind if it had 30K on it...freshen everything up when it's apart. Not with 600+ miles on the clock though.

Oh yea, not a performanse shop either. Were it San Jose BMW... that occured to me as well. Did think about having the crank/flywheels balanced though. Just not happy about splitting a new motor that the factory just assembled, ya'know?!

If they're not a performance shop, then I'd go for a new engine. Ask to speak to the BMW rep if they give you any problems. It was their mistake so they sure don't want BMW on their case.

BMW = Bring More Money.
Why does BMW have sooo many motor problems?
I just dont get it.

DO NOT letthem "fix" the motor. If the bke is NEW, then I'd do my best to either get another NEW bike to replace it or a NEW factory motor...
I have a hard time believing there are many Certified BMW mechanics in local dealerships that have expertise in factory spec engine building.
But that's just me.

why does BMW have so many motor problems??????? are you sure youre contributing to this thread????????? Some Newbie over tightened the all thread adjuster and probably snapped it clean and its BMW's fault? My deductive reasoning does not compute this at all. I too might have my reservations about splitting a new motor, but as long as there was a very clean break in the adjuster bolt and it was caught as early as it was,.......everything should be fine and dandy if the other half can be located and inspected to make sure it didnt make friends with any of the moving internals. The use of a loaner bike is also very nice of them and very hard to offer these days by a dealer with the way insurance is getting to be.

Good Luck

Your right there Bobby, if they can fish it out from the sump and all is clean down there it shoould be O.K., as long as they make a great big note (record) about the incident.
I still wouldn't let them pull my fresh motor apart on a 600 mile bike.
Pull it and send it back to the factory, let them figure it out.

And by the way, you dont necessarily have to have factory spec building/machinists experience to RE-ASSEMBLE a factory spec motor. Tolerances have already been determined, you dont have to be anywhere near as concerned with this on an already proven assembled motor as you would with fresh out of the box parts. Yeah you could do some balancing and blue-printing with the motor disassembled,.......but then you better have alot of experience in the re-assembly phase and its alot of extra expense for a stock motor.

Good point Bobby.
My point and concern is knowing a competent and experienced mechanic.
Just because it's a BMW dealership may not mean they have the right wrenches.

Gee, you wouldn't want to share the name of this BMW dealer would you? If they could screw up some thing as basic as a valve adjustment, would you really want them tearing the whole motor apart? I would at least get them to cough up the mechanic that worked on it and keep him far away from your bike. Also, keep in mind that the broken tappet screw has already become familiar with other engine parts, otherwise you never would have heard any noises in the first place.

the tappet broke off allowing the remainder of the tappet to become out of adjustment,..........thats was more then likely the noise. It is unlikely that the broken off piece made any contact with moving parts.

Righty 'o Bobby. That's most likely the source of the noise. Still, wouldn't you want a different mechanic splitting your cases...?

Hi Migs, you might want to switch to 100% stork oil, solved all my problems recently! Great stuff, the very best there is!

Either BMW screwed this up or your dealer did. Either way, why can't you take it to the dealer of your choice to have it fixed. If you trust San Jose, take the bike there.