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.

what's up with the stork oil?

Don't ask. European humor....

you know....stork oil; according to Rob, it's excreted once or twice by males at the end of a long night carousing in herb cafes and bordellos in Amsterdam...

the dogs nads, stork oil on robs nose.... yikes rob!!

Thanks for all the replies. Mostly what I feel has been stated. Not a BMW screw-up, as it were, but possible a heavy-handed 1/2 wrench. They are going to try 1 more thing to get to the piece in the lower by tomorrow. I am not comfortable with the motor being broken open at this local level, and have already stated I want a new drop in inplace of this mill if it has to be split. We will see. Seems to have been NO other contact from the broken screw as everything else looks perfect, and only 1 piece broken off- no fragments. Dealer has been very good, no complaints so far. Thanks, and we'll see. I keep ya'll posted. Ride safe.

Jeez, how much torque does it take to snap that puppy off?
I've hand torqued my airhead and oil head countless times.
It just sounds too weird.

This seems like part of a more general issue: If a mechanic (meaning anyone performing a service like wrenching, plumbing, painting, ...) causes damage to your property while performing a service for which they are licensed, what recourse do you have? Is it sufficient that they correct the damage? Or restore your property to its condition before they fooked it up? Or restore it to its condition before you had the problem they were supposed to fix? Sounds like a lawyer question to me.

I think the legal language goes something like "repairs that return the vehicle to its pre-loss condition as to function, and appearance." This doesn't mean "new" - it means that it is basically works and looks like it did before.

In some cases, you can successfully get some kind of monetary settlement to cover the loss of value due to the repair. In this case, if the repair is a blemish on the value of the bike, perhaps there could be some monetary settlement. But I doubt this rises to the bar for this. Having said this, I think BMW does occasionally step in an replace engines in this situation for goodwill. The fact the the dealer's mistake caused the problem probably torpedoes having BMW step up to the plate though.

I'd would be worried that a shop that bungles a repair this badly could rebuild an engine. And I'm surprised that a valve screw adjuster would find its way into the bottom end, I presume through the cam chain tunnel. If it did, then I'd be skeptical that it would find its way down there without whacking a few things on the trip. Finally, I'm surprised that you couldn't fish it out once you took both jugs out. This whole thing is weird.

- Mark

Correct, went down the cam-chain tunnel. Everything else is stated to be untouched. There is a "baffle" in the lower, to slow oil from slopping to one end I presume, that is blocking access. I'll know more tomorrow. Later

Count me out on this one. No way to accept a new motor recently split by wrenches who might feel that the tolerences are already taken care of so just chunck it together. Either a new bike or a complete new engine or return the bike and retain a lawyer. If this was the FIRST service, that is the first factory service after taking delivery of the bike, then you have a right to a new engine complete from the factory, or a new bike. Press the issue. BMW has a good policy in this regard and will respond. Contact them direct with the number your dealer will be glad to provide. Remind them that THEY are to patrol the dealers, and you are simply a paying coustomer. Do not accept a bike you bought as new..........followed the factory guidence.........and returned for the most important 600 mile service.......only to be told that your engine cases must now be split because a wrench confused foot pounds with newton meters...........

BMW will not want this bike out there. Forget the split case part.........you will never enjoy your new BMW S after it has been so pillaged and undone so early.

Ummm, some good points here. Honestly, the more I think about it, unless this piece can be taken out w/o openning the cases, I am going to insist/fight for a new mill exchanged. Thanks

I have to say, if the problem was as simple as a broke piece rattling around, I would not think the dealer would have suggested to break down the engine. I would like to add, the dealer is supposed to be an extension of BMW. I feel that any action of a dealer for BMW reflects the company as a whole and therfore makes the company responsible for any problems that arise that are of this magnitude. I spoke with BMW of NA about getting my 600 mile maintenance done at a local shop since I do not have a dealer in town. The mechanic is BMW certified. The rep stated, " If the scheduled service is done outside of a BMW shop, it will be contested if a warranty issue should arise." So, if this would have been me after letting a local mechanic do the work, I would be stuck with it even if it would have been a factory defect. Thus, I will hold the same standard to the dealer and BMW of NA if the failure is due to a dealer's mechanic failing to properly do the job.

Have you tried a magnet on a string, I can beileve if you have pulled a jug, you or the shop can't find a way to extract the part. Drain the oil and have a couple big guys turn the bike on its side a shake.

Kinda funny(sort of...) Thats basically what was done. Motor was turned until broken piece could be caught and extracted. Heads will be put back on and I should have the bike back by Friday or Saturday. If all goes well, no surprises, and it sounds perfect, I will let it go at that and a well documented service write up to cover any future potential problems. Otherwise, I will fight for a new motor. Thanks.

See if you can get an extended motor warrenty out of this. A small amount of damage now may not show up for 50,000 miles.

Does BMW have an extended warrenty available? I thought only the 3/39K was available. I'll inquire, thanks

BMW does have extended a warranty ( I have one). Now if you bought a moto guzzi , and the rear main seal went out, It could sit for five weeks (so far) waiting to be checked out (ten minutes work) while you make payments on a brand new bike with 1000 miles on it. Like Me!!!! They have not even contacted the warranty claims yet.

OUCH.. that sux! Sorry to hear. Details of the extended BMW warrenty? From dealer? Thanks

I'm with Dr. Curve on this one. New engine or New bike. Period. Had GM buy back a 2000 Crew Cab a few years ago. It's a battle, but I think it would be worth it. And I'm still a GM customer because of it.

Bingo