galenpowers

I have a 2004 545I with 68K miles It has had the tapping / ticking problem which has recently gotten much worse. It is very loud now (read embarrassingly loud)

Here is more of the story: Tapping 545i

The car has scored a cylinder wall in cylinder 6

Here is the car:
Here is the problem:
Just got a rough, conservative estimate from the dealer to install a short block today: $16,000. The dealer said a new motor is $28K. The service manager said he would to talk to the BMWNA rep on Thursday. This is depressing to say the least.

If I hadn't been so diligent with oil changes,(castrol 5-30 Synthetic 4-5K miles) maybe it would have blown up sooner and I would have been in a better position.

Lesson Learned: if you by a pre-owned BMW (Autocheck score was 93 with 1 prior owner) and it isn't a dealer CPO with a factory warranty you are out of your mind. 16K to fix a car that was worth $20K when it ran right with 68k miles on it? Can you say questionable investment?

xcntrk

Can you claim the fix against your insurance?

xcntrk

Thinking more about this; aren?t there cheaper alternatives out there then a new SB? Maybe a used or salvaged long-block, or perhaps a rebuild of your existing SB? Maybe a cylinder hone and oversized/performance pistons? Seems that for 16k you could buy a complete salvage 5?er and use the whole rig for parts?

TAJARO

Exactly what I was thinking. You can regularly find salvage cars for cheap and between engine swap/parts sales you could do very well if you're willing to be general contractor... http://www.erepairables.com/search/b...535/index.html

Good luck but I wouldn't pay $16k at a dealer.

txag_530i

Check with an independent mechanic, there has to be a cheaper alternative! Try a google search for places that rebuild BMW engines and have an independent shop install it for you. Good luck.

xcntrk

Here you go; Bavarian Auto recycling Inc:
http://stores.ebay.com/Bavarian-Auto...&submit=Search

Throw a used engine in there and sell it!

Then go buy a nice new (warranty) or CPO rig and enjoy..

gotabyte

You can definitely get another 04 545 for that repair price. My neighbor got a trade-in like that loaded with 60,000 miles for 14,500 about 8 months ago. He had connections at the dealership where it was traded at. Unfortunately he has had several small things go wrong with it.

pjinca

+1 with all the posters so far, get a salvaged engine - even if you rebuild it, it won't cost $16k to fix. Second, never get this type of work done at the dealer, they will rape you any chance they get (they are worse than drunk frat boys).

I also agree with you - if you are going to buy one of these cars DEFINITELY get a CPO car from a BMW dealer.

E92-Lighting

this sucks, sorry for your plight

sdg1871

Yikes, what a depressing story. Your story is why I lease new cars. One mega repair on a BMW can be outrageously expensive.