and from what i read, all mobil 1 0w-40 is the same, even though maybe some bottle labels might be different.

 

Ok, thanks all for the help. Just got back from the Carmax dealer. After a 2nd inspection they found the leak.....it is in the head gasket. They are not equipped to fix this particular problem so they are taking it to a local authorized mechanic that specializes in BMW's. CNA 3rd party is paying for the repair that will take roughly 17 hours to fix. Hope this helps someone else down the road.

 

<JUST SAW YOUR UPDATE - I'm a slow typer! ... looks like you have this taken care of but it's still annoying that a low mileage BMW has this serious a defect!
I would be inclined to talk to BMW (maybe through Carmax) because a 4 year old car with 52,000 miles should NOT be leaking oil. That is either a defect or damage. If the former I would lean on BMWNA to take care of it in "good faith" regardless of warranty status. How recently did you purchase the car? 30-60-90 days? Carmax has a fair reputation for selling clean cars but probably missed the problem when the inspection was done. Oil must accumulate and finally drip out since the car is so buttoned up with plastic shields. And if BMW was aware of a problem while the car was under warranty that's another reason for them to pick up the repair.

 

All,
I am grateful for this website and have gotten some terrific feedback. quick and dirty on my question.........I have a bad head gasket which is causing the oil leak. Carmax and the 3rd party(CNA)warranty are taking care of the cost. My question is this.....is it unusual for a car like me E60 to blow a head gasket? Only 53,000 miles......should I expect this expense when I hit 100,000 miles? I realize there are risks in buying a used car, my problem is that I can't afford these cars new so used is my only option. My other problem is that I absolutely love BMW's and nothing else compares so maybe this is just the reality in loving something so smooth and perfect. Thoughts of all my wrong ex girlfriends are coming to mind ha ha! A fine car is like a perfect woman, beautiful on the outside and inside yet high maintenance as hell.

 

the number one cause of bad head gaskets is overheating the engine. i wonder if your engine had overheated in its past. aluminum swells more than iron when over heated, and warpage can occurr.

normally, head gaskets should last a long time, and usually the life of the car.

are you sure they are not just replacing a valve cover gasket?

 

I will confirm they said head gasket vs. valve gasket......pretty sure they said head gasket but will confirm. 17hrs seems like a long time to repair either one to me though. I guess since I'm not paying for it I shouldn't care.

 

Own a '04 545i, had oil spots on the garage floor at 50K, the vacuum pump was replaced. second time around spots appeared, 80K, dealer replaced the valve cover gasket. I'm still under CPO so it was covered, but warranty runs out this month.

 

Confirmed it was a head gasket. Car engine is 1/2 way dismantled. There are 4 special screws that attach the aluminum part of the engine to the magnesium part of the engine. Some of these screws were missing and they think it could have been a defect from the very beginning. Now CNA (3rd party warranty company) is coming to look at it to give approval on the repair. Not very happy right now.....car is in a million pieces, have to get the warranty's thumbs up on approving the repair.......Carmax usually sticks by their word of honor, if it doesn't work out I will ask them to rip up my original purchase contract.....start over......and then walk the lot again for a proper replacement. Hope it works out b/c I really like the car. Spoke to the mechanic and get a good vibe from them, don't think anyone is playing games or anything like that.

 

wow, missing screws? sounds fishy.
is a bmw dealer doing the repair?
you'd figure bmw would want to know if screws were never installed.

did the mechanic say if the old headgasket looked original?

 

Thanks for the fast response Turboawd. I am in Charlotte NC and the Carmax here uses this independent BMW specialist for more technical jobs like this one. I checked the shop out on the BBB website and they have an A+ rating and have been in business for over 20yrs. I did go to the BMW NA website yesterday and filled out an online form and explained what I have been seeing. I want to know from them if they have seen this complaint before. Carmax seems confident they will get it repaired under my warranty, they just need to let their warranty rep visit the mechanic's shop and see with their own eyes what needs to be done. Carmax swears by this shop and the Carmax store here in Charlotte sells a lot of BMW's on their lot. I'm not going to panic just yet, no one is saying it is not going to be covered, it is just that no one is saying it IS going to be covered either. I will find out more on Monday and am told I will have my car back on Tuesday. The mechanic has told me he can fix it and this is not something over his head......we will see. He did verify the head gasket was bad but I didn't ask him if it looked original so I will do that. Thanks for keeping up with my situation.

Will