user 4639202

Hello All,


For the 550i owners has anyone experienced oil leaks that effect the value cover and timing chain cover gaskets? My car has 45k and the dealer has replaced the timing chain cover gasket in February of this year and yesterday I had my oil changed and the mechanic inspected the engine for other oil leaks and discovered the value cover gaskets are starting to leak. It appears that the V8 engine is notorious for oil leaks. I take very good care of the car and this shouldn't be happening with 45k miles. I could understand if the car had 90k miles, but 45k is ridiculous. The car still has the CPO warranty which took care of the timing chain cover gasket repair which would have cost me around 3k according to the dealer, but the mechanic indicated that the dealer may not cover value cover gasket replacement under the CPO warranty. If that's true, I'm planning to get rid of it and possibly not buy another BWM especially the V8.

cakes

valve cover gaskets should be covered under CPO, doesn't the dealer have to remove the valve cover to do the timing cover gasket?

user 4639202

Not sure, but I got a response from the tech and it was indicated that valve cover gaskets are covered under CPO. 50.00 deductible. While the dealer has the car hopefully they'll repair additional oil leaks if found. This is scary to me because I've taken really good care of the car and to have these sort of oil leaks this early is a warning sign to get rid of it. I really like the car, but if it's going to be a money pit then it's not worth keeping.

dingolfing

The 550i in general is a good car. It is just brought down by the rubber that is used throughout the vehicle. This isn't just a problem with the V8s, nor is it just attributed to BMW. Every single German car uses the same rubber that just doesn't last compared to the rest of the world. They all leak, internally and externally, and leak too early.

These rubber parts are dirt cheap, the labor to replace them is the killer. The only major rubber-related repairs for the 550i are the valve cover gaskets, upper timing cover gaskets, the alternator bracket gasket, and possibly the valve stem seals, at least for you since your E60 is not quite that old yet.

I've done the first 3 repairs on my 2008 550i, and my valve stem seals are just starting to go.

Once you take care of those repairs, especially advantageous if possible under CPO, you should get a few more problem free (at least leak free) years of ownership.

pcy

It's a good car except few major oil leaks that can cost thousands of dollars to repair :-)
Brightside is this car is not alone, all other german cars are like that. Wonderful.

user 4639202

Thanks for the responses. Yes. I'm starting to realize that. I may sell it and lease a new 535 with the M package and that way I won't have to worry about these expensive repairs. The dealer will repair the value cover gasket leaks and other CPO covered leaks over the next two days and I'll decide a course of action afterwards. (-:

Cricketts

2010 550 MSport 59,400 miles. Alternator oil seal and chain cover. = $1,400.00

BimmerFan52

Is the issue of "German biodegradable rubber" as a reason for gasket failure really true or just urban myth?

I have researched this subject exhaustively without finding any actual reference to the biodegradability of gaskets used to seal oil, coolant or other liquids.

I have found industry studies by consortium groups of auto manufacturers, BMW included, which talk about large components of the car either biodegrading or being easily recycled such as interior fabrics, seat cushioning, glass, steel, aluminum, large plastic panels etc. but never gaskets. If you pulled all of the gaskets out of a car and put them on a scale I don't think it would equal a half pound. It is a miniscule part of the entire car.

If anyone has any references, especially auto industry review or industry studies referencing gasket biodegradability and attendant problems as a result please share them with us.

The other thing that makes me think it is design (there is much more that goes into a successful gasket than just the gasket material) is that no aftermarket gasket manufacturers have jumped on the opportunity and advertised gaskets of alternate materials that actually last and will not degrade and leak. For instance, I think most of us eight cylinder owners would pay $100 for an alternator bracket gasket (a $2 part from BMW) that had a better chance of lasting.

My theory is that BMW sales continue to rise because most vehicles are leased and are maintained by BMW until the lease ends. They have built their reputation on technology, performance and innovation, and have found that they don't need to worry as much about reliability, unlike the Japanese that built their reputation on it.

Again, I am interested in any industry references specifically addressing the subject of gasket biodegradability.

dingolfing

The rubber sealing gaskets aren't the only problem pieces on the car, I'm talking about every single rubber component and rubberized plastic part of the car, except for the tires.

I found this german site online about natural rubber: Natural rubber There is a section titled "Aging of natural rubber" that is very informative.

All of my parts that I had to repair or replace so far on my car (2008) started to fail around the same time, at around 6 years of age:

windshield washer pump (2011) [inner seal failed, fluid destroyed motor, superseded with a newer version]
brake vacuum pump (2011) [patched outer oil seal with gasket maker]
rear windshield seal (2013)
headlight wire insulation (2013) [fixed with tape, works better than OEM!]
mechatronics sleeve (2014) [superseded with a newer version around 2009, same plastic sleeve with different rubber oil seals]
transmission mount (2014) [both were clearly shrunken and shorter than the new one]
water pump (2014) [bearing was failing, possibly caused by failing inner seal]
front upper windshield seal (2014) [failed during a drive, compromised further by highway aerodynamics]
front lower windshield seal (2014)
coolant expansion tank stick (2014) [brittle rubberized plastic]
radiator upper vent pipe (2014) [brittle rubberized plastic]
headlight upper gaskets (2015)
upper timing cover gaskets (2015) [shrunk and hardened]
alternator bracket gasket (2015) [shrunk and hardened]

All of that was from my own personal experience and after talking with two different body repair techs/mechanics about BMW rubber, they both agreed and one even stated it was because of natural rubber being used. Many others on this forum will also acknowledge that we end up replacing the exact same parts. Some don't seem to have these common problems, to which I say they are very lucky. Fortunately, I only spent about $300 in parts to fix all those above as I did all the work myself.

I saw a not too old Audi A5 at a light rev up to drive away and a puff of oil smoke came out the exhaust. Seems that car has the same problem with valve stem seals as a lot of our N62 motors. And there are countless stories online of other German cars leaking oil way too early. The thing is, there are other rubber parts on our cars that are obviously made of a different grade of rubber, because they don't show any signs of deterioration, i.e. the thick rubber partitioning strip in front of the cabin air filters. Sure, it never stays put, but it doesn't fall apart either.

The majority of German cars are outfitted with underbody panels for better aerodynamics. But I wouldn't be surprised if that was just their secondary role and their primary function was really to catch any minor oil leaks from making itself known to the owner, especially during warranty. After all, why would aerodynamic panels need to be super absorbent? These things hold a surprising amount of fluid. You'd figure a smooth plastic underbelly would be more slippery for the airstream than a rough surface cardboard pan. The air cooling ducts for the front brakes are made out of plastic. The rear panel underneath the battery compartment is plastic. But both the engine and transmission panels are not.

You bring up a good point about the Japanese automotive reputation being built on reliability. After driving Japanese cars approaching 10 years of age with the same maintenance routine with no leaks or having any rubber parts fail, that tells you something. But in the end, I still want my M5, so I'm willing to endure the endless pampering required of these "high-maintenance women".

user 4639202

This is great information. I wasn't aware of all of this. I've owned a 2007 530i and now a 2010 550i and I'm concerned about the expensive repairs that could occur.

I got my car back from the dealer yesterday and the value cover leaks occurred from the bolts loosing their torque. So the dealer torqued the bolts and cleaned the engine and according to them the leaks are resolved.

My CPO warranty expires in February 2016, so I'm planning to have my mechanic inspect the engine over the next several months to hopefully get ahead of any leaks before the warranty expires. I really love the car and how it drives, but I'm not looking to go broke on expensive repairs and that's just the engine. What about the transmission? I've recently heard concerning comments regarding that component as well, so I'm really torn between keeping it, trading it in or selling it and possibly leasing a new one to avoid the repair costs. Not sure yet.