SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum

Been there, got the T shirt, wouldn't go back. Don't touch with a barge pole.

Almost all* 150 bhp 320d's manufactured 2001 to Nov 2003 blow turbo's. If you absolutely must have one, find and 04 or 54 plate and check that it was manufactured after Nov 03 when the ECU software was updated and garrett turbocharger changed.

Just check google for BMW 320d Turbo Failure
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...o+failure&meta=

Mine burnt the oil from the intercooler whilst ticking over in a parking space outside the BMW dealership and revv'ed until it blew itself to pieces whilst I stood on the pavement flabbergasted. I grabbed the key out of the ignition thru the open window but it made no difference, diesels don't need ignition they run on compression. I'd driven straight there because the car started smoking from the exhaust.

New turbo, intercooler, engine, 4 injectors, catalytic convertor and full exhaust system. Repair estimate £8400. 3 years and 80K miles old with full BMW service history. 1 week out of warranty. After much threatening BMW they paid most of it but it still cost me £1500 quid and it never ran right again. Eventually traded it in loosing a further 2 grand over what I would have got if I sold private in autotrader.

*Notice I said "Almost All". This is in the opinion both of Heathrow Engines and M3 BMW, a specialist reconditioned engine supplier and a specialist BMW garage. Before I knew if BMW would make any contribution I was looking for the cheapest way to repair the car. When I phoned....

Me: Do you have a 2.0 diesel engine for a BMW 3 series?
Him: What year?
Me: 2003, its the 150 bhp model
Him: Ah right, Ok, engine ate the turbo did it?
Me: Yes, how did you know, is it that common?
Him: Every 320d blows the turbo mate, maybe at 50 or 60 thousand maybe not 'til 150 thousand, but it WILL blow the turbo
Me: Do you have one then?
Him: Let me check....Yes, I have one in stock, but if you want it let me know because it will go quickly
Me: How quickly
Him: Usually about a week or two, then somebody else will be along with the same problem as you and it'll sell.

I work in an office of 55 people and we have had 4 people and 5 different cars with blown turbos. Three 320d's including mine, one X3 (same engine) and a 330d. One of the other 320d's took the engine with it as well.

In addition to this in three years I had warranty claims for

1. Noisy window seals, in garage about 4 times, squeaks right in your ear. Design fault, they can't fix it, just keep spraying with silicone.
2. Collapsed passenger seat mechanism
3. Broken rear heated windscreen twice due to water getting in the rear window seal and rusting the connections (touring model with flip up glass)
4. Air flow meter replaced due to loosing power at 2-3K revs, just where you are when you want to pull quick out of a junction.
5. Central locking faults on drivers door

All of these are known faults but BMW find it cheaper to repair the ones that fail within the warranty period, than to issue a recall and repair every car. In other countries they've been forced by the governments to recall the turbo failure on saftety grounds as if the car rev's uncontrollably whilst in gear the car turns into a lethal runaway train with 330 nm of torque!

Now I have a Mondeo 2.0 TDCI 130bhp Zetec, which I bought in Motorpoint for £10500 at 6 months old. The BMW new with the extras fitted cost £29000. The Mondeo has all the same toys, cruise control, climate control etc. Rides better (BMW suspension is very hard), service for 130 quid not 300 quid, and has been a better car all round than the BMW ever was.