B10 Gave up the ghost

Not a happy bunny having been deposited at the house by an AA recovery truck last night.

The B10 started to misfire quite badly on the way home from work so thought it best to pull over rather than risk damaging the cats.

Despite spanking over £2k on the Inspection 1 and suspension rebuild in the Edinburgh dealer last week I've now discovered that where bank 1 has a shiny new set of plugs, bank 2 appear to be original!  Not impressed at all, not only that, but the the new plugs must have been torqued by a 5 year old girl with a gammy hand!

I'm happy to moan at the edinburgh lot but I'm not sure where to put the car now.  I've tried swapping coils and plugs from some of my spares, also swapped MAF and Cam sensor but to no avail as the car is still a cylinder down.

I've a Warranty Direct policy on the go so that may cover some of the cost, but does anyone have any idea where best to send it in the Glasgow area?

Interested to hear you've used b4bmw. I had been googling the BMW specialists in Glasgow and came up with them, they seem to have the right diagnostic gear so given your thumbs up that may well be an option.

It was either that or Douglas Park, but as I went to Edinburgh originally to avoid DP that went against the grain.   Fairbairns would have been a preference had Mr Clark not got his mitts on it. 

I'll give them a bell Monday morning and see what they say.

Thanks Stevie

No it's a more 'Easterly' dealer Fluff  

I shall recommence my rantings come Monday!

I hope the big beastie gets better soon.

Re plugs not getting changed I have heard that in days of yore the back 4 plugs on V12 jags didn't get changed because they were hidden under something(aircon?) and mchanics just didn't bother because the other 8 would work fine and hide any problems. I don't know why they would only change the plugs on one bank though, perhaps they thought 4 cyclinders would be enough!!

I'm not an expert but I don't believe the steam cleaning theory...  I'm more inclined to go with the lazy technician scenario, especially since the plugs weren't even tightened.  The dinner bell must have gone when he was quarter of the way through the job and he's come back and decided he was finished.

I'm also wary of assuming the worst.  Despite Tony's suggestion on the Alpina forum, I'd expect you would notice head gasket failure in the coolant level etc.  It's also too much of a co-incidence that it has just come back from a (clearly inept) spell at the main dealers.

Hope it works out ok for you, whatever the problem.

I've used Stuart at M3 Motor Co in Bathgate for my past 4 BMWs and not had a single complaint.

M3 Motor Co, Mossbank Cottage, A89 Caputhall, Bathgate, EH48 1JX

Tel: 01506 811999 (no web site, they are too busy playing with BMWs!)

Stuart is an excellent mechanic, has all the latest diagnostics, runs his own E39 M5, 2 X5s, a neat Ser 3 compact track car and his missus, Annie, drives an M3 convertible like she stole it! The live, eat and breath BMWs and are happy to look at whatever you want to do to your car.

fluffnik wrote: Crombers wrote: 3 - 30psi 4 - 30psi My guess is a break in the gasket between bores... Your suspect MAF hasn't been causing lean running has it? Hope it all works out.

No it was only in the car for a week before it conked out at yon meet.  It was replaced with a genuine Bosch part thereafter

I visited B4BMW today and it seems well run, chap I spoke to was helpful so I've given them the go ahead to arrange collection and see what the damage is.