Change of Turbo Assy for 2016 318I

[Chicken Rice]

Hi all,
My beloved ride just turned 6 years and I need advice here regarding the above.
Trouble started in last year December. The radiator leaked and it caused overheating. Tow truck has to be called as I saw white smoke from the bonnet. I replaced it at my familiar workshop and 2 weeks after that the drivetrain warning light came on.
I sent in again to same workshop and it was diagnosed as turbo issue. The earlier issue of overheating was identified as a possible main cause for affecting the other parts. They first changed the solenoid first as they advised me that the change of turbo is expensive and advised me to monitor first.
Problem went away for 2 weeks then resurfaced. Now it was confirmed that change of turbo is needed. However they cannot get parts now and quoted me about 3k if parts arrived.
I called up PPSL service and was quoted 5.5k in total, a 1 day job if I decide to proceed.
Is change of turbo a common issue for a 6 year old 3 series? Should I bite the bullet and let PPSL change the turbo for ease of mind though price is double?
I did not entertain the thought of changing car thanks to the high COE prices now.
Thank you in advance for your advice and I look forward to learning from all of you here.
Cheers

 

[ac323]

Hi all,
My beloved ride just turned 6 years and I need advice here regarding the above.
Trouble started in last year December. The radiator leaked and it caused overheating. Tow truck has to be called as I saw white smoke from the bonnet. I replaced it at my familiar workshop and 2 weeks after that the drivetrain warning light came on.
I sent in again to same workshop and it was diagnosed as turbo issue. The earlier issue of overheating was identified as a possible main cause for affecting the other parts. They first changed the solenoid first as they advised me that the change of turbo is expensive and advised me to monitor first.
Problem went away for 2 weeks then resurfaced. Now it was confirmed that change of turbo is needed. However they cannot get parts now and quoted me about 3k if parts arrived.
I called up PPSL service and was quoted 5.5k in total, a 1 day job if I decide to proceed.
Is change of turbo a common issue for a 6 year old 3 series? Should I bite the bullet and let PPSL change the turbo for ease of mind though price is double?
I did not entertain the thought of changing car thanks to the high COE prices now.
Thank you in advance for your advice and I look forward to learning from all of you here.
Cheers

what's your mileage now?








cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers

 

[rssid]

Not common i'd get a second opinion from another workshop before proceeding. No would NOT got with PPSL as MANY other workshops are able to do the work just as well they are just price gouging.

 

[Chicken Rice]

what's your mileage now?








cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers

Thanks for your reply, current mileage 77000 km.

 

[Chicken Rice]

Not common i'd get a second opinion from another workshop before proceeding. No would NOT got with PPSL as MANY other workshops are able to do the work just as well they are just price gouging.

Hi, that's a good point. Any recommendations for a workshop? Another thought is I ignore the problem as car can still be driven just that wont have full function of turbo. Then change car when prices are come down.

 

[Chicken Rice]

Hi, that's a good point. Any recommendations for a workshop? Another thought is I ignore the problem as car can still be driven just that wont have full function of turbo. Then change car when prices are come down.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[Bentanlh70]

It’s quite a low mileage to see a blown turbo. $3k sounds reasonable, but no harm getting a couple more quotations.

 

[Chicken Rice]

Hi all,
Just an update. had changed the turbo in the end on March 2022.
Car coming now to 7 years, mileage 88k km.
Have changed the following parts since last year, past the 6 years mark,

ABS sensor (rear right)
gearbox mounting
oil sump drain plug
wastegate valve actuator
turbo charger
manifold gasket
front catalytic converter gasket
rear shock absorber
rear shock absorber cover and stopper
spark plugs
air con filter
Automatic filter and oil sump
Steering column module
plus the various routine servicing that I faithfully carried out every 6 months
To date, have spent about 15k on my 318 since it crossed the 6 year mark.

Car is now at Kampong Arang. Called tow truck from BMW road assistance yesterday when the drive train error message flashed. So far this is the 3rd time and I have managed to solve the issues previously by replacing the affected parts. Hopefully it is not too serious this time.

Am wondering whether these are normal wear and tear and considered as normal maintenance for a BMW. Thanks for all your advice in advance.

 

[MiniCountry2017]

Hi, I have the same "transmission error" on my 2017 mini countryman. It was intermittent and flashed mostly when driving upslope. Informed trans euro mini service team during the next 2-3 services which they did not made any comments. After ~ 2 year plus, finally I heard high engine rev and an overheat error displayed.
Upon checking, they diagnosed faulty turbo charger which cost SGD 7K to replace at 88K mileage. The serviceman told me the turbo charger fault has NOTHING to do with the transmission error which never occured since....

So in short, your experience is not unique to BMW platform.

This is my 2nd car from trans euro and probably my last from them. I would only deal with team which is open and trusty. Saying that, I am utterly disappointed with German engineered car.

Last but not least, the turbocharger is obviously a very delicate component in mini. I will be replacing my engine oil diligently before I replace my ride.