BMW announces voluntary Emissions and Safety Recalls

BMW of North America has notified the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its intent to conduct a voluntary recall of some model year 2007-2010 BMWs equipped with twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engines, all of which feature BMW's High Precision Injection direct fuel injection system. It has also asked for approval from the California Air Resources Board to conduct this action. Affected vehicles may experience a failure of the high-pressure fuel pump. High Pressure Pump (8) and Injectors(2) Symptoms include long-crank engine starting times along with the illumination of the "Service Engine Soon" light. In certain cases, the driver may experience reduced engine performance in a Safe Mode accompanied by a tone and the display of an "Engine Malfunction" warning, if the vehicle is equipped with iDrive. Based on the individual service history of the vehicle, the action will entail replacement of the high-pressure fuel pump and/or a software update . . Affected BMW models include: - Model Year 2007-2010 335i models - Model Year 2008-2010 135i, 535i and X6 xDrive35i Sports Activity Coupes - Model Year 2009-2010 Z4 Roadster sDrive35i BMW has tried several times to update the high pressure fuel pumps and software to address these issue and obviously in light of recent events with Toyota and their "Unintended Acceleration" debacle,BMW do not wish to try to keep this issue under wraps any longer In a separate action, BMW has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it will voluntarily recall approximately 20,800 MY 2008 X5 Sports Activity Vehicles equipped with normally-aspirated inline six-cylinder engines to replace the low-pressure fuel pump. In this case, should the fuel pump experience a failure, the engine will stop running and the driver will lose power assist for the steering and brakes although both the steering and the brakes remain operational. Letters will be sent by First Class mail to owners of affected vehicles in the coming weeks, requesting the scheduling of a service appointment with an Authorized BMW Center to have the update performed. No injuries have been reported. In the case of either issue, if a customer experiences a problem, they should contact their authorized BMW Center. Customers with additional questions should contact BMW Customer Relations at 1-800-563-4269             1-800-563-4269      or email CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.

First Month Wrap Up & Mini Drivetrain

After an exciting grand opening event and first few weeks of business, we finish our first month feeling optimistic! Our customers really seem to enjoy the personal service we've given, and have commented online (and in our guestbook) about having a great experience. That's what we like to hear!

This past Saturday, I took a class on Mini Cooper Drivetrain Diagnosis and found that for all you Mini Cooper S owners, the supercharger should have the oil checked (or changed) approximately every 50K miles. This is due to the oil in the reduction gear chambers burning up and wearing out the gears. There is no factory maintenance interval specified for this (lifetime fill). Given the cost of a new supercharger, ($6K plus to fix), this service is highly recommended to prolong the life of your supercharger.