Quote:
Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel
First off, BMW isn't going to help you. BMWNA might give you a discount on the engine replacement, but that's probably it. So you can try pestering BMWNA and the dealership to see if they'll do anything. Do not get your hopes up. This is a hail mary and would essentially be like winning the lottery if it worked.
Depending on how you bought the car, your only options are to replace with a used engine at an indy shop, or sell the car for parts and scrounge up whatever money you can find to buy an old Corolla or Civic.
Remember, it is no one else's responsibility to fix your car but yours. Engine sludge is something any mechanic should have been able to find in a pre-purchase inspection. So always do one unless the car still has warranty left. If a used car dealer or private party won't let you do one, then run away. Also, when buying an out of warranty German car, you have to budget for maintenance. To be frank, you simply bought too much car. Being able to afford a payment doesn't mean you can afford the car.
With my understanding of how sludge forms, it's most likely that the first owner simply neglected maintenance. Or they had terrible driving habits and either did not know how to properly take care of an engine or simply did not care. IF oil changes were truly done at 9k mile intervals, then the first owner might have had a very short commute and drove the car for very short trips very frequently. Especially in the winter, this can be terrible for the engine. My bet, however, would be on neglect. I'm curious, what proof do you have that they did oil changes in the proper intervals? Obviously they could have done them for free at the dealership, but did you actually see records of the work?
Don't forget the pre-purchase inspection next time. Where did you buy this car? Directly from a private party?
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I highly doubt that this much oil sludge is due to driving shorty trips in the winter. Unless you are in anarctica. If engines are really designed at such piss poor condition to where if you don't drive highway miles 90% of the time and this is your result then I will never buy a bmw again.