The verdict on my car is in...

"M54B30" (m54b30) 08/02/2016 at 20:09 • Filed to: None

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The shop looked at it and gave the worst news: engine is toast.

For those who don’t know, it died in a car wash and just wouldn’t restart for nothing. They said the engine ingested some water and a rod was bent. New engine installed is $5,000 - $6,000 they said, obviously not worth it for a car half the value (no matter how much I love it).

It surprised me that this was the verdict - I didn’t think it was THAT bad.

It was a really good car for us. My then-fiance and I bought in 2009 in college. It was the car that rebuked folks who say they’re unreliable - we had it for over 100,000 miles and the only repairs it needed were: alternator (2010), thermostat & bleed screw (2013) and a new driveshaft (2016). The driveshaft was because a CV boot tore where it meets the differential and it was a nonserviceable part. There were some repairs that could have been done - a sensor shared between the ABS and DSC system was dead and neither system worked. It was comfortable and we drove from Ohio to South Dakota and back several times without complaint.

I could go on for days about it but I’ll leave it with one of the final pictures of it I took last weekend. Farewell 530i - I hardly knew ya.

kgman > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:11

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That sucks, those are some of my favorite BMWs. I hope you find a new car that is just as great

Chasaboo > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:12

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Holy crap! How did water get inside that thing?

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:16

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From a car wash??

0_O

That’s mad. Farewell e39.

fhrblig > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:18

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AMC inline-6 swap? AMC inline-6 swap.

Seriously though, that sucks.

LongbowMkII > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:19

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Next time be sure to select exterior only. That should help.

That's awful luck, browsing CL for a replacement?

gmctavish needs more space > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:19

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Oh man.....that’s really rough. I would not have expected a car wash to kill a car.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:21

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*shakes fist* DAMN YOU TAVARISH!

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:23

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whaa? Leaky airbox? Leaky intake runner??? How does that even happen!?

Matt Nichelson > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:24

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Damn that sucks man. Was really hoping it wasn’t that bad. Sorry to hear.

lone_liberal > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 08/02/2016 at 20:25

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Inquiring minds want to know!

S65 > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:25

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M54B30 > Matt Nichelson 08/02/2016 at 20:26

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Thanks - wasn’t really expecting it. Didn’t seem THAT bad but I guess that’s why I’m not a mechanic

M54B30 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 08/02/2016 at 20:27

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Curious myself but I have a wedding 1800 miles away to go to this week so I told them to just let it sit until I get back

M54B30 > lone_liberal 08/02/2016 at 20:28

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Curious myself but I have a wedding 1800 miles away to go to this week so I told them to just let it sit until I get back

Matt Nichelson > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:28

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Yeah. That’s the downside to owning a BMW. It could be really bad or catastrophically bad.

M54B30 > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 08/02/2016 at 20:28

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Yeah, makes NO sense. I figured some coil packs or an ECM fried, not sure what Went so wrong

M54B30 > S65 08/02/2016 at 20:29

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This... This has promise....

I told my wife a few days ago we could replace the straight six with a 540i V8

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:31

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Must have been a crazy high pressure wash.

Seriously that sucks.

M54B30 > LongbowMkII 08/02/2016 at 20:31

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No. Market for BMWs in western South Dakota is really small, pretty much hopeless. No donor cars, no parts cars, nothing.

Wife says it’s time for a Sedona

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:31

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Damn. I have heard that the intake boots can tear on that era BMW engines though, maybe that’s how it happened?

M54B30 > gmctavish needs more space 08/02/2016 at 20:32

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Me neither. Blows my mind. I told them I’ll deal with it after I come back from a wedding next week, I’m curious how water got in

M54B30 > Chasaboo 08/02/2016 at 20:33

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No idea. I’m genuinely curious myself. I’ll deal with it all after I get home from a wedding in 2 weeks, I want to see where THAT much water got in

gmctavish needs more space > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:34

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Yeah fair enough, that’s super weird. If you’re open to a used engine, M54s aren’t too expensive. An M62 would be cool, but would also include a subframe and steering assembly swap

M54B30 > Santiago of Escuderia Boricua 08/02/2016 at 20:35

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No clue. I’ll get it towed back home in 2 weeks or so when I get back from a trip and see what Went wrong

M54B30 > gmctavish needs more space 08/02/2016 at 20:37

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I saw some on eBay in the $1500 range - not terrible. I guess the programming to sync it with the ECM, TCM, etc, et.al., is pricey.

But that’s also the only issue with it. Might be worth it

M54B30 > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 08/02/2016 at 20:40

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Just a standard automatic wash. Been in there a hundred times, never had issues. :(

gmctavish needs more space > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:43

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I guess just see how much you’d be spending on the whole ordeal, and then see if you can get a better car for similar money?

M54B30 > gmctavish needs more space 08/02/2016 at 20:46

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Yeah, going to let it sit a few days so I don’t make a rash decision.

LS swap was proposed too

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:48

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I’ve never heard of an auto wash hydrolocking an engine.

LongbowMkII > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:49

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Noooooooo!

Hey there’s always the mazda5 /shameless plug. But I'm guessing there aren't many out there with a manual.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 20:59

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http://www.bmwswapkit.com/

http://www.sikky.com/product/bmw-e3…

Food for your thought or in this case food for your roundel.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > gmctavish needs more space 08/02/2016 at 21:03

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M62 is too much of a headache, he would still have to align ews, dme, and whatnot with DIS. You need like three softwares to buy in order to do this (Pasoft, DIS, Progman). I only have Pasoft to rewrite vins for the LCM and reading chassis codes, coding still thats not enough.

gmctavish needs more space > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 08/02/2016 at 21:19

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Yikes, this is why I like the old motronic bimmers

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > LongbowMkII 08/02/2016 at 21:54

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Funny you mention the Mazda5 - I nearly killed mine last year driving through a flooded section of freeway. Thankfully the air filter prevented water from being ingested, and after baking the it overnight to dry it out everything was back to normal. The only lasting damage seemed to be the horn, which became anemic and then stopped working altogether, however, this week it started functioning again. It surprised me the other day - I wondered who honked at me when I locked my car since there didn’t appear to be anyone nearby in their vehicles, only to determine that it was my own car beeping at me.

Oh, and mine has the 6MT. I love this thing and I’m keeping it forever...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 22:01

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What’s your plan now then...sell it for as much as you can get for parts and buy something else I assume?

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 22:11

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Word. M54B30s seem kind of rare, but you could definitely swap a junkyard M52 or something just to get it back on the road

M54B30 > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 08/02/2016 at 22:46

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Me neither. I wonder if I didn’t tighten the oil filter housing enough. I’m sure I did, but now I’m second guessing everything I did. The other idea is water leaked into a cylinder through windshield washer jets and through the plugs. Looooong shot but I’m grasping at straws now.

M54B30 > LongbowMkII 08/02/2016 at 22:47

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I’ve been looking at E60 wagons for a few months, but the Warden wants a minivan

M54B30 > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 08/02/2016 at 22:49

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Intriguing. I’ll keep my eye out for any cheap LS on CL

M54B30 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 08/02/2016 at 22:54

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Yeah. There’s no market where I am for E39s (I’ve seen less then 10 others in the 3 years I’ve been here). Part of me wants to part it out but I don’t know

LongbowMkII > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 23:01

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Great news! The mazda5 is a minivan.

With 3 pedals.

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > M54B30 08/02/2016 at 23:35

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I bet you could find a m54 for around $1500. BMW engine swaps aren’t extremely difficult. $5000-6000 seems terribly high for a swap.

M54B30 > Flyboy is FAA certified insane 08/02/2016 at 23:38

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Yeah, I was in shock when they called but I plan on calling and ask the cost for just the install... Maybe they’re looking at $3000 engines

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > M54B30 08/03/2016 at 01:02

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Good luck with whatever it holds for that car. Hope for an insurance payout, I guess.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > M54B30 08/03/2016 at 06:37

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Shame....wish it was an easy fix....crazy that it happened in a car wash!