BMW 320 Diesel question

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jez130a

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Aug 21, 2007
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I have a 2002 E46 320d saloon that i got a few months ago...its been great so far but i have noticed a few threads on the net regarding turbo failures? One or two threads have talked about " The inevitable failure" etc...?? Does anyone here know more about this please? My other question is about chipping the car...i know there are a number of Re-mapping products on the market...does anyone know if they are any good and which one would be best for the 320d...and given the possible turbo problems would this add to the possibility of failure?....thanks very much all!!
 
I had an '04 320D - great car.

From what I understand the later 150 Bhp engines are OK, it is the earlier 135 Bhp turbos that have the reputationn for failure.

Same for the 330D - the 204 Bhp is OK the older 184's have issues.

Don't know about chips.
 
Not knocking your choice of car :) but this probably wants to be in the defectors to other marques section (moving !), or did you think you were on BMClub.co.uk ?!

;)

S.
 
My wife drives an 03 reg 150 bhp 320D. The Turbo failed at 105,000 miles.

The 2004 on cars are ok, cars built prior to that have this problem. My advice is to change the engine breathers (it is not too expensive or difficult) as soon as you start getting too much soot out the exhaust. It won't cure the problem but will delay the enevitable failiure.
 
With regard to the chipping, there are many places that do this, one of the most well known is DMS.

A friend had his Alfa 156 2.4JTD remapped by them, and it went like stink afterwards. It also smoked a lot on full throttle, and the turbo expired shortly after. Whether this was caused by the remap, or Alfa's engineering is open to debate... ;)
 
Hello,

When I was on the BMW land forum for my 330 vert, turbos were going pop semi regularly.

The remap people seem to be DMS. They get nearlt 200 bhp out of the 120d and a shed load of torque.

Have a read on their forum
 
I had an '04 320D - great car.

From what I understand the later 150 Bhp engines are OK, it is the earlier 135 Bhp turbos that have the reputationn for failure.

Same for the 330D - the 204 Bhp is OK the older 184's have issues.

Don't know about chips.
I think it affects both spec. of 320ds up to 2004 build.
330D have other issues like needing their injectors refurbed but they do not suffer from the same type of turbo failure - ingesting bits of plastic into the turbines and perhaps engine.
(That is not to say of course that the 330d turbos don't go pop for other reasons!)
 
Confused ...........Just why would you want to fit a BMW diesel engine in your Mercedes ? Or am I in the wrong forum ......:D
 
320d Turbo Problem

ha ha sorry guys i had a brain malfunction (must be another BMW drivers problem) on the other hand Mercedes drivers are renowned to be well educated types so it was worth posting my question here...i have heard enough and will be getting rid in a few weeks...thanks very much guys...
 
bmw turbo failures

hi i work for a german car specialist we had 3 of these as it is a common problem there is a breather filter on top of the rocker cover and next to the air filter casing it looks like a box with 6 allen key bolts and when its removed there is an small air filter and it blocks up dried carbon and it causes a lack of oil pressure it the turbo and blows the bearings in the turbo bad design but the breather has been modified without the filter but a valve costs around £45
 
The problem with the early 320Ds was the inlet manifold plastic (yes!) swirl flaps which were introduced to improve fuel flow. These either eventually disintegrated or else their spindles carbonned up; some were mechanical some electronically operated. They dropped into the engine and .............

Many owners simply took off the manifold and pulled out the offending flaps. Another problem ws the EGR fouling up which, I understand, caused turbo blowing up. Both these problems have since been rectified.
 
ha ha sorry guys i had a brain malfunction (must be another BMW drivers problem) on the other hand Mercedes drivers are renowned to be well educated types so it was worth posting my question here...i have heard enough and will be getting rid in a few weeks...thanks very much guys...

Consider a Merc as your next purchase then. You will find that they are equipped with the following items which I get the impression are missing on BMWs:

1) Indicators

2) Side and rear view mirrors

3) a separate switch for the front fog lamps, so that they do not automatically come on when the side lights or headlights are switched on.

:D
 
3) a separate switch for the front fog lamps, so that they do not automatically come on when the side lights or headlights are switched on.

They just come on every time you lock and unlock the car and when you put the indicator on!
 
Turbo failure in the 320d is due to a poorly made plastic part IIRC, the new twin turbo petrol has been known to fail. When I had an X5 and was regularly on varuous BM forums it was the older 184bhp engines that were failing.
 
the bmw 2.0d engine is pretty much the best out there at that level.

in both the single and twin turbo variants. Blows every other diesel engine in that bracket away in both Co2 , MPG , BHP etc etc Untouchable.
 
the bmw 2.0d engine is pretty much the best out there at that level.

in both the single and twin turbo variants. Blows every other diesel engine in that bracket away in both Co2 , MPG , BHP etc etc Untouchable.

In terms of performance yes, maybe in terms of longevity no. In the new 177BHP single Turbo Diesel cases of blown turbo's are common, the reason is that to get an output like that, the Turbo Boost is turned up to an unsustainably high level.

In saying that, the new two turbo models seem to be running fine, but BMW Turbo failure was the single reason why I bought a V8 X5 over the diesel.
 

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