04-18-2019, 10:14 PM | #1 |
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Broken bolt near my car. Help!
My wife found this in the driveway where I normally park my car and it has me stressed out. Can anyone identify where this might have come from, if it actually came from my car? We did have the lawn guys here a week ago, but it seems I would've seen it sitting there for a week if it came from some piece of their equipment.
It's very light, like aluminum, and it's sheered off. Printed on the head are AK and AL9. There appears to be some sort of sealant between a couple of the threads. Thanks! |
04-18-2019, 11:17 PM | #2 |
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That's a long ass bolt. It's a torx head which bmw loves to use but I doubt they would use a torx head on a bolt that long because of the amount of torque on such a long bolt nor would they use aluminum for such a sizable piece. I personally don't think this is from your car.
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04-19-2019, 01:12 AM | #3 | |
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04-19-2019, 01:12 AM | #4 |
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Those are all the same reasons I'd think of that it's not from my car as well. A really big torx head on a long aluminum bolt doesn't seem likely, but it sure looks like a common BMW bolt head.
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05-05-2019, 07:05 PM | #5 |
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Welp, I found where it came from.
I had the car up doing front discs and pads and noticed a bright, clean ring reflecting at me from the darkness. Low and behold, I found the location of my broken bolt. It's one of the bolts holding on the electric power steering assist. And, judging by the bolt, there must be some length of it still stuck way inside. I'm going to gamble on not *really* needing it. It looks like it's just holding on the power steering assist, so even if it fell all right off, I'd just be left with no power steering, right? Not the worst thing in the world if you ask me. ***EDIT*** Also, it looks like this is a common F series problem including MY 2014-2016 228i: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...1469927&page=3 Last edited by Uridian; 05-05-2019 at 07:18 PM.. |
05-05-2019, 08:02 PM | #7 |
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I'd replace it too - hopefully covered by warranty. Removing the part that's still in there could be a real bitch.
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05-05-2019, 09:30 PM | #8 |
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I notice you have a 228i and this is one of the models covered by the extended warranty. It extends to 10 years/120K miles, so you should be covered to get this replaced. Seems to be happening in cold climates where calcium or magnesium salts are used instead of NaCl salts on roads and apparently those salts are causing the (Al?) bolts to corrode.
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05-05-2019, 09:37 PM | #9 | |
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Since our cars are so smart, it would probably just park itself until it was fixed.
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05-06-2019, 11:33 AM | #11 |
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My VIN is apparently not listed as effected, and therefore I will have to embark on a journey of rigmarole to have it repaired without paying for it. I would just do it myself if the bolt hadn't sheared off inside. It's going to be a major PITA to get it out I suspect.
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05-06-2019, 03:47 PM | #12 | |
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05-07-2019, 09:35 AM | #13 | |
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She even told me that all the letters letting owners know about the extended warranty have been sent out, and mine is not "pending" in any way. So I'd have to bring my car to a dealership, have it diagnosed and repaired out of pocket and only then could they begin to discuss whether or not it might be covered later after the fact. According to my dealership, this process almost never plays out while the work is being done/car is at the dealer. Instead, I'd have to pay out of pocket for diagnosis and replacement of the rack, something very likely to be in the vicinity $2000. Then they would submit to BMW, possibly get engineering involved, and hopefully at a later date, get me some kind of reimbursement for the process. That's not something I'm willing to undertake at this time. Here is the BMW TIS Service Bulletin SI B32 08 18 - as submitted to NHTSA *by BMW*, which clearly states that it effects F22/23, but since my VIN is not associated, there is nothing anyone can do. So now I'll just wait to see if I end up with the extended warranty or if my power steering dies. I'm not willing to pay that amount of money to repair what is a clearly documented known issue in the hopes that the red tape falls in my favor eventually. |
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05-07-2019, 03:45 PM | #14 | |
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05-08-2019, 07:10 AM | #16 |
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I haven't seen the VIN range, but my dealer excluded my 2015MY car from this service bulletin this morning when I dropped it off for oil change. He said there was a VIN range, but mine was not in it, but they will inspect anyway. He did say he's had several 3 Series with this condition in their shop.
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05-08-2019, 01:14 PM | #17 | |
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Bernhard Kuhnt BMW of North America, LLC 300 Chestnut Ridge Road Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677-7731 He won't read it, but someone assigned to his correspondence will and will respond. Tell them how much you like BMW. State politely and concisely that your vehicle has suffered a safety-related defect (this has a specific definition for the NHTSA) which has been recalled on other vehicles but yours is not included. Tell him you cannot afford to pay for this up front and you feel that BMW should cover the repair. Then state that you would prefer not to petition the NHTSA (this also has a specific meaning) to expand the recall and just want to get your car fixed so that it is safe to drive. I have attached a link to the NHTSA website that describes the process if you have to resort to that. It is relatively easy and they may be inclined to look into it since the defect has already been established. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallprocess.cfm I have had success doing this kind of thing. They would prefer to just tell your dealer to fix it and have you go away. |
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05-08-2019, 02:14 PM | #18 | |
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06-08-2020, 02:22 PM | #19 |
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Hello from the future!
I never took any action with this until I went to go to the store a month or so ago and the most horrible noise came from my steering rack. Got out, checked and at least one more bolt had broken off. No more power steering. I called BMW NA again the check and my VIN had still not been added. I brought my car to the dealership to be "diagnosed" and repaired. Low and behold it is exactly the type of failure described in the TSB. Both my SA and the Service Manager agreed that it's exactly the problem in the TSB so they called BMW NA to find out if they'll cover it. In the meantime, if they wouldn't, then the damage would be $4039.65. The resolution so far is that BMW will split it with me, and since they're splitting it with me, the cost of the part also goes down. I guess that means out of pocket parts are more expensive than warranty parts as well. Shady. So, final cost to me is just over $1500. |
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06-08-2020, 02:47 PM | #20 |
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Sorry to hear that it's come to this. I swear, there are times with these cars that you don't know whether to laugh or cry.
I know that few BMW owners will ever read this thread, but it's a perfect example of why it's wise to plan for one or more multi-thousand dollar repairs during your "ownership experience".
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06-08-2020, 03:34 PM | #21 | |
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I don't think there is any debate that your VIN should be included, and your symptoms are described perfectly in the TSB unless I am missing something. |
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