[Unsung_hero]

Hello everyone, I am in need of some urgent help.

I sent my 2017 M240i (F23, B58 engine) for an inspection after it threw up a "Drivetrain malfunction, drive carefully" error when we hit freezing temps lately. That error went away once the temps rose a bit again, but the check engine light remained on.

Upon checking for the codes, they found that the spark plugs and coil packs needed to be changed for the CEL. Along with this, they were to do a routine service too that was due including oil & filter change.

I received a gutting call from the center yesterday, and this is what they found:

"Finding:
Technician States While Changing Oil filter He found oil filter completely destroyed inside filter housing, a common but destructive problem with this engine model. To diagnose if engine will need replaced or if it can be saved, engine oil pan will need to be removed; oil pan and oil pickup tube/screen will need to be inspected thoroughly to verify no large chunks of the oil filter are stuck inside the engine. If left un-inspected, the current issue can cause oil starvation, damage the engine and or completely destroy the engine."

Pictures are attached below.

The cost for repairs quoted is totally prohibitive, about $4500 for the above stated work! That is in addition to everything else done.

I had not noticed any change in the way it had driven. Lately, there had been a soft rattle kind of noise from the underbody when in idle, if that might be connected to this.

What are my options here?

Any help is much appreciated, thank you in advance! 🙏

[MarcoZandrini]

What brand of oil filter was in the engine?

[Unsung_hero]

Hengst filter

[celsdogg]

Originally Posted by Unsung_hero

Technician States While Changing Oil filter He found oil filter completely destroyed inside filter housing, a common but destructive problem with this engine model.

common? is this true? I have never heard of this, anyone else have?

[MarcoZandrini]

Originally Posted by Unsung_hero

Hengst filter

From what company did you buy the filter? I'd also contact Hengst. They'll be interested in this.

[SpencerC_6MT]

Originally Posted by celsdogg

common? is this true? I have never heard of this, anyone else have?

I know B58s and oil filters don't tell to get along all to well. Usually though, the issue I hear about is the plastic filter housing cracking. That, or the filter refuses to let go upon removal and breaks in half. This specific issue isn't as common, but I think I've heard of this before.

[Dom147]

This is known to happen where the paper filter sort of disintegrates. I've never seen it happen but if I had to guess it's probably related to extended oil change intervals. How often would you do your oil change?

Here are videos on the subject:

[Kernel Kurtz]

I would not say this is common on our cars, but I have seen it before in online forums. Certainly if it happens to you it will suck very much.

Not sure you can do much more than buy quality filters and change them often, which is good advice in any case. I'm not seeing it as a design flaw in the car. More likely a design flaw in the filters.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Kernel Kurtz

buy quality filters and change them often

Fortunately, that's easy to do.

I just looked at my record of oil changes and saw that I've had it and the filter changed fairly frequently:

07-30-18 1,972
11-07-18 5,823
06-04-19 6,462
11-29-19 9,656
10-16-20 10,652
10-14-21 12,760
07-11-22 15,054
06-29-23 22,246

The first four had to do with changing the oil around track days. The fifth through the seventh were annual changes during the pandemic, when the car wasn't driven much.

With the last change, I lost track of what I was generally wanting to do. That was change intervals at around 5K. It was an eleven-month change, but if I'd been paying closer attention, I would have had the oil and filter changed around 5K and not on the annual interval I'd adopted during the pandemic.