[kiran.nevill]

Hey everyone,

Yesterday, my car gave me the drivetrain malfunction warning, limiting my power etc.

I took the car into my local BMW dealership to see what the problem was. Today, they called saying that my turbo is "done", and has been "overworked", a symptom of the car being tuned outside of factory specs. I haven't tuned the car yet, but the previous owner did have it tuned on JB4. Currently, the car has a catless downpipe, chargepipe, and short ram intake, but no tune as I previously mentioned.

What I'm wondering, if anyone could help me with their thoughts, is the problem of the turbo being overworked due to what BMW has claimed with it being previously tuned/having aftermarket parts, or is it because I have yet to tune the car with such upgrades. I've read posts saying having a downpipe without a tune is fine and shouldn't have downsides to the cars health, especially a problem like my turbo being "done".

BMW wants me to buy a new turbo, and claims that it cannot be driven without replacing it, even though I've been driving the car completely fine. It's a very expensive fix.

The car is a 2017, 50k miles, I'm a spirited driver, but certainly do not absolutely rip/abuse the car.

Would the problem be fixed if I tuned the car? Or is it too late if the turbo is quote "done".

I would really appreciate y'all's input, the dealership has my car right now and I need to make a decision on what I'm going to do fairly soon. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you.

[Anonymoose]

Originally Posted by kiran.nevill

Hey everyone,

Yesterday, my car gave me the drivetrain malfunction warning, limiting my power etc.

I took the car into my local BMW dealership to see what the problem was. Today, they called saying that my turbo is "done", and has been "overworked", a symptom of the car being tuned outside of factory specs. I haven't tuned the car yet, but the previous owner did have it tuned on JB4. Currently, the car has a catless downpipe, chargepipe, and short ram intake, but no tune as I previously mentioned.

What I'm wondering, if anyone could help me with their thoughts, is the problem of the turbo being overworked due to what BMW has claimed with it being previously tuned/having aftermarket parts, or is it because I have yet to tune the car with such upgrades. I've read posts saying having a downpipe without a tune is fine and shouldn't have downsides to the cars health, especially a problem like my turbo being "done".

BMW wants me to buy a new turbo, and claims that it cannot be driven without replacing it, even though I've been driving the car completely fine. It's a very expensive fix.

The car is a 2017, 50k miles, I'm a spirited driver, but certainly do not absolutely rip/abuse the car.

Would the problem be fixed if I tuned the car? Or is it too late if the turbo is quote "done".

I would really appreciate y'all's input, the dealership has my car right now and I need to make a decision on what I'm going to do fairly soon. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you.

It had to be tuned to get rid of the error code it would throw for having the catless down pipe.

I don't have any good info for you other than you pay to play with mods.

[Dj_Quik]

Did they take the turbo out? If that was me, id take my car outta there and upgrade the turbo if it is indeed “done”. Turbos like dinan and vargas should be significantly cheaper than oem and give you more power. Or go YOLO and buy ps2…which should still be cheaper than oem turbo

[ZM2]

Originally Posted by kiran.nevill

Hey everyone,

Yesterday, my car gave me the drivetrain malfunction warning, limiting my power etc.

I took the car into my local BMW dealership to see what the problem was. Today, they called saying that my turbo is "done", and has been "overworked", a symptom of the car being tuned outside of factory specs. I haven't tuned the car yet, but the previous owner did have it tuned on JB4. Currently, the car has a catless downpipe, chargepipe, and short ram intake, but no tune as I previously mentioned.

What I'm wondering, if anyone could help me with their thoughts, is the problem of the turbo being overworked due to what BMW has claimed with it being previously tuned/having aftermarket parts, or is it because I have yet to tune the car with such upgrades. I've read posts saying having a downpipe without a tune is fine and shouldn't have downsides to the cars health, especially a problem like my turbo being "done".

BMW wants me to buy a new turbo, and claims that it cannot be driven without replacing it, even though I've been driving the car completely fine. It's a very expensive fix.

The car is a 2017, 50k miles, I'm a spirited driver, but certainly do not absolutely rip/abuse the car.

Would the problem be fixed if I tuned the car? Or is it too late if the turbo is quote "done".

I would really appreciate y'all's input, the dealership has my car right now and I need to make a decision on what I'm going to do fairly soon. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you.

Tough first post. Sorry to hear this.

However, I’d just find a good local independent BMW shop and throw one of these on: https://x-ph.com/vargas-n55-stage-1-jb-upgrade-kit-new/

Just skip the JB crap and either stick with a stock tune or BM3 OTS.

[3t3p]

This sucks. Is it under warranty or something? Is it even being honoured if previously tuned?

Why not stick a pure stage 1 or Dinan turbo in instead?

[Pussiwillow]

Odd, what codes? As you said car drives fine outside the malfunction situation, I would certainly get a second opinion somewhere else

[Altra]

I'd spring for an aftermarket turbo in this situation. If you're going to replace the turbo, might as well get a more powerful one and a proper tune to go with it. Sure you'll have to move the car from the dealership to an independent shop, but I'm sure you can find some reputable shops that are experienced with swapping turbos.

PS2 gets my vote. Already in deep, might as well get it done right this time around.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by ZM2

Tough first post. Sorry to hear this.

However, I’d just find a good local independent BMW shop and throw one of these on: https://x-ph.com/vargas-n55-stage-1-jb-upgrade-kit-new/

+1 on the Vargas turbo to replace the stock one

[Poochie]

The dealers are full of shit sometimes.. They go directly to the worst case i.e. most costly scenario first..

E.X: It might be a simple blown gasket and they say it's the whole turbo needs replacing. A throwing out the baby with the bathwater like diagnosis.. So to speak..

I suggest you take the car out of there and get a second opinion..

If someone else neutral confirms it's a blown turbo, only then should you pull out the ass lube..

[XutvJet]

It would be helpful to know the codes. BMW should be able to tell you this. BMW should also be able to explain EXACTLY what is wrong and/or what as failed, especially give that they're likely asking $6K+ for this repair. Getting this would also help us make recommendations. A turbo is a pretty simple system. When they fail, it's usually the compressor damage or excessive shaft play. I'll also note that it is rare for the them to fail unless the turbo was being pushed really hard.

If you go with an aftermarket turbo, keep in mind that they are rarely in stock and have a build lead time of weeks, if not months.

An OEM N55 M2 turbo assembly from numerous online BMW parts departments is around $2,200-$2,500. That should help provide some perspective on how much this BMW shop may be overcharging for the parts. I have no idea what BMW's book time is on a turbo replacement. My guess is 12 hours and most techs can probably do it in half the time, but they'll charge book time no matter what. So figure $150/hr x 12 plus tax and "shop supplies" = $2,200.

[Happy Motoring]

I don't think I've read a post about people killing their turbos here. Even with numerous people running stage 2 tunes, I think they kill their motor before the turbo. If you're out of warranty, why are you taking it to a dealer? There are plenty of independent BMW shops in TX. If you're in the Dallas area I have a few I could recommend.

[MTWO]

Just get something like a VTT or Pure Stage 1 or 2 turbo and you’ll never look back

[GoneIn4Secs]

Definitely replace with a bigger turbo! The oem one is lame

[3t3p]

Sounds weird but I kinda sometimes hope my turbo will go and I'll put in a PS1/Dinan for sure!

[VisualEcho]

Whatever you do, don't let them sell you a new OEM turbo, and don't let them do the work (both are pure rape).

Find a reputable BMW specialist nearby and get yourself either a used OEM turbo, or a VS1 or PS1.

[DailyDownshift]

Originally Posted by kiran.nevill

Hey everyone,

Yesterday, my car gave me the drivetrain malfunction warning, limiting my power etc.

I took the car into my local BMW dealership to see what the problem was. Today, they called saying that my turbo is "done", and has been "overworked", a symptom of the car being tuned outside of factory specs. I haven't tuned the car yet, but the previous owner did have it tuned on JB4. Currently, the car has a catless downpipe, chargepipe, and short ram intake, but no tune as I previously mentioned.

What I'm wondering, if anyone could help me with their thoughts, is the problem of the turbo being overworked due to what BMW has claimed with it being previously tuned/having aftermarket parts, or is it because I have yet to tune the car with such upgrades. I've read posts saying having a downpipe without a tune is fine and shouldn't have downsides to the cars health, especially a problem like my turbo being "done".

BMW wants me to buy a new turbo, and claims that it cannot be driven without replacing it, even though I've been driving the car completely fine. It's a very expensive fix.

The car is a 2017, 50k miles, I'm a spirited driver, but certainly do not absolutely rip/abuse the car.

Would the problem be fixed if I tuned the car? Or is it too late if the turbo is quote "done".

I would really appreciate y'all's input, the dealership has my car right now and I need to make a decision on what I'm going to do fairly soon. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you.

I would 100% just go with an aftermarket turbo at that point, no reason to pay such a high price for an OEM turbo from BMW.

[akkando]

Get a second opinion. Also this why no one should run jb4 on this platform.

[eatingpizzainthef87rules]

Originally Posted by MTWO

Just get something like a VTT or Pure Stage 1 or 2 turbo and you’ll never look back

Innisville lol love that

[Oeb36]

Originally Posted by akkando

Get a second opinion. Also this why no one should run jb4 on this platform.

What’s wrong with jb4?

[Info@mad-us.com]

Interested to hear what failed. Im betting against the "over worked" Turbo theory.

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by Oeb36

What’s wrong with jb4?

From what I understand it's garbage

[PackPride85]

Originally Posted by Oeb36

What’s wrong with jb4?

Limited tuning options with a piggyback. They work but not ideal.