I believe this entry will be pretty shocking for you, so I will mention some comments in the beginning.
Yes, I have accurate and comprehensive information regarding all episodes mentioned, and I will definitely give it to the BMW AG headquarters.
No, it makes no sense to solve these issues with a local dealer and local certified service. The environment of both companies is with a terrible reputation; even the BMW AG audit attempts have failed. Untidy accounting and possible fraud in accounting data; non-compliance with BMW AG procedures; unsatisfactory customer service – are only a part of the flaws. But, unfortunately, that is the reality – obviously, there are no better alternatives. The requirements of BMW AG are very high – to become a dealer, you have to make investments in millions of EUR. There are not so many companies that are ready to do that.
But now – everything in a row. Since September 2021, there has been a deficiency of injectors for N43/N53 series engines. The local dealer informed me that they managed to receive small amounts of this now only product time by time, so I decided to take a chance.
So, these are the injectors I received (the injectors were inspected in the dealer center, directly at the counter):
You can clearly see the soot marks; someone has touched the injector with their hands (see the fingerprint)! Could these be brand new injectors? In my opinion, no! I refused to purchase these injectors and returned them to the sales manager.
When I made this information public, the local dealer started to threaten me with the involvement of lawyers and severe trouble. In an impromptu meeting, the dealer manager showed the date on the injectors (beginning of the Year 2022) and claimed that, accordingly, the injectors are brand new, and my claims are unfounded. I refused to purchase these injectors once again because, according to my understanding, the injectors work with a pressure of 200 bars and whose nozzle opening measured in microns can not be like this.
Two weeks later, I made an anonymous call to the dealer to find out are the injectors for N43/N53 series engines were available. Yes, there are 4 pieces available; come and get them! Excellent! I drove to the dealer’s shop – and now, these are the injectors that were offered to me:
As you see, these are THE SAME injectors! Only cleaned! So: the dealer understood very well that new injectors could not be dirty and with fingerprints on them, but the dealer did not return them for the exchange (did not send them back to the supplier) but – simply cleaned them and tried to sell them to someone else. The dealer did not ask for an explanation from the manufacturer/supplier but tried to hide the problem and cheated! But – maybe the dealer employees have put these injectors in some cars to “test” them? I will never find out. It’s needless to add that I didn’t get any answer to my questions – how is this possible?
At the same time, I checked the situation in the second certified BMW spare part seller.
The stock indicated that there are 3 pieces available. Unfortunately, my (first) attempt to purchase them ended unsuccessfully because it was “a mistake in the system” the actual stock is 0. Interestingly, this “mistake” was not solved, and directly the same amount (3 pcs) was indicated in the warehouse for a subsequent month till my second attempt. After one month, I anonymously arrived at the BMW partner and tried to purchase the injectors for a second time. Yes, there are injectors in the stock! A miracle has happened! So, these are the injectors that I got:
Are these new injectors? Really? Significant signs of rust are visible on them! Someone has also touched them with bare hands. The code on one of the boxes has been torn away. So, these are the injectors that cost EUR 500/a piece???
The staff of this BMW dealer was not able credibly to say nothing – nor when the order for the injectors was made, nor when they were delivered. They were also not able to explain how it could be that there is an “incorrect” stock for months, but suddenly it turns into actual injectors. The manager’s attitude was simple – don’t buy if you don’t want. Yeah, I decided not to purchase rusty injectors for EUR 500/ piece.
Why my claims regarding rust are so critical?
a. if the injectors are so rusty during 2 .. 7 weeks ( the “freshest” injector was manufactured on 16.03.2022, directly 2 weeks before my purchase attempt), what will happen during the year? During two or five years? Will the injectors turn in the piles of rust?
b. you have to understand that the same is rusting to the “outside” and the “inside”. But these injectors have been “dry” during all storage time, which means that inside them has an enormous amount of rust micro powder! If the “inside” of the working injector is filled with fuel (normal situation), oxidation on the inside happens slower because there is much less oxygen in the fuel than in the air (as we know, the rusting of metal is an oxidation reaction with oxygen in the air).
c. barrels of the injectors (metal parts of the body) are stainless steel. I have seen hundreds of these injectors – new ones also used after being replaced with new ones. Yes, the stainless steel does not rust, except for the welding seams (more pronounced) and places where the thin layer of the natural oxide is damaged (less pronounced). Such an amount of rust is typical for injectors, which were used for 5 .. 10 years (you have to understand that the used injectors have “lived” in humidity, the environment of high temperatures – it also increases the speed of oxidation). And, if the injector has been placed vertically (installed in the engine head), microscopic dust, which separates, “flows” from the seam via the barrel. In this case, such a fatal oxidation process has happened for 2 weeks .. not full 2 months? Really?
The main thing which should be kept in mind – is that rust is not acceptable in the fuel system!
d. the body of the injector itself is fogged as if it would have spent years in the humid and aggressive environment! This is not a new spare part! Here we don’t even talk about the layer of the oxide – the thick layer of residues can be seen!
I don’t know what exactly is happening. Is there any “refurbishing” program started under which somebody delivers such a “refurbished” injector to BMW AG? Or VDO has found some years old injector blanks in their warehouses, now marked and packaged. Or – something else, probably, massive scale scam attempt is happening. Anyway – sort, rust CAN NOT be on the injectors!
Yes, the situation is harsh. Unfortunately, you can not trust even the dealer…
