BMW head gasket and nightmare mechanic!!!?

It sounds like a real headache, have you tried asking on one of the BMW forums?

Mechanics from BMW dealers regularly go on these forums and give free advice.

Hi

I have owned loads of bmw 5 series and i know what im talking about.

1.The first thing you should do when you buy a bmw is get well aquaited with your nearest bmw SPECIALIST not and i repeat MAIN DEALER.

Sometimes problems can be hard to find but this guy is an IDIOT.

It would'nt suprise me if the thermostat HOUSEING had been leaking for ages and the head has indeed gone.

By taking your car to the experts on a regular basis even for a winter checkup could of prevented this.

Unfortunately you don't no much about cars because if you did you would have done no.1

Im not going to help you with this problem as you are half way into it.

But i will give you valuable advice for the future.

Modern cars run a lot hotter than they did in the past.(hot engines are more efficient) better mpg

The downside is they hate to overheat.

You should get the water pump changed as a pre cauction with every major service that includes a cam belt change.

Anti freeze is vital and must be checked weekly along with oil and all fluids.

I have no sympathy if BLOKES fail to do this.

Get it fixed and trade it for another.

WHY

Because it will be a constant reminder of how this prat mucked you about and cost you money.

Bmw are awsome cars and need to looked after, unfortunately you never know how hard it was driven by the previous owner.

I would buy a 728i on a t up to w plate with 160000 mile on it with bills for thousands. Because on them cars all the problems arise between 80k and 140k miles.

Buy the time its got 160k on it abd 15k worth of bills it will go for another 100k.

And will cost you about 3 grand.

I hope this helps!

don't give him anymore money for starters the symptoms you have described all point to head gasket but when fixing a problem with anything you start with easiest first unless symptoms point without doubt to a certain fault. in your case there is emulsified oil,in my mind it cant be anything else (except very rare conditions).i would say the mobile mech is a cowboy.get a quote from a garage. bmw will be costly car is not under warranty so no point paying extra but get garage to fit genuine bmw gasket.these are solid cars you probably wont get anymore bother with it.mark this down to experience and tell anyone that will listen about the mobile mechanic so there is less chance of him ripping off more people

well first you are saying dealer which is last place the car should be taking for repairs ... anyone can tell when a head gasket is blown by white smoke out the back.. and oil in coolant or coolant in oil also signs of blown head gasket anyone walking down the street could have told you what it was .. dealers are for selling of cars they not so bright when it comes to repairing or trouble shooting a problem.. guys doing the work are most offen younger and not knowing much plus it wil be the highest place to get anything done any shop in town would have fix it in a few days for half of what the dealer will be charging you i think they are not as smart as a fifth grader.. never ever take any car to dealer unless no one else will do the work just not a smart thing to do

Honestly just take it to the dealer. I don't want to sound like a jerk but I'd rather someone be mad at me and take it to the dealer and not have a torn apart head that they don't know how to fix then sit back and watch someone spend a lot of time and money on a bad idea. BMW's are very fical vehicles and require a special touch. if you do not know your engine well enough to order the head gasket, I'd just take it to the dealer and let them order it. And this way if they order the worng one they pay for it not you. If you choose to get it yourself then here's the one you want, this is american part number so it may be different there #03-HG6009-0031 this is to the 92 DOHC and it's the full BMW recommended kit.

Sounds like this guy is taking you for a mug. You shouldn't get oil/water cross contamination from changing a water pump. The lambda sensor should have shown up on his original diagnostic check. Your best bet is a check by your bmw dealer. They should be able to plug it in and tell you if any electrical systems are going down. If all ok then most likely to be gasket.

LOL that mobile mechanic is an idiot almost everything he as told you is WRONGO BUCKOo.. When you have white smoke the head comes of every time. There is no miracle fix (ok maybe that stop leak stuff of any brand) But you have white smoke the head comes off it gets checked for cracks and repaired as necessary. You can hope and pray for a miracle but your not gonna get one. Black or blue smoke you may be able to remedy the situation without head removal. But white means head comes off every time.

You putting yourself thru a lot of guessing, Stick a crow bar in the ol wallet and get it fixed.

sounds like hes guessing. all you need to do is test the head in situ.

top the crank to TDC, all valves closed, and pressurise each bore. then you listen...

if its the head gasket itll be pressuring the header bottle. if its the rings, itll pressurise the crankcases (engine breather) inlet, itll bubble the carb and exhaust itll hiss out the pipe. (this doesnt work on injections, BUT, youll see the pressure drop, and by elimination the cause.

i bought a 525i, it went like a donkey on blackpool beach... tilli reconnected ALL the air hoses to the fuel system...

but sadly this is what happens when you use door to door mechanics... get it diagnosed at BMW, then get the work done elsewhere!

Put the heater on in the car. If it blows cold its another sign of it being the head gasket.

Changing a water pump would not contaminate the coolant nor oil!

If you had water in your oil it could have been condensation but I doubt it.

The guys a muppet, get the gasket done before you warp the head.

Is mobile repair common in your location? here in the U.S I would not trust anyone who comes to my driveway to "fix" a car and cetainly not something major like a headgasket.