turbo problems??? BMW 530d | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

Thu 9 Oct 2003 09:12

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - CM

I recently put my car in for a service with the main dealer and one of things that I asked them to check was the power delivery. I had always thought that it was a bit down but the diagnostics came back AOK.

Over the weekend I was on a long journey and was surprised that my 184bhp 3 litre diesel could ONLY just keep up with a Golf 1.9tdi 130 and Passat TDi 130. I called the dealer up and talked through this with him and he said that I should easily be able to pass the VWs and that it sounded like I might have a turbo problem (as he had experienced this once before).

My question is, if I did have a turbo problem, would this affect the speed I could get up to or just the amount of time it takes to get to that speed? The reason I ask is that I managed to get quite a long way round the speedo so do not think that top speed is affected (not that that is of particular interest). I suppose I am asking what a turbo actually does. I know that it gives the oomph.

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Thu 9 Oct 2003 11:27

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - mike777

Hi

Have a look my posting :

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=16...6

regarding a (possible) turbo problem on an Audi 80 TDi. Some of the answers may help you too. This is my first turbo diesel and I also didn't know a great deal about these things.

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Thu 9 Oct 2003 13:24

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - DL

If it had been main dealer serviced, a roadtest would have been part of the service schedule - I'd hope that if the car was down on power it would have been noted during this test - as the drivers *should* know how the car should perform......

Might be worth asking the Service Manager/Diagnostic Technician to do a quick roadtest for you?

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Thu 9 Oct 2003 16:13

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - Dude - {P}

You didn\'t say how many miles your 530d has covered, but you need to get the MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor checked out. There has been problems with these components (particularly Bosch), as a 530d on linear turbo boost should blow a 130bhp Golf into the weeds.!!

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Fri 10 Oct 2003 13:18

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - CM

done about 35k.

already had one MAF changed - there was a question that they hadn't set it up properly. Also once had a hole in some vacuum pipe which wouldn't let the turbo get enough pressure.

Booked in next week and will post the results.

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Fri 17 Oct 2003 15:13

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - CM

Update - the dealer has had it in and found no problems. He test drove locally (which I told him was a waste of time as SW London is not ideal). The chief mechanic took it home and back and reported no problems.

Today I took it to a rolling road.

I have a smug look on my face as I have just come back from the dealer with the rolling road results!!

We did 3 runs and measured output in just 3rd and 4th gear as I said that these were the most affected.

Run 1 - peak power 145bhp, with a MASSIVE drop off in power after about 3.5k rpm (may explain the jerkyiness when driving). The tester said that it struggled to redline (ie was slow to get there)

Run 2&3 - peak power 190bhp with normal decline in power past 4000rpm peak.

Also very interesting when red lining in 4th gear, Run 1 was pumping out 68bhp (yes, SIXTY EIGHT) whilst on runs 2&3 it was compared to 143bhp!

Dealer is going to contact BMW technical dept to see what's up. Why the bloke who took it home and back (c.80 miles) couldn't see anything wrong is well beyond me.

I do like to be right!

{The rolling road centre was SANSPEED in Bexleyheath 020 8304 2841 - thought that they deserved a plug for being so helpful - hope that's OK}

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Fri 17 Oct 2003 17:37

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - Sooty Tailpipes

"Dealer is going to contact BMW technical dept to see what's up. Why the bloke who took it home and back (c.80 miles) couldn't see anything wrong is well beyond me. "

Coming out of his van it must have been heaven.
Good luck with getting it sorted, you would think in this day and age, a computer could have measured all parameters and compated the dodgy run to the other two to see what sensor was out of range or whatever.

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Fri 17 Oct 2003 18:28

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - Dude - {P}

C.M. If you have had the MAF sensor changed, then in all probability this is the turbo on the way out. This is a known problem with the 530d`s - see H.J`s car x car breakdown.

My son had a 530d blow a turbo at only 19k miles and had to be towed into a Main Dealer for a replacement unit. He has since sold the car but stayed loyal to BMW (330Ci Sport).

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Fri 17 Oct 2003 21:02

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - DL

BMW Diesels spitting turbos out at 19K kinda worries me....perhaps my A4 TDi ain't so bad after all.

Hope you get it sorted with minimal £££ outlay. Keep us posted, we are interested in your progress.

Ta for the update
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....

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Sun 19 Oct 2003 00:04

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - CM

Good luck with getting it sorted, you would think in this

day and age, a computer could have measured all parameters and

compated the dodgy run to the other two to see what

sensor was out of range or whatever.

The problem is that their computers say that all is OK! Aparently this does not always cover the MAF and turbo. The guy with rolling road said that he thought the it prob was not the turbo as two of the runs were perfect but some of the BMW forum posters say that it might be......

I am going to be writing to BMW to ask why when their dealers charge £100 an hour, they cannot find a problem, even when I have explained it to them. I even told them that sometimes it felt fine and that at other times that it seemed to have no mid range oomph. If I was someone who just accepted their word I would be driving around in a car that was not 100% right.

Being cynical, do you think that if the car was with them in a months time (when the warranty runs out) that they would have found a problem? After all I have been convinced that this has been going on for a few months and they have had it 4 times and never found a problem. Why should it be up to me to take it to a rolling road? Not a great reassurance to keep me with BMW dealer service network.

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Sun 19 Oct 2003 06:48

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - kal

Main dealer servicing is a complete joke, expensive and generally poor value for money. Soon we will be able to take our cars to independent garages who are accredited by manufactureres to carry out servicing without invalidating warranties. This can not come soon enough.

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Sun 19 Oct 2003 10:17

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - Dude - {P}

CM. - I dont know what area you live, but you might find the following link helpful, which appraises BMW main dealerships by area :-

www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/viewforum.php?f=15

Please keep us updated on your problem, and I would most certainly try another main dealer in your area, as you currently seem to be hitting your head against a wall.!!!!

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Mon 20 Oct 2003 14:03

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - Diesel nutter

Hey guys!

You may not want to hear this but I suspect there may be little wrong with your 530d!... from my experience of these cars they will not loose a PD130 in a smaller car - at least not at the speeds we are legal at in this country!

We have in our family a 52-reg 530d, an 03-reg Seat Cordoba 1.9TDi PD130 and an 03-reg VW Golf GT TDi150. They are all within a nats of each other at normal fast cruising speeds.
In our experiments to Golf is the quickest up to about three figures (at which point the beemer can start to pull away) and the Cordoba is as fast accelerating as the 530 - assuming its being properly driven and the six gears are used as appropriate! At first I too was surprised by this but having done my research (Diesel Car mag when it used to be good!) I find that, where the all important in-gear acceleration is concerned the beemer is not actually quicker by any significant margin (.3sec tops) and between 50 and 70 in a high gear the Cordoba is actually quicker!
Obviously the bmw dealer is going to say it should leave some low-rent VW's - he's hardly going to tell you that a £14k Seat can keep with you is he!
I would love to know if you get to the bottom of this, but, I do sspect all is as it should be (bear in mind rolling road readouts are notoriously variable) and the 530 is on form! These 130/150 TDi's are very very fast cars remember! For info the 530d is now well run in at 32k miles and its performance has been improving since new, it averages between 32 and 36mpg and is gorgeous, the Golf has covered just 7k miles and is a slingshot thing that can't corner, and the Cordoba seems to offer the ideal compromise, its done 15k, pulls like a train and often returns 58mpg!

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Mon 20 Oct 2003 16:10

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - CM

Nutter, there is a problem and I have the speed run report from the rolling road to prove it.

I talked to the dealer who still hasn't had word from his technical department but he did tell me some news that didn't make me happy at all.

Apparently if I have a faulty turbo then I am more than likely to get a reconditioned replacement (ie the cheapest option). Also the warranty on this replacement part would run out at the same time as the warranty on the rest of the car (ie in 6 weeks time). I told him that if this was to be the case then he should tell me as I am not going to accept a reconditioned turbo unit.

He thinks that it is possibly the wastegate getting stuck open.

Perhaps you should check out your 530d to make sure that all is OK :-)

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Mon 20 Oct 2003 16:47

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - Aprilia

I think a sticky wastegate *would* give the symptoms you describe. The 'reconditioned' replacement and warranty issues you mention are, unfortunately, standard practice in the industry.

When the climate control failed on my 7-series they fitted a 'reconditioned' unit. This actually turned out to be a secondhand unit that I suspect they had removed in error from another vehicle with a CC fault. Unfortunately they made a hash of fitting it and damaged a wiring connector which then resulted in part of the loom need replacement!

If they do this repair for you I would strongly advise getting an independent inspection after the repair to make sure that all is well - otherwise they'll have you shelling out from your own pocket in six months time.

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Mon 20 Oct 2003 17:02

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - Marcos{P}

I would be vary wary of a replacement turbo unit. These units spin at a tremendous speed so are fairly stressed. How 'reconditioned' is a reconditioned unit going to be.
As for a 130bhp VW keeping up, I don't think so. My freind has a 130bhp golf and his car cannot get close to my Merc E320 CDI which has slightly more power than the BMW but not much.

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Mon 20 Oct 2003 20:05

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - DL

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with a recon turbocharger; but I would (for peace of mind) want a 12 month/12000 mile warranty.

--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....

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Mon 20 Oct 2003 23:58

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - Diesel nutter

Well Im pretty sure there is nothing wrong with our 530d SE (which belongs to my father) since its every bit the equal to his friends... You should bear in mind, when comparing to other cars (the VW's!) that these cars are much smaller and lighter and will exhibit similar power and torque/weight ratios... add in some decent aerodynamics, the laws of physics and some well selected gear ratios and its easy to understand why they are all ball-park performance wise. Remeber even 'just' the 130TDi is packing at least 230lb/ft of torque and as test have shown VAG are notoriously pessemistic when rating their engines - they all produce more umph than they are rated at!
My brother in law is an engineer at the local superchips agent and, having driven all our cars many times has confirmed that they all perform as they should, and doing some rough 'wrist watch' timings they all reflect the performance achieved by test such as those in Diesel car and Autocar mag.
As for the Merc, that has massivley more torque than even the 530 and is doubtless mated to an auto box so will obviously waste the 130 Golf!

Some figures from DC mags actual performance testing for 30-50 and 50-70 and the useless 0-60mph (assuming theirs was working OK - Im guessing so!) 530d = 5.9,6.8,9.0 Cordoba 130=6.4,7.2,9.4 Golf 150=5.1,6.1,7.3 -
You can see why our 530d cannot outclass the others! Having said that, if you disregard out legal limit, it might be another story!

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Sun 6 Mar 2011 19:18

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - iany

Standard 530d is 180ish BHP and weighs a lot, also if its an auto that slows u down a bit,

I had a 130PD passat and traded for a 2001 e39 530d SE a few years back and the beemer wasnt as quick to 60, got it remapped and it was a lot better,

I now drive n e60 530d msport which has 240 BHP off the production line which could wipe the floor with the wifes 140 GTTDI golf , now its been remapped to near 290BHP and due to the ammount of torque there's not much that can keep up. On a straight road from a standstill , at the point where the golf has reached 80 the BM is doing 110..

The 530d (e39) was a fab car that is one of the best i've ever owned, it'd do 43 MPG everywhere, to the point where i did think the computer was stuck!! The one i have now hovers around 30mpg but i wouldnt swap it for the world.

You need to consider the power to weight ratio with these things, having a hundred horesepower more isnt always going to make a car quicker than another if it also weighs another ton more ;)

Dont be dissheartened though, a couple of hundred on a remapp (once you're sure that the car's right and has no other issues) and you'll be laughing!!

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Sun 6 Mar 2011 20:12

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - Collos25

With a 70mph speed limit and the volume of traffic in the UK don't you think that having such power is worthless.

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Sun 6 Mar 2011 20:47

turbo problems??? BMW 530d - oqey

Why do people think that having a fast or powerful car is all about driving above speed limit? It's non of your concern what vehicle someone chose to drive.
Don't forget that some owners take their car to the track and also it's about how the bhp are being used responsibly with regards to other road users either from accelerating from a stop or going round corners. If your concern is about speed limit then there should be no speed limit at all because all cars on the road today can go above the current speed limit.

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