Hi. I've got two issues with my x3 diesel that I hope someone can help me with

1. Starting- I find that if I try to start engine as normal, it is reluctant, but if I leave key turned once for 30secs it's better to start. Is a glow plug replacement required do you think?

2. More seriously and poss related, bmw dealer diagnostic tell me engine is coked up and they want £4k for a manual engine clean and rebuild or £2k for a walnut clean. Instead I tried a proprietary engine cleaning company called terraclean and that improved performance, mpg and start up but only temporarily for about 3-4 weeks. Does anyone know of a better, cheaper solution. Otherwise I'm going to hand the car back mid term. (Btw if tried bmw customer service for a goodwill gesture but they refused on grounds of vehicle age)

Sorry Rob but BMW have answered your question, its a common problem with old diesels that just get plodded around town run on supermarket diesel, both problems are one and the same as its coked up beyond anything other than the head off, de-coke and rebuild, Terraclean was your only hope mate.

Find a specialist BMW repairer in your neck of the woods as the prices they quoted you are mental for either job!

Regards

Steve

Rob I have been thinking about this and the way I see it you have nothing to lose! You stated that after the Terraclean service was carried out the car was better so it proved it worked to a degree, but what I am thinking of is going to need the Terraclean guys agreement and probably more money!

Am going to put this simple because I am, when your good lady burns the Sunday roast and the pan looks like only an angle grinder will clean it what does she do???? She leaves it soaking so all the gunk will soften up, well that's whats wrong with your X3.

When a Terraclean service is carried they hook their machine up to your car and they start the process by starting your car with the fuel that's in the tank then they switch a clever little valve over so as it runs on their formula in the machine, now their fuel is 50% diesel and 50% pig !Removed!, and no am not being funny that's what it is ,but they call it ammonia and they run your car for a few moments and then shut it off so as the pig !Removed! gets round everything so as it softens the carbon, with me so far?

Now this is where you need the guy to be up for it, IE an extra long soak, longer the better to my mind, they will have given your car a 15-20 min soak then started it up and finished the process, hours were my thoughts longer the better!

If the guy goes along with this hair brained scheme and you get the car back go and find a duel carriageway and drive it like it wasn't yours, you don't have to be going fast but the revs need to be high, IE above 2750 rpm because you have to get the soft carbon out so as it doesn't gunk up again and if it works stop using supermarket diesel (they call it bio diesel because its got chip fat in it) and make a point of giving it a good run at least once a month!

Keep us posted if you decide that I haven't got a screw loose!

Regards

Steve

Thanks for the advice Steve. The gloucester terraclean guy seemed like a good guy and I bet he'd be up for it. I like the idea of giving the engine a good 2-3 hour soak through then blasting out the carbon on a run out. I'll be giving him a call in the new year and will let you know how I get on.

I'll also get a quote from a local garage for a strip down and clean. Wonder if I could get this for under £1k

Rob Mini were offering an eggshell service for £700 + VAT a few months back Mr Dabbsy would be the one to ask about that as to what extra work is involved in for your car.

I have used Terraclean many times as I am a car dealer and we get this crap all the time with old diesels that just get taken to the supermarket and church and it always works for us so my theory for your car is good but we haven't had a diesel as bad as that but we did have a petrol Mini Cooper S that just would not get out of its own way 2 hours later it drove like a hot rod.

No mate its not so much the labour in taking the head off of yours for a rebuild its the machine work that's costly, BMW wont do that they will put it out to a machine shop for that and a grand wont come close.

Regards

Steve