Hi I am hoping someone has had some experience/heard of this:   BMW 330D broke down last night, got towed to garage, car is 3 years old, I have been told that there was swarf in the fuel system.  I have not misfueled the car or let it run dry , I always keep topped up, and they are telling me whole fuel system needs replacing at a cost of £9600 and possibly also a new engine!!!!!  Has anyone heard of any HPFP problems on BMW's?  The car gave no warning at all, it just spluttered and stopped and that was it! Any  advice appreciated as to whether this could be a parts fault or similar that I could approach BMW with

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Hi Christine 

Welcome to the Forum

I would start with an internet search to see how common the issue is.

Does the car have a BMW Dealer service history? I would challenge how swarf has reached the engine as the Fuel Filter's job is to stop it getting that far ?

BMW do not "repair" anything they replace parts so they are charging for a complete fuel system, or trying too. Ask them how often they have seen this? Have your search results to hand. If there is evidence of this being more common than they claim name and shame

Talk to BMW UK see what help you can get there as this seems an odd ball to me

Good Luck keep us up to speed

 

Wonder how she got on with this?

A month ago i popped in to my local Indy & they had a 118d with the very same problem. The car was was a 2011 i think,dunno miles or history on it . I was just horrified to see the swarf in the system. They had seen it before though but in the 18/2.0L engines.

Hi Mick Happy New Year

Shame that we don't get feed back especially on things like this that can be a great help to others.

I still can't get may head around how so much Swarf/metal particles get right through the system, the filter seems to do nothing? 

Dave

8 hours ago, Greydog said:

Hi Mick Happy New Year

Shame that we don't get feed back especially on things like this that can be a great help to others.

I still can't get may head around how so much Swarf/metal particles get right through the system, the filter seems to do nothing? 

Dave

Yes Happy New Year to you,

Exactly what my Indy said. When he showed me a sample of fuel he`d poured out the fuel rail i was amazed it got passed the filter. Tbh the particles were small but even so ,very scary! This 118 was 9 years old but they had seen it on one only 5, so with Christine`s car being only 3 to 4yrs & probably? FDSH at BMW you cant really say its an age/degradation type of problem. I hope she enlightens us soon. Maybe non genuine parts have been fitted(filter) or injector work to cause this??

Hi.

I bought my Approved Used 330d Touring in March 2020. 950 miles later it did exactly what yours did. Lifted to BMW Dealers. Quote: “£900 please for a complete new fuel system as you have been using dirty fuel” and they showed me the swarf pictures. I denied abusing my expensive BMW and supplied them with three receipts for Esso fuel (all I used in 950 miles!) and after deliberation BMW repaired the car at their expense.

The high pressure fuel pump had literally eaten itself - a well known issue in the USA - where the cylindrical roller follower rotates (it’s on the bottom of each pump piston) with the piston on no longer rotates as it follows the pump cam. The net result is friction and the hardened coating breaks away (aforementioned swarf) and enters the fuel and return pipes. In the US it was put down to dirty fuel, but this should not be an issue in the UK. Research the Net and Forums.

I hope you get your problem resolved!

 

On 1/9/2021 at 5:57 PM, MICK 330DCI said:

Wonder how she got on with this?

A month ago i popped in to my local Indy & they had a 118d with the very same problem. The car was was a 2011 i think,dunno miles or history on it . I was just horrified to see the swarf in the system. They had seen it before though but in the 18/2.0L engines.

I suspect it’s the design of the (Bosch?) high pressure fuel pump, rather than engine-specific. I forget the model number, but the pump is lubricated by the fuel passing through it. As the pistons follow a cam profile, they are each fitted with a roller follower. One issue is that the piston is round and so (with no gudgeon pin as in an engine piston) it is possible for the piston to rotate in its bore. If it does this, the roller is no longer ROLLING around the cam, but rubbing across the top of it! This results in friction and the resulting swarf is then already IN the fuel supply and return.