TDIclub Secret Society of BMW Owners (SSBMWO)

diesel4ever

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2004
Location
Ontario
TDI
Golf 2000, black
Just got mine 2011 335D a month ago.
Last week it received Malone tune, stage 2.
I enjoyed the torque of TDIs for years, but this is on a completely different level.

My wife's been driving ML350 (MY 2012) since May last year. Great long distance vehicle.

2000 Golf is still in the family (my son's now) with 640,000km and my niece has my Jetta, just flipped 600,000km.
 
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tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Location
Kensington, Maryland USA
TDI
2015 Jetta SEL TDI
BMW dealer service is just as bad a VW dealer service at some BMW dealers. It is sad because an oil change on a BMW diesel is no harder than a TDI oil change. The oil filter is slightly different and the engine holds more oil (8 quarts) but the oil change is very much like a TDI oil change. The oil filter is accessible from the top just like in a TDI. The oil used is the same or similar to what a CR TDI uses. VW 507.00 oils all have BMW LL-04 rating on them and the LL-04 spec is slightly less stringent than 507.00 and is similar to MB229.51 and VW 505.01. I use oils that have BMW LL-04, MB229.51, and VW 507.00 ratings on them. A 507.00 5W-30 oil for a CR TDI is perfect for a BMW diesel since it also is LL-04 rated.
I do all oil changes in my BMWs just like I did with my TDIs. Fortunately the diesel BMWs still have a traditional dipstick so you can do a topside oil change with an extractor pump just like with a TDI. The gasser BMWs no longer have a dipstick to check the oil level. The gassers only have an electronic oil level readout on the iDrive display. I like have an electronic oil level display in addition to the dipstick. I want BOTH indicators. The electronic oil level sensor provides continuous monitoring of the oil level. A traditional dipstick technically fails this test except when you check the level. While I like having the electronic oil level readout, I still want a dipstick and the dipstick reading has the final say in case of any discrepancy in readings.
A DIY oil change on a BMW diesel is no harder than a TDI oil change. It is sad that some BMW dealers can't do an oil change without totally expletive-ing it up.
I paid extra for BMW to change my Oil.....I am getting older and do not want to crawl under my cars anymore....it is pretty sad these Aholes can’t even do that right.....
 

MAXRPM

Veteran Member
Joined
May 7, 2008
Location
US
TDI
00 Jetta and 99.5 Golf, 2015 Passat TDI,BMW 2
That is exactly why I am paying VW to change my oil
I got a passat 2015 tdi and I find to change the oil to be easier than my golf and jetta alh I must say that I got diesel geek bypass filters on both my golf and jetta though,,, 335d s a cake walk for oil changes,
 

gcodori

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
Location
northern california (bay area)
TDI
2001 NB TDI plus CPO 2013 Passat TDI SEL Prem.
I got a passat 2015 tdi and I find to change the oil to be easier than my golf and jetta alh I must say that I got diesel geek bypass filters on both my golf and jetta though,,, 335d s a cake walk for oil changes,
I sent my 2013 Passat TDI back to VW because... diesel, and I found the oil change to be a royal pain in the arse. It had a top mount paper filter and they wisely routed some kind of thick rubber/braided hose across the top of the filter housing.

You had to wiggle and maneuver the housing at odd angles while holding the hose back as much as you could.

It took a good 20 minutes of a 30 minute oil change just dealing with the filter. Ugh.

My dad has a 14 Passat and has the modified motor with the filter like yours.



Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

Blue_Hen_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Location
Slower, DE
TDI
owned: 96 B4V, 06 Golf, 12 NMS, 15 GSW
I did the first change on my 335d last Saturday. It is indeed quite easy. The only mishap noted was that with the car on ramps, when you remove the drain bolt and the initial 20 seconds or so gush of oil slows to a stream, the oil will begin clinging to the bottom of the pan and start a new stream at the back of the pan that drips behind the trap door opening on top of the forward splash cover. Next time I’ll just take the whole cover off ahead of time. I ended up washing the cover with hose and Dawn to get the oil drips off.
 

dmanb2b

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
Location
NY
TDI
2012 Jetta, 2011 335D
I did the first change on my 335d last Saturday. It is indeed quite easy. The only mishap noted was that with the car on ramps, when you remove the drain bolt and the initial 20 seconds or so gush of oil slows to a stream, the oil will begin clinging to the bottom of the pan and start a new stream at the back of the pan that drips behind the trap door opening on top of the forward splash cover. Next time I’ll just take the whole cover off ahead of time. I ended up washing the cover with hose and Dawn to get the oil drips off.
Forgot about that, yeah, I have much better luck with all four wheels up. My undertray is a greasy mess, keeps water out of engine bay :D
 

dogdots

Vendor
Joined
Sep 4, 2002
Location
Kansas City
TDI
None
I do mine topside. Belly pan only comes off for fuel filter replacement and then the car is 6 feet in the air :)
 

dogdots

Vendor
Joined
Sep 4, 2002
Location
Kansas City
TDI
None
I have a Pela. Is it a straight shot to the bottom of the pan?
Pretty much but it takes a long tube to get there. We have an air powered oil sucker at the shop and its tubes are about 4" too short so I use a piece of tight fitting fuel line to connect 2 tubes so I can leave the sucker on the ground in front of the car and have enough length to reach the bottom of the pan.

My mityvac tube is long enough but I keep that at home and always forget to bring the right size tube to the shop when I am doing my oil changes :p
 

PeteZ06

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2012
Location
Algonquin, IL
TDI
E320 CDI
535D question...

Any way to have the car stay in SPORT mode and turn Traction control OFF?

It seems like as soon as I turn traction OFF it puts the car in COMFORT mode.
 

RebelTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Location
Boston, MA
TDI
2016 Audi Q5 TDI, 2016 BMW 535d Xdrive
535D question...

Any way to have the car stay in SPORT mode and turn Traction control OFF?

It seems like as soon as I turn traction OFF it puts the car in COMFORT mode.
It think that should be "Sport+" mode.
 

Tin Man

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2001
Location
Coastal Empire
TDI
Daughter's: 2004 NB TDI PD GLS DSG (gone to pasture)
BMW is apparently doing an about-face from diesel, at least in the US.

Rumors on web boards indicate the demise of the 540dx early in its life cycle, the near-future cancelling of the 328d, and the lack of fulfillment of a possible diesel version of the X3. The X5 diesel is gone with the next iteration and the X7 doesn't even have one.

Very foolish after their success in keeping these vehicles clean during huge biases from government regulators and public opinion nonsense.

For me to want a great car like a 5 series without getting over 30 mpg won't happen, so all I have as a choice is the 530e. I'm not interested in such cars having already owned a hybrid Lexus - totally disconnected from the driver in many ways. I am not interested in favoring the glut of oil in the world, so I might go all-electric.

TM
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I've been thinking I should grab an end-of-model run F30 328d wagon, in case they don't put a diesel in the next generation. Perhaps this is my signal to do it. There's one available locally that's equipped the way I want. However, my 335d only has 56K on it so I think it'll last a while. And I like that engine better. I recently drove a new 328i and didn't love it.
 

RebelTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Location
Boston, MA
TDI
2016 Audi Q5 TDI, 2016 BMW 535d Xdrive
Yes, I have seen the same information on Bimmerfest. Very disappointing. My 535d is a lease, which is up in Nov '19. I guess I could consider buying it out, if it makes financial sense. Not sure what I'll do. We are being led to electrification, more and more. I'm not totally against electric, but it's going to be hard to match the range I have with the 535d. I'll need to get as much life out my Q5 TDI as possible.
 

Tin Man

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2001
Location
Coastal Empire
TDI
Daughter's: 2004 NB TDI PD GLS DSG (gone to pasture)
I just got the August 2018 Roundel and there is an article by an X5 diesel owner about being at the SC test track to look at the new X5 models. He says that BMW has given a strong indication that we will get the diesel X5 eventually, but no mention is made of the recent tariff kerfuffle so I'll reserve judgement.

TM
 

aircooledkid

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Location
Was KC now NM
TDI
14 328d BMW f31 wagon, 05 reflex silver 5sp wagon, 04 5sp blue anthracite golf, 03 5sp wagon(sold)
I love my F31 wagon and want to pick up another another before they are gone. The G21 is not coming to the US so the last days of getting a diesel wagon are numbered. Reality is I don't need another wagon, I need a tow vehicle. I'm moving towards a X535D instead.
 

aircooledkid

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Location
Was KC now NM
TDI
14 328d BMW f31 wagon, 05 reflex silver 5sp wagon, 04 5sp blue anthracite golf, 03 5sp wagon(sold)
I love my F31 wagon and want to pick up another another before they are gone. The G21 is not coming to the US so the last days of getting a diesel wagon are numbered. Reality is I don't need another wagon, I need a tow vehicle. I'm moving towards a X535D instead.
Side note my 2014 328d wagon lost its transfer case at 40860 two weeks ago on my road trip from Montana to New Mexico. It's currently at dealer in SLC. It was six months out of warranty. BMW is covering 75%.
 

kooyajerms

grocery getter
Joined
May 5, 2004
Location
Pomona, Southern California
TDI
97 B4V (mine), 11 x5 35d (hers) 04 V10 (that one you want), 2014 Q7 (mom's) 74 Shasta 1400
Is there anything folks can do to prevent these xdrive’s from taking a poop so quickly? I haven’t read much on the 328d’s transfer cases other than the failures.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
JasonTDI says if you change the gear oil in the case every 40K they last fine. The correct oil is $90 a liter but it only takes about 4-6 oz. So it's not really that expensive. There's no service interval for the case but, like the transmissions, they benefit from a fluid change.
 

aircooledkid

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Location
Was KC now NM
TDI
14 328d BMW f31 wagon, 05 reflex silver 5sp wagon, 04 5sp blue anthracite golf, 03 5sp wagon(sold)
JasonTDI says if you change the gear oil in the case every 40K they last fine. The correct oil is $90 a liter but it only takes about 4-6 oz. So it's not really that expensive. There's no service interval for the case but, like the transmissions, they benefit from a fluid change.
I believed this too when I bought mine, but not anymore. Too many tc's have failed with way less than 40k on them. The spines on the rear yoke spun on mine. Thier has to be a hardness or tolerance issue with the rear yoke and mainshaft.That looks to be the failure point in the f31 tc. It seems to be 14s that have more failures. Mine was built dec13. I changed the oil in mine when I bought it @26k. I have been told the tansfer case part number has changed. I'm wondering if any updates have been made to it.
 

n1das

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2002
Location
Nashua, NH, USA
TDI
2014 BMW 535xd ///M-Sport, 2012 BMW X5 Xdrive35d, former 3x TDI owner
Yes, I have seen the same information on Bimmerfest. Very disappointing. My 535d is a lease, which is up in Nov '19. I guess I could consider buying it out, if it makes financial sense. Not sure what I'll do. We are being led to electrification, more and more. I'm not totally against electric, but it's going to be hard to match the range I have with the 535d. I'll need to get as much life out my Q5 TDI as possible.
BMW not returning with diesels means I won't be returning as a customer and I'm committed to keeping my 14 535d and 12 X5 35d as long as possible. VW already lost me as a customer due to no more TDIs.

I'm becoming more of a truck guy too so if I add another diesel vehicle to my all diesel fleet, it likely will be a diesel pickup truck. I miss the 08 Ford F-350 SuperDuty 6.4L PowerStroke Diesel truck I had a few years ago. The truck was too damn useful for those times when I needed a truck. At the time it was hard to justify owning 3 vehicles when I'm the only driver of them. That means I probably will have another one again someday. The diesel pickup truck market does not appear to be threatened at all and is expanding. Diesel pickup truck owners are our friends when it comes to keeping diesel alive.

No gassers or electric for me. Whatever I own and drive HAS to be DIESEL powered.
 
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dmanb2b

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2014
Location
NY
TDI
2012 Jetta, 2011 335D
Side note my 2014 328d wagon lost its transfer case at 40860 two weeks ago on my road trip from Montana to New Mexico. It's currently at dealer in SLC. It was six months out of warranty. BMW is covering 75%.
I really wanted a 328d wagon, but they only make it in x-drive. The transfer case is a known weakness unfortunately.
 

aircooledkid

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Location
Was KC now NM
TDI
14 328d BMW f31 wagon, 05 reflex silver 5sp wagon, 04 5sp blue anthracite golf, 03 5sp wagon(sold)
I really wanted a 328d wagon, but they only make it in x-drive. The transfer case is a known weakness unfortunately.
Im not fond of the Xdrive at all. The transfer case issue is my only complaint, but I still love this car more than any of my tdi's I've had. I'm not getting rid of this car. Especially since the new G21 is not coming to the US. If it happens again I will fix it myself.
 

TOCleanDieselWag

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Location
Stratford, Ontario
TDI
2017 BMW 328d M Sport Touring (Wagon)
Powering an external air pump?

Hi folks! I have a question: I have a tire pump that I use mainly to pump up bicycle tires. It needs to be connected to a battery, as the leads have battery clamps. The cord has an in-line fuse as protection. I've used this pump with other cars, but cannot figure out how to get it to work with the Bimmer. I get no power from the positive post under the hood. Does anyone know how to get power from the battery on these cars? Can't find anything in the owner's manual. :confused:
I also have a battery maintainer for periods when the car is parked, but it too doesn't work with this car. Maybe the same issue.
Any ideas? The car is a 2017 328d Touring...
Thanks!! :)
 

TOCleanDieselWag

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Location
Stratford, Ontario
TDI
2017 BMW 328d M Sport Touring (Wagon)
OK, so I've solved my own problem! I didn't know that there is in fact a "negative battery post" under the hood on the right side of the car (left as you open the hood - over the wheel well). I tried that and it worked! All the other metal under the hood didn't complete the circuit. What an intricate beast this car is :)
 

jstn

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2009
Location
norton, ma
TDI
gone to the dark side :)
made a couple mods to my '12 x5d over the past 2 weeks:
  • ATM catted dp (dpf delete) and midpipe
  • EGR delete
  • JR 2.8 tune via odb
did the work myself. first off, if you haven't done a dpf delete on an x5d before, it's a lot of work. accessing several nuts and bolts is very difficult. removal of the dpf is a complete *****, to say the least. you need to drop the passenger subframe until there is literally 2 threads left on each of the 3 bolts... :eek: even then, i had to rotate the DPF in place, 180 degrees, after an hour or two of messing with it, before i could find the right angle for it to barely squeeze out.
work left:
  • delete primary egr cooler
  • delete egr
  • swirl flap delete
  • ATM fmic install
  • fluidampr + pulley install
  • t-stat
  • full tranny service
so another day or so worth of work, just waiting on a few parts, but i'll say, this thing hauls ass and gets amazing mileage for the power! similar setups have dyno'd at 315awhp / 500 awtq. butt dyno feels that way! it just pulls and pulls and pulls and before you know it you're at 90-100mph in a 5200lb SUV (i mean, SAV :rolleyes:).
exhaust smell is very minimal. at most, it smells like my alh did with no cat, which i actually enjoy (you get it). more sound would be nice, but the cat really prevents any loud turbo whistle and exhaust bark (sad face).
i'm considering an xhp trans tune. has anyone done this yet? i've read stage 2 is ideal but others have said stage 3 is also decent for daily driving.
justin
 

RebelTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Location
Boston, MA
TDI
2016 Audi Q5 TDI, 2016 BMW 535d Xdrive
Congrats on being able to perform those mods yourself. Any concerns about passing emissions testing in MA?
 

Blue_Hen_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Location
Slower, DE
TDI
owned: 96 B4V, 06 Golf, 12 NMS, 15 GSW
made a couple mods to my '12 x5d over the past 2 weeks:
  • ATM catted dp (dpf delete) and midpipe
  • EGR delete
  • JR 2.8 tune via odb
did the work myself. first off, if you haven't done a dpf delete on an x5d before, it's a lot of work. accessing several nuts and bolts is very difficult. removal of the dpf is a complete *****, to say the least. you need to drop the passenger subframe until there is literally 2 threads left on each of the 3 bolts... :eek: even then, i had to rotate the DPF in place, 180 degrees, after an hour or two of messing with it, before i could find the right angle for it to barely squeeze out.
work left:
  • delete primary egr cooler
  • delete egr
  • swirl flap delete
  • ATM fmic install
  • fluidampr + pulley install
  • t-stat
  • full tranny service
so another day or so worth of work, just waiting on a few parts, but i'll say, this thing hauls ass and gets amazing mileage for the power! similar setups have dyno'd at 315awhp / 500 awtq. butt dyno feels that way! it just pulls and pulls and pulls and before you know it you're at 90-100mph in a 5200lb SUV (i mean, SAV :rolleyes:).
exhaust smell is very minimal. at most, it smells like my alh did with no cat, which i actually enjoy (you get it). more sound would be nice, but the cat really prevents any loud turbo whistle and exhaust bark (sad face).
i'm considering an xhp trans tune. has anyone done this yet? i've read stage 2 is ideal but others have said stage 3 is also decent for daily driving.
justin
Nice!

I'm getting all of that done to my 335d by AARodriguez on Columbus Day. Can't wait.
 
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