[bollwerk]

Sadly, my 2011 E93 needs about $6,000 in repairs (or a complete engine replacement), which is as much as (or more than) blue book value, so I decided not to have it repaired. (Car is NOT drivable)

Any suggestions on how to deal with getting rid of it? I would like to try and get a grand or two out of it, from someone who wants to part it out maybe, but that might not be realistic. I know I can donate it for a write off or sell to a junkyard for a few bucks, but I'm asking what folks think is the best option.

Repairs needed:
1) New valve cover / gasket
2) Replace timing chain, gears, actuators and guides

Everything else works great, including the folding hard top. I even spent about $6k on upgrading the audio system many years ago, so perhaps there is value in those components as well, to someone.

I'm in NorCal if anyone wants to check it out.

Thanks!

[TunafishE93]

Put info on Facebook market palace and Craigslist. You should get a 3-5k offer as is..if you want to part out you would make more but would have to to do more work and time.. What color is the car??

[bluewater328]

Either that or its time get a $3k LS1 swap done :P

[TunafishE93]

If you think you can do a ls1 for 3k, you have put too much methanol in you tube.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by bollwerk

Sadly, my 2011 E93 needs about $6,000 in repairs (or a complete engine replacement), which is as much as (or more than) blue book value, so I decided not to have it repaired. (Car is NOT drivable)

Any suggestions on how to deal with getting rid of it? I would like to try and get a grand or two out of it, from someone who wants to part it out maybe, but that might not be realistic. I know I can donate it for a write off or sell to a junkyard for a few bucks, but I'm asking what folks think is the best option.

Repairs needed:
1) New valve cover / gasket
2) Replace timing chain, gears, actuators and guides

Everything else works great, including the folding hard top. I even spent about $6k on upgrading the audio system many years ago, so perhaps there is value in those components as well, to someone.

I'm in NorCal if anyone wants to check it out.

Thanks!

Carvana

[TunafishE93]

Caravan only does running vehicles..

[E92_William]

Keep in mind an n52 or n55 can be had running for 1k or so. Buddy of mine just bought an n55 for 800 for his 135 and I've seen tons of n52s for less than that. I think it's worth changing the engine instead of parting it out or selling for a lot less than market value

[Luis561]

I'm pretty sure you can swap the engine for less than $3000. Source the engine and call for labor quotes

[fastboatster]

Can’t see if you e93 is a 335i or 328i. If it’s 335i, please donate it to me)

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by fastboatster

Can’t see if you e93 is a 335i or 328i. If it’s 335i, please donate it to me)

N52. Sorry dude

[Efthreeoh]

OP, any known cause for the timing chain failure?

[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

OP, any known cause for the timing chain failure?

is a 2011, is that when BMW had issues with vanos bolts breaking?

But yeah, you can get a good N52 used pretty cheap. BMW made millions of them. Definitely for less than $6k.

[bollwerk]

Thanks for the responses.
Answers to various questions:
Color - blue
Trim - 328i SULEV
Engine replacement - while I didn't get an exact quote, I was told it would cost around $8-10k to replace, from the shop I had it at, and this was corroborated by a friend who is a mechanic who has owned and worked on BMWs in the past. Now, of course this assumes a swap with a new engine. I'm not sure I'd want to swap with another old engine, unless it was just rebuilt. I don't have the expertise to do any of this, but if someone else wanted to buy it and do it themselves, more power to them.
The shop owner couldn't say exactly why the timing chain failed, but he suggested that with an older BMW, the oil should be changed more frequently than the manufacturer recommends, to avoid sludge, which can possibly contribute to the chain "jerking" and causing bolts to shear.

Honestly, it's a fucking gorgeous car and I would hate to see it waste away in a junkyard. I hope I can find a good home for it.

[hassmaschine]

yeah, I kind of don't buy that explanation. there are many N52s with way more miles that follow the CBS. timing chain failure isn't impossible but it's pretty rare. You definitely don't need a *brand new* engine either, but I get it - you don't want to deal with it.

Non-running I wouldn't expect to get much for it, it just depends on how much hassle you want to deal with. Maybe somebody will want to buy it cheap and DIY swapping the engine, but I don't know how in demand convertibles are since it is usually cold and wet where I live..

[bollwerk]

Update: This website claims they'll pay me $1835 for it, and tow it away. Better than I expected.
https://www.cashautosalvage.com/sell-my-car/
Anyone gone this route?

[E92_William]

Idk but I'll give you 2k

How many miles are on that car? If it's sulev abs under 150k miles you can get all the work done for free under warranty

[eljay]

N52s are everywhere, so it's a matter of finding a shop to do a swap. I think you should be able to squeeze under $3k and keep your car.

[fastboatster]

Right, if it’s Sulev then try to fix it using Sulev warranty. 2011 should be under 150kmiles, I would not sell it to a junkyard until I tried to get it fixed under that warranty. Pretty sure it covers timing chains and other timing components and probably the entire engine. Call some of the better dealerships first, don’t sell it for scrap just yet!

[bollwerk]

Thanks for the tip on the SULEV warranty. I called my local BMW service department. While the valve cover is covered under that, the timing chain is not. If I had it towed over there to fix that, I would still need the timing chain fixed, which would likely cost much more than my local shop, based on my past experience. I'm not sure it would save me much money if they can't fix both under warranty.

[E92_William]

Originally Posted by fastboatster

Right, if it’s Sulev then try to fix it using Sulev warranty. 2011 should be under 150kmiles, I would not sell it to a junkyard until I tried to get it fixed under that warranty. Pretty sure it covers timing chains and other timing components and probably the entire engine. Call some of the better dealerships first, don’t sell it for scrap just yet!

Mhm that's very weird because there's been guys here that have had both their vanos actuators replaced under that warranty and had oil pan gaskets and all that stuff done if they have to find a bolt from the actuator in the oil pan. I recall one that got a whole new cylinder head from BMW due to a bent valve. I'd keep calling or see if someone at the dealer can be motivated to tell you what's the necessary failure mode is for the warranty to cover the chain or the whole engine

I'm sure this is some bureaucratic type thing where they won't cover it if it failed in X way but if it did in Y way it would be covered so if you're going to change the whole thing anyway might aswell try to emulate the failure mode they need to see

[Hoody007]

Originally Posted by bollwerk

Thanks for the tip on the SULEV warranty. I called my local BMW service department. While the valve cover is covered under that, the timing chain is not. If I had it towed over there to fix that, I would still need the timing chain fixed, which would likely cost much more than my local shop, based on my past experience. I'm not sure it would save me much money if they can't fix both under warranty.

I'd still get a second opinion. What makes the shop think it's timing chain failure? Does the engine still start?

[jsunma]

With all due respect to the OP, it's pretty clear that he just doesn't want the car or the hassle and would rather simply get some cash for a problem that he wants out of his driveway/garage asap. To each their own, and if you've got the resources to do what you want, then more power to you.

So, someone on here who's in the Bay area should make him a real offer over $1800 and get the car. I'd love this as a project myself (always loved the idea of those hardtop convertibles), but as they say, "wrong coast". (plus, I could probably find a similar project out here if I really cared to)

FWIW, I also will second the point about the warranty. Serious warranty service - IMO - always requires work on the claimant's part, but it can often pay off. I got a whole new cylinder head on my car due to being persistent about the ticking valve issue (back when the car was still under BMW's extended warranty). I've heard positive stories about the SULEV warranty. But again, I think the OP simply wants the car gone and actually doesn't want to go through the work of getting it fixed.