2014 M135I charge pipe issues- lost power

[Goffy 39]

Greetings guys i am the owner of a 2014 M135I that i absolutely love. i have had it 2 months and done around 3000 Kms in it so far. 

On the way to work (45KM aprox) it lost power and i noticed the engine note was quite droney when you gave it some throttle. I drive came up with a error: "drive train- possible to continue journey, full performance not available. Have the problem checked by your service provider" The car dealer i bought the car from directed me to my mechanical insurance -  they have told me to go to a MTA dealer to get the issue sorted so this is booked in. i thought on the off chance i might have a look under the bonnet to see if there was anything obvious and luckily (thank gawd) there was. The pipe that fits to the intake- i think they call it the cold air charge pipe, had come off and the flange at that end was missing a bit of material (should be a full circle but had two large chunks missing around its circumference ), so trying to push it back on was pretty futile as the end of the pipe wont hold on tightly enough even with the clip. i would say this is the main reason i was getting the error as the car is like new and traveled around 55,000 kms. i have googled this to death and it looks like the standard charge pipe is plastic and not very long lasting- every search i did has suggested putting on an after market charge pipe made of aluminium or similar. 

Has anyone else had a similar problem or can make any suggestions? 

Thanks for your help! 

Goffy  

[qube 3570]

Yep. Very common issue. Get a aluminium replacement and fit. The plastic ones all break eventually. U can still drive it kind if but wont have any power. 
Ive had it happen to me on my first m135 and the new m135 i bought has had it replaced already. 

[Goffy 39]

Thanks Qube, really appreciate it! i will see what insurance are going to do... sounds like if they want to replace with genuine plastic part i should push for and aluminum and pay the difference if there is one...

[Herbmiester 922]

As Q says quite common, I would definately go aftermarket for the fix.

[KwS 2421]

Depending on the cost of the pipe and how handy you are with a spanner I wouldnt even bother claiming on the insurance. Lots of guides online on how to change it, and you might find the total repair isnt much more (or less) than your excess.

[HypedKidz 24]

4 hours ago, KwS said:

Depending on the cost of the pipe and how handy you are with a spanner I wouldnt even bother claiming on the insurance. Lots of guides online on how to change it, and you might find the total repair isnt much more (or less) than your excess.

This.

[qube 3570]

I got mine from FTP motorsport for around $250usd. (made in taiwan)

there are other more expensive options out there for brand name parts like VRSF etc but honestly mine was absolutely fine and quality was good.

easy enough to fit with a bit of time and patience

 

[Goffy 39]

Thanks guys i have gone with your advice and bought and aftermarket. By the way i got a price from BMW and the plastic genuine item costs $814 (!). I found several options- there was one on Trademe  for under $300 and on research i kinda made the assumption that the cheaper ones don't always fit as well etc. I ended up purchasing a VRSF charge pipe for $600 from Sutherland performance in Wellington. They were really good to deal with actually.

i have fitted and all is well again. It wasn't the easiest of things to get out and i ended up cutting the plastic one in half first, getting the new one in was easy as its in two pieces.

Thanks guys!

Goffy

[qube 3570]

Good work, now you can enjoy the car and not worry about it.

How are you finding it so far? 

[Goffy 39]

Great actually, it was a little difficult to line up , but no more engine warning lights. i have a friend who can scan to see if we have any errors and to clear any codes and see if any come back. But it is ticking over like a swiss watch now!