From: L & S Mendonca [mendonca@cyberus.ca]
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 1998 9:14 PM
To: I_am_mad_too@bmwlemon.com
Subject: BMW 318i M42 Engine Gasket Defect

The M42 Engine Profile Gasket Ripoff!

I wish to bring to everyone`s  attention a major engine defect, for
which BMW is attempting to avoid all responsibility. As a long time BMW
owner I was disappointed when, in September 1997, my 1993 318i required
a $928.00 repair to replace the head, profile and water pump gaskets.
This repair forced me to rent another vehicle at an additional $523.00
cost.  I was concerned that a well maintained vehicle that was less than
four years old, with only 92,000 kilometers on the dial would experience
such a major failure.  This was in addition to four other repairs in the
spring which totaled over $1,000.00.

I contacted BMW Canada and was offered a 'goodwill' gesture: a $300.00
credit for future repairs.  I consider this offer inadequate. I
discovered, through the Automobile Protection Association, a Dealer
Service Bulletin in which BMW Canada warns dealerships of coolant leaks
"due to a deteriorated rubber timing case profile gasket" on the M42
engine.  The Dealer Service Bulletin was issued in October 1993. I
purchased my BMW in August.  The Dealer Service Bulletin acknowledges a
major design flaw, or manufacturing error, that was not revealed to me
at time of purchase, nor was I informed of the defect during four years
of loyal service visits! If the part had failed within the warranty
period BMW would have had to repair it free, but they gambled that the
failure would occur after the warranty expired and knowingly sold me the
car with the defective gasket.

In the July 1998 issue, Mike Miller, Technical Editor of the Roundel,
the magazine of the BMW Car Club of America, wrote: "The 1991-'93 engine
profile gasket is clearly not a shining moment for BMW." He goes on to
add, "...wouldn't it make good business sense for BMW NA to stand behind
their product in this case? Do they not have a moral obligation to loyal
BMW owners to make good on this admittedly defective part?"

It seems that since a Mr. Ron Browne brought the defect to the BMW CCA's
attention earlier this year, the Roundel has "been swamped with
complaints about the problem". The sudden influx of complaints surprises
me, because the October 1996 ‘Die Werkstatt' column in the Roundel
details the problem succinctly. Jenny Morgan, contributing editor,
wrote: "...there's a little gasket in them (the M42 engine) that can
make your own personal Chernobyl....When it blows out, the leak can be
sudden and significant."

In the December 1998 edition of BIMMER magazine contains an article on
purchasing used BMWs, written by Associate Editor Alexander Palevsky. He
writes, "Perhaps more than any other recent model, the E36 was
introduced with teething problems that took a few years to straighten
out. The cost of replacing items like the faulty profile gaskets...can
constitute a significant percentage of the asking price.....check the
paperwork for a profile gasket replacement on 318s."

Because of this Dealer Service Bulletin, and these articles by
knowledgeable technical writers,  the 'goodwill' offer by BMW seems to
be nothing but a sop to cover poor engineering and indifferent customer
service. A golden opportunity to earn customer loyalty and consumer
respect has passed, now BMW has nothing to look forward too except
damage control and legal actions. Please read the June or July edition
of the Roundel, or call David Honig, the BMW CCA Ombudsman, to confirm
the damage done to BMW reputation for engineering excellence. In a
telephone conversation with him, he estimated that as many as twenty
thousand 1991 to 1993 E30 and E36 models have the defective gaskets,
which costs an average of $1,200.00 to repair.

I have filed suit in small claims court to recover my costs and damages,
seeking $4,327.73. BMW Canada offered $2,000.00 to settle, not enough,
but at least they are heading in the right direction. To read my
Statement of Claim go to:
www.eskimo.com/~dalus/bmw/all/engine/all_m42_profile_gasket_defect_lib.html

A FAQ on the subject is:
  www.eskimo.com/~dalus/bmw/all/engine/all_m42_profile_gasket_faq.html
I will soon post BMW Defense Statement for you to judge for yourself.

 I would appreciate anything you could do to publicize this scandalous
lack of business ethics. Not only did BMW knowingly sell defective cars,
but they never informed owners that their M42 engines were ticking time
bombs, destined to fail in an expensive and unnecessary manner. The more
owners who know that they are not the alone, the more pressure we can
put on BMW to do the right thing.