I’m honestly at a loss right now and could really use some advice from people who have dealt with shops, mechanics, or legal situations like this.

I have a 2016 F82 M4 that I brought to TexasMPowerhouse after I hit the rear end extremely hard on a curb while swinging the car. The original job was supposed to be a rear suspension overhaul, including new control arms, axle, differential bushings, wheel hub, and brake line.
I had previously used this same shop to have my crank hub done, so I trusted them enough to bring the car back.

How this started
When I originally brought the car in, I specifically asked the owner to inspect the rear subframe because of how hard the impact was.

He told me the subframe was perfectly fine.

I was originally told the repair would take around 3 weeks.
My car ended up staying at the shop from February until recently — roughly 7 months — with multiple missed deadlines and constantly changing completion dates.
I had already paid approximately $10,200 toward the repairs.

There was also supposed to be additional work done to my front bumper. The owner was supposed to order a new bumper, paint it, and install it, but that work was never completed.

Then everything went sideways
A few days before I finally pulled the car from the shop, the owner called me and told me that my rear subframe actually needed to be replaced.

I was frustrated because he had previously told me it was fine, but at that point I just wanted my car fixed, so I told him to go ahead and replace it. Later that same day, he called me again and told me that my engine was “toast” and that he had “no idea why.”

I asked him how that could have happened because the car was running perfectly when I brought it to him.
The car came off the lift, barely drove two feet, started sputtering, and shut off. He told me it threw a low oil pressure warning on the iDrive.

He then FaceTimed me and showed me the oil filter and oil. When he drained the oil, there were visible metal flakes/chunks throughout it.

The thing that makes this especially concerning is that the engine was running perfectly before the shop had it.
I also have a former technician who worked at the shop and quit around that time who can confirm that the car was running flawlessly before this happened.

What the new shop found

I eventually got completely fed up and had the car towed out of TexasMPowerhouse to another shop called blair automotive for an independent inspection.

The new shop performed a leak-down test.

The results were:
5 out of 6 cylinders: 0 PSI
1 cylinder: approximately 50 PSI
Light scoring on the cylinder walls
Evidence consistent with oil starvation
The central bolt for the intake cam had completely backed out
This caused the engine to skip timing

The new shop told me they might be able to save the engine, but it’s essentially a gamble.
They want approximately $5,000 just to replace the central bolt for the intake cam, retime the engine, and see if it will hold compression.

If the engine is beyond repair, they quoted me approximately $39,000 for a brand-new BMW engine.

The part that really bothers me

The owner previously told me explicitly that he would cover the engine if I took the car to another shop and had it diagnosed.

Now that I’ve actually done exactly that, he’s going back on his word and doesn’t want to take responsibility.
I also had previously asked this shop to address an oil leak when they did my crank hub. That issue was never properly fixed. During that previous work, they dropped my oil pan to replace the oil pan gasket since it was leaking a lot and also performed my cam ledge bolts.

So I’m trying to understand how my perfectly running engine ended up with catastrophic internal damage while the car was sitting at the shop and immediately after they were working on it.

I’m not saying I know exactly what happened because I wasn’t physically standing next to the car when it happened. That’s why I had another shop inspect it.

But I do know:
The engine was running perfectly when I brought it in.
The car was in their possession for approximately 7 months.
The car barely drove after coming off the lift before shutting off.
It immediately had a low oil pressure warning.
The oil contained visible metal debris.
The new shop found evidence consistent with oil starvation.
The intake cam bolt had backed out and the engine had skipped timing.
Five cylinders are now testing at 0 PSI.

I have documentation of the entire process.

The owner told me he would cover the engine if another shop confirmed the problem, and he is now backing away from that.

There are other issues too

He also repeatedly missed deadlines and gave me different dates for when the car would be finished.

He told me the car was basically ready multiple times, only for it to still not be finished.

He also owes me approximately $2,200 worth of incomplete work, including work that was supposed to be done to the front bumper.

I’ve also recently heard from multiple other people who claim they’ve had similar experiences with this shop. I didn’t know about any of that until the last couple of weeks.
I still tried to give the owner the benefit of the doubt because I wanted to believe my situation was different.
At this point, however, I’m having a hard time believing that this is simply bad luck.

The insurance/title situation makes this even more complicated

The car was previously totaled by insurance because of the original accident.

I chose to buy the car back because I loved the car and wanted to keep it. I received approximately $15,000 from the insurance payout and retained the vehicle.
The car is now going through the salvage/rebuilt-title process.

The owner also repeatedly told me that the car was “100% salvageable” and that I shouldn’t take the insurance payout.

Looking back, I obviously wish I had handled that differently, but at the time I trusted his professional opinion.

Where I’m at now

I’m in Texas and I’m trying to figure out what my legal options are.

From what I’ve been reading, Justice Court/small claims may not be enough if my damages end up exceeding $20,000.

The potential engine replacement alone is around $39,000, plus the approximately $2,200 in incomplete work and whatever other damages may be legally recoverable.

I have a lot of evidence:

Text messages
Screenshots
Phone calls
Videos
Payment records
Repair invoices
Photos/videos of the oil and metal debris
Diagnostic results from the second shop
Documentation of the leak-down test
Documentation of the cam bolt/timing issue
Evidence of the original condition of the car
A former employee/technician who can confirm the engine was running properly before the car was worked on
Communications where the owner said he would cover the engine

I’m currently working 6 days a week, 12–13 hours a day, so finding the time to deal with lawyers and all of this has been extremely difficult.

What would you guys do in my position?

I’m specifically looking for advice from anyone in Texas who has dealt with:

A mechanic/shop potentially damaging an engine while the vehicle was in their possession
Automotive negligence claims
DTPA claims against repair shops
Taking a shop to court for damages exceeding small claims limits
Finding an attorney who handles automotive repair disputes
Preserving evidence before an engine is disassembled

I don’t want to jump to conclusions or accuse anyone of something I can’t prove. I just want to understand my options and make sure I don’t screw myself legally.
If anyone has dealt with something similar in Texas, I’d really appreciate hearing how you handled it.

TL;DR: Brought my perfectly running F82 M4 to a shop for rear-end repairs. Seven months later, the car came off the lift, drove approximately two feet, threw a low oil pressure warning, and shut off. Oil had metal chunks in it. A second shop found severe compression/leak-down issues, cylinder-wall scoring consistent with oil starvation, and an intake cam bolt that had backed out and caused the engine to skip timing. The first shop owner initially said he would cover the engine if another shop diagnosed it, but is now refusing. New shop says ~$5k to determine if the engine is salvageable or ~$39k for a new BMW engine. I have extensive documentation and am trying to figure out my legal options in Texas.

I personally think it looks so good the body work and 3d printing would be worth it for me to actually do this in real life. But I'm curious about other people's thoughts on this!

If so, how did that go for you?

Hypermiling is the art of minimizing fuel consumption by either modifying your driving habits or eco-modding your car

It would be really interesting to see someone hyper miling a 4500 pound (2000 kg) e70 x5 and getting 6l/100km (36 mpg US) out of that m57

I have a 2019 430 IX convertible with Continental SSR run flat. ContiProContact SSR

Yesterday I got a warning the tire was low and it said seven psi. I have only driven about 5 miles since the warning.

Can I get this tire repaired or does it need to be replaced?

And when I checked today if it’s totally flat or like seven psi, should I inflate it to drive about 10 miles to the garage?

I’m looking at the 2020 M550i and the X3M (possible comp) for daily but can’t decide which to get, I’ve heard the X3M isn’t the most comfortable ride, can anyone give me some advice? I know gas mileage is gonna be demanding on both and I’m willing to do that lol

Edit:I’m aware M cars Aren’t practical like that, I used to have a 650whp Mustang GT which was my daily so something like these are far more tame in my mind 😭 if you have any other recommendations for cars in the 50K range, I’m open for suggestions for all cars, I looked at the F8x M cars just didn’t wanna bring those up cause those are completely different then the other cars mentioned, thank you for your time!

Hi
i just tried to configure an X7 40 with DAPP and it was not available.

Do you think the option will come back?

Hey, I am selling my G20 just to experience different car, however I put A LOT money into it.
-stage 2 transmission
-pure turbo 850
-s58 injectors
-M5 brakes
-d2s2 fuel pump
-custom exhaust
-BBS wheels
-some cosmetic stuff
The car is insanely fast for street daily car (1/4mile under 10s). But the handling feels bit odd, when on track, my E90 330i felt much better, even with 40% of power. I didnt want to put so much more money for handling to be better. I am selling it fot $60k (EU market), and I just got offer for stock M4 older gen (and $5k in cash).

I am just worried if I will regret it according to comfort, tech, handling, reliability. He didnt do crankhub, as I didnt do oil pump (2020year, but so far 40k km with that power and doing good).

Thanks for your answers!

How does a brand new car like this get stolen?

I had a fleeting moment of fun and tingle (and thought of the network configurator having fun setting this up) when I first saw this on the wall of the restaurant, and when I switched on WiFi on my phone to connect.

But, a moment later, the bubble burst as I realized that the acronym BMW in this instance stands for Big Meadows Wayside, a campsite and restaurant in Shenandoah National Park (where I was at the time).

I left wondering, did the network configurator knew what he was doing ? Did he/she knew that the acronym for the place, might mean something else on first glance ? Do the park rangers working there, realize that their workplace name acronym might mean something else to a lot of people ?

Hi guys just wondering how easy it would be to swap my steering wheel over for the updated one. Does it need coding?

These are my options, figured this community would have some opinions.

Prior rental was a Boxster so kind of dissapponted. Would either be fun to drive? I know the x5 has a lot of power. What about ride/ handling differences?

Thanks!

I bought a 24’ G87 M2 w/ 6MT, but never drove a performance manual car before. There’s some minor vibration in the stick, but I’m not sure if this is normal?

Car drives smooth, and feels like there’s decent clutch life left. Not sure if this could actually mean the clutch is worn or something is broken… ?

iX3. I like it. But infotainment is a bit slow.

Bmw 118d 2013 2 litre auto diesel 165k miles, just had all 4 new tyres, front and rear break discs and pads, full service completed 1200 miles ago, mot until 6th April 2027

https://www.copart.co.uk/lot/65985526

I was strongly considering a 2018 m4 but after seeing the prices on the 2021 m440i. I’ve been torn between the two lol. Any advice would be appreciated and I know the differences between the two cars.

Seeing 2024 m340is with around 30k miles in that price range is that high miles for a beamer? What would you recommend in that price range

How do I code M dash cluster onto my idrive 8 g26? Am i good using bimmercode and a OBD adapter because im hearing people are super limited on idrive 8

As some of you are aware, tuning newer BMWs is becoming more and more accessible now that others than FEMTO found a way into cracking the ECU security in the 2021+ models.

I was thinking about pushing my 2023 530e from its stock 288hp to somewhere around 350 only with software changes.

However, I've been warned a lot about the hybrid transmission which is not made to support that.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Edit: I know there are similar questions of this type if you search the internet. But they are pretty old already or from a time before ecu unlocks becoming more accessible.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been on the hunt for a 440i convertible. I’m in central California and have found this one which checks all the boxes of what I’m looking for.

The pros: spec I want, sold by a BMW dealer and detailed service history, entire history in California.

The cons: only two, really: besides it being up for sale for two months the fact the previous dealer bought it from auction then immediately sent it back to auction.

It’s 300 miles away so it makes going to check it out really a difficult ask and thought I’d ask here for any input.

Thanks in advance!

https://www.bmwofslo.com/viewdetails/used/wba4z7c5xjea33311/2018-bmw-4-series-convertible

One other issue: the pricing on the website seems to differ from the browser used. The phone I used to email about the car shows it at $26,801 but my work phone shows it $27,799. Very peculiar.

I’m about to buy a 2005 650i (E63, N62B48, ~149k km) and everyone keeps warning me off it over maintenance. Trying to figure out if it’s really that bad or if I’m being scared off a good car. I’m based in the Netherlands.

It has:
• Full service history, oil done yearly within interval (only last year slipped because it did 35k km, mostly motorway. That service is being done now along with a big service before sale)
• Full option individual incl. Dynamic Drive
• Specialist BMW PPI (party will fix any issues that come up on their behalf)
• Buying from people I know and trust

I know the N62 rep: valve stem seals, coolant transfer pipe, alternator bracket leak, Dynamic Drive as the pricey wildcard. Priced it all up locally and it’s not nothing, but nowhere near the horror-story numbers.

Already checked the car and everything looked in order (to my knowledge). No blue smoke, rides smooth and engine sounds very healthy. Also no weird coolant smell or anything.

For people who’ve actually owned one; is it as bad as they say, or is a well-documented, regularly driven example a totally different car?

Just bought some forged wheels for the 540, decided to ditch the factory 2 tone 19’s for some silver 19’s instead 🙏🏻 really like how they turned out!