BMW Differential Repair

Commending Techmax Auto for an Outstanding Job on My BMW Differential Repair

Dear Techmax Auto Team,

I hope this email finds you in good health and high spirits. I am writing to express my utmost satisfaction and heartfelt gratitude for the exceptional work your team, specifically Atilla Jasszai, recently accomplished in repairing the differential of my 2009 BMW. The results have been nothing short of miraculous, transforming my driving experience into one that feels akin to gliding on clouds.

From the moment I brought my vehicle to your facility in Mississauga, I was impressed by the professionalism, expertise, and dedication displayed by Atilla Jasszai. He demonstrated an in-depth understanding of BMW mechanics and applied his skills to diagnose and rectify the issue promptly. I appreciate the thoroughness with which he approached the repair process, ensuring that no stone was left unturned.

The repair itself has far exceeded my expectations. The differential is functioning flawlessly, and the improvements in ride quality are truly remarkable. The smoothness and precision with which my BMW now handles the road are exceptional, thanks to Atilla’s meticulous workmanship and attention to detail.

In addition to Atilla’s technical prowess, I want to acknowledge the excellent customer service I received throughout the entire process from your staff members. They were friendly, attentive, and always willing to provide updates on the progress of the repair. Their commitment to transparency and clear communication, coupled with Atilla’s expertise, ensured that I felt involved and well-informed every step of the way.

I firmly believe that a job well done deserves recognition, and I wholeheartedly recommend Techmax Auto, particularly Atilla Jasszai, to anyone in need of automotive repairs, especially those concerning BMW vehicles. Atilla’s dedication to excellence, paired with his evident passion for his work, are truly commendable.

Once again, thank you, Atilla, and the entire Techmax Auto team, for your outstanding service. I am genuinely delighted with the results and cannot emphasize enough how much of a positive impact your expertise, particularly Atilla’s, has had on my driving experience. I look forward to entrusting my vehicle to Techmax Auto for any future automotive needs that may arise.

Wishing you continued success and prosperity.

Sincerely,

George Rajesh

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BMW M3 CSL Carbon Fiber Roof

I personally love innovation, especially creative innovation which contributes to the benefit of all drivers. Let me explain.

BMW has been working on trying to lower the center of gravity of their M cars with some innovative ways. Therefore they wanted to replace the roof of the vehicle (being the highest point of it by lowering the center of gravity) with a lightweight but strong component.  The obvious choice was aluminum but it’s not exactly the strongest material for that.

Then they figured carbon fiber has been used in motorsport extensively and in some ultra high end vehicle manufacturing but it’s cumbersome to make and gets expensive.  Then their engineering department got the assignment to develop the carbon fiber roof structure for the BMW M3 CSL in 2003 .

You need to know carbon fiber manufacturing is expensive because it’s a long tedious process. Multiple steps, a lots of time, a lot of energy required, which makes it a rather slow process and expensive to boot .

BMW came up with a clever solution: What if we combine some of the processes? This way we can reduce the time and effort required to make the lightweight but 5 times as strong as steel carbon fiber roof for the application.  Carbon fiber usually comes in large woven rolls and pre-pregged for ease of use. Then it gets applied to a mold in 5 to 6 layers each in a different direction and then it gets flooded with epoxy resin.

Next step is having all wrapped in a cloth which would soak up the excess resin and then the whole thing get wrapped in a plastic bag with suction ports attached to it.  After that,  it is put under vacuum, placed into an autoclave and gets baked for hours on end under pressure.

This entire process is essential to make strong but light carbon fiber components. The suction is required to remove any potential air bubbles and the entire thing is put under pressure in the autoclave for best results.

Once again, BMW came up with a clever idea.  They made 2 molds, a positive and a negative mold and put 6 layers of carbon cloth sheets over each other but not pre-preg just dry sheets in different  directions. Then squeeze the the sheets of carbon fiber between the mold and inject the resin. Then they bake the whole thing in a single but efficient process. They get the CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) which gets done in 20 minutes or less. Therefore this can be done efficiently and quickly with phenomenal results for the application fully automated.

The ready to install panel gets trimmed and cut with a high pressure water jet to make it precisely shaped and ready to glue in place in a very efficient manner.

Once they perfected this process we came to the next chapter. The i3 and the i8 BMWs’ life structures gets developed  with the same process. According to BMW  they saved 50% energy and 70% water for the equivalent sheet metal body panels.

Remember the initial process was developed for the 2003 BMW M3 CSL,  therefore BMW took 10 years to get into the partnership with SGL and build up a supply chain with every step on the way to ensure a near zero CO2 output for a full environmentally friendly process.

They actually build with SGL a carbon fiber manufacturing plant in by the largest electric dam at Moses lake, the Grand Coulee Dam.

Carbon fiber strain is an  extremely expensive process where you have to bake the high quality polimer at an airless space under very high heat to convert the molecules into carbon fiber.

The actual strains are woven into a cloth in at Wackesdorf Innovation Park and then shipped to Leipzig for final manufacturing and assembly.

The Leipzig plant was the first ever solar and wind only powered plant in the world. You could walk around without ear protection in there as well.

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Related:

The New 2023 BMW M4 CSL with carbon fiber roof

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BMW Rear Differential Noise

The differential noise on your BMW is a typical whining noise, from the back of the car which is rather annoying on longer trips.

BMW E90 and BMW E83‘s Differentials

This is a relatively common occurrence on the BMW E90 and BMW E83 platforms. The issue at hand is the rear differentials are kind of a new design by deleting the tapered roller bearings to a multi row ball bearings to reduce frictional losses within the differential assembly.

This is a another angle to try to maximize the efficiency of the entire vehicle. Unfortunately the bearings randomly fail, due to metallic particles build up over time within the oil and having a “lifetime” oil doesn’t help.

There are no parts available to repair this noisy differentials in North America. Fortunately this is not the case in Europe, therefore we started refurbishing this noisy rear differentials by ordering the replacement parts, bearings from Europe.

Original Made in Germany Bearings for your BMW

Somehow the original bearings are not allowed to be sold in North America, BMW makes more money to sell a complete rear differential assembly, which is prohibitively expensive. We naturally do some modifications to ensure the replacement bearings will last much longer than the originals installed by the factory.

BMW differential
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What will happen if you ignore your BMW’s differential noise?

The differential noise is the result of damaged bearings, it’s imperative to replace the damaged final drive bearings or they could cause permanent damage to the internal components.

Please note, a damaged differential may lock up inadvertently causing loss of control essentially. A locked up differential potentially a scary thing, which may cause additional damage to other components, possibly rendering the vehicle stationary unable to move anywhere.

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BMW Differential Repair | BMW Automatic Transmission Service

The lost art of repair versus replacing worn components.

BMW differential repairClick on the thumbnail to view bigger photo.

The complaint is on this fine 2008 X3 BMW the excessive differential noise. This is a relatively common occurrence unfortunately because the ball bearings develop a wear pattern from lack of maintenance (BMW lifetime fill). The fine metallic particles will get caught in the ball bearings and will make the bearings noisy.

Replacement Differential  for BMW Cost  Over $3,000

Please keep in mind, this proprietary bearings are not sold separately in North America but they’re available in Europe.  A BMW replacement differential is cost over $3,000, therefore it’s more economical to repair the existing one if only requires new bearings and seals.

Used BMW Differentials

bmw differential bearingsClick on the thumbnail to view bigger photo.

Used BMW differentials with low mileage are getting rare and a used differential could get noisy exhibiting the same symptom as the existing one.

BMW Differentials Repair

We fortunately found a supplier for BMW differentials replacement repair kit from the original manufacturer from Germany. This way we can reliably repair your existing rear differential assembly.

BMW Differential Assemblies

BMW differential being repairedClick on the thumbnail to view bigger photo.

We recommend a standard service interval at 50,000 kilometers, actually it’s the same as for the BMW M model’s differentials which makes perfect sense for reliable lifelong service.

I like to point it out most of the BMW differential assemblies has no actual drain plug, ditto for the transfer case, therefore we have to use a suction machine to remove the tired old fluid.

BMW Automatic Transmission Service

We also recommend to service BMW’s transfer case and the automatic transmission at regular one hundred thousand kilometers to ensure component longevity.

The same applies to the front differential assembly, as well in the case of a four wheel drive vehicle.

Proper timely maintenance does pay back, for instance our 2006 BMW 325i has 467,000 kilometers in, under our care since 2009, it speaks volumes about proper timely maintenance.

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Related:

BMW Transmission Maintenance

Hybrid BMW Repair

BMW Hybrid Repair – Hybrid Maintenance

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BMW Diagnostics

Today’s common diagnostic pitfalls are a challenging bunch of multiple issues at hand, let me explain.

Diesel Particulate Filter

For instance an older gentleman with late model BMW 328 diesel having a problematic DPF at a very early stage. DPF stands for Diesel Particulate Filter. Diesel particulate filters are devices that capture diesel particulates from the exhaust gas of the diesel engine to prevent their release to the air.

Clogged DPF Filter

His BMW’s odometer reads only 98 000 kms. Naturally to have a clogged DPF this early in a  diesel BMW sends off a ringer for me. The gentleman has been at the BMW dealer to find a solution, he even contacted the customer care at BMW Canada for no results, other than being told his car is out of warranty.

2016’s 328 Diesel BMW

Unfortunately the DPF is only covered for a relatively short time in Canada, even though in the USA they are covered for 10 years or 120 000 miles, we are talking about a 2016’s 328 diesel BMW vehicle. The first thing that occurred to me was that this should not happen unless this vehicle was not driven as intended, interestingly nobody ever asked that question yet. I asked the client about his driving habits, and he said he drives only locally a few kilometers each trip. It’s worth pointing out this is a crucial problem due to no self clean will be run by the engine management computer to burn out the DPF.  The DPF cleaning wanted to start probably many times, except it gets shut down every time due to short distance driving.

This whole problem could be prevented if the client was informed at the time of purchase about his diesel emission maintenance requirements, this is very, very unfortunate.  The lack of introduction of the special needs of the system can’t be understated as it can lead to early DPF failure.

The Consequences to Use Wrong Motor Oil in a Diesel  BMW

Furthermore the client gets his oil changes elsewhere and he’s not aware of the special diesel specific motor oil requirement either for DPF equipped vehicles.

Having the wrong oil a LL01 or any other BMW specific like an LL17+FE oil put in could have a detrimental effect on the DPF by zinc poisoning of the particulate filter.

Only LL04 or equivalent like MB 229.51 oil must be used to prevent DPF poisoning. Unfortunately clients should be asking questions instead of just taking their chances.

Diesel BMW’ Special Needs and Requirements

Fortunately we managed to flush the clogged DPF with the print out of before and after pressure readings. I have explained to the client all the special needs and requirements he has to be aware of from here on going forward.</

Theoretically this is not my job and not my responsibility, except it would be the same problem recurring sooner than later no matter what, if he does not change his driving routine.  This can’t be emphasized enough.

Any questions, how may we help? Call us with your question.
Telephone: 905.795.0419

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Changes to Modern Car Engines. Motor Oils Standard

Changes to Modern Car Engines. Motor Oils Standard

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Lowering Springs For BMW M3

2022 BMW M3 Competition. It is almost brand new, only has 2 thousand kilometers in it.

It have received new Lowering Springs and some other fashionable add ons. When good is not good enough you can make it different for your liking, figures. Or ask as and we will make it better then good.

By the way, you should know it: Lowering Springs are the most cost effective way to improve your BMW’s handling. Lowering Springs lower the center of gravity of your vehicle, reduce body roll. Lowering springs makes possible to drive your BMW in more aggressive manner.

There are several Lowering Springs kit are on the today markets for your BMW. Ask us for details.

For my personal taste, those gigantic nostrils look weird. We should make some change on that too. What do you think? Let us know.

2022 BMW M3 Competition Received  NEW Lowering Springs

Work on 2022 BMW M3

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PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT
Noelle Performance tuning for the BMW.

The New 2023 BMW M4 CSL

The question is, what does BMW do or stands for in today’s world? In short many – many things, please let me explain.

Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) has some well known innovations like mold injected carbon fiber polymer which had its first commercial use in the BMW E46, BMW M3 CSL . The CSL (Competition Sport Light weight) is only used twice in the brands history.

2023 BMW M4 CSL

The third one has been just announced which is going to be the 2023 BMW M4 CSL, production starts on 07/2022. The very first one was the 1972 homologation special BMW 3.0 CSL which later became the “batmobile”.


The New 2023 M4 CSL

The second iteration BMW M3 CSL was introduced in 2003, the BMW E46 with a carbon fiber roof in the first time in a production vehicle. The technology to produce carbon fiber of anything is not new albeit the polymer reinforced carbon fiber is a BMW invention entirely.

Regular or conventional carbon fiber has to be made from scratch of carbon fiber sheets which could be plain or pre preg. Either way it has to be placed or hand laid into a mold. After has to be soaked in epoxy resin, then this has to be repeated multiple times, until the layers reach a desired thickness within the mold.

Thereafter the entire soaked mold has to be covered in a special sheet of absorbent material, which has to soak up the excess resin to make the component lighter. Then the entire mold has to be covered in a vacuum bag and sealed entirely while there are sealed ports are attached to the bag so there is a vacuum ( negative air pressure) can be applied.

The negative pressure is a must, in order to extract any air bubbles from the carbon fiber epoxy resin.  Additionally the entire process has to be performed while the component is baked over night in a autoclave (a giant oven) which will cure the epoxy resin over time of 6hours or more.  BMW figured this process is way too expensive and time consuming, therefore they came up with a clever way to make the desired components in 20 minutes or less.

The BMW’s Way of Making Carbon Fiber Roof Takes 20 Minutes

The BMW’s way of making the carbon fiber roof has been, make 2 molds one positive and one negative mold. Layer up (5 layers for the roof in question) the carbon fiber sheets in different direction.  Press the carbon fiber sheet between the molds and then pre heat the molds and finally inject a polymer resin to solidify the the carbon fiber cloth.

The entire process takes about 20 minutes or less instead of days with conventional hand laid epoxy resin. The first carbon fiber roof was installed on the famous limited edition 2003 M3 CSL to bring down the center of gravity of the vehicle.

Which Brings Us Back To The  2023 BMW M4 CSL

This process opened a new era in fast and reasonably priced carbon fiber components. Therefore BMW could make the BMW i3 and the BMW i8 cars mostly constructed from the same material on a normal production line. Which brings us back to the  2023 BMW M4 CSL ( limited to one thousand piece World wide) which has multiple panels made from the same lightweight but strong (5 times as strong as steel) carbon fiber.  For instance, the roof the hood and the trunk all made of the same material to lower the center of gravity. This all played a role to earn the L  (Leicht in German = lightweight in English) designation by removing a hundred kilogram of weight from the vehicle.

Naturally even the standard seats are made of carbon fiber as well .

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2023 BMW M4 CSL

The new 2023 BMW M4 CSL

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How to Prepare Your Car for Extreme Cold

What do you do when your kid decides to move the arctic circle to pursue his passion? Well, if you are like me, you build a car suitable for the conditions. Meaning extreme cold extreme environment and everything else in the extremes regarding the weather so to say.

Suitable Car To The Arctic Circle

We searched first for a suitable car to modify and build. He wanted to get an older Subaru Forester or Outback.  Finally we found a  decent Outback, with a standard transmission and the modifications began.

Step one: Applied heavy undercoating everywhere to lock out moisture as these cars are prone to rust. We added a charge port to the front for the block heater, a battery warmer and additionally a extreme cold weather approved CTEK battery tender.

Lightweight Synthetic Transmission Fluid

Then we replaced all the fluids with lightweight synthetic gear, transmission fluid, synthetic power steering fluid, new spark plugs and all the filters. Also replaced the serpentine belt, the engine coolant adjusted to -50 C.

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Synthetic Motor Oil

Performed an oil change on the engine too, with lightweight 0/20 w synthetic motor oil. New wipers approved for cold weather by Bosch. Then we cut the battery tray and squeezed in the largest possible battery in there. The battery replaced a 560 CCA to an 850 CCA AGM battery with a blanket battery warmer to prevent a no start condition in -40 Celsius or below.

Yokohama Winter Tires

Replaced all the light bulbs with Sylvania LED lights for maximum lumens at nighttime driving. Installed a set of  Yokohama ig52 winter tires to cope with snow and icy road conditions. Checked serviced the brakes with a brake fluid flush to prevent brake fluid icing.

He is a pilot and stationed in Pickle Lake Ontario, which is literally the farthest place you can drive to North in Ontario on all season roads. The distance from Techmax Auto Repair Inc. is 2300 kilometers, to the northwest.

The airport website states it:  Pickle Lake is “WHERE ALL ROADS BEGIN”.

He had to make this move to accumulate the required hours of flight time required by most airlines or the like.

Unusual times require an unusual approach. I think his ride will perform exceptionally well in the coming years in the arctic circle.

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Related:

Battery service.

When is a brake fluid flush recommended?

Oil, lube and filter service for your European Import Cars.

 

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BMW Suspension Repair

We rely on our cars to take us to places, therefore you ride on your suspension anywhere you want to go. Fixing worn damaged or corroded suspension components is not an easy feat. You need knowledge and experience, paired with the right tool for the right job.

European Car’s Suspensions Are Multi Link Systems

Most European car’s suspensions are multi link systems, either McPherson or wishbone at the front and 5 link per axle at the rear. The arms are joined either by a bushing at both ends or by ball joint.

To make matters worst, unfortunately road salt and potholes cause excessive and premature component wear over time. You need to be aware of the salt and the potholes on the road doesn’t help.

Wheel Bearing Replacement on A BMW 328xi

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BMW rusted axle nutBMW 328xi’s Rusted Axle Nut

On the photo at left is a BMW 328xi’s rusted axle nut.  To change the wheel bearing, the nut need to be removed.  Add some creativity and problem solving and whoala problem solved. This rusted axle nut had to be cut at the top and at the bottom and with the help of  special hydraulic press, the bearing replacement can be done easier.

We do plenty of shock absorbers, wheel bearings and bushings replacement, due to winter damages and or worn components.

BMW X1 repair in MississaugaBMW X1 Tension Arm Bushing

The bushings made from rubber and they are designed to keep the suspension components tightly bound together to control movement and stabilize the vehicle. When the bushings become worn, there is more room for the parts to move around, which can create rattling or shaking noises.

This particular bushing is an essential load bearing component in all BMW cars, therefore it’s imperative to have it replaced occasionally. We provide a free visual inspection at every oil change at your convenience.

BMW Tension Arm Bushings

The first two pictures at above you can see damaged, worn BMW bushings. On the third picture the old and the new improved version of the same tension arm bushing. There has been additional reinforcement added to the center load bearing section, to make them firmer and longer lasting.

Did you know all of this bushing are hydraulic fluid filled to dampen road vibrations? Proper ride control, suspension system is essential to keep any vehicle under safe control in motion.

Most excessive bushing wear needs a trained personnel to see and recognize the signs of a worn sloppy component. Decades of experience comes into play pointing out the issue at hand.

To resolve or fix European Cars properly we use plenty of specialized equipment like a hand held hydraulic press mentioned at above, to remove and install bushings, hubs and wheel bearings.

BMW repair- wheel bearing replacementBMW Wheel Bearing Replacement

You can see some one of our hand held hydraulic press in action on the picture at left. This tool make our job a breeze, instead of a struggle.

Therefore the right tool for the right job is imperative.

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BMW Alignment

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Lithium Ion Battery in Today’s Luxury Automobiles

Should have a title like beware of the LiFePO and lithium ion battery in your late model luxury automobile!

LiFePO Lithium Ion Battery.

Your newer modern high end luxury car has a weak point, called the lithium ion battery. Not in your electric car or not in your hybrid car only, in your conventional gas powered luxury automobile.

In this case, the luxury car is a Lamborghini Urus 2018, which is exactly the same car as the Porsche Cayenne GTS.  This type of battery
is also in the new BMW as well.

Most people are not aware the fact their late model BMW, Porsche and other luxury  cars equipped with a very expensive lithium ion battery.

Yes it’s lighter, yes it’s more powerful,  yes it’s very – very expensive and inconvenient when it doesn’t work anymore.

Please let me explain: The fancy high tech battery has a thermal overload protection build in which is permanently sealed off to anyone. So if thing go wrong you will be on the hook for thousands of dollars in a hurry. No, you can’t convert it to traditional lead acid or AGM battery.

We just had a very expensive encounter with a late model Lamborghini Urus. It had the fancy LiFePO battery and  wouldn’t start due to a dead LiFePO  battery. The exact translation would be lithium ion sulfate battery. It retails at $5800.00 the battery that is only. Yes you red it right, it cost five thousand eight hundred Canadian dollar.

How this “marvel” of engineering does work and how could go bad in a 4 year old vehicle?

The vehicle had over one hundred thousand kilometers, so it was way out of warranty. This fancy batteries will “brick” themselves. Say install or make it part of the cable to arrest any voltage spikes prior to the battery if you so worried about over-voltage. Therefore the internal relay can be sealed internally and  never need to be triggered unless it is charged or treated incorrectly outside of the vehicle by untrained personnel, or by the vehicle owner perhaps.

LiFePO Batteries Has An Internal Computer Built In

This batteries has an internal computer built in. It reports back to the vehicle energy management system. Therefore you can’t convert your vehicle to a conventional system, as it will not except anything else but a straight new replacement component.

LiFePO Lithium Ion Battery.

Click on the above thumbnails to view bigger photo.

The emergency relay can disconnect in 50 millisecond. If the battery voltage goes bellow 10 volt the system will disconnect and if you get lucky you may be able to resurrect it, but may require 20 hours of charging with a specific Li battery charger made by CTEK.

I’m not sure what is the main reason to go to extent of a poorly designed fancy battery like this, other than make sure the consumer will part with a bundle of money and the average garage will not be able help you whatsoever.

My question is: Why the manufacturer would not put a outboard voltage regulator before the battery pack? Say make it part of the cable assembly to arrest any voltage spikes coming at it prior so the fancy battery. The internal relay will only need to go into emergency disconnect if both regulators fail. The one in the alternator and one in line there after. This would just make proper sense.

This Technology Only Exist in High End Luxury Cars of Yet

This technology only exist in high end luxury cars,  as  Lamborghini, Porsche and some BMW of yet. Be assured, it will trickle down further on the “food chain” later.

Suffice to say, if you plucked down all that money to buy a new LiFePO battery, you potentially could buy a decent used car for it. Once you
buy a new LiFePO battery you will need to get the battery registered and programmed with the latest genuine software or it will not work at all.

BMW – Porsche – Mercedes Electrical System Testing

Additionally you better make sure your alternator is up to spec. Preferably with an oscilloscope to ensure your brand new pricey Li battery doesn’t get bricked again.

For your convenience we decided to do some research on the subject and even though it’s not recommended we took a dive into the said LiFePO battery pack to see what makes it work or not .

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Related:

Hybrid BMW Repair

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