EPA recall of 1997 318ti catalytic converters

[bbbmw]

My 97ti cat failed in 1998 - which they replaced under warranty. It failed again in 2006, so I went back to the dealer, and showed them the technical service bulletins where BMW issued the extended warranty on the 1997's, and another on the 1998's. BMW North America said since they had replaced it once, they wouldn't replace it again. I explained that they simply had replaced it with another defective, recalled cat. But they refused to replace it. Am wondering what the EPA would say about that... Between this issue and the ongoing probs with my 5 series, I am through with BMW - and just bought a Honda s2000. Bastards...

[stymes01]

I have a 98 with 70K miles and the cat is plugged so bad it wont go over 40, it just happened all of a sudden today well I noticed it last night but it was fine this morning, its been rattling for 3 months or so . . . the dealer says there is no recall and its past the warranty period . . . it sounds like from this forum that the recall was only for 97's is there any other recourse??? I just had to replace the california top roof motor and there is a miscellaneous electrical gremlin so I'd like to tackle those problems but was quoted about 700 to do the cat . . .any help would be much appreciated

[nyle]

well. my cat went in august. i've only seen that the recall is for 1997. but the reason i'm responding is so you don't make the mistake i did.

I got a cheapy direct fit cat offline (autopartswarehouse.com). it saved a lot of money but i'm having problems with it. just a heads up incase you were looking at how much it would cost to replace vs. repair.

[roadrash]

And FWIW, I've been having CEL's from my Midas catalytic converter for the past several months. I'll eventually have to get it replaced.

[pnosker]

I have a 1998 and mine was recalled. They said all US 1998s are affected. Tell them you called BMW NA and they said there is a recall extension up to 10 years from production, unlimited mileage.

[madfronter]

I also called my local BMW dealer a few years ago when I was having problems with my check engine light. I was getting the 7/28 code which is the catalytic efficiency code. So they asked me for my VIN number to see if my car qualified for the recall and they told me I didn't. So I ended up buying the cat from Bavauto. It worked fine for a few months then the check engine light came back on and stayed on. The same 7/28 catalytic efficiency code. The only thing that seems to help was adding some sea foam to my gas tank when I would fill up, but now that doesn't even work. Its very frustrating.

[stymes01]

On ebay I just bought a DEC Cat for 280 shipped and it sounds like its the same one Bavauto is selling for 359 (which even some on this site report problems with the CEL after installing) . . . .I bought it because the EPA recall says 97's on it . . . right after I bought it I stumbled across a copy of the letter sent to owners with 98's promising to cover it for 10 years unlimited mileage. The first dealer I called denied this, the second wanted me to make an appointment so I did for friday . . no idea if the coverage is good for 10 years from manufacture or ten years from purchase but it does say its transferable . . . I'm thinking about bringing the thing in on a flat bed to make a nice impression . . .

[modifiedscc]

i ordered a dynomax high flow cat from summit racing $63 shiped its been on my car for 4months now with now problems .

[thesk8nmidget]

Originally Posted by modifiedscc

i ordered a dynomax high flow cat from summit racing $63 shiped its been on my car for 4months now with now problems .

do you mean no problems? or now has problems?

[stymes01]

my 98 was repaired under warranty by the dealer, thank god

[modifiedscc]

i ment no problems sorry

[bbbmw]

I just replaced my BavAuto cat with a new one - under warranty. BavAuto shipped me a new one, and is supposed to credit my account when they receive my return. Only downside is I have to pay for shipping on the one that is failed - but that's not so bad. If I have to do that every year, it's still cheaper than the $1,400 BMW wants for the cat - plus install...

[nyle]

Yeah its brutal. I'm going to have to replace mine soon. My girlfriend's dad is a mechanic so I can get labor for free. But i'm thinking about getting one that isn't direct fit. gonna do some research.

[L84THSKY]

WRONG WRONG WRONG...........SO SAYS BMW.

I only wish that was true, then I would have gotten a new one too.

Originally Posted by pnosker

They said all US 1998s are affected.

[L84THSKY]

Tell me about it.............

My CEL NEVER cleared when I swapped in the BavAuto catalytic converter. How can I be sure if it's something else, or the new cat is bad? BavAuto claims it's unlikely that the cat is bad being new.

Originally Posted by madfronter

So I ended up buying the cat from Bavauto. It worked fine for a few months then the check engine light came back on and stayed on. The same 7/28 catalytic efficiency code. The only thing that seems to help was adding some sea foam to my gas tank when I would fill up, but now that doesn't even work. Its very frustrating.