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***The Official M56 SULEV Warranty Documents, Check-in, and Questions Thread***

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m56 sulev
235K views 503 replies 77 participants last post by  ripinitup 
#1 · (Edited)
In this first post, I am including any important information I find for SULEV owners, regarding warranty, part compatibility, etc. The Air Resource Board approvals indicate a service life of exhaust and evaporative emissions components as being 150,000 miles.

I'm just curious how many M56B25 SULEVs are floating around on here. Put your mileage, engine modifications, tuning, driveline modifications (e.g. transmission, diff ratio), etc., along with any problems you've had with it (and whether or not BMW warrantied the issue). :hi: I have also posted the info sheet that dealers received regarding the SULEV.

FYI for anyone who does not know, the SULEV has a unique sealed fuel system of mostly stainless steel, and a stainless steel fuel rail. The tank, pump, filter, filler, and vent hose are all one piece and has to be replaced as a single unit. The SULEV's entire emissions system and fuel tank assembly is covered under a 15 year/150k mile warranty.


I have an '04 with 72k miles, an Active Autowerke tune, K&N panel filter, I got rid of the hydrocarbon filter in the lid of the air box, and I haven't had any issues aside from OFHG and cooling system. No M56 specific issues.

____________________________________________________________
Attachment 1: M56 engine BMWNA information release to dealerships
Attachment 2: CARB M56 approval dated 2003 (indicates service life of 150k miles on evap/emissions equipment)
Attachment 3: CARB M56 approval dated 2004 (indicates service life of 150k miles on evap/emissions equipment)
Attachment 4: SULEV specific warranty handbook dated 2005
 

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#44 ·
:rofl:

I'm going to see about swapping everything to stock on mine and take it in to diagnose the early fuel filling shutoff and loud injector.

According to the Assistant Service Manager I spoke with, typically problems with the M56 where they are shutting off at the pump too early can be caused by topping off too much. In this instance, liquid gasoline spills over into the charcoal evaporative filter/canister. Then when you go to fill it, it creates an air lock that triggers the pump to shut off too early. He said that this may or may not be covered and it depends on a case-by-case basis.

Interestingly enough, when I mentioned the injector, he asked another service manager if those were covered under the SULEV warranty and he actually pulled out the SULEV dealer info sheet for reference. He said that the injectors are, in fact, covered but that it depends on the reason its loud to determine whether or not its covered. So, believe it or not, the documents in my first post are actually what service advisors are referencing :excited:
 
#45 ·
We have a M56 04' coupe with 102k. Car is having trouble starting up and it appears the fuel pump is going bad not maintaining fuel pressure after car sits for a few hours. Additionally, the pressure regulator seems to be failing pumping out 70psi instead of the normal 35psi. Was quoted 7k+ to replace the sealed gas tank. Good to hear about this emissions warranty. Hopefully it'll work when we talk to a dealer next week.
 
#47 ·
I thought I'd just post a video of before and after the "golf-tee" mod on a M56 engine. You won't be able to tell the difference if you're using standard computer speakers or earbuds. The difference is in the lower sound frequencies.

Before:
http://youtu.be/3pJ7Eb3gxvE

After:
http://youtu.be/-WCqa2OT8bk
 
#49 ·
Not sure if serious.....

You unplug the vacuum line from the valve in the exhaust so that it turns it into a dual exhaust at low RPM. Then you plug the vacuum line with a golf-tee or screw or something of the sort.
 
#51 · (Edited)
It's not all warranty related information in this thread. It was merely a comparison of the SULEV before and after.

The difference is more noticeable than a 330i due to the fact that the SULEV has cats in the front section as opposed to a resonator/muffler like every other e46.

That all being said, yes, this thread serves more purpose as a warranty information thread than anything. That was the primary goal when I made it. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Noted. Let's keep the primary focus on warranty and service related issues.
 
#52 · (Edited)
Checking in. 2005 M56 touring here, almost at 110K miles. I too have the early fuel shut off when filling up--will try a different fill angle as suggested. Also, I have a strange RPM issue--could this be the surging issue some of you have noticed above 2500rpms? A few members on this forum believe this rpm issue to be related to my transmission, but I don't know...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxLRqIyfSCI
 
#53 ·
Doesn't look out of the ordinary to me. Stuff like that can sometimes be VANOS related though.


Mine decided to drink a quart of oil in 3500 miles :eek: I'm taking it to the dealer soon so I'll mention it. Possibly CCV related. No detectable leaks and recently done OFHG and VANOS oil line. No leaks from either. CCV should be covered if that is the problem. Btw, our valve covers run north of $600 last I checked.
 
#54 ·
05 sulev with aprox 75,XXX miles. Not one issue (sulev related) thus far. As I mentioned in another sulev thread when I first bought the car a secondary air pump code popped up and I thought I would need a new one. Dealer or rather the chump who answered the phone, had no idea about the sulev warranty. Luckily the pump was fine and I did not have to battle.

Other than normal BMW issues, the car has been great.
 
#55 ·
Well I keep getting an EAC sensor code popping up an SES light, upon searching seems like it's a radiator sensor, being a special sulev radiator I'm gonna walk into the dealer and find out what happens

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App
 
#56 ·
Is the SULEV DISA valve part of the emissions system?

'04 325it steptronic SULEV with 75K miles. Symptoms are sluggish mid-range power, and what I think is poor gas mileage (18 mpg compared to 26mpg on my '02 5M coupe).

My indie shop found lean codes (no CEL or anything) and traced the problem to a worn DISA valve. It's an easy DIY fix, but the part is a couple hundred dollars. The DISA valve on the M56 is unique to the SULEV. If it's part of the warranted emission system, I'll take it to the dealer and save the cost. Anyone know if the valve replacement is covered by the emissions warranty?
 
#57 ·
'04 325it steptronic SULEV with 75K miles. Symptoms are sluggish mid-range power, and what I think is poor gas mileage (18 mpg compared to 26mpg on my '02 5M coupe).

My indie shop found lean codes (no CEL or anything) and traced the problem to a worn DISA valve. It's an easy DIY fix, but the part is a couple hundred dollars. The DISA valve on the M56 is unique to the SULEV. If it's part of the warranted emission system, I'll take it to the dealer and save the cost. Anyone know if the valve replacement is covered by the emissions warranty?
As far as I know, it isn't covered. I don't believe the DISA valve is any different for the M56 engine. There may be a slim chance that it would be covered, however, because it does affect the emissions. The issue is that you're in Arizona. I don't think the SULEVs were ever sold in Arizona, so even if on the off chance it was covered, your dealer would more than likely tell you that they couldn't honor the warranty and you'd have to take it to the state where it was originally purchased.
 
#58 ·
Thanks for the input. The part number for the DISA valve on the M56 ends in XXXXXX44806 according to RealOEM, while the part for the M54 engine ends in XXXXXXX44805, so I assumed they were different, engine-specific parts.

Also, FWIW, before I bought the car a couple months ago, I contacted the local dealers here in the Phoenix area, as there is a lot of misinformation about the SULEV emissions warranty. But each dealer I spoke to agreed they must honor the EPA mandated warranty to maintain the integrity of the emissions system for 15 yrs/150K miles, or ostensibly the "life of the car." I think this has been pretty well confirmed by fanatics in other threads on the forum.

I just don't know if the DISA valve is technically part of the "emissions system." Guess I'll cross my fingers and take it in to the dealer!
 
#59 ·
Ok, that's great news! I've heard of people being hassled regarding warranty stuff out of the state of purchase. But that's great if they'll honor it. Otherwise, I've heard of people needing to contact BMWNA to get that taken care of.

I'm not sure, being emissions related, it may be covered. Page 2 of the "M56SULEV" pdf I posted states
The emission relevant components are warranted for 15 years or 150,000 miles.
.
 
#60 ·
Looking at the M56sulev.pdf file, it seems to confirms the 15/150 warranty issue. Also, the list of covered emissions components illustrated tells me the DISA valve isn't expressly covered...which answers my primary question. Thanks for posting those files! A great resource! And thanks for starting this thread for us SULEVers!
 
#61 ·
I've made my appointment to take my car in for the fuel filling issue as well as my loud injector. Appointment is for the 25th...we'll see how it goes and I'll update this thread when I know something :hi:
 
#62 ·
I have an 04 325i SULEV with 60k miles. I got it used 4 y. ago with 36K. No SULEV issues so far. Although when I just bought it from the BMW deller I noticed that in every morning cold start would cause a little vibration for a few seconds. My service manager was very nice (it was still under warranty then) and checked it few times. I even left it at their shop for a morning start because that was the only time you could see the problem. They couldn't find anything. So I've been driving the car for the last 4+ years and interesting thing that it happens only during warm summer months. I don't have this issues during winter..... .

Does anybody know if there is a way to fail this SULEV pump before the warranty runs out??? I've been taking care of this car and really like to leave it for my son (he's 10 now) in 5-6 years but that is exactly when my warranty will ran out...
 
#65 ·
With regards to the vibration, when's the last time motor mounts were replaced? I had a similar problem and the new mounts remedied it.

As far as burning out the pump, I wish I knew :eeps:

My car goes in next Tuesday for the filling problem and a loud ticking that's been diagnosed by a fellow fanatic as a loud injector. Both of which should be covered, in theory.
 
#67 ·
I think so. Because in the colder weather, the engine will run lean for a longer period of time to warm up, which also tends to produce more vibration. In the warm, the engine will not start out as cold, and can warm up a lot quicker so any vibration won't be as noticeable.

I had the same issue. When we purchased my car at 41k miles, the PPI said that my motor mounts were gone. I didn't replace them until 72k and by that time I was getting a decent amount of vibration.

You can check by opening up the hood and having someone hit the accelerator. The engine shouldn't move that much. If the engine movement is excessive, the mounts are at fault. My money would be on the mounts. I upgrade mine to M3 mounts btw.
 
#68 · (Edited)
I don't think running the tank empty helps that much....we always fill up our car when the tank is empty (miles to empty shows "---") and our fuel pump is still running..(110k)
The only problem I can tell is the car hesitates during startup if I don't let the fuel pump prime first. Hopefully it goes out before the warranty ends..
 
#69 ·
In general, running the tank low causes any sediment in the bottom of the tank to get sucked through. Because we don't have a serviceable fuel filter, that can cause problems. Typically, the pump is also cooled by the gasoline and running it low can also shorten its lifespan. That being said, FPs can go out for any number of reasons at any given mileage.

Interesting you say that about the hesitation. Is it like a 1/4 second on cold mornings, where the rpm is about half of idle and it almost seems like it didn't start, then it'll fire?
 
#72 ·
I've got an 05' 325Ci with 122,000. The only mod I have to the engine and it isn't really a mod is I cut the muffler and the 2nd resonator out for a little more rumble. Other than that I am all stock. I haven't had any fuel system issues ever. I bought the car at riverside bmw as a CPO with 35k miles on it. I've been trying to get something to go bad with the fuel pump so I can get it all replaced before the warranty ends for me. Land vehicle Vehicle Car Personal luxury car Luxury vehicle
 
#80 ·
Dropped it off as an early bird so work won't start till tomorrow. Apparently the larger injectors are just noisier. The master tech inspected it for me before they took it back, he said the ticking from the injectors is typical of the M56.

He also said there's a purge valve in the pump that releases pressure when the car isn't running. He said that it'll release pressure but maintain enough that startups are still quick. He said if the start take on the order of ~5+ seconds, the valve is most likely the culprit. He said its typical for some starts to take little longer if the car's been parked.

I'm having them look at it for my fuel filling problem, we'll get the verdict tomorrow! Wish me luck!
 
#81 ·
Just got a call from Trevor at Stevens Creek BMW; the tank is going to be replaced under warranty :excited: :excited: :excited: The part should be here tomorrow, and the car should be done by Friday at the latest!!
 
#83 ·
I don't have any details as of yet. Car will hopefully be done tomorrow. I'm having them redo my wheels while its there. The only concern is you're gambling with the diagnostic fee ($198 at my local dealership). If the problem is not covered, you pay the fee; if it is covered, they waive it.
 
#85 · (Edited)
Got a call from my service advisor today. They claim now that its the charcoal canister based upon further diagnostics. They apparently went to the gas station and verified the problem, came back to the shop and disconnected the vent hose going into the canister and then the car filled no problem.

BUT, they're now claiming that its out of warranty and that my warranty is only a 7/70k. I told them otherwise, showing them the TIS which clearly states the 15/150k warranty which includes the entire tank ventilation system. BMWNA is going to get a call from me tomorrow. I'm not happy one bit and I'm outraged by the fact that I was told on Wednesday that it was a) covered and b) going to be replaced and returned today.

Presented with the TIS, the SA tried looking it up and couldn't access TIS from his computer. As of tonight, the dealership is "researching" it. I'm going to present the issue to BMWNA tomorrow. I'm not happy. At all.
 
#88 · (Edited)
They claim now that its the charcoal canister based upon further diagnostics. They apparently went to the gas station and verified the problem, came back to the shop and disconnected the vent hose going into the canister and then the car filled...
Could you post the canister part number from the invoice once you have the car back? This is good info. Thanks for all the updates.
 
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