Mark: Hi, it's Mark Bossert. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC Canada, Vancouver's best auto service experience. And we're talking cars. How are you doing, Bernie?
Bernie: Doing very well.
Mark: So today's guest is a BMW X3 vintage, 2011. So what sort of mileage does it have?
Bernie: Just over 200,000 kilometres, I think 210 or somewhere in that range.
Mark: And what was the issue that made an appearance?
Bernie: Yeah, so it made an appearance on our, lucky appearance on our podcast. The owner was driving the vehicle and the vehicle just died suddenly. The engine just quit. It would restart but had no power. It would barely run. So the vehicle was towed down to our shop.
Mark: So how'd you go about diagnosing what the issue was?
Bernie: So, of course first thing you do is you know, tested the vehicle to see what was going on. It started up and actually ran just fine, which happens from time to time. And I kind of thought, you know, based on age of the vehicle and just issues with BMWs. It could well be a fuel pump. We don't do a lot of fuel pumps in BMWs, but I mean, any vehicle, the fuel pump will die. And that seems to be a common, you know, there's not a lot of other common, no starter dying on the road issues for BMWs. So I figured it might be a fuel pump.
Then next procedure was to scan the vehicle, did a full vehicle scan and there was some codes in the DME, which is the engine module for fuel pressure and fuel pump circuit code. So it kind of led in the direction of there's definitely something wrong with the fuel pump and or the fuel pump control module.
Mark: So what was the next step after that?
Bernie; Well, basically, based on those codes and deciphering what those codes mean and do, and just common repairs for those codes. Everything basically leans to the fuel pump control module and the fuel pump. And what happens is, the fuel pump can run a variable speed. So there's a control module and that control module, if the fuel pump is drawing too much current, which it will, as it gets old, it'll take out the module. So the best thing to do is just replace both units at the same time. And that's what we did.
Mark; Welcome our guest to the show.
Bernie; There's our guest. Still good looking after 14 years.
Mark: Is that four cylinder?
Bernie; This is a six, twin turbo six cylinder. Lots of power. These cars go really well and the fours are really good too.
So there's the fuel pump assembly. This is fortunately a very easy fuel pump to change. It's located under the rear seat. There's some covers to remove.
So there's the view with the seat removed, you can see the seatbelt buckles at the top of the picture. And just below it is the fuel pump control module. So we replace that unit and there's a fuel pump there. And the fuel pump, that's a cover that goes over the fuel pump, which is easily removable.
You just flip that on the side and then the fuel pump sits with a special circular ring that clips onto the top of the fuel tank that has to be removed. Out comes the fuel pump.
And there's a closeup view of the module.
Mark: All of that gets replaced in order to make a really long lasting repair?
Bernie: Exactly. because you know, we could just change the pump and it might work and then, you know, 10 minutes down the road it's like, oh, the car's dead. Or we could change the module.
Mark: It'll last for a couple days again.
Bernie: Yeah, exactly. Then a pump will take it out. I mean you know, we could get a lot more complicated and actually test current draws of the fuel pump and those are things we could do. But, you know, just generally this is such a common problem when one goes just easiest to change both and it saves a customer money from doing a lot of extra testing that yes, you could prove something, but at the end of the day, we'll probably recommend doing both anyways.
Mark: And after repair, how'd the vehicle run?
Bernie: Perfectly. Yep. Started fine, ran fine, and took it for a good long road test to make sure there was no problem and it keeps on performing. So that's good.
Mark:If you're looking for service for your BMW in Vancouver, BC, Canada, the people to see are at Pawlik Automotive. You can reach them online at pawlikautomotive.com, or you can call them at (604) 327-7112 to book your appointment. You have to book ahead. They're always busy. You can book online as well. They'll get back to you. They'll get ready for your appointment. They'll find out what's going on. And yes, they still have to investigate what's going on. They can't diagnose it over the phone. That's crazy. Don't do that. They gotta check it out in person because there's many things that could cause an issue. Experts at Pawlik Automotive will look after you. Thanks so much for watching and listening. Thanks Bernie.
Bernie: Thank you, Mark. And thanks for watching and listening. We appreciate it.
