[Scotty550]

I had to have my front differential replaced under warranty. The BMW dealer told me that I need to baby the car with the new diff for about the first 500 miles or so. Then to a diff fluid change. I was wondering if anyone knows if that's true. Or can I start driving the car the way it's meant to be driven. As always, any help is appreciated.

[DrVenture]

Ring and pinion gear sets do have recommended break-in intervals. Changing the fluid after 500 miles will likely reveal sparkling bits of metal flake in the used fluid. My assumption is they can affect the clutches in the differential.

[Doctor X]

Originally Posted by Scotty550

I had to have my front differential replaced under warranty. The BMW dealer told me that I need to baby the car with the new diff for about the first 500 miles or so. Then to a diff fluid change. I was wondering if anyone knows if that's true. Or can I start driving the car the way it's meant to be driven. As always, any help is appreciated.

na don't list to them.. launch it as many times as possible to open up the teeth of the differential and get an even amount of oil coating

[Bsm550]

Front diffs are starting to fail my tech has told me on all m550/50 models

[Oz 2021 M550i]

Originally Posted by Bsm550

Front diffs are starting to fail my tech has told me on all m550/50 models

What's the cause of the failures? Mine has a distinctive whine at exactly 86-88km/h. Dealer has confirmed the noise is there and changed the oil. Noise is still there, hasn't got any noisier.

[Bsm550]

Originally Posted by Oz 2021 M550i

What's the cause of the failures? Mine has a distinctive whine at exactly 86-88km/h. Dealer has confirmed the noise is there and changed the oil. Noise is still there, hasn't got any noisier.

Im not sure i will be taking apart my old front diff soon enough and will share the results of what i find
But my whine wasn't at a certain speed it happened at all speeds when my tech sent me the video evidence he had found the culprit and the noise was coming from the front diff my guess is the gears got worn down prematurly which created shaft play

[AshleyL]

Originally Posted by Bsm550

Front diffs are starting to fail my tech has told me on all m550/50 models

Mine just went out on m850i xDrive at 46k miles. From what I’m reading it’s happening with several models

[blueeyesshined13]

Originally Posted by AshleyL

Mine just went out on m850i xDrive at 46k miles. From what I’m reading it’s happening with several models

Mine just failed too and I my warranty just expired in May of this year. BMW ought to do something about it since so many of us are starting to run into this issue as we approach 50k miles. These are not cheap repair either. This in addition to the coolant tank issues makes me so frustrated with my car. I love this thing to death but wish BMW took some responsibility with these issues. How much did the repair cost ya?

[vazko9]

Originally Posted by blueeyesshined13

Mine just failed too and I my warranty just expired in May of this year. BMW ought to do something about it since so many of us are starting to run into this issue as we approach 50k miles. These are not cheap repair either. This in addition to the coolant tank issues makes me so frustrated with my car. I love this thing to death but wish BMW took some responsibility with these issues. How much did the repair cost ya?

I am having a similar issue and I suspect the front diff. Was there any noise that sounded like a wheel bearing but wasn't?

[Bsm550]

Originally Posted by vazko9

I am having a similar issue and I suspect the front diff. Was there any noise that sounded like a wheel bearing but wasn't?

Thats exactly what it sounds like check your front diff oil if there is shimmer flakes you know your problem

[Bsm550]

Originally Posted by blueeyesshined13

Mine just failed too and I my warranty just expired in May of this year. BMW ought to do something about it since so many of us are starting to run into this issue as we approach 50k miles. These are not cheap repair either. This in addition to the coolant tank issues makes me so frustrated with my car. I love this thing to death but wish BMW took some responsibility with these issues. How much did the repair cost ya?

If enough cars start to share the same problem it will take a while but there is a possibility it will become an extended warranty item

[blueeyesshined13]

Originally Posted by vazko9

I am having a similar issue and I suspect the front diff. Was there any noise that sounded like a wheel bearing but wasn't?

Hmm mine was more of a subtle whine in the lower rpms

[vazko9]

Originally Posted by blueeyesshined13

Hmm mine was more of a subtle whine in the lower rpms

Interesting. My noise starts around 40mph and stays the same around 65-70mph. Sounds like it would be a wheel bearing on the drivers front but after replacing it the noise still was there. I also suspected the tires since they are runflats but swapped them with some non runflats and made no difference.

[AshleyL]

Originally Posted by vazko9

Interesting. My noise starts around 40mph and stays the same around 65-70mph. Sounds like it would be a wheel bearing on the drivers front but after replacing it the noise still was there. I also suspected the tires since they are runflats but swapped them with some non runflats and made no difference.

My mechanic thought it was just a wheel baring at first so we replaced that noise was still there. Now we know it’s definitely the front diff. These are not cheap, but with so many issues cropping hopefully they will address the problem.

[AshleyL]

Originally Posted by Bsm550

Front diffs are starting to fail my tech has told me on all m550/50 models

Lots of people with failed front diffs on m850s and other models too.

[AshleyL]

Originally Posted by Scotty550

I had to have my front differential replaced under warranty. The BMW dealer told me that I need to baby the car with the new diff for about the first 500 miles or so. Then to a diff fluid change. I was wondering if anyone knows if that's true. Or can I start driving the car the way it's meant to be driven. As always, any help is appreciated.

What model and how many miles did you have to replace it?

[AshleyL]

Originally Posted by Oz 2021 M550i

What's the cause of the failures? Mine has a distinctive whine at exactly 86-88km/h. Dealer has confirmed the noise is there and changed the oil. Noise is still there, hasn't got any noisier.

Someone said they switched manufactures of front diffs (maybe back too) in 2019 and have been seeing more failures than usual.

[vazko9]

Originally Posted by AshleyL

My mechanic thought it was just a wheel baring at first so we replaced that noise was still there. Now we know it’s definitely the front diff. These are not cheap, but with so many issues cropping hopefully they will address the problem.

Hopefully they will in the future. I found a rebuild kit that includes bearings and seals for a decent price. Not sure if it is a good idea.