[BKS]

Seems I've joined the club. But in my case after the 3yr warranty expired. I'm the third owner. First owner didn't ride it much. Second owner worked at a BMW dealership. So no reason to think the bike had been abused. I was starting to notice oil on surface of the engine. Then noticed the fan coming on after ony 20mins even on cold windy days this spring. Then it actually started overheating if I stopped at a stoplight. Dealer degreased the engine and all but confirmed the head gasket. Still trying to determine if the overheating is related but I suspect if the coolant got contaminated it could have damaged the pump or just compromised the coolant. Dealer is projecting $1500 (27% of what I paid for the bike). Anyone else have this issue after the warranty expired? Bike only has 8700mi -- way premature for a head gasket to go of natural causes. Just wondering if it's worth my time to appeal to BMW Motorrad and argue that it's a manufacturing problem. Was planning to sell/trade up for 750GS this summer. I know this is a rare issue (neither dealer near me has seen it before) but starting to question what I thought was pretty solid brand loyalty.

 

[G0MYW]

" .. what I thought was pretty solid brand loyalty. .."
yes, well many of us have that thought; but hey its really just a cheap indian made bike with a bmw badge stuck on it.
I'm sure they thought that it would get us all hooked on bmw bikes ... which it would have ... IF the 310 and dealer support was up to it.
Yes you have nothing to loose by appealing to Motorrad, even if they just make a contribution.
I wish you luck with this; and keep us informed of the sorry saga..!

 

[hasselman]

In my part of the World BMW is not very interested in supporting owners of their branded Indian product. My water pump started leaking two months after the two (2) year warranty expired. BMW Motorrad Finland (located in Sweden) refused to take any responsibility for known design defect. I repaired it my self on my own account.

 

[ARBOLMANO]

So your upset with BMW because of a head gasket failure at 8400 miles? Third owner, after three years. I’d think with any brand you’d be SOL. Many warrantys only last one year. It would not readily seem to be a known flaw in the unit. If it was a manufacturing flaw like a cracked head it should have shown up sooner. The fan coming on too frequent meant you were running hot, Most common cause of overheating is low coolant, who checks that? 310 can have water pump issues with coolant loss. To continue operating a unit when over heating can compromise the head gasket and other component. There is a temperature gauge on the 310 Not a bad idea to monitor if your suspicious.
Stay in touch with your dealer, if you’ve been cooking your bike, there’s much more concern than just a head gasket. They won’t know until start to disassemble. If smart they will inspect cooling system for leaks while there. Depending, you may wish to replace entire motor. Not that much more money for low mileage used or even new with warrant. Have you documented required maintenance on the bike? If cared for properly and it is a manufacturing flaw, there’s a good chance BMW will step up. This is not the first time BMW teamed up with alternate Manufactuner for the smaller bikes. Of course some dealers make less and thus will ignore you. Not a new issue. I think the 310 a well made and innovative unit. Everything seen so far speaks of modern manufacturing and quality control. My biggest peeve so far is the use of hex head screws where I expect a torx as BMW went torx years ago. No big.
This isn’t a bike I’d buy used to be honest. High stressed wee bike, critical maintenance and low initial cost. Not a “forever” bike, best sold or traded in when warranty expires.
Going in with positive attitude will gain far more success than being negative. An open wallet helps too. BMW stands for “Bring Money With” and dealers are used to folks dropping 20k on a bike and thousands on accessories. The only thing cheap on a BMW is the nutter attached to the handlebars. So our wee bikes represent nothing but hassle to them, they all hate Indian production as well, snobbery. It was the same with the Aprilla/Rotax 650 “Funduro”.
So one has to “work” ‘em some. If one does buy used, find a competent independent shop, have the unit inspected prior to purchase. Do not buy without documented maintenance.

 

[BKS]

Thanks for the responses. Yes, I am upset after 8700mi. And I get that it's a inexpensive bike manufactured as economically as possible. Still, I expect better reliability from modern manufacturing and quality control designed and overseen by German engineering. I work in global manufacturing and these things happen for reasons that are often beyond our ability to control with the systems we have in place. I'm prepared to be SOL but will push Motorrad for whatever it's worth. I do have documented service records from the previous owner who worked for BMW and had all the work done in their shop. In hindsight the engine was seeping oil well before it started overheating but I overlooked it and assumed it was just chain lube spray. I couldn't easily check the coolant level in the radiator but confirmed that the level in the overflow reservoir was good. It had just had routine service at 6300mi late last summer. Would have been better to shell out an additional $1-2000 and buy new but at the time I wanted it the plant was shut down for covid and no one had any inventory (that changed just two short months later!). Would likely have a better experience with a model manufactured in Germany/China. Will dump this one as soon as I can. Dealer just offered me $3000 for it as-is for trade-in but not sure I want to stay with BMW or wait an unknown amount of time for his new 750GS's to arrive.

The other agonizing part of the drama is that my local dealer is just awful to deal with. Really the worst customer service I've ever had for anything anywhere. And currently they don't seem to have a service department to speak of...just the owners who are also trying to run the business. Friends have warned me but in this case I was thinking it was just a thermostat or coolant pump, a one or two hour job. Next nearest dealer is three hours away and really good to deal with from what I've gleaned. So I may have to pull the plug on the local shop. All the while the weather is getting so good for riding and all I can do is roll down the windows in my car.

 

[CandyMUFF]

What an unfortunate introduction into 310 ownership.

There's a thread of high mileage bikes, which I think speaks to their reliability. I've not had many issues. Though they were covered while in warranty. I use my bike everyday and it's only been unwell 2 days out of over 2 years.

Anyone Done high Mileage! | BMW G310 R/GS Forum (g310rforum.com)

Maybe due to the lack of use or neglect previous owners may well of played a hand in the head gasket failure. First I've heard of one go on here. Any chance you'd have a crack at it yourself?

🍬

 

[ARBOLMANO]

That’s a sorry scene, bummer you had to go through this. yeah shoulda held out for new.
Used BMW’s are something folks really tend to shy away from for good reason. Unless you’ve skills or good relations with a shop It’s an expensive gamble. All newer bikes really, but BMW the worst that way. It’s the price of being techno/cutting edge. The concept being one needs to get a new bike regular to stay up with technological advances, which sadly is kinda true.
That the dealer offering a generous trade says something. Do they handle other lines but BMW? I suspect that’s your best way out financially. A good local shop may serve you better than a distant dealer. Your out of warranty and will have the same issue with any dealer. How about the dealer where previous owner works? You’d have some traction there.
Be quite interesting to find out what happened to bike and what BMW does or doesn’t do.