Seeking independent BMW Scooter Mechanic in Los Angeles for engine replacement due to timing chain failure

[skipspeer]

My 2016 C 650 Sport with 9K miles needs a new engine. BMW of Burbank wants $9k. Can anyone recommend an independent in Los Angeles that can do the job? Such a bummer because I have had it since it was new. Just did a ton of service on it. From day 1 of ownership, 7+ years ago, I have been reporting a strange rattle in the engine. I had another scooter before and know how they should sound. No one was able to duplicate it until BMW of Burbank. I was trying to get my Aegis extended warranty to cover it in Jan and then May, but they wouldn't. Took it to BMW of Burbank twice who had the engine out for over a month. Then it blew up last week. Aegis is declaring it a total loss and trying to pay me way too little. There is was a campaign from BMW but allegedly not on my VIN. Anyone know if I have any recourse? Totally sucks. I don't think I will find another Valencia Orange replacement. And I don't want a replacement. I want mine! Thanks in advance--Skip in Hollywood

 

[oldcamper]

Sorry to hear your c650 died. How many miles did it last?

If you really want to get it fixed, you might consider finding a replacement donor engine from a crashed bike. Then, just about any competent independent mechanic should be able to swap it in for you at minimal cost.

As the insurance company stated, any repair or replacement is likely to exceed the value of your seven year old bike, hence the total. FWIW, the c650 driveline was actually made by Taiwanese Kymco, and $9K today will get you a brand new Kymco AK550 which is highly rated and maybe worth a look.

Good luck with your quest. Let us know how it all works out.

 

[r0ckrat]

Contact Long Beach BMW and see if they can work with you. Great group of people.

There's also Brown BMW in Pomona and Irv Seaver BMW in Orange.

If not there, contact the folks at Scooter Dynasty (scooterdynasty.com) as they have a lot of contacts in the LA area scooter community.

 

[skipspeer]

Sorry to hear your c650 died. How many miles did it last?

If you really want to get it fixed, you might consider finding a replacement donor engine from a crashed bike. Then, just about any competent independent mechanic should be able to swap it in for you at minimal cost.

As the insurance company stated, any repair or replacement is likely to exceed the value of your seven year old bike, hence the total. FWIW, the c650 driveline was actually made by Taiwanese Kymco, and $9K today will get you a brand new Kymco AK550 which is highly rated and maybe worth a look.

Good luck with your quest. Let us know how it all works out.

Super helpful. Thanks. I think it was due to the timing chain failure. Only 9K miles. Rigorously serviced at BMW dealer. Any idea how I would find a used engine/crashed bike? I would love to keep THIS scooter.

 

[skipspeer]

Contact Long Beach BMW and see if they can work with you. Great group of people.

There's also Brown BMW in Pomona and Irv Seaver BMW in Orange.

If not there, contact the folks at Scooter Dynasty (scooterdynasty.com) as they have a lot of contacts in the LA area scooter community.

Thanks so much. Any idea why the other BMW MC dealerships would be better than Burbank? Won't all tell me it is going to cost $9kish? However, I will try. Going to see if I can explore recourse with BMW. After research, looks like this is a common problem with the timing chain and I reported it from day one of ownership. However, most of the service people thought I was crazy and didn't document it.

 

[oldcamper]

Super helpful. Thanks. I think it was due to the timing chain failure. Only 9K miles. Rigorously serviced at BMW dealer. Any idea how I would find a used engine/crashed bike? I would love to keep THIS scooter.

Crashedtoys.com has a 2020 up for bid, currently at only $60!:

https://www.crashedtoys.com/lot/56287524/salvage-2020-bmw-c650-gt-nm-albuquerque

eBay sometimes has parted out bikes. The c650 is not real common but for price reference a used Burgman 650 engine is often less than $1,000.

Early c650s had timing chain issues but later models with a hydraulic tensioner are much better. BMW-scooters.com has details on the changes.

Again, good luck on your quest.

 

[r0ckrat]

Thanks so much. Any idea why the other BMW MC dealerships would be better than Burbank? Won't all tell me it is going to cost $9kish?

Some dealerships care more than others, and will actually go to bat for you with the mothership. If you have records that show that the issues were raised while it was still under warranty, a good dealership will try and help get the work covered under that warranty.

I did see that ScooterDynasty caries parts for your BMW scooter, and if OldCamper is right about it being a rebranded Kymco, there should be plenty of shops that can repair it for less than BMW shop rates, and parts can be sourced from ScooterDynasty (they ship fast anything they have in stock, and have good relationships with the manufacturers that they cover.)

For reference, I have a Lance scooter for my wife, and the only slowdown I've experienced was when the parts container for Lance US was stuck in the port - as soon as it cleared customs I received the parts very quickly. (Her CaliClassic 200i seems to like burning cylinders on a 5000 mile rotation.)

If you can't find a more local shop than Long Beach, I might know someone that can help, and will let you buy the parts needed for the job.

 

[oldcamper]

I did see that ScooterDynasty caries parts for your BMW scooter, and if OldCamper is right about it being a rebranded Kymco, there should be plenty of shops that can repair it for less than BMW shop rates, and parts can be sourced from ScooterDynasty (they ship fast anything they have in stock, and have good relationships with the manufacturers that they cover.)

Not exactly “rebranded”.

BMW has outsourced drivelines for many of their cycles over the years. For example, the original f650 single engine/transmissions, and later f650-700-800 twin engine/transmissions were built by Austrian Rotax. Later f750/850/900 engine/transmissions are currently produced by Chinese Loncin, who also built the entire c400 scooter for BMW, and India’s TVS builds the entire 310 series.

While some drivelines or very similar derivatives are/were available in world markets under different brand names (Aprilia, Voge, TVS), AFIK the Kymco built c650 engine/transmission was always exclusively a BMW offering.

 

[skipspeer]

Crashedtoys.com has a 2020 up for bid, currently at only $60!:

https://www.crashedtoys.com/lot/56287524/salvage-2020-bmw-c650-gt-nm-albuquerque

eBay sometimes has parted out bikes. The c650 is not real common but for price reference a used Burgman 650 engine is often less than $1,000.

Early c650s had timing chain issues but later models with a hydraulic tensioner are much better. BMW-scooters.com has details on the changes.

Again, good luck on your quest.

Thank you again. So helpful. I signed up and tried to bid, but they want a dealer's license or for me to hire a broker. I emailed them and will see if there is anything I can do. I looked at all of my service paperwork. After 1.5 years of ownership, it the rattle/timing chain problem is documented multiple times throughout my records. Wondering if I have any recourse through BMW. Will post in the scooter form also.

 

[skipspeer]

Some dealerships care more than others, and will actually go to bat for you with the mothership. If you have records that show that the issues were raised while it was still under warranty, a good dealership will try and help get the work covered under that warranty.

I did see that ScooterDynasty caries parts for your BMW scooter, and if OldCamper is right about it being a rebranded Kymco, there should be plenty of shops that can repair it for less than BMW shop rates, and parts can be sourced from ScooterDynasty (they ship fast anything they have in stock, and have good relationships with the manufacturers that they cover.)

For reference, I have a Lance scooter for my wife, and the only slowdown I've experienced was when the parts container for Lance US was stuck in the port - as soon as it cleared customs I received the parts very quickly. (Her CaliClassic 200i seems to like burning cylinders on a 5000 mile rotation.)

If you can't find a more local shop than Long Beach, I might know someone that can help, and will let you buy the parts needed for the job.

Very helpful. Thanks. I looked at all of my service paperwork. After 1.5 years of ownership, it the rattle/timing chain problem is documented multiple times throughout my records. I will ask Burbank again, and if they won't do anything, I will ask the dealerships you recommend. Will post in the scooter form also. I would be happy to take your personal lead if they are willing to take on the task. Thanks again