‘I have no idea how to explain this to the client’: Man buys BMW. Mechanic can’t believe the state it’s in only 2 months later

Mechanics see some pretty incredible stuff, but this used BMW N54 engine’s state has this garage owner in a state of shock.

The mechanic regularly posts his repair stories to TikTok. In his latest video, he states he doesn’t even know how to tell the car’s new owner what’s wrong with his vehicle’s engine.

RedHatGarage (@redhatgarage) posted the story to his account on Oct. 11, and its shocking reveals have already garnered over 3.6 million views.

The state of the used BMW N54

“I have no idea how to explain this to the client,” Red Hat tells his viewers at the start of the video.

At first, he explains that the BMW N54’s serpentine belt has somehow become lodged in the car’s engine. He then provides evidence of the unbelievable malfunction with his camera.

Immediately, he clarifies that he does not know how it happened. The client told him that the used car would be “perfect.” “It’s far from that,” he claims.

Then he drops another reveal. The belt malfunction is only one of many other problems.

A laundry list of failures

Firstly, he claims that the garage had to replace the BMW’s brake shoes because they were “completely worn out.”

He also claims the shocks and bearing of the car were completely useless.

Surprisingly, he still has another shocking reveal.

After removing the N54’s oil pan, he says he discovered that someone had glued several bolt heads in the engine to the tips of the bolts.

“The moment we just [touched] them, they just snapped,” he says. “They didn’t even screw them in.”

Red Hat says he discovered the engine oil, which his client had been told had been changed, was impure and pitch black using an oil quality sensor.

“I have no question anymore,” he states, finally.

@redhatgarage i have no idea… #bmw #n54 #diagnosis #brunomechanic #redhatgarage #diag #diagnosis #carrepair ♬ original sound – RedHatGarage

Is the BMW N54 a good engine?

According to the Drive, the BMW N54 is “known for expensive failures and oil leaks.”

Several cars use the N54 engine.

The Drive states, “The common issues are aplenty. There is an oil leak that causes belts to slip, which causes the front main seal to fail, which clogs the oil pickup with rubber, thereby starving the engine of oil and blowing the engine.”

The BMW Blog agrees that N54 engines are notorious for their issues.  

“The N54 engine grapples with reliability challenges that have impacted its performance and longevity.”

Per the blog, these include issues with the engine’s fuel pump and oil leaks, as well as carbon buildup.

This buildup “can hinder airflow, resulting in misfires, rough idle, power loss, poor fuel economy, and illuminated check engine lights.”

The Daily Dot reached out to BMW via email for a statement.

Viewers agree

Viewers showed a mix of shock as well as criticism of BMW.

“Buddy after you showed the belt in the engine I’ll believe anything you say about this car,” Michael Steele (@i_dont.get..the_joke) wrote.

Another viewer simply stated, “What an expensive mess.”

“As soon as you said serpentine belt inside the engine, I thought BMW n54,” one commenter revealed.

“Thank you for validating my life choices to not buy a BMW, or be a mechanic. I would mentally have lost it working on that,” another added.

The Daily Dot reached out to Red Hat via Instagram and TikTok messenger for further comment.

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