Thanks SteveBfl. I'm glad to hear a definitive answer. So you are saying that it is definitely the crossover pipe? I have no problem with that. I just don't want to dump a bunch of miraculous marvelous mystery anything into my oil if I'm not really fixing the problem.

The car has a one-year powertrain warranty that is supposed to cover all of the valvetrain components. The problem is, it is one of those used-car dealership warranties and I'm anticipating a big fight to have this done. They'll probably insist it's a 'normal noise' or something. Thanks for the help. I'll have it fixed right away.

As for the 540i, I must admit it was a very confusing day for me when I drove a '98 540. I thought I had my mind made up on the E420! Then I started reading the BMW forums. I started researching the 540 and found out about the Nikasil cylinder wall problems. That was enough for me. Other than timing chains breaking, you never hear about Benz engines puking at low mileage like that.

I know they fixed it, but I just don't trust BMW reliability after hearing those stories. What would it feel like to buy a 60,000 mi. 540 or 740 just out of warranty and then get slapped with an $8000 engine change? No thanks.

My friend has been harassing me about not getting a Beamer. I told him that the Beamer was tight, but the Benz was SOLID. That's the only way I can describe it, and frankly, I like SOLID. To each his own.

By the way Steve, should I replace all of the crossover tubes on that side while the cover is off?