I have a 97' 420E that has been basically trouble free. While accelerating onto a highway the other day the engine shut down instantly! Because I was not near home, the car was towed to the nearest dealership. I do a good deal of my own wrenching and I have a hard time trusting the dealerships. They informed me that my car had jumped timing! I have not gotten the details as to why it jumped timing yet, but will get the details on Tuesday. My question is this, because the engine shut down immediately without so much as a sound, is it a given that there is valve damage? Would positive results from a compression check be enough to avoid doing a complete valve job? Are there any other checks that could signal everything is OK without the MAJOR expense. The stealership quoted me $5,000 to $7,000 !!! I normally do my own repairs but I feel this might be too much for me, so I am trying to minimize the $$$ damage.