Are BMW engines reliable?

Only really problematic engines on BMW are the N13 (2012-2017 116i, 118i, 316i) and N20(2012-2016 120i, 320i, 328i, Z4, X1, 520i, 528i). Funny enough these aren't made by BMW, but Peugeot.

The N47A(2007-2009 120d,320d,X1) had issues with the timing chain stretching because of failing fuel pump. Later versions of the N47 are bullet proof

N63, S63 (2008-2012 550, 650, 750, X5, X6 and M variants) are truly horrid past 150k km. The TU updated version were better. Awesome to drive, k@k to own.

N54 (2006-2008 135, 335, X5, X6) engines were good but everything else around it breaks. Awesome to drive, k@k to own.

These are the ones I could think off the top of my head, I probably missed a few.
 
gbyleveldt said:
Only really problematic engines on BMW are the N13 (2012-2017 116i, 118i, 316i) and N20(2012-2016 120i, 320i, 328i, Z4, X1, 520i, 528i). Funny enough these aren't made by BMW, but Peugeot.

The N47A(2007-2009 120d,320d,X1) had issues with the timing chain stretching because of failing fuel pump. Later versions of the N47 are bullet proof

N63, S63 (2008-2012 550, 650, 750, X5, X6 and M variants) are truly horrid past 150k km. The TU updated version were better. Awesome to drive, k@k to own.

N54 (2006-2008 135, 335, X5, X6) engines were good but everything else around it breaks. Awesome to drive, k@k to own.

These are the ones I could think off the top of my head, I probably missed a few.
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you missed the BIGGEST POS, N42/N46 out of the 318Ti, 320i, X1, X3, Z4

Mo vanos Mo problems
 
Yes the diesels are so good!!

The petrol ones, they going to leave you broke most of them. Most bmw v8's is designed to make you bankrupt and bmw mechanics rich.
 
I would rather beleive the BMW salesman than trust anything that comes out of the mouth of an ANC cadre
 
Nithan15 said:
The golden rule with BMW engines is if it has more or less than 6 cylinders its not the best
For some reason BMW makes the best straight 6 in the market but everything else I wont touch and this coming from someone that owned 3 BMWs
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N52 FTW!!

@OP: IMHO the main thing you want to watch out for with BMW engines is sludge. BMW sets a very wide service interval on their Motorplan which results in oil not being changed regularly enough which then causes it to harden on the components and eventually forms a layer of rock hard carbon? (Tar? Metal shavings? WTF is it?)
This never impacts the first buyer but secondhand you are in for it. Best advice is to take the car to a trusted indie, have them do a PDI and ask them specifically to check the oil filter for signs of sludge. There will be some without much doubt as in order to avoid it the first buyer would have had to be doing inter-plan oil changes, i.e.: paying for extra, preventative maintenance over and above the already paid for Motorplan which I assume is rare.

This is what it can look like inside and engine that has not had frequent enough oil changes:
1658824987373.png
 
Nithan15 said:
Whats your budget?
Whats your usage? Daily Driver? Highway cruiser?

have you tried looking at a 3.0D variant? bigger engines work less harder than smaller engines esp on heavier vehicles therefore increasing reliability
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He'll get hijacked long before reliability is questioned.
 
How close are you to a BMW dealership/stealership? This is one of the reasons why, when my Honda finally packs up, I will switch to a Toyota, as their dealership/stealership is within pissing distance of both work and home. (Exaggeration, but you get the drift).

Most modern cars are reliable in my honest opinion. You just have to service/maintain the car and you will get years of reliable service.
 
DiabloDane said:
you missed the BIGGEST POS, N42/N46 out of the 318Ti, 320i, X1, X3, Z4

Mo vanos Mo problems
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Yes and no. Most issues I've seen on these is lack of maintenance - mostly lack of oil changes and BMW's insistence on using Castrol - hence Vanos issues. The fact that this is the most common engine (by an order of magnitude over other models) makes it appear worse than the others. Make no mistake, it's not great due to lack of power. But it's certainly not as bad as the ones I listed above when taken in context.
 
SlinkyMike said:
N52 FTW!!

@OP: IMHO the main thing you want to watch out for with BMW engines is sludge. BMW sets a very wide service interval on their Motorplan which results in oil not being changed regularly enough which then causes it to harden on the components and eventually forms a layer of rock hard carbon? (Tar? Metal shavings? WTF is it?)
This never impacts the first buyer but secondhand you are in for it. Best advice is to take the car to a trusted indie, have them do a PDI and ask them specifically to check the oil filter for signs of sludge. There will be some without much doubt as in order to avoid it the first buyer would have had to be doing inter-plan oil changes, i.e.: paying for extra, preventative maintenance over and above the already paid for Motorplan which I assume is rare.

This is what it can look like inside and engine that has not had frequent enough oil changes:
View attachment 1354120
Click to expand...
So true I used to do that as well , oil change every 8000km
 
eg2505 said:
the engine isnt the problem, its everything else, with a BMW,
complexity and plastic parts that fail, will ruin any engine no matter how well designed it is.

would go Toyota or Suzuki any day rather than a plastic fantastic BMW.
Click to expand...
Which plastic parts in particular fails on a BMW?
 
I have a 2010 330D with about 200k on the clock, car never left me stranded but has had some components replaced. Boost pipe, water pipes and water pump. Costs me around R10k per year for maintenance and services
 
BMWs are getting less and less reliable - I wouldn't take one out of motorplan - it's too much of a gamble. One of the main reasons is BMWs long servicing intervals which is asking too much of the oil. In the US they have a reduced window of 1year / 10,000 Miles (16,000 km) or instead of 2 year / 25,000 km that we have in SA. This was brought about after multiple class action lawsuits regarding failing engines due to the long servicing intervals.

From 2000s to early 2010s, most of the problems were due to build up of sludge in the engine from when the oil breaks down and leaves deposits.
In the newer vehicles, many of the tolerances (particularly on the crank shaft) have been reduced and, if the oil gets too thick, these components can fail. Add to that a host of problems with plastic timing chain guides that can break, blocking the oil pump, they're just a ticking time bomb. The engine has become so complicated that BMW dealerships no longer work on them - they only replace them at a cost around what you would buy one for that's just out of motorplan.
I've also had disastrous results with aftermarket mechanics - even ones that that are supposed BMW specialists. A lot of the parts are very expensive so a guessing game to troubleshoot can quickly rack up R10k - R30k without resolving a problem.
 
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