Are BMW engines reliable?

Hazy_Living@79 said:
Have an opportunity to buy a 2018 BMW X1 xDrive20D M Sport A/T (F48). I am not a car dude. Moving from a 2013 Polo Vivo. Car is going to be driven primarily by my wife, as I work very close to home and am happy to use 10 toes-GP for transport.

Any helpful comments on the reliability/what to get checked out/preventative maintenance ?

TIA
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Solid car. A friend of mine had one up until a few months ago. No issues whatsoever in the 140k kms he put on it
 
Thanks for the comments all. It has around 90 000 kms on the clock, and it has all the bells and whistles. It's currently at an RMI accredited workshop for a mechanical check, and if it comes back sound, I will be purchasing it. Also considering the 2 year warranty
 
Hazy_Living@79 said:
Thanks for the comments all. It has around 90 000 kms on the clock, and it has all the bells and whistles. It's currently at an RMI accredited workshop for a mechanical check, and if it comes back sound, I will be purchasing it. Also considering the 2 year warranty
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RMI doesnt mean sh it. Take it to a BMW dealer to do the check.
 
Hazy_Living@79 said:
Thanks for the comments all. It has around 90 000 kms on the clock, and it has all the bells and whistles. It's currently at an RMI accredited workshop for a mechanical check, and if it comes back sound, I will be purchasing it. Also considering the 2 year warranty
Click to expand...
For what it's worth, even at 90,000 km, I would consider it a solid buy. Apart from having your mechanic check it out, I would recommend reaching out to BMW with the VIN to inquire about any logged accidents or major services done on the car under their plan. Additionally, getting an extended warranty is a good idea for peace of mind. If you can afford it, go for it. However, if you're diligent about setting aside cash each month, it shouldn't be an issue to go without one.
 
Rule of thumb on Bimmer engines:

3 cylinder:
- Only the B38 is in the BMW stable, having being introduced in 2017. Has a bit of a reputation for reliability but would be wary of high milage ones.

4 cylinders:
- Basically all modern diesels are fine. M47 onwards is good. Just make sure it’s been serviced on time and diesels aren’t cheap to maintain typically.
- The only 4 cylinder petrol I would look at is the B48 (2016 onwards in 3 series world). The ones before that I’d caution against.

6 cylinders:
- All the diesels are a yes for me. Mad torque and gang reliability. Just go for it.
- Petrols generally great. B58 is elite, N55 sketchy, N54 I don’t trust. 6 cylinder petrol is BMW dreamland and should be what we ALL strive for. The S engines (used on M cars) are also reliable, but not cheap to maintain.

8 cylinders:
- Only petrols here, with the N63 and S63 on the current stable. Gang power but is a bit hit and miss in terms of reliability. Some older M cars also have V8s but super expensive to maintain.

10 cylinders:
- The famed S85! The less said the better - stay away!

12 cylinders:
- If you can afford a 12 cylinder Bimmer you are probably making rack. Only available in the 760i. Has a reputation for reliability but I would stay far away.
 
Nickster said:
For what it's worth, even at 90,000 km, I would consider it a solid buy. Apart from having your mechanic check it out, I would recommend reaching out to BMW with the VIN to inquire about any logged accidents or major services done on the car under their plan. Additionally, getting an extended warranty is a good idea for peace of mind. If you can afford it, go for it. However, if you're diligent about setting aside cash each month, it shouldn't be an issue to go without one.
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So I would avoid the warranty from BMW cause it’s not actually done through them (it’s done through another company who I can’t remember the name).

My wife and I fell for that trap and when her turbo went out on her old 1 series, they still asked for 60k to replace it cause the warranty company denied the claim.

Get the maintenance plan instead - it will cost more but it will cover everything except tyres.

Also, ask BMW to check the VIN for any comments. If there are comments, then the vehicle may have been in an accident.
 
LLoydizle said:
So I would avoid the warranty from BMW cause it’s not actually done through them (it’s done through another company who I can’t remember the name).

My wife and I fell for that trap and when her turbo went out on her old 1 series, they still asked for 60k to replace it cause the warranty company denied the claim.

Get the maintenance plan instead - it will cost more but it will cover everything except tyres.

Also, ask BMW to check the VIN for any comments. If there are comments, then the vehicle may have been in an accident.
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It sounds like the plan my partner opted for. When she took her car in for service, there were no issues with them covering the costs. I believe the company they use is called Motorite. Just a heads up: her plan is for 3 years or 100/120 km, whichever comes first. At the time of purchase, her car had only 33,000 km on the clock. Depending on how much your wife plans to drive, it might not be cost-effective because the plan wasn't cheap. If she anticipates driving more than 8,000 km a year, it might be better to forgo the plan and set aside some extra cash each month. Just a quick heads up: the plan needs to be activated within 3 months of the BMW plan expiring, if I remember right. So, depending on when the X1's plan runs out, it might not be an option.
 
Pho3nix said:
The diesel engines are rock solid. Try get a 20d if possible
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They are great. I've had a 320d and I miss that car.

Probably a little late, but for other prospective buyers, do have the turbo and the injectors checked out before buying. If either of these fail, is big money. It did happen to me, and it was avoidable.
 
Bliksis said:
They are great. I've had a 320d and I miss that car.

Probably a little late, but for other prospective buyers, do have the turbo and the injectors checked out before buying. If either of these fail, is big money. It did happen to me, and it was avoidable.
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I test drove the 320d and I absolutely loved it! I’m not a car fanatic by any means so I don’t know what out there might be better, but that car felt like so much of fun.

But in the end, I settled with the X3. We needed the bigger car so that we have space for the baby in the back.
 
6spdmanual said:
Rule of thumb on Bimmer engines:

3 cylinder:
- Only the B38 is in the BMW stable, having being introduced in 2017. Has a bit of a reputation for reliability but would be wary of high milage ones.

4 cylinders:
- Basically all modern diesels are fine. M47 onwards is good. Just make sure it’s been serviced on time and diesels aren’t cheap to maintain typically.
- The only 4 cylinder petrol I would look at is the B48 (2016 onwards in 3 series world). The ones before that I’d caution against.

6 cylinders:
- All the diesels are a yes for me. Mad torque and gang reliability. Just go for it.
- Petrols generally great. B58 is elite, N55 sketchy, N54 I don’t trust. 6 cylinder petrol is BMW dreamland and should be what we ALL strive for. The S engines (used on M cars) are also reliable, but not cheap to maintain.

8 cylinders:
- Only petrols here, with the N63 and S63 on the current stable. Gang power but is a bit hit and miss in terms of reliability. Some older M cars also have V8s but super expensive to maintain.

10 cylinders:
- The famed S85! The less said the better - stay away!

12 cylinders:
- If you can afford a 12 cylinder Bimmer you are probably making rack. Only available in the 760i. Has a reputation for reliability but I would stay far away.
Click to expand...
Great info thanks

What are the maintenance costs on the 4 cyl diesels like?
 
ronz91 said:
Great info thanks

What are the maintenance costs on the 4 cyl diesels like?
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R2k for oil changes every 10k kms.
R5k for normal service
R8-10 for a major service

Brakes and tyres are the costs that will hurt your heart.

Turbo and gearbox if the car has been taken care of will be items to make sure you do preventative maintenance on.
 
Pho3nix said:
R2k for oil changes every 10k kms.
R5k for normal service
R8-10 for a major service

Brakes and tyres are the costs that will hurt your heart.

Turbo and gearbox if the car has been taken care of will be items to make sure you do preventative maintenance on.
Click to expand...
What is the preventative maintenance you refer to? Saw some of the other costs, and I'm happy in general, as those won't be annual costs for me due to less mileage done
 
LLoydizle said:
So I would avoid the warranty from BMW cause it’s not actually done through them (it’s done through another company who I can’t remember the name).

My wife and I fell for that trap and when her turbo went out on her old 1 series, they still asked for 60k to replace it cause the warranty company denied the claim.

Get the maintenance plan instead - it will cost more but it will cover everything except tyres.

Also, ask BMW to check the VIN for any comments. If there are comments, then the vehicle may have been in an accident.
Click to expand...

Nickster said:
It sounds like the plan my partner opted for. When she took her car in for service, there were no issues with them covering the costs. I believe the company they use is called Motorite. Just a heads up: her plan is for 3 years or 100/120 km, whichever comes first. At the time of purchase, her car had only 33,000 km on the clock. Depending on how much your wife plans to drive, it might not be cost-effective because the plan wasn't cheap. If she anticipates driving more than 8,000 km a year, it might be better to forgo the plan and set aside some extra cash each month. Just a quick heads up: the plan needs to be activated within 3 months of the BMW plan expiring, if I remember right. So, depending on when the X1's plan runs out, it might not be an option.
Click to expand...

If it's from a third party (Motorite) then it's not the same thing.

The buggers at the service desk seem to want to sell these external party warranties rather than offer an extension of the maintenance plan. Most probably get commission on one and not the other.

As was mentioned before:

3rd party warranties - lots of exclusions that can come to bite

BMW maintenance plan - everything covered except tires.
 
Hazy_Living@79 said:
What is the preventative maintenance you refer to? Saw some of the other costs, and I'm happy in general, as those won't be annual costs for me due to less mileage done
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Get the gearbox oil changed every 50k/4 years and gearbox serviced. This is R8k normally.

Turbo will be more so just taking care when driving the car.
 
Splinter said:
If it's from a third party (Motorite) then it's not the same thing.

The buggers at the service desk seem to want to sell these external party warranties rather than offer an extension of the maintenance plan. Most probably get commission on one and not the other.

As was mentioned before:

3rd party warranties - lots of exclusions that can come to bite

BMW maintenance plan - everything covered except tires.
Click to expand...

Important to note that Motorite is R200-R500 a month for a service plan/warranty plan. They’ll pay a portion of your engine blows up to a certain amount dependant on your policy.

While BMW maintenance plan covers everything, it’s R25k per years extension so it’s important you budget for this cost if you’re buying a car that’s about to be out of Motorplan.
 
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