120k mile N57, reliable?

[willmagrath]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy an F31 330d to replace my M135i. I need the swap as I'm moving jobs which involves a bigger commute on motorways. I also need a bigger car for pending dog.

At my budget of around 10k, I can get a good full service history example with around 120k on it.

If I were to buy, replace the chain and do lots of preventative maintenance, will it be reliable?

Thanks

[danb79]

Why do you need to replace the chain?

Are there signs of it having issues?

The N57s a fairly bulletproof engine and the chains rarely go; IIRC its more the crank that can have issues... There are quite a few posts on here re the N57 etc

Unless you really want to do the chain; listen to the engine from cold, if there are no sounds of chain slap etc then you'll be good to go

Keep the oil & filter fresh; get the ZF8 box serviced and enjoy the car

[willmagrath]

danb79 said:

Why do you need to replace the chain?

Are there signs of it having issues?

The N57s a fairly bulletproof engine and the chains rarely go; IIRC its more the crank that can have issues... There are quite a few posts on here re the N57 etc

Unless you really want to do the chain; listen to the engine from cold, if there are no sounds of chain slap etc then you'll be good to go

Keep the oil & filter fresh; get the ZF8 box serviced and enjoy the car

I suppose maybe I don't need to that then!

I'm pretty meticulous and anxious about car maintenance so always do more than I should.

Thanks

[danb79]

willmagrath said:

I suppose maybe I don't need to that then!

I'm pretty meticulous and anxious about car maintenance so always do more than I should.

Thanks

That'll be spot on then

We have an F31 325D (twin turbo N47) that's just done 102k miles... If you believed the tinterwebs it should have blown up at 100k - had it since Jan 2023, got extended BMW warranty on it (won't be renewing come Jan 2025) and I've changed the oil/filter every 6 months for peace of mind (easy to do as it has a dipstick)

It's been serviced to within an inch of its life as well as a full (every part) suspension overhaul and it's been faultless / been a superb car

[davidjamesleake]

danb79 said:

Why do you need to replace the chain?

Are there signs of it having issues?

The N57s a fairly bulletproof engine and the chains rarely go; IIRC its more the crank that can have issues... There are quite a few posts on here re the N57 etc

Unless you really want to do the chain; listen to the engine from cold, if there are no sounds of chain slap etc then you'll be good to go

Keep the oil & filter fresh; get the ZF8 box serviced and enjoy the car

Exactly this.

I had all the same thoughts when I got an 80ish k X5 3.0d. Spoke to a number of specialists about doing the chain as preventative maintenance and they all suggested better to save the cash, just make sure it gets regular oil and filter changes.

Smith and Allan worth a look for oil at 20 litres a time as well as ATF to ZF spec significantly cheaper than genuine if you decide to service the gearbox.

Mine’s on 127k now, did the gearbox as soon as I got it and change oil and filter every 5k - I reckon it works out about £40 - £45 a time to change the oil and filter.

[sortedcossie]

Between myself, family and a couple of mates we have had well over a dozen N57 engined 3 and 5 series of both 30 and 35 variants with mileages ranging from 30k to 200k - no chain, rod bearing or crank issues. One did have the balancing pulley start to fail, and that can scrap the engine, that was the 200k mile one though. Alloy block and head so failure is usually a new short engine, some rebuilders won't recon the N57 bottom end.

As said above:

Oil Service 12 months/6 to 7k miles
Allow temperature to get up before giving them any beans
Our F31 335d drinks the fuel on very short journeys, sub 2 mile ones, doesn't do it any harm but they weren't really designed for that
ZF8 box isn't sealed for life, our local place recommends 80k service - some say 60k though

One thing that is more related to the F30/F31 in general is that they are very easy to steal, invest in a disklock or decent steering lock and a couple of fariday pouches for the keys.

[rottenegg]

Just get an LCI 30d M Sport plus in the best condition you can afford and just enjoy it.

Do these 4 must dos and you'll be golden:

Fit the latest upper chain tensioner, part no - 11318490219
Fit the Thyssenkrupp steering rack repair kit.
Switch to 5W40 LL04 oil and change it as often as practically possible.
Get ISTA+ and Ethernet to OBD2 cable for your laptop and learn how to use it.

Do these preventative maintenance items to be even more golden:

PCV cap and diaphragm from Autodoc.
Replace coolant, diesel and oil filler caps. The seals on them shrink over time.
Dump the coolant and switch to the latest lifetime stuff from the dealer.
Dump the trans oil and filter and replenish with fresh stuff.

The rest is mustard. Dead easy cars to work on. Cheap to maintain if you swerve dealers and they are very reliable, contrary to what the handful of neglectful owners might whinge about online.

Split crank harmonic dampeners is a famous issue, but they don't split unless you beat on it regularly, but keep an eye on it for cracking/perishing.

Just follow these 2 golden rules for a long life:

Let it warm up fully before beating on it.
If stuck in slow moving traffic for ages, don't immediately nail it when the traffic clears. Bring it back up to speed gradually to let the coolant system ditch the heat soak first.

[willmagrath]

rottenegg said:

Just get an LCI 30d M Sport plus in the best condition you can afford and just enjoy it.

Do these 4 must dos and you'll be golden:

Fit the latest upper chain tensioner, part no - 11318490219
Fit the Thyssenkrupp steering rack repair kit.
Switch to 5W40 LL04 oil and change it as often as practically possible.
Get ISTA+ and Ethernet to OBD2 cable for your laptop and learn how to use it.

Do these preventative maintenance items to be even more golden:

PCV cap and diaphragm from Autodoc.
Replace coolant, diesel and oil filler caps. The seals on them shrink over time.
Dump the coolant and switch to the latest lifetime stuff from the dealer.
Dump the trans oil and filter and replenish with fresh stuff.

The rest is mustard. Dead easy cars to work on. Cheap to maintain if you swerve dealers and they are very reliable, contrary to what the handful of neglectful owners might whinge about online.

Split crank harmonic dampeners is a famous issue, but they don't split unless you beat on it regularly, but keep an eye on it for cracking/perishing.

Just follow these 2 golden rules for a long life:

Let it warm up fully before beating on it.
If stuck in slow moving traffic for ages, don't immediately nail it when the traffic clears. Bring it back up to speed gradually to let the coolant system ditch the heat soak first.

Wow thanks very much, I have screenshotted this.

I'm off to see a 2012 330d with 125k on it this week hopefully. M sport with a good spec. The owner seems to know his stuff and it seems to have preventative maintenance done etc.

Fingers crossed

[rottenegg]

Good luck! If you find a well looked after one, you won't regret it.

I've had my 2016 30d for 2 years and put 35K miles on it. It's never put a foot wrong and never thrown a CEL. It has averaged 52mpg over that time/distance and doesn't use a drop of oil.

Now that it's on 73K miles, the dampers feel a bit tired and the cam cover gasket is starting to weep slightly, otherwise it's in fine shape and will last a long time under my fastidious ownership

All I've done to it in that time is what I listed above. Apart from the above needing addressing at some point in the near future, it otherwise feels like it will go on forever. Just keep on top of the preventative maintenance and you'll be fine. Unlike a lot of people who never do it, if you lift the bonnet for visual checks and look underneath occasionally, you can't go wrong.

[sortedcossie]

average 52mpg over 35k miles, that 95% motorway?