I had the same problem with my previous 2 bmw till I actually got a bmw from the dealer pre owned. Dnt get it from a mom and pops dealer/buy here pay here. Go directly to bmw and get a pre owned steal like I did with my f36 bmw gc!!
In my experience in owning and working on german cars as an ex-mechanic: the factory oil change intervals are way too high, so if you want it to last and not wear, cut the intervals in half and stay away from used cars that were maintained with the "long life" maintenance plan... Some of those engines have 17.000mile oil change intervals on long life, like the vw 2.0pd had, and that is just murder.
European concept of environmentally friendly measures taken to pass their stupid regulations - 1 - make extremely long oil change intervals. even if it is more environmentally damaging by destroying your car early and dirty process to recycle the scrapped car. if you don't scrap it, then buy our expensive replacement parts. it helps corporate execs buy new yachts for their third trophy wife. i love environmental regulations!!! 2 - use thinnest oil to increase fuel efficiency figures placed by regulations. say what? thin oils are not as efficient to prevent wear and tear? who cares, it will make customer buy another in 4-5 years. planned obsolescence, baby. 3 - direct gasoline injection. hell yeah. craps your valves like no tomorrow. again, guaranteed engine failure and lo & behold customer is in the market for new car. trade it in, sucker. 4 - just straight up scam the emissions tests like Volkswagen. hell yeah baby we're environmentally friendly companies!!!1!
When I reset my BMW's OCI, it shows 21,000 miles until next oil change. NFW am I waiting that long, even though I mostly drive on the highway. 8,000 miles is my interval, using LL oil.
as an ex mechanic you missing one key point, yes the oil change intervals are super high if you go by miles but its usually x amount of miles or 6/12 months whichever comes first
With that much oil consumption they should just replace the glovebox with an oil reservoir. Just dump a quart in there before every drive, you should be safe.
Oil consumption usually gets bad when you follow the 10k+ mile oil change intervals, it's very hard on valve stem seals which the N62 and N63 are famous for leaking. I had a 2011 550i with over 100k miles on it and it wouldn't lose more than a 1/4 quart in 1500 miles.
Oil in Britain is crazy expensive and most people don't even know how to add it or will not until service. I expect this will course a lot of problems?
I own a Stage2 F10 M5 (S63B44T0) and have been daily-ing it for four years now in a hot climate (Dubai). I can confirm that with proper preventive maintenance scheme you should never face any problem. I change oil at every 5,000km and drive it hard every day. Still puts supercars to shame even after crossing the 200,000km threshold. I'm still on stock motor, turbos, and clutches even when pushing 720hp/950Nm. In case you ask, 100-200 time is 6.3 seconds at 18C ambient temp (32C IAT) on 98RON street fuel In summary: - Injectors/Coils: 60,000km intervals - Sparks: 30,000km intervals - PCV Valves: 60,000km intervals - Brakes/Discs: 100,000km intervals - Rod Bearings: 125,000km intervals - Clutches: Should last till 200,000-250,000km - Turbos: Should last till 200,000-250,000km
That didn't help the base N63, with its leaky piezo injectors to leak gasoline (the lowest mileage was 5k km, engine totaled), leading to the cylinder wall getting washed with gasoline, no oil film. Then the engine runs more on oil than gasoline and a few km more and it locks mostly up. In germany, a good part of the 408PS vehicles has 1-2 replacement engines in it, and hopefully with the new engine the newer, way less leakier magnetic injectors. Otherwise the N63TU is a good engine. The S63 is, of course, stronger, but most problems arose with the N63 base engine.
@@wegetpaper3447 i have a dragy video. Don't suspect nothing. Come visit Dubai and you'll know we have temps lower than 18C in winter. Some places it reaches 9C
I own a 2015 BMW M5 with the S63tu motor for years now. It has been the most reliable car I've owned. Take care of it, and it'll take care of you. That simple.
I have a BMW X5 50i 2011 with the N63 (original motor). It has had oil changes every 5,000kms with either BMW twin-turbo 5w-30w or Liquid Molly 5w-40w (in summer months). It uses approximately 250ml-500ml of oil every 5000km's and so far, has only had the auxiliary water pump for the turbo's fail in 10 years of ownership. It is not tuned and no modifications have been done to the exhaust. It ran 13.7 1/4 mile earlier in the year (on a drag strip). I agree the plastic/rubber components BMW uses for cooling/oil flow/radiator are not great in high temp environments and fail prematurely. I also have read many horror stories about this engine. So far mine has been great, fingers crossed it continues to be so :)
I bought a used F10 M5 with 31k miles and put another 34k trouble-free miles on it over 6 years. Ironically, it was one of the most reliable (and fun) cars I've ever owned. It did consume oil as stated in the video, and you would end up adding a quart every 2k miles or so. It was quick as hell for a heavy sedan with no noticeable turbo lag. It was a bit numb in the steering and was pretty stiff even in comfort suspension mode. I sold it at about 65k miles, believing I had beaten the odds for any major repairs and was probably about to run out of luck. Very easy car to sell; had tons of interested parties.
Modern BMWs last 90,000 miles/144,000 kilometers before electrically, electronically, mechanically and, where applicable, hydraulically falling apart. You probably could’ve gotten another 25,000 miles/40,000 kilometers out of it before getting rid of it. You would’ve had to junk it rather than sell it as absolutely nobody would want those massive repair bills. They may not be fun (maybe even boring), but a Lexus lasts forever and maintenance, operating and running costs are far lower than any European or even any American or non Japanese Asian brand and matches or exceeds all Japanese brands in lower costs to maintain, operate and run. Yes, Lexus is a glorified Toyota, but that’s why it’s so kick ass where it counts most by far (dependability, durability, quality, reliability, resale value, residual value, satisfaction and service). Lexus matches or exceeds the supposed safest vehicles in safety and security and has best in class fuel economy and lowest in class emissions to boot. I know Lexus is also lacking in dry weather performance and, in some cases, prestige compared to it’s European and American counterparts and compared to some of it’s Asian counterparts (Japanese and otherwise). These counterparts of Lexus also match or exceed it in technology in many cases (in many cases, Lexus exceed). Yes, Lexus also falls shorts of it’s American and European counterparts and some Japanese and other Asians in exterior style and wheel styles but Lexus matches or exceeds other vehicles in interior design and materials. You would be very unwise to not at least consider Lexus for a luxury car lease or purchase. The wisest choice by far is to buy or lease a Lexus and pretend other luxury brands never have existed and never will. They have the lowest frequency and intensity of lemons, recalls and technical service bulletins, to boot, and are the easiest modern vehicles to work on. No, I don’t work for Lexus. I no longer even drive. But I know my shit when it comes to cars.
@@timcorrell9863 The BMW was a bucket list car, and for the time was an amazing experience as I said. Lexus is another on my list to own some day, perhaps an LC. I have never heard anything but good things about the brand and am well familiar with Toyota’s reliability. Thanks for your input!
My old N42 is another example of high maintenance BMW engine.... I still have nightmares with that engine. Valve steam seals, head gasket, oil pan gasket, valve cover gaskets, vanos seals, PCV valve and still was leaking oil, all for those unglorious 143bhp. All of this happened before 190k km.
Really wow thats terrible!! I have an M52TU from 1999 and apart from the cam cover gaskets and the PCV being replaced, it is pretty much perfect. Uses very little oil. Even the supposedly weak points like the VANOS units and the DISA valve are still good after more than 20 years! It seems like BMW (and Mercedes too) cut their build quality down quite severly after the year 2000.
yep same story for me, i changed oil every 10k kms, burnt about 4l of oil between oil changes. at 212tkm i noticed the chain guide was also cracked. also stem seals were worn, changed oil pan + valve gaskets, pcv valve, coolant reservoir, water pump + power steering pump. vanos solenoids were changed, oil cooler gaskets and the list goes on...
@Jonas Jonaitis it was serviced regularly at my local BMW dealer, and at a point I decided to ditch the car, it was costing me to maintain it as much as the renting on a new BMW.
I was working for Bmw as a mechanic when this engine was new and all the ‘technical’ updates that came after. This engine was a big reason I quit working for a bmw dealer. After a few years of working on them, it just got annoying
How do they stay in business? I drove a Kia Stinger and I love that thing! Okay it doesn't sound like this monster V8 but the miles and smiles and cost of ownership are a lot lower.
How can anyone with a rational engineering mind think that putting the catalytic converters near the engine heads is going to result in something other than violent overheating?
Cats right up there in between the heads is absolutely the Craziest idea to ever get floated! I agree, who in their Right mind would ever ok such a design? Reminds me of those ill fated badly designed C8 twin turbo kits where they placed the turbos in a similar location becuz it looked so cool.... heat issues guaranteed
History shows BMW only cares about 1st owner while in warranty. They're designed to last first 4 yrs. Afterward thats where the big money is. Im sure its part of their business plan. You can't just make so many mistakes on so many bmw models throughout the years. Its intentional.
saab had an engine (b2x4/5) famous for sludging and the cat touched the underneath of the oil pan and baked the oil intentionally because engineers thought it would heat up the oil faster and in consequence prevent engine wear... My new saab (b284r) has the turbo and cat an inch from the ecu, battery and the coolant reservoir. so I get to buy new coolant reservoirs and batteries every year, luckily the coolant reservoir is only $250... modern cars are such pleasure. I have a spare ecu for when the heat takes it eventually as I am told it will.
My experience with German cars is that you have to baby them for sure. Frequent oil changes with quality fluid. Premium fuel. OEM parts especially sensors. I've had a 24 year old Toyota that literally went on a road trip with very little oil. Only noticed when I arrived home. Couldn't imaging doing that with the Audi.
I agree. This engine doesn’t make a lot of sense when you can have a big naturally aspirated v8 that produces almost the same torque and more hp that will live longer.
This video doesn't even state the worst bits about it. The oil consumption is basically a side effect of low tension rings to reduce drag and therefore fuel consumption. The turbo oil feeds commonly get blocked, destroying turbos. Some genius decided that the turbo oil drain should feed superheated foamy oil to the crank mains... The injectors used to commonly stick open, washing the bores and resulting in massive scoring requiring a new block and pistons. Of course the labour and parts price required to replace just a block and pistons is so high that you might as well just buy a new long engine. And you can't bore it and fit oversized pistons either, because alusil isn't like a normal iron liner. And even if you could correctly bore and acid hone it BMW doesn't sell the pistons separately. The new M5 has an even dumber feature version. The new S63 is basically the N63 with an even worse oil pump. Basically, to reduce emissions on startup the oil pump flows only a minimal amount of oil. Of course cold startup is where you want all the oil you can get, so I expect these will start trashing themselves very quickly too.
The oil consumption on the V8 S63 is due to bad coating on the cylinders ! I had an F10 where 5-8 cylinders were having horizontal scores and small holes in the nicasil where the oil would go in and the ring would not clean it and it would get burnt slowly slowly .. every tank fill up would require one liter of oil .. that's how bad it got .
God, only had to work on one (13 m6) and when I got around removing all the crap around the engine I swear it was like looking at Medusas head.. so many tubes and freaking wires everywhere.
Good video, but from the testimonials of other commenters, and also a history of N63TU3/S63TU4, since 2020, we have not seen any complaints from the online community. Also, N63 is installed on Alpina B5, and this premium car company would not install crappy engines. Mine M550i from 2023 has now 15000 miles, and there is no oil consumption whatsoever. Only what does bother me after I asked BMW is that they do not recommend any sooner oil change. They are quite confident there is absolutely no need for it since the car automatically estimates the oil wear based on various factors. In the case of oil wear, the onboard computer would reduce the oil change interval. Understandibly, no one trusts such claims.
These motors run very hot, have low friction oil rings so plenty of oil burning, have crappy PCV systems and fueling issues due to sticking injectors. If you have to have one of these cars make sure it's an updated motor (2012 and up) and that it has oil change history where the oil was changed more often than the service manual calls for. I don't understand how BMW thinks it was okay to run oil for 24,000kms in a high compression, high heat and high powered motor that sometimes burns through a quart of oil every 1,500kms. Add in the heat soak issues where the turbos are located and the faulty injectors which can stick open and hydrolock the motor and it's a recipe for disaster. I know a German auto shop nearby my house and they do at least 1 N63/S63 replacement per week.
The heat from the turbos, and cat-converters is the killer. Once the valve seals dry up or harden up due to the heat, the oil consumption will get much worse. I' own two BMWs and I want to get one with the V8 engine, so I'm hoping the BMW engineers have already sorted this problem out.
@@rollydoucet8909 Yeah I’m tempted to get a 550i or 750i to replace my boring (but dependable) C300 Mercedes. If I do go the V8 BMW route it will be a low mileage one with oil change records and I’m immediately going to go with catless downpipes with a tune and install a 90 degree thermostat along with reprogramming the DME so that the coolant runs at 90c instead of 105c. That right there should solve a lot of the heat soak issues. Probably go with some fresh spark plugs and Motul 5W40 oil.
WHY ONLY ALL 24'000 KM? SIMPLE, BECAUSE BMW KNOWS MOST BUYERS CAN'T AFFORD A OIL CHANGE. CARS FOR PEOPLE WITH MONEY, NOT FOR THE POOR "WANNA BE RICH" IDIOTS!
Rod bearings in my 2012 X5M (S63 Engine) spun last year with only 49,500 miles. Meticulously maintained it & drove like a gentleman most of the time. Didn't matter. The bearing clearance from the factory is too tight. The BMW dealership wanted $36,000 to put a new engine in. Had it rebuilt with a new crank, King bearings, & ARP bolts, for a fraction of that cost. Rod bearings in cylinder 2 looked like a pancake. Runs great now...fingers crossed.
Mmmm I have an f10 m5 with 131k miles Been owning it for the past 100k miles as a daily driver. And I’ve swore that this is one of the best engines made. Not a single problem. Oil change every 3k miles. Regular maintenance. Did have to replace turbos but the engine itself has treated me very very good. Maybe I got lucky with this one regardless, I love my tuned m5
I have one as well got it with 48k miles now at 80k miles works like charm oil change every 3-4k miles, no need to top it off, and let's not forget to mention engine sucked in water at 74k miles and hydrolocked, bmw dealer quoted me 48k for new engine "because engine was dead" as stated per BMW, took ca to other none dealer shop ang guess what engine wasn't dead and it is going strong as when it came out of factory.
N63 is not the same as the S63 in the f10 M5 N63 is the motor in the 50i motors - 550i/650i/ XDrive50i The S63 IS based on the N63, but it is heavily revised and has significantly less issues as a result.
BMW can make their cars more durable by using 3d printed metals rather than plastics in things like impellers, hose clamps, everything. Plastic doesn't age well on automobiles! We know this. Argh... it's just probably saving BMW $50 per car (once you account for scale of operations)
you don't know what you are talking about. 3d printig is good for prototiping and maybe for very small number production. It is not good for mass production due to being very slow, even for small components it takes a day to 3d print and then to sinter to then require additional steps in machining and surface finishing where is required. 3d printing is an extremly expensive way to make things
Such a complicated twin-turbo engine for only 400-450hp. An LS would make similar amounts, while naturaly aspirated and can be rebuilt in your backyard.
LS is a heavy fuel guzzler. German engines have to meet EU regulations in terms of efficiency, fuel consumption, emissions. Different basis means different approach. USA is very relaxed. In comparison: most of the current engines will be discontinued, as they don’t meet the current CO2 regulations!
Mercedes popularized the Hot-Vee design with their m176/m177/m178 engine success (the only thing putting those codes apart is the oiling system and intercooler mounting). I realized a while later that BMW is the first to introduce it. Unlike the BMW, the mercedes turbo V8 isn't prone to problems. Only a very few misfiring issues were reported and it's mainly software related.
The M52TU28 in my E36 is so far very reliable, even with 250k miles on it. It too has some failure points but it's a hell of a lot more reliable and somewhat easy to work on than some of these newer BMW engines. I'm currently doing oil changes every 3k miles, transmission fluid and filter change every 28k miles, differential fluid change every 30k miles, power steering every 20k miles and antifreeze change every 1.5 years. By doing this more frequently, it will last a really long time and have fewer breakdowns.
Let's be honest though, those are old school motors producing walking pace power. Cannot be compared in anyway, to the latter day powerplants designed for a whole different application. High performance, at the same time, everyday use, on 4 wheel drive, and hauling a 2 ton chasis. So ofcourse wear and tear will be significant. It would be naive to expect otherwise. We do however, owe it to the earlier motors for giving us the BMW performance signature.
I ran a bone stock non-vanos m50b20 with a t3/t4 eBay turbo setup for about a year on stock ecu, only using a fpr and extra injectors straight into the intake hose. Ran over 13 psi of boost on that janky setup and had no reliability issues that where not my own fault. The stock clutch took it like a champ as well! I blame the european emission laws - the new engines need low internal resistance/friction to be able to comply.. leading to timing gear failure, running lean on the verge of pinging etc. And dont even get me started on the suicidal high Pressure fuel pumps. They simply cannot make them last the way they used to even if they tried
I had a f10 m5 6mt. I tuned it with basic bolt ons and drove it pretty hard- it was great until it let go at 50k miles and went into limp mode. Sold it for the GT-R.
A family member had an X5 5.0 with the N engine, it constantly broke down from about 20 000km. It was so bad BMW gave him another X5 5.0, which also broke down constantly. Eventually he sold it back to BMW and they gave him a massive discount on a 2020 X5 55d.
Wait, wait, wait... dude bought an X5 which was so unreliable, that BMW had to give him another one. And THAT X5 turned out to be unreliable, so dude bought ANOTHER X5? Some people have more money than brains. Bahahha.
@@iwonder1216 The tri-turbo M50d used the N57 which suffers from the same issues as the N47 4-pot. The quad-turbo M50d used the B57 which so far seems to be reliable. Sequential and parrallel turbocharging - each pair of turbos was fed by three cylinders.
From a drivers perspective, I think this is one of bmw's best engine. I've broken 5 axle shafts on my X5M from the massive torque this thing makes almost instantly (not stock). My biggest turn off is the sound.. Knock on wood but at 133k miles the engine has been the most reliable part of my X5M.
The manufacturers need to quit letting their customers do the research and development of new products. All of them are doing it, it seems. I will only buy a used proven car, truck, or motorcycle because of this fact.
I feel like the manufacturers are out of touch with what the consumers actually want. Who asked bmw to build a 4500lb M car? They’re lost as a company imo
@@lordvader3538 I figured that out in the mid-90’s… They lost my entire family forever as we watched them become nothing more than bling for the tragically fashion conscious . Electronic issues, warping break rotors, BS from the dealers.
I have had an N63 powered BMW for 12 years, and have had no issues with the drive train, but then again, after 12 years the car has only 40k miles on it. I change the oil every 5000 miles. It does burn oil on long highway drives, and on occasion I have had to add a liter after a road trip. But I love the power and the sound.
I have a S63 2012 M5 Got it with 8k miles 8yrs ago and it burns a litre of oil roughly every 500mls...always has and now done 88k miles still uses the same amount. Tried slightly thicker oil in summer but not seen any noticeable difference to be fair.
@@cesarxmbert The B58 is good because it had to meet and pass Toyota's quality control which is much more stringent than BMW's quality control. BMW fans can thank Toyota for that.
I had a buddy I deployed with and I told him not to buy a newer BMW. He bought one right as soon as he got back. Water pump went out right away and dumped coolent all over the ground. Then every light went off after that. He had this engine and I looked once at it, then told him to find a mechanic that specializes in BMW. I wouldn't even touch that thing. But I will be honest. That engine is amazing with everything that goes into it. It's art worthy, but not practical worthy. Would be cool to have one on a stand to look at. All that over-engineering and still has less power then an LS or coyote.
As a life long BMW owner, I would advise to stay clear of the V8's unless you have deep pockets or if it's not going to be your daily, straight-6 diesel, and straight-6 petrol is the way to go, and also the new B-series 4cyls are pretty decent too. One V8 which was fun was the small block 3.0/3.5 V8 from the e34 530i/535i
BMW's six banger engines are all pretty much works of art, M30, M54, S50/2 S54 S38 etc, but their four and eight bangers, not so much. Actually the S14, a four banger that was magnificent, but then dig deeper and we see that Paul Roche sawed off two cylinders from an S38 to make them!
M57 six-pot diesel is solid, too (once the swirl flaps are removed). It's N57 replacement suffers from the same issues are the N47 4-pot diesel; N57 was succeeded by the B57 which so far seems to reliable. Don't know about the reliability of older tech M21 and M51 six-pots though. BMW's only reliable V8s seem to be their M67D40 and M67D44 twin-turbo diesel engines.
Had bought a six cylinder 5 series some years back. Loved the car, hated the problems after 50,000 miles on it. Serviced it at the dealership, looked after the car as prescribed and was disappointed to the point where it literally stopped me from buying another BMW again.
I've had my 2014 F10 M5 for 5yrs now, just passed 60k miles on it, I haven't had any issues so far as my daily driver. This video makes me want to sell it now but can't think of what would be a good replacement for it.
Same. 2013 M5 stage one tune, SSP performance clutch. Got it at 30k miles, 108k miles now. No major isssues with engine or drivetrain so far. But yeah dude this video made me nervous af. 😂
I have had my 2006 BMW 525i from nearly new, less than 1,000 miles when I bought it 15 years ago. It has over 400,000 miles on the clock now, it hasn't been in a BMW Dealership for 12 years and still drives like a dream. I keep thinking of changing it, but it is just so reliable. My goal is to crack half a million miles then by a new car.
I don't think BMW engineers designed these cars to last beyond 100,000 km / 60,000 miles. After all, the people who buy these cars new can probably afford several new cars every year, change their car every 2 to 3 years anyway, and most importantly are leasing customers, which means that all statistically significant repair costs are factored into the lease payments. BMW gets money, a rich buyer gets a car for a couple of years. At the end of the leasing period the warranty has expired, and the car can be sold again to some crazy petrolhead, who hopefully can fix it on their own.
It's acceptable, correct. That's their aim. It's never trying to be like a Toyota. Sadly it probably is only a minor cost savings. We're talking cost savings like < 100 💶 per car. They use plastics that are designed to fail either by mileage or age, and the lifespans tolerated by BMW on things like water pump impellers... it's just lame. But it is a material amount that is being saved from an accounting perspective. COGS/unit . It's important to stay profitable enough. I just think that BMW could make their cars more like Porsche. At least Porsche tries to make their machines durable.
That's definitely the case at least here in America, why build a car that that lasts 300k+ miles when the person who buys it is just gonna drive it for a year or so and move on to another newer model? But really its another way for them to make a little extra money, build a car that's gonna break constantly and not tell you how to fix it in the owners manual so you have to take it back to the dealership to get it fixed, it's disgusting but it's not just BMW that does this, just about every foreign manufacturer in the last 10-15 years (except for maybe a few aisan manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda) has been doing this, hell I'm sure even Ford, GM, and Chrysler have been doing it as well
You’re right we are the one who’s trying to fix these cars after those people who leased it and beat it then trade in . Got my e60 m5 at 97k it’s been 3 months from the very first day I started to maintain the car even before I enjoy the car because I don’t want the car give me a big bill so hoping these inexpensive early maintenance make the car happy lol
lol stop coping, bro. just buy toyota or a honda. sure you might find some lemons but majority of the cars from these two companies are rock solid. don't waste your preciously earned money to support EU car companies. they are like parasites
@@SejeSteen toyota doesn't make 600 hp engines, I like toyotas, I have one and it's dead reliable. But, the buyers of high performance German cars and toyotas typically don't overlap lol.
@@SejeSteen you are so right!! Recently purchased a 2019 Toyota Camry Hybrid and absolutely loving it and my 48 mpg combined average and superior reliability.
Tbh I wouldn't touch any BMWs from the last 10 years, not just these turbo V8s, they all pretty much have a poor reliability record, even the lesser 4 pots. Those turbo V8s don't even sound very nice imo.
The 4 cylinders are truly designed by complete idiots. Im repairing an B48 and I can’t believe someone approved such an engine. Every plastic part of them fails guaranteed.
Yeah anything with a vanos system is asking for trouble. My mate bought an e46 330 with 100,000kms on it and has had nothing but endless trouble the entire time
@@izzy031096 , the M54 is actually an unbrakeble engine, only the components surrounding the engine need to be maintained. For vanos there is this upgrade kit for example. PCV is also shitty.
what a nightmare my n54 was. valve cover gasket lost count oil filter housing changed with every oil change turbos waste gates numerous sets of ignition coils and spark plugs numerous sets of injectors at $2.5k hpfp lpfp vanos numerous water pumps numerous batteries wasted while car was in shop idrive system fried on its own dual mass flywheel clutch $20k repairs in 9 years owned will never ever buy bmw again absolute trash 2months a year in the shop only put 60k miles update: i meant n54 not n53
almost the same her wirh N53! car was running great with minor issues.then engine starts to fall apart at 97kkm every month somethings broke. engine dead only 6month, 30kkm and thousend of €€€ later.
I have BMW with the N63 engine, and after 12 years, there have been no issues. The car gets an oil change every 5000 miles, and here in Tokyo we don't have many opportunities to reach Autohahn speeds. In 12 years the only failure the car has suffered (knocks on wood) is a burned out 15 watt fuse for the Comfort Access system.
That's what good care can change. I had a 750i f01 from 2011, bought the car with 87.000 km (about 55 k miles) on the odometer. The care was a nightmare, but it wasn't taken care of very well. Cost me a lot of money and nerves, but when the engine ran, it was always an amazing experience. Perfect engine for the Autobahn, I always loved cruising comfortably at 250 km/h (155 mph).
From what I’ve seen on the Mercedes units as well, hot-vee engines with turbos are just simply a match made in hell. That’s German engineering for you. Also, since we’re talking on poor engine designs, how about the V8 in the Triumph Stag? Definitely a contender for the worst V8s ever made.
There are lots of benefits to a hot V though, they're not really that hard to work on. Most of the disassembly on these engines is wiring and hoses. From a technology standpoint these engines are fantastic!
@@nilssjoberg2522 It's not even about maintenance issues, nor the minimal gains in efficiency in power delivery and packaging that irks me about the hot-vee turbo setup as a whole, but rather the engineering aids that tries to justify the setup in the first place. Large N/A V8s? Downsize and slap turbos on it. Turbo lag? Nein, Schmitt! We'd just reroute the exhaust path inside the V so the exhaust gases doesn't travel as far. Mein gotten! It's now really hot! Oh well, just put two small intercoolers at the intake and a large radiator in-between! Scheiße, now the fuel economy is terrible! Don't worry, we'll just introduce direct injection somewhere between the hot pipes! All that, plus other unforeseen consequences as a result of those engineering aids like oil starvation just kills any interest for hot-vee engines as a whole. Sure, it's a great technological achievement but at what cost? Definitely the sanity of mechanics and owners of these vehicles.
Good engine, bad maintenance advice from BMW. BMW first stated 15k miles between oil changes, then 11k. Truth is 5k oil changes are needed. Cooling down the car before turning engine off (2 minutes) is a great idea even though coolers run after engine is shut down. BMW set the 15K oil changes to save themselves money as they offered free service. Always follow the money.
Def 5k oil changes no matter what they say especially on turbo engines u don’t want that sludgy burned nasty oil going thru ur turbos. Also warm up for a few mins when starting up let the turbos lube up and the oil get warm before getting on it. Never rev as soon as u start and wait a few mins before shutting off like u said. It’s important for turbos let some coolant cycle thru before shutting off.
Most of the time when people talk about a certain brand being unreliable it isn't true, it's dependent on a model or engine. An example is GM's Northstar engine and for BMW their Northstar is the N63, but GM also has the incredibly reliable LS series likewise BMW has N54/N55 engines. I would like any examples of a brands whole entire current range being unreliable it might be fun to read about lol.
These engines are also very notorious (at least in South Africa) to have severly scored cylinder bores at 40000kms or less, requiring a complete replacement due to the severity of the scoring. A telltale sign is a fairly rough cold start, with slight smoke from the exhaust and sometimes an EML light
Leaking piezo injectors are the main cause. In germany I read about an F10, where the engine failed after 5000km with (If I don't mix anything up) locked up engine, or massively scored cylinder bore. The N63TU is, at least in germany, much, much more reliable than the 408hp engine. Most 408hp BMW have at least 1 replacement engine inside, I've heard of some already have the second in it.
@@jensharbers6702 yeah, all those points are also valid to the pre-TU engines. The TU4 is by far the best iteration, but they still have their issues, like a leaking coolant bottle that messes up the injectors and causes a misfire, it happens most often on the F90 M5 and M8 models.
My F10 M5 is my daily driver and has over 150 thousand miles on it. I’ve only had to replace the injectors so far but then again I drive it like a baby
@@Benny-zo3qh Depends where youre filling up xD if you live (for example) in the north of the czech republic you can theoretically go to poland and fill up for 1,5€/liter or go to germany and fill up 4€/liter xD
I have 100k on mine still no problems, still destroys everything else on the highway. A lot of amateur dummies bought the M5 and ‘tuned’ their way to engine problems.
I had a f10 M5 comp pack. Loved the car was really powerful and sounded good after I tuned it with downpipes. Has been pretty reliable during my ownership had a coolant leak, just must have warranty
What was the cause of your coolant leak? I have the same issue and i don’t know if it’s because my turbo lines need new hoes or maybe something else. Thank in advance!
As a german who has worked with quite some BMW engines: Most of them are bad. BMW only look good and are super overengeeniert. The small engines are the best. 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 when its come to reliability.
As someone who has owned two N63-powered vehicles, a 2011 550 and a 2016 Alpina B6, I'm actually pretty happy with the engine. I've done some work on it myself and found the packaging to be the worst issue, as getting to certain components is just ridiculously hard. But overall, even on the 2011's earlier design, I've not had as many problems as one would think. I did do the valve stem seals, which was quite expensive, but that's because I wanted it to live longer. Aside from that the only internals issue I've had is minor scoring on cylinder 8, which I've been told is typical for this platform. I've had one injector fail, one coil fail, one VANOS sensor fail, the coolant crossover pipe leak, and a minor turbo oil drain leak, in 130k miles. Not really that mad about it, I'll be honest. Plenty of power, sounds amazing...certainly there are some drawbacks but in my experience I've been very lucky and carried out every maintenance item I could as soon as I could. Both engines have treated me pretty well.
I have f10 m5 for over a year now nothing really happened other than replaced both dme it is pretty reliable no oil consumption nothing also it has stage 2 very fun to drive and fast 🤤💪🏻
Nice over view, and as you said, this engine is only for the brave. So long as you're competent and strong willed and have a back up car, shouldn't be too bad. :D
Garbage engineering that screams: cost savings. It's everything the German car industry is about. On top of that, i bet their downsized v8 consumes more fuel than the 5.0 toyota v8.
From having 2 N63 Non-TU cars, they're outrageously fun, until iDrive screams at you with drivetrain malfunctions and you can't get more than 5% throttle until you spend $1500😂😂
The n47 is also a prime example of poor design, the biggest being that the timing chains may slip. In my case i bought a 118d '07. had it for two weeks until it started making terrible noises. The repair shop said that the top was cracked where the bearing for the camshaft is, and there was heavy wear on the crank shaft. But hey, at least i got my money back.
It's predecessor, the S85 V10, was also notorious for major reliability issues. But at least that engine had an incredible sound and rev happy character to justify its high maintenence costs. The S63 doesn't even sound good IMO. It will do brutal power and torque (thanks to a pair of big turbos) but this engine to me signalled a major change in BMW ethos away from "exciting" engines with character that appeals to driving enthusiasts, to just chasing big power and torque numbers and not a lot else. The E60 is the last "proper" M5/M6 IMO.
I'd argue that E39 is the last proper M5... sure the engine in the E60 is great and all but the build quality and the looks/design went down a lot after the E39/E46/E38/etc era. I'd say those are peak BMW.
Good research and edit on the video but very happy to say that you are wrong! how many BMW have you had yourself? and what models/engines? I had science 2008 to present from 3ser,5ser,6ser etc, from E46 upwards never had any major issues and did always long drives from UK to Germany,Austria,Hungary never let me down or stranded.
I second that! Most reliable cars I ever owned. I exclusively had 5er series models beginning with E39 variants, they did not once brake down. Nowadays I have a 535i F10, the car is twelve years old with close to 200k kilometers and still no major issues.
Really good video. I don't mean this as a knock against your hard work in putting this video together, but I've noticed one common trend with all of these videos that focus on the problems with the N63/S63 engine... We're now on the N63B44T3 version in the M50i vehicles, as well as S63B44T4 version in full on M cars. I feel like these videos need to focus on the improvements made to these engines in these latest revisions and leave the conversation open to whether or not the problems endemic to the N63/S63 in the past have been resolved or at least mitigated to some extent. It may yet be too early to see how these revisions will fair in terms of reliability, but since the engine is still around and still in active use I think it's an important piece of the conversation that gets lost in the criticism of this engine.
They're still in use because BMW made a conscious decision to ignore durability and reliability since their customer base apparently doesn't care about those things at all.
@@nilssjoberg2522 I dont mind either.. needs less plastic honestly. Currently deciding between a manual 320d g20 or an automatic 330i g20. I just find automatic trans boring to daily drive but then Im also kinda scared of the EU commies new "eco" ideas.. another problem is that the 320d doesnt have lsd as an option from the dealer and an aftermarket one would break the warranty. Its like bmw want me to either get bored daily driving an AT or on the track with a diesel without an lsd.
So you're saying the post 2014 450hp version is the one to get? I'm seriously considering changing my e46 m3 for an F13 650i as a more relaxed cruiser, but with enough poke and noise to hide the fact it's not an M car.
What?!? It is perfectly normal for an engine to use 20 quarts of oil between oil changes. These are the best cars ever built. You're just mad because you can't afford one, and your Honda civic is not as fast. -typical BMW fanboi
Funny to think that when BMW made the N54, their first turbo I6, it was an overbuilt engine for what it was meant to do. But, you see the N63 and immediately see how bad that engine was.
@@nilssjoberg2522 just because it can make power after you replace pretty much every part on it doesn’t mean its a good engine. They are absolute nightmares when it comes to reliability.
@@augustortiz replacing HPFPs injectors and chain guides (the latter of which mostly applies to earlier versions) isn't exactly every part. Spend any real time with these engines and you'll understand how it's not the worst BMW engine
N54 and n55 which btw I have just blew one up are amazing engines how EVER a every 6k mile oil needs changed every 60k miles bearings and oil pump and chain need to be changed if you can deal with those things then the engines are amazing other wise absolute nightmares I have rebuilt a good amount of them and believe they are shocking the n54 has shocking turbos and injectors and they cost a bomb n55 has those issues fixed but the crank is weaker and the valve tronic is crap the little half cog wears out then the cam it’s self dies The amount of n55 with failed oil pumps that have gone are unreal and the rods end up welding them self to the crank or the bearing spin at which point you might as well throw it in the bin, unless you can rebuild this engine your self there is no point in having it other wise this engine is great and very well balanced
I've owned 5 BMW's in my lifetime and have gotten rid of all of them prior to that dreaded 90-100K mileage mark. It's really a darn shame to see how the engine quality has steadily declined over the years and the main reason that I'll NEVER own another BMW anytime soon!!
How about the 40i BMWs? They have a simple turbocharged inline 6 engine called de B58B30, coolant pump and water pump issues are a factor but because the engine is closed deck, no more head gasket issues like the N54 and N55.
I have a 2011 550ix with about 135k on it. I've done nothing to it since I got it cheap about 30k miles ago. Doesn't seem to use any oil, or the electronic dipstick doesn't work. I change the oil at 7500 though 15k is way to much. Not sure this even deserves the title of worst BMW V8 the M60 had block issues, and they didn't build them for long. Modern engine wise I don't think anything will beat out a 6.4 Ford/Navistar Diesel for reliability issues.
Alex Palmieri just did a video about the 2010 Alpina B7. In 2012, I was in Fort Lauderdale with my '85 Porsche 928S2 5 speed and I got into a little stoplight derby with one of these and the B7 with it's 500 hp walked away from my 13.86 @ 105 mph car. It didn't run away, it definitely walked away; I was suitably impressed! The thing is, here it is 11 years later and the car is a basket case. My 928S2 when I raced the Alpina, it was 27 years old... I like BMW cars. I haven't gotten around to owning one yet, but I will eventually. The problem with these is that they seriously (!) need to be LEASED cars. You don't want to own one when the warranty is up....
@@lighteningbolt6397 No their v10’s are shite as well. Most every engine from BMW is. They all use plastic parts for hoses, guides etc. that fail under any sort of stress. I wouldn’t buy one unless you like fixing cars instead of driving them.
I had a 2016 650 convertible which used almost 2 quarts of between oil changes... traded it in for an m850 convertible which used no oil. I think that they repaired the oil consumption issue. Funny how none of my Ferraris have the same engine issues as BMWs do....
That was a dark era for BMW in general. As a BMW guy I decided to skip the whole generation between 2005 and 2015 to avoid engine issues. Today's B-series engines are golden in comparison with N-series.
@@emrefifty5281 it was. My dad currently has an '11 320d ED with the N47 in it, so far it's been a hassle to keep on the road though. New engine, coolant hoses breaking, random battery drain, fuel injector dying, he's only had it like 8 months lol
Either design an engine with parts that will last at least 150,000 miles, or make the engine so that the parts are easily replaced. Instead, what most manufacturers do, including BMW, is make it nearly impossible to replace certain parts, and they make those parts in a way that they need replacement frequently. In other words, a nightmare for the owner.
@@Mrwaffleandmilk you are dead wrong, take a look at the Toyota 3.5 L V6 that they put in to the Camry and in the Sienna and in a bunch of Lexus models, not to mention the Lotus Evora. Those engines frequently go 200,000 Mi without anything being replaced. Case closed.
I actually like those. Throttle actuators die quickly, but you can fit bronze gears to fix that issue. Rod bearings wear quickly, but if replaced then the rest of the engine is very reliable. They sound great too.
E92 rod bearings and throttle actuators, ocasional oil leaks. But probably one of my favorite engines ever. I'd say it fits better in a lighter chassis like E30, E36 and E46.
M54, m57 (and even n47 after 2011) are some of the best engines ever made. The only problem is that people without knowledge about these cars buy them, if you have some common sense, a bit of knowledge about these engines and you know how to use a wrench then these are excellent engines. You just can't treat them like you can treat your honda civic lmao.
@Morphic exactly, depending on the year of m57 you should consider blanking the swirlflaps. The only problems with this engine, are emission related designs such als dpf, egr and and swirlflaps. Taking care of these designs by blanking, combined with proper maintenance will make this literally one of the best diesel engines ever. Such a solid powerhouse, the m57. A lot of the BMW hate is so injustified.
@@nutsackmania yeah there are some pesky parts that need to be replaced with mileage on some of the 3.0’s like crankcase ventilation waterpump or valvecover gasket but its nothing serious you cant do yourself, still really great engines indeed
Are you going to do a video about the best engines in the world, which BMW also produce ? The B58 for example, literally the best petrol engine currently made.
In my opinion most of these problems are caused by oil change intervals. I change oil in my cars every 10-12kkm. For engine like that it should be 8kkm. Actually a lot of BMW's problems wouldn't practically exist if oil changes were done from the very beginning every 10kkm, like for example valve stem gaskets.
My S54 in my 2005 E46 M3 as 120,000 miles on it period it never has burned drop of oil in between 4,500 mile interval oil changes. Liqui Molly oil, Liqui Molly Ceratec and Mahle oil filter. Rod bearings oil test are fine. But I do something that nobody else I no or read about does. I wait until the engine OIL reaches full operating temperature before I take it over 3000 RPM. I want to see that OIL TEMPERATURE needle at 190 degrees before I take it over 3000 RPM. And then I redine the crap out of it since I bought it with 17,000 miles on it in 2009. Original coils. Original everything else. Frequent air filter changes. I think I'm only on my third set of NGK plugs
I have absolutely loved my BMW. The only problem with it was that it never loved me back.
Haha, just hase a unique way of showing affection.
Fact....Mercedes loves you back!!!
🤣
@@suaveystyles9292 Mercedes owners make me intentionally want to commit a head on collision 💀😭
I had the same problem with my previous 2 bmw till I actually got a bmw from the dealer pre owned. Dnt get it from a mom and pops dealer/buy here pay here. Go directly to bmw and get a pre owned steal like I did with my f36 bmw gc!!
In my experience in owning and working on german cars as an ex-mechanic: the factory oil change intervals are way too high, so if you want it to last and not wear, cut the intervals in half and stay away from used cars that were maintained with the "long life" maintenance plan... Some of those engines have 17.000mile oil change intervals on long life, like the vw 2.0pd had, and that is just murder.
European concept of environmentally friendly measures taken to pass their stupid regulations -
1 - make extremely long oil change intervals. even if it is more environmentally damaging by destroying your car early and dirty process to recycle the scrapped car. if you don't scrap it, then buy our expensive replacement parts. it helps corporate execs buy new yachts for their third trophy wife. i love environmental regulations!!!
2 - use thinnest oil to increase fuel efficiency figures placed by regulations. say what? thin oils are not as efficient to prevent wear and tear? who cares, it will make customer buy another in 4-5 years. planned obsolescence, baby.
3 - direct gasoline injection. hell yeah. craps your valves like no tomorrow. again, guaranteed engine failure and lo & behold customer is in the market for new car. trade it in, sucker.
4 - just straight up scam the emissions tests like Volkswagen. hell yeah baby we're environmentally friendly companies!!!1!
@@lordjaashin I'd actually blame the regulations and say the manufacturer had no choice but these stupid workarounds
100% agree. On even my old 98 Merc AMG its a 15000km interval - I was like wtf - so I do it every like 6,000km max.
When I reset my BMW's OCI, it shows 21,000 miles until next oil change. NFW am I waiting that long, even though I mostly drive on the highway. 8,000 miles is my interval, using LL oil.
as an ex mechanic you missing one key point, yes the oil change intervals are super high if you go by miles but its usually x amount of miles or 6/12 months whichever comes first
With that much oil consumption they should just replace the glovebox with an oil reservoir. Just dump a quart in there before every drive, you should be safe.
Oil consumption usually gets bad when you follow the 10k+ mile oil change intervals, it's very hard on valve stem seals which the N62 and N63 are famous for leaking. I had a 2011 550i with over 100k miles on it and it wouldn't lose more than a 1/4 quart in 1500 miles.
1quart a day😁
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
A quart a day keeps a spun bearing at bay
Oil in Britain is crazy expensive and most people don't even know how to add it or will not until service.
I expect this will course a lot of problems?
I own a Stage2 F10 M5 (S63B44T0) and have been daily-ing it for four years now in a hot climate (Dubai).
I can confirm that with proper preventive maintenance scheme you should never face any problem. I change oil at every 5,000km and drive it hard every day. Still puts supercars to shame even after crossing the 200,000km threshold. I'm still on stock motor, turbos, and clutches even when pushing 720hp/950Nm.
In case you ask, 100-200 time is 6.3 seconds at 18C ambient temp (32C IAT) on 98RON street fuel
In summary:
- Injectors/Coils: 60,000km intervals
- Sparks: 30,000km intervals
- PCV Valves: 60,000km intervals
- Brakes/Discs: 100,000km intervals
- Rod Bearings: 125,000km intervals
- Clutches: Should last till 200,000-250,000km
- Turbos: Should last till 200,000-250,000km
That didn't help the base N63, with its leaky piezo injectors to leak gasoline (the lowest mileage was 5k km, engine totaled), leading to the cylinder wall getting washed with gasoline, no oil film. Then the engine runs more on oil than gasoline and a few km more and it locks mostly up.
In germany, a good part of the 408PS vehicles has 1-2 replacement engines in it, and hopefully with the new engine the newer, way less leakier magnetic injectors.
Otherwise the N63TU is a good engine. The S63 is, of course, stronger, but most problems arose with the N63 base engine.
@@wegetpaper3447 i have a dragy video. Don't suspect nothing. Come visit Dubai and you'll know we have temps lower than 18C in winter. Some places it reaches 9C
Rod bearings 😂
Agreed, I have a stage 2 F10 M5 S63B44TO as well, catless downpipes. I love my car. Oil consumption is not an issue with my car. 125,000 miles.
I own a 2015 BMW M5 with the S63tu motor for years now. It has been the most reliable car I've owned. Take care of it, and it'll take care of you. That simple.
And I’m the Queen of England 😂😂😂🤣😐
@@Lordskipper1910 that's cool
Same here. Mine is at 40k km and she’s armored!!
I have a BMW X5 50i 2011 with the N63 (original motor). It has had oil changes every 5,000kms with either BMW twin-turbo 5w-30w or Liquid Molly 5w-40w (in summer months). It uses approximately 250ml-500ml of oil every 5000km's and so far, has only had the auxiliary water pump for the turbo's fail in 10 years of ownership. It is not tuned and no modifications have been done to the exhaust. It ran 13.7 1/4 mile earlier in the year (on a drag strip). I agree the plastic/rubber components BMW uses for cooling/oil flow/radiator are not great in high temp environments and fail prematurely. I also have read many horror stories about this engine. So far mine has been great, fingers crossed it continues to be so :)
I bought a used F10 M5 with 31k miles and put another 34k trouble-free miles on it over 6 years. Ironically, it was one of the most reliable (and fun) cars I've ever owned. It did consume oil as stated in the video, and you would end up adding a quart every 2k miles or so. It was quick as hell for a heavy sedan with no noticeable turbo lag. It was a bit numb in the steering and was pretty stiff even in comfort suspension mode. I sold it at about 65k miles, believing I had beaten the odds for any major repairs and was probably about to run out of luck. Very easy car to sell; had tons of interested parties.
Modern BMWs last 90,000 miles/144,000 kilometers before electrically, electronically, mechanically and, where applicable, hydraulically falling apart. You probably could’ve gotten another 25,000 miles/40,000 kilometers out of it before getting rid of it.
You would’ve had to junk it rather than sell it as absolutely nobody would want those massive repair bills. They may not be fun (maybe even boring), but a Lexus lasts forever and maintenance, operating and running costs are far lower than any European or even any American or non Japanese Asian brand and matches or exceeds all Japanese brands in lower costs to maintain, operate and run.
Yes, Lexus is a glorified Toyota, but that’s why it’s so kick ass where it counts most by far (dependability, durability, quality, reliability, resale value, residual value, satisfaction and service). Lexus matches or exceeds the supposed safest vehicles in safety and security and has best in class fuel economy and lowest in class emissions to boot.
I know Lexus is also lacking in dry weather performance and, in some cases, prestige compared to it’s European and American counterparts and compared to some of it’s Asian counterparts (Japanese and otherwise). These counterparts of Lexus also match or exceed it in technology in many cases (in many cases, Lexus exceed).
Yes, Lexus also falls shorts of it’s American and European counterparts and some Japanese and other Asians in exterior style and wheel styles but Lexus matches or exceeds other vehicles in interior design and materials. You would be very unwise to not at least consider Lexus for a luxury car lease or purchase.
The wisest choice by far is to buy or lease a Lexus and pretend other luxury brands never have existed and never will. They have the lowest frequency and intensity of lemons, recalls and technical service bulletins, to boot, and are the easiest modern vehicles to work on.
No, I don’t work for Lexus. I no longer even drive. But I know my shit when it comes to cars.
@@timcorrell9863 The BMW was a bucket list car, and for the time was an amazing experience as I said. Lexus is another on my list to own some day, perhaps an LC. I have never heard anything but good things about the brand and am well familiar with Toyota’s reliability. Thanks for your input!
@@kevindavis5966 You’re welcome. 👌😀👍
@@timcorrell9863 I have never seen a Lexus that looks or sounds as good as a BMW.
@@JosefStaliner maybe try a modern LS/LC 500
My old N42 is another example of high maintenance BMW engine.... I still have nightmares with that engine. Valve steam seals, head gasket, oil pan gasket, valve cover gaskets, vanos seals, PCV valve and still was leaking oil, all for those unglorious 143bhp. All of this happened before 190k km.
exact same thing happend to my friends n42
@@jeffreynigg6122 most of the stuff that I did seem to be common to N42
Really wow thats terrible!! I have an M52TU from 1999 and apart from the cam cover gaskets and the PCV being replaced, it is pretty much perfect. Uses very little oil. Even the supposedly weak points like the VANOS units and the DISA valve are still good after more than 20 years! It seems like BMW (and Mercedes too) cut their build quality down quite severly after the year 2000.
yep same story for me, i changed oil every 10k kms, burnt about 4l of oil between oil changes. at 212tkm i noticed the chain guide was also cracked. also stem seals were worn, changed oil pan + valve gaskets, pcv valve, coolant reservoir, water pump + power steering pump. vanos solenoids were changed, oil cooler gaskets and the list goes on...
@Jonas Jonaitis it was serviced regularly at my local BMW dealer, and at a point I decided to ditch the car, it was costing me to maintain it as much as the renting on a new BMW.
Expensive mistake. Good video. Those engine animations are awesome! Thanks for posting.
They're from BMW.
Is not even his animations
@@lmao6769_
And?
Best BMW I ever had 2014 M5 F10 I put 97k miles on it and never had an issue. Amazing twin turbski 4.4 v8
I was working for Bmw as a mechanic when this engine was new and all the ‘technical’ updates that came after. This engine was a big reason I quit working for a bmw dealer. After a few years of working on them, it just got annoying
Blablabla
How do they stay in business? I drove a Kia Stinger and I love that thing! Okay it doesn't sound like this monster V8 but the miles and smiles and cost of ownership are a lot lower.
@@pasma1983 You’re mad as fuck. Cope
Considering you can pull the engine in 90 minutes I almost went back to turning wrenches. I would take that book time all day every day.
I was the ceo of bmw i quit after this engine and now working for mcdonalds as cleaning employee
How can anyone with a rational engineering mind think that putting the catalytic converters near the engine heads is going to result in something other than violent overheating?
Cats right up there in between the heads is absolutely the Craziest idea to ever get floated!
I agree, who in their Right mind would ever ok such a design? Reminds me of those ill fated badly designed C8 twin turbo kits where they placed the turbos in a similar location becuz it looked so cool.... heat issues guaranteed
Some people are so smart they actually become foolish.
History shows BMW only cares about 1st owner while in warranty. They're designed to last first 4 yrs. Afterward thats where the big money is. Im sure its part of their business plan. You can't just make so many mistakes on so many bmw models throughout the years. Its intentional.
The idea is to warm up the cats as quickly as possible, to meet emissions targets.
saab had an engine (b2x4/5) famous for sludging and the cat touched the underneath of the oil pan and baked the oil intentionally because engineers thought it would heat up the oil faster and in consequence prevent engine wear... My new saab (b284r) has the turbo and cat an inch from the ecu, battery and the coolant reservoir. so I get to buy new coolant reservoirs and batteries every year, luckily the coolant reservoir is only $250... modern cars are such pleasure. I have a spare ecu for when the heat takes it eventually as I am told it will.
As soon as I saw those turbos in the middle I knew that would be a problem lol.
My experience with German cars is that you have to baby them for sure. Frequent oil changes with quality fluid. Premium fuel. OEM parts especially sensors. I've had a 24 year old Toyota that literally went on a road trip with very little oil. Only noticed when I arrived home. Couldn't imaging doing that with the Audi.
I love toyota but my commuter scion drinks a ton of oil and rattles like crazy but as long as I keep the oil topped off it just keeps going.
Exactly this based on my 4+ year ownership of a 135i
@@josephcazzuto7198 Those Scions glug oil. Not Toyota's finest moment for sure.
That's the thing tho you're meant to look after a car. It's not expensive to do an oil change once a year so I don't get why people cheap out on it
No wonder people love LS/LT engines. Old and antiquated, but powerful reliable and simple to work on.
I agree. This engine doesn’t make a lot of sense when you can have a big naturally aspirated v8 that produces almost the same torque and more hp that will live longer.
An engine so good even chevy can't ruin it
amen!
@@clueless3398 Fuel consumption would be the main idea..
Vauxhall VXR8. Everything I need is there. Literally. V8 and ancillaries, 6-speed box. 3-series muscle without 3-series hassle.
This video doesn't even state the worst bits about it. The oil consumption is basically a side effect of low tension rings to reduce drag and therefore fuel consumption. The turbo oil feeds commonly get blocked, destroying turbos.
Some genius decided that the turbo oil drain should feed superheated foamy oil to the crank mains...
The injectors used to commonly stick open, washing the bores and resulting in massive scoring requiring a new block and pistons. Of course the labour and parts price required to replace just a block and pistons is so high that you might as well just buy a new long engine. And you can't bore it and fit oversized pistons either, because alusil isn't like a normal iron liner. And even if you could correctly bore and acid hone it BMW doesn't sell the pistons separately.
The new M5 has an even dumber feature version. The new S63 is basically the N63 with an even worse oil pump. Basically, to reduce emissions on startup the oil pump flows only a minimal amount of oil. Of course cold startup is where you want all the oil you can get, so I expect these will start trashing themselves very quickly too.
my m5 s63 burns zero oil...
@@wesleyfancher4280 how often do you change oil? I am thinking every 5k in my 2022 X5M Comp with liqui moly SPECIAL TEC B FE 5W-30
@@theone4606 every 5k. i use a 5w-40
The oil consumption on the V8 S63 is due to bad coating on the cylinders ! I had an F10 where 5-8 cylinders were having horizontal scores and small holes in the nicasil where the oil would go in and the ring would not clean it and it would get burnt slowly slowly .. every tank fill up would require one liter of oil .. that's how bad it got .
@@TheRealAnthony_real ive heard its from improper engine break-in. Some burn zero oil, like mine.
God, only had to work on one (13 m6) and when I got around removing all the crap around the engine I swear it was like looking at Medusas head.. so many tubes and freaking wires everywhere.
An horror film
German engineering yaa
😂😂😂
SO true , it's a fuckion pain in the ass
Look at a VW or Audi V8 or V10. They are even worse regarding the amount of tubes and wires around them.
Good video, but from the testimonials of other commenters, and also a history of N63TU3/S63TU4, since 2020, we have not seen any complaints from the online community. Also, N63 is installed on Alpina B5, and this premium car company would not install crappy engines. Mine M550i from 2023 has now 15000 miles, and there is no oil consumption whatsoever. Only what does bother me after I asked BMW is that they do not recommend any sooner oil change. They are quite confident there is absolutely no need for it since the car automatically estimates the oil wear based on various factors. In the case of oil wear, the onboard computer would reduce the oil change interval. Understandibly, no one trusts such claims.
These motors run very hot, have low friction oil rings so plenty of oil burning, have crappy PCV systems and fueling issues due to sticking injectors. If you have to have one of these cars make sure it's an updated motor (2012 and up) and that it has oil change history where the oil was changed more often than the service manual calls for. I don't understand how BMW thinks it was okay to run oil for 24,000kms in a high compression, high heat and high powered motor that sometimes burns through a quart of oil every 1,500kms. Add in the heat soak issues where the turbos are located and the faulty injectors which can stick open and hydrolock the motor and it's a recipe for disaster. I know a German auto shop nearby my house and they do at least 1 N63/S63 replacement per week.
The heat from the turbos, and cat-converters is the killer. Once the valve seals dry up or harden up due to the heat, the oil consumption will get much worse. I' own two BMWs and I want to get one with the V8 engine, so I'm hoping the BMW engineers have already sorted this problem out.
@@rollydoucet8909 Yeah I’m tempted to get a 550i or 750i to replace my boring (but dependable) C300 Mercedes. If I do go the V8 BMW route it will be a low mileage one with oil change records and I’m immediately going to go with catless downpipes with a tune and install a 90 degree thermostat along with reprogramming the DME so that the coolant runs at 90c instead of 105c. That right there should solve a lot of the heat soak issues. Probably go with some fresh spark plugs and Motul 5W40 oil.
WHY ONLY ALL 24'000 KM? SIMPLE, BECAUSE BMW KNOWS MOST BUYERS CAN'T AFFORD A OIL CHANGE. CARS FOR PEOPLE WITH MONEY, NOT FOR THE POOR "WANNA BE RICH" IDIOTS!
@@IKhanNot well let me know cause I’m thinking about selling my 550i with almost 65k miles on it.
Rod bearings in my 2012 X5M (S63 Engine) spun last year with only 49,500 miles. Meticulously maintained it & drove like a gentleman most of the time. Didn't matter. The bearing clearance from the factory is too tight. The BMW dealership wanted $36,000 to put a new engine in. Had it rebuilt with a new crank, King bearings, & ARP bolts, for a fraction of that cost. Rod bearings in cylinder 2 looked like a pancake. Runs great now...fingers crossed.
Wow
You bought it new?
Trade it in and run.........
I hope they rebuild it with correct bearing clearances, it that's the case you should be good.
S63 was shit, I wouldn’t buy that
Mmmm I have an f10 m5 with 131k miles
Been owning it for the past 100k miles as a daily driver. And I’ve swore that this is one of the best engines made. Not a single problem. Oil change every 3k miles. Regular maintenance. Did have to replace turbos but the engine itself has treated me very very good. Maybe I got lucky with this one regardless, I love my tuned m5
I have one as well got it with 48k miles now at 80k miles works like charm oil change every 3-4k miles, no need to top it off, and let's not forget to mention engine sucked in water at 74k miles and hydrolocked, bmw dealer quoted me 48k for new engine "because engine was dead" as stated per BMW, took ca to other none dealer shop ang guess what engine wasn't dead and it is going strong as when it came out of factory.
N63 is not the same as the S63 in the f10 M5
N63 is the motor in the 50i motors - 550i/650i/ XDrive50i
The S63 IS based on the N63, but it is heavily revised and has significantly less issues as a result.
Oil changes every 3k did you say....? Enough said! Do you think it would still be in great shape with oil changes every 12-15k like BMW suggests? lol
@@buroojk you’re right, my mistake
@@soundseeker63 I know for an absolute fact that the engine would seize with those intervals
BMW can make their cars more durable by using 3d printed metals rather than plastics in things like impellers, hose clamps, everything. Plastic doesn't age well on automobiles! We know this. Argh... it's just probably saving BMW $50 per car (once you account for scale of operations)
you don't know what you are talking about. 3d printig is good for prototiping and maybe for very small number production. It is not good for mass production due to being very slow, even for small components it takes a day to 3d print and then to sinter to then require additional steps in machining and surface finishing where is required. 3d printing is an extremly expensive way to make things
They already charging a premium for luxury in the states, you'd think $50 wouldn't matter that much
Such a complicated twin-turbo engine for only 400-450hp. An LS would make similar amounts, while naturaly aspirated and can be rebuilt in your backyard.
and find parts cheaper, way easier to work on as you mentioned. and all of that while being lighter weight!
Go drive a Corvette then
@@ataorkunoguz5451 A Corvette should be better to drive than a 2 ton 4 door sedan
LS is a heavy fuel guzzler. German engines have to meet EU regulations in terms of efficiency, fuel consumption, emissions. Different basis means different approach. USA is very relaxed. In comparison: most of the current engines will be discontinued, as they don’t meet the current CO2 regulations!
@@leonidasarsenopoulos6528 Go drive a Chevrolet Corvette than.
Mercedes popularized the Hot-Vee design with their m176/m177/m178 engine success (the only thing putting those codes apart is the oiling system and intercooler mounting). I realized a while later that BMW is the first to introduce it. Unlike the BMW, the mercedes turbo V8 isn't prone to problems. Only a very few misfiring issues were reported and it's mainly software related.
The M52TU28 in my E36 is so far very reliable, even with 250k miles on it. It too has some failure points but it's a hell of a lot more reliable and somewhat easy to work on than some of these newer BMW engines. I'm currently doing oil changes every 3k miles, transmission fluid and filter change every 28k miles, differential fluid change every 30k miles, power steering every 20k miles and antifreeze change every 1.5 years. By doing this more frequently, it will last a really long time and have fewer breakdowns.
M52tub25 here in an e46 with 360,000km doesn’t use any oil or blow smoke. Really stout engine.
M52 is special breed among bmw engines😂
Both the M52TUB28 and M54B30 I’ve had were rock solid overall, 360k on the 328i and it just runs like a top albeit with some oil leaks.
Let's be honest though, those are old school motors producing walking pace power. Cannot be compared in anyway, to the latter day powerplants designed for a whole different application. High performance, at the same time, everyday use, on 4 wheel drive, and hauling a 2 ton chasis. So ofcourse wear and tear will be significant. It would be naive to expect otherwise. We do however, owe it to the earlier motors for giving us the BMW performance signature.
I ran a bone stock non-vanos m50b20 with a t3/t4 eBay turbo setup for about a year on stock ecu, only using a fpr and extra injectors straight into the intake hose. Ran over 13 psi of boost on that janky setup and had no reliability issues that where not my own fault. The stock clutch took it like a champ as well!
I blame the european emission laws - the new engines need low internal resistance/friction to be able to comply.. leading to timing gear failure, running lean on the verge of pinging etc.
And dont even get me started on the suicidal high Pressure fuel pumps.
They simply cannot make them last the way they used to even if they tried
I had a f10 m5 6mt. I tuned it with basic bolt ons and drove it pretty hard- it was great until it let go at 50k miles and went into limp mode.
Sold it for the GT-R.
A family member had an X5 5.0 with the N engine, it constantly broke down from about 20 000km. It was so bad BMW gave him another X5 5.0, which also broke down constantly. Eventually he sold it back to BMW and they gave him a massive discount on a 2020 X5 55d.
Funnily enough, the 50d engine is also terrible. It lasts 60k and then it suddenly goes bad
Wait, wait, wait... dude bought an X5 which was so unreliable, that BMW had to give him another one. And THAT X5 turned out to be unreliable, so dude bought ANOTHER X5? Some people have more money than brains. Bahahha.
@@foxwithtubesox1075 They gave him a 30% discount on a brand new X5 M55d. That engine doesn't have issues, it's a no brainer.
@@iwonder1216 The tri-turbo M50d used the N57 which suffers from the same issues as the N47 4-pot.
The quad-turbo M50d used the B57 which so far seems to be reliable. Sequential and parrallel turbocharging - each pair of turbos was fed by three cylinders.
@@applejuice5272 interesting, I did not know that.
From a drivers perspective, I think this is one of bmw's best engine. I've broken 5 axle shafts on my X5M from the massive torque this thing makes almost instantly (not stock). My biggest turn off is the sound.. Knock on wood but at 133k miles the engine has been the most reliable part of my X5M.
14 m5 155k miles 5w50 redline oil heat wrapped downpipes stage 2 turbos may get a vented hood just to help with the heat
@@RUBENZSLOW Sounds like an absolute unit. Dct clutches holding up? I should have wrapped my downpipes. It gets rather toasty in the summer.
@@Mrwaffleandmilk new still have it
@@josae.d held up great going to upgrade those soon dealer hooked me up with a new DCT at 90k
too bad its only installed in cars the size of 1970s lincoln town cars
I wonder how good are the TU2 And TU3 engines. Hope they are more reliable than the early ones
My 2013 M5 is going strong. Love that car. I change the oil every 5k-6k. No issues yet
The manufacturers need to quit letting their customers do the research and development of new products. All of them are doing it, it seems. I will only buy a used proven car, truck, or motorcycle because of this fact.
I feel like the manufacturers are out of touch with what the consumers actually want. Who asked bmw to build a 4500lb M car? They’re lost as a company imo
@@lordvader3538
They are lost for sure. Federal regulations aren't helping either. I don't want to drive a disposeable smartphone automobile.
@@lordvader3538 To be completely honest 90% of car companies are lost in today's era.
@@lordvader3538 I figured that out in the mid-90’s… They lost my entire family forever as we watched them become nothing more than bling for the tragically fashion conscious . Electronic issues, warping break rotors, BS from the dealers.
@@Mrwaffleandmilk
1984 Nissan 720 pickup. 1993 Honda Civic EX (with VTEC). 2007 Honda Ridgeline.
I have had an N63 powered BMW for 12 years, and have had no issues with the drive train, but then again, after 12 years the car has only 40k miles on it. I change the oil every 5000 miles. It does burn oil on long highway drives, and on occasion I have had to add a liter after a road trip. But I love the power and the sound.
seems adding oil is just a BMW thing, mine started burning less when I switched to 5/10W40
I have a S63 2012 M5 Got it with 8k miles 8yrs ago and it burns a litre of oil roughly every 500mls...always has and now done 88k miles still uses the same amount. Tried slightly thicker oil in summer but not seen any noticeable difference to be fair.
BMW sure knows how to make an unreliable engine
the B58 would like a word.
For pick up trucks yes, buy American. For basically every other type of vehicle, buy Japanese.
@@cesarxmbert The B58 is good because it had to meet and pass Toyota's quality control which is much more stringent than BMW's quality control. BMW fans can thank Toyota for that.
@Patrick Conway i agree with you!
@@electrikoptik that was only in the supra
can you do an update on this video for the n63tu+ like 2018+ versions. I currently have a 2020 m550i and sorta regret not getting a 2021 540i instead
I had a buddy I deployed with and I told him not to buy a newer BMW.
He bought one right as soon as he got back.
Water pump went out right away and dumped coolent all over the ground.
Then every light went off after that.
He had this engine and I looked once at it, then told him to find a mechanic that specializes in BMW.
I wouldn't even touch that thing.
But I will be honest. That engine is amazing with everything that goes into it.
It's art worthy, but not practical worthy.
Would be cool to have one on a stand to look at.
All that over-engineering and still has less power then an LS or coyote.
As a life long BMW owner, I would advise to stay clear of the V8's unless you have deep pockets or if it's not going to be your daily, straight-6 diesel, and straight-6 petrol is the way to go, and also the new B-series 4cyls are pretty decent too. One V8 which was fun was the small block 3.0/3.5 V8 from the e34 530i/535i
You know it all👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The old straight sixes gave the most satisfaction
BMW's six banger engines are all pretty much works of art, M30, M54, S50/2 S54 S38 etc, but their four and eight bangers, not so much. Actually the S14, a four banger that was magnificent, but then dig deeper and we see that Paul Roche sawed off two cylinders from an S38 to make them!
M57 six-pot diesel is solid, too (once the swirl flaps are removed). It's N57 replacement suffers from the same issues are the N47 4-pot diesel; N57 was succeeded by the B57 which so far seems to reliable.
Don't know about the reliability of older tech M21 and M51 six-pots though.
BMW's only reliable V8s seem to be their M67D40 and M67D44 twin-turbo diesel engines.
Had bought a six cylinder 5 series some years back. Loved the car, hated the problems after 50,000 miles on it. Serviced it at the dealership, looked after the car as prescribed and was disappointed to the point where it literally stopped me from buying another BMW again.
Same here man, but with a F30 3 series
Same here, F10 m5. Injector failure after 50K
I've had my 2014 F10 M5 for 5yrs now, just passed 60k miles on it, I haven't had any issues so far as my daily driver. This video makes me want to sell it now but can't think of what would be a good replacement for it.
Same. 2013 M5 stage one tune, SSP performance clutch. Got it at 30k miles, 108k miles now. No major isssues with engine or drivetrain so far. But yeah dude this video made me nervous af. 😂
Lexus GS-F.
W204 C63 AMG
Sold my 2015 to Carvana, made money on it and i haven't looked back.
@@BitterCarGuy how much they give you?
I have had my 2006 BMW 525i from nearly new, less than 1,000 miles when I bought it 15 years ago. It has over 400,000 miles on the clock now, it hasn't been in a BMW Dealership for 12 years and still drives like a dream. I keep thinking of changing it, but it is just so reliable. My goal is to crack half a million miles then by a new car.
Oh yeah those m54 engines are awesome. With the right treatment those can drive to the moon and back.
@@simonaarekol3336 Heard the B58 engine is very unreliable
I don't think BMW engineers designed these cars to last beyond 100,000 km / 60,000 miles. After all, the people who buy these cars new can probably afford several new cars every year, change their car every 2 to 3 years anyway, and most importantly are leasing customers, which means that all statistically significant repair costs are factored into the lease payments. BMW gets money, a rich buyer gets a car for a couple of years. At the end of the leasing period the warranty has expired, and the car can be sold again to some crazy petrolhead, who hopefully can fix it on their own.
It's acceptable, correct. That's their aim. It's never trying to be like a Toyota. Sadly it probably is only a minor cost savings. We're talking cost savings like < 100 💶 per car. They use plastics that are designed to fail either by mileage or age, and the lifespans tolerated by BMW on things like water pump impellers... it's just lame. But it is a material amount that is being saved from an accounting perspective. COGS/unit . It's important to stay profitable enough. I just think that BMW could make their cars more like Porsche. At least Porsche tries to make their machines durable.
That's definitely the case at least here in America, why build a car that that lasts 300k+ miles when the person who buys it is just gonna drive it for a year or so and move on to another newer model? But really its another way for them to make a little extra money, build a car that's gonna break constantly and not tell you how to fix it in the owners manual so you have to take it back to the dealership to get it fixed, it's disgusting but it's not just BMW that does this, just about every foreign manufacturer in the last 10-15 years (except for maybe a few aisan manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda) has been doing this, hell I'm sure even Ford, GM, and Chrysler have been doing it as well
Nah I think I depends on how you treat the car cause the f10 5er we have is still going strong after 150 000 km.
Almost 80% of BMWs are leased.
You’re right we are the one who’s trying to fix these cars after those people who leased it and beat it then trade in . Got my e60 m5 at 97k it’s been 3 months from the very first day I started to maintain the car even before I enjoy the car because I don’t want the car give me a big bill so hoping these inexpensive early maintenance make the car happy lol
Unfortunately there are many bad ones but also many good ones, but the best ones are far in the past sadly
Ive had 16 so far
LOL just buy Toyota bro
lol stop coping, bro. just buy toyota or a honda. sure you might find some lemons but majority of the cars from these two companies are rock solid. don't waste your preciously earned money to support EU car companies. they are like parasites
@@SejeSteen toyota doesn't make 600 hp engines, I like toyotas, I have one and it's dead reliable. But, the buyers of high performance German cars and toyotas typically don't overlap lol.
@@SejeSteen you are so right!! Recently purchased a 2019 Toyota Camry Hybrid and absolutely loving it and my 48 mpg combined average and superior reliability.
@@MrBigBoy4Life yeah but it’s slow as shit
Tbh I wouldn't touch any BMWs from the last 10 years, not just these turbo V8s, they all pretty much have a poor reliability record, even the lesser 4 pots. Those turbo V8s don't even sound very nice imo.
I wouldn't touch them from the last 20 years. Never had so many trouble before with a car as I had with my 2002 3series E46...
The 4 cylinders are truly designed by complete idiots. Im repairing an B48 and I can’t believe someone approved such an engine. Every plastic part of them fails guaranteed.
Yeah anything with a vanos system is asking for trouble. My mate bought an e46 330 with 100,000kms on it and has had nothing but endless trouble the entire time
@@izzy031096 , the M54 is actually an unbrakeble engine, only the components surrounding the engine need to be maintained. For vanos there is this upgrade kit for example. PCV is also shitty.
what a nightmare my n54 was.
valve cover gasket lost count
oil filter housing changed with every oil change
turbos
waste gates
numerous sets of ignition coils and spark plugs
numerous sets of injectors at $2.5k
hpfp
lpfp
vanos
numerous water pumps
numerous batteries wasted while car was in shop
idrive system fried on its own
dual mass flywheel
clutch
$20k repairs in 9 years owned
will never ever buy bmw again
absolute trash
2months a year in the shop
only put 60k miles
update: i meant n54 not n53
n53 does not have turbos, if you had them this could explain why your car "exploded" on you :D
Buy a B58 lol. Have almost same mileage as yours and had zero costs so far, only done regular oil changes and spark plugs so far.
almost the same her wirh N53! car was running great with minor issues.then engine starts to fall apart at 97kkm every month somethings broke. engine dead only 6month, 30kkm and thousend of €€€ later.
@@simplesimson1 yikes i meant n54 sorry about that
I have BMW with the N63 engine, and after 12 years, there have been no issues. The car gets an oil change every 5000 miles, and here in Tokyo we don't have many opportunities to reach Autohahn speeds. In 12 years the only failure the car has suffered (knocks on wood) is a burned out 15 watt fuse for the Comfort Access system.
How many miles now?
That's what good care can change. I had a 750i f01 from 2011, bought the car with 87.000 km (about 55 k miles) on the odometer. The care was a nightmare, but it wasn't taken care of very well. Cost me a lot of money and nerves, but when the engine ran, it was always an amazing experience. Perfect engine for the Autobahn, I always loved cruising comfortably at 250 km/h (155 mph).
@@pipapowatauchso6138 Here in Tokyo only airplanes can go 250 kph.
So you said this was he case for the 550i before the lci in 2013. So are the 550i´s from 2014 and on stronger and more reliable??
well, at least, with those cats mounted inside the engine bay, thieves will have a hard time stealing them... 💁♂
From what I’ve seen on the Mercedes units as well, hot-vee engines with turbos are just simply a match made in hell. That’s German engineering for you.
Also, since we’re talking on poor engine designs, how about the V8 in the Triumph Stag? Definitely a contender for the worst V8s ever made.
There are lots of benefits to a hot V though, they're not really that hard to work on. Most of the disassembly on these engines is wiring and hoses. From a technology standpoint these engines are fantastic!
Yep, why Triumph didn't use the Rover V8 which was available to them we'll never know.
@@phil955i I can tell you, politics. Rover and Triumph were competing companies forced together under the BL banner.
@@nilssjoberg2522 It's not even about maintenance issues, nor the minimal gains in efficiency in power delivery and packaging that irks me about the hot-vee turbo setup as a whole, but rather the engineering aids that tries to justify the setup in the first place.
Large N/A V8s? Downsize and slap turbos on it. Turbo lag? Nein, Schmitt! We'd just reroute the exhaust path inside the V so the exhaust gases doesn't travel as far. Mein gotten! It's now really hot! Oh well, just put two small intercoolers at the intake and a large radiator in-between! Scheiße, now the fuel economy is terrible! Don't worry, we'll just introduce direct injection somewhere between the hot pipes!
All that, plus other unforeseen consequences as a result of those engineering aids like oil starvation just kills any interest for hot-vee engines as a whole. Sure, it's a great technological achievement but at what cost? Definitely the sanity of mechanics and owners of these vehicles.
@@Nafeels Lol true xD - too much complication. I've had MB M177 AMG and that was a great motor but I like my old M113 N/A motor, nice and simple.
Good engine, bad maintenance advice from BMW. BMW first stated 15k miles between oil changes, then 11k. Truth is 5k oil changes are needed. Cooling down the car before turning engine off (2 minutes) is a great idea even though coolers run after engine is shut down.
BMW set the 15K oil changes to save themselves money as they offered free service. Always follow the money.
Def 5k oil changes no matter what they say especially on turbo engines u don’t want that sludgy burned nasty oil going thru ur turbos. Also warm up for a few mins when starting up let the turbos lube up and the oil get warm before getting on it. Never rev as soon as u start and wait a few mins before shutting off like u said. It’s important for turbos let some coolant cycle thru before shutting off.
Most of the time when people talk about a certain brand being unreliable it isn't true, it's dependent on a model or engine. An example is GM's Northstar engine and for BMW their Northstar is the N63, but GM also has the incredibly reliable LS series likewise BMW has N54/N55 engines. I would like any examples of a brands whole entire current range being unreliable it might be fun to read about lol.
Toyota and honda extremely reliable, jaguar and land rover extremely unrealiable there you go
@@STEPOFFBITCHH I work at dealership group with those brands. can confirm.
@@STEPOFFBITCHH Toyota and Honda service depts get plenty of business, just not for catastrophic engine failures.
These engines are also very notorious (at least in South Africa) to have severly scored cylinder bores at 40000kms or less, requiring a complete replacement due to the severity of the scoring. A telltale sign is a fairly rough cold start, with slight smoke from the exhaust and sometimes an EML light
Leaking piezo injectors are the main cause. In germany I read about an F10, where the engine failed after 5000km with (If I don't mix anything up) locked up engine, or massively scored cylinder bore.
The N63TU is, at least in germany, much, much more reliable than the 408hp engine. Most 408hp BMW have at least 1 replacement engine inside, I've heard of some already have the second in it.
@@jensharbers6702 yeah, all those points are also valid to the pre-TU engines. The TU4 is by far the best iteration, but they still have their issues, like a leaking coolant bottle that messes up the injectors and causes a misfire, it happens most often on the F90 M5 and M8 models.
My F10 M5 is my daily driver and has over 150 thousand miles on it. I’ve only had to replace the injectors so far but then again I drive it like a baby
Why did you get an M5 then :D
@@MisoElEven hey I still have fun with it here and there lol
@@Calx91 Good to hear that xD otherwise a bit of Spanish inquisition would be necessary for your heresy
How much to fill up your tank?
@@Benny-zo3qh Depends where youre filling up xD if you live (for example) in the north of the czech republic you can theoretically go to poland and fill up for 1,5€/liter or go to germany and fill up 4€/liter xD
I have 100k on mine still no problems, still destroys everything else on the highway. A lot of amateur dummies bought the M5 and ‘tuned’ their way to engine problems.
155k on mine stage 2 pure turbos
Yep, don’t alter them, they are a beast as is!
I had a f10 M5 comp pack. Loved the car was really powerful and sounded good after I tuned it with downpipes. Has been pretty reliable during my ownership had a coolant leak, just must have warranty
What was the cause of your coolant leak? I have the same issue and i don’t know if it’s because my turbo lines need new hoes or maybe something else. Thank in advance!
As a german who has worked with quite some BMW engines: Most of them are bad. BMW only look good and are super overengeeniert.
The small engines are the best. 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 when its come to reliability.
so the inline-6 ones are terrible?
Older M50-N50 series Inline sixes can be beaten on... And they still go on like nothing...
@@maatu_boe yeah. but definitely not the newer ones. excluding the B58 ig
@@zhila5958 Well for example N52 and N54 have the problems of M52/M54 engines tackled but have new different faults in place... Wouldnt call them bad
@@maatu_boe well said
have 750 hp and around 1000 nm since 70 000km, now i have 120 000km and the only issue was to change one of the fuel pump at 118 500km
As someone who has owned two N63-powered vehicles, a 2011 550 and a 2016 Alpina B6, I'm actually pretty happy with the engine. I've done some work on it myself and found the packaging to be the worst issue, as getting to certain components is just ridiculously hard. But overall, even on the 2011's earlier design, I've not had as many problems as one would think. I did do the valve stem seals, which was quite expensive, but that's because I wanted it to live longer. Aside from that the only internals issue I've had is minor scoring on cylinder 8, which I've been told is typical for this platform. I've had one injector fail, one coil fail, one VANOS sensor fail, the coolant crossover pipe leak, and a minor turbo oil drain leak, in 130k miles. Not really that mad about it, I'll be honest.
Plenty of power, sounds amazing...certainly there are some drawbacks but in my experience I've been very lucky and carried out every maintenance item I could as soon as I could. Both engines have treated me pretty well.
It seems to me that you encountered if not most, certainly many of the typical N63 failures
You've experienced ALL those issues in just 130k miles and you think it's a decent engine? Wow.
Alpina ❤️
Love the channel... how's the reliability improved on the N63TU3 on the 2018+ ???
15, 000mile aka 30, 000km oil change interval?!!!!!! How how is that recommended???
well actually because of high oil consumption you have tecnically replaced the oil several times before you do an oil change
I have f10 m5 for over a year now nothing really happened other than replaced both dme it is pretty reliable no oil consumption nothing also it has stage 2 very fun to drive and fast 🤤💪🏻
Nice over view, and as you said, this engine is only for the brave. So long as you're competent and strong willed and have a back up car, shouldn't be too bad. :D
BMW’s after 1988 were designed to disintegrate. All plastic and rubber crumbles. Wire harnesses. Had many, never again. Sad.
Garbage engineering that screams: cost savings. It's everything the German car industry is about.
On top of that, i bet their downsized v8 consumes more fuel than the 5.0 toyota v8.
and the Toyota V8 will literally outlast it’s owner. while you have to pray the N63 BMW engine could run without problems for a month
@@zhila5958 damn..I simply can't deal with such a car
From having 2 N63 Non-TU cars, they're outrageously fun, until iDrive screams at you with drivetrain malfunctions and you can't get more than 5% throttle until you spend $1500😂😂
I love the way most BMW look and the interiors are gorgeous but I'll stick to Acura and Lexus for dependability.
The n47 is also a prime example of poor design, the biggest being that the timing chains may slip.
In my case i bought a 118d '07. had it for two weeks until it started making terrible noises. The repair shop said that the top was cracked where the bearing for the camshaft is, and there was heavy wear on the crank shaft. But hey, at least i got my money back.
It's predecessor, the S85 V10, was also notorious for major reliability issues. But at least that engine had an incredible sound and rev happy character to justify its high maintenence costs. The S63 doesn't even sound good IMO. It will do brutal power and torque (thanks to a pair of big turbos) but this engine to me signalled a major change in BMW ethos away from "exciting" engines with character that appeals to driving enthusiasts, to just chasing big power and torque numbers and not a lot else. The E60 is the last "proper" M5/M6 IMO.
I'd argue that E39 is the last proper M5... sure the engine in the E60 is great and all but the build quality and the looks/design went down a lot after the E39/E46/E38/etc era. I'd say those are peak BMW.
@@dorin6027 I'd say the E60 has come into it's own now. E39 was 10/10, but the E60 is 9/10 imo compared to everything that followed.
Are the new f90 M5 any better in terms of engine reliability??
So delete if the cats on these engines are definitely the move
Good research and edit on the video but very happy to say that you are wrong! how many BMW have you had yourself? and what models/engines? I had science 2008 to present from 3ser,5ser,6ser etc, from E46 upwards never had any major issues and did always long drives from UK to Germany,Austria,Hungary never let me down or stranded.
I second that! Most reliable cars I ever owned. I exclusively had 5er series models beginning with E39 variants, they did not once brake down. Nowadays I have a 535i F10, the car is twelve years old with close to 200k kilometers and still no major issues.
Really good video. I don't mean this as a knock against your hard work in putting this video together, but I've noticed one common trend with all of these videos that focus on the problems with the N63/S63 engine...
We're now on the N63B44T3 version in the M50i vehicles, as well as S63B44T4 version in full on M cars. I feel like these videos need to focus on the improvements made to these engines in these latest revisions and leave the conversation open to whether or not the problems endemic to the N63/S63 in the past have been resolved or at least mitigated to some extent. It may yet be too early to see how these revisions will fair in terms of reliability, but since the engine is still around and still in active use I think it's an important piece of the conversation that gets lost in the criticism of this engine.
They're still in use because BMW made a conscious decision to ignore durability and reliability since their customer base apparently doesn't care about those things at all.
how about the new version of n63? comes with the x6? thinking of buying one or maybe a b58
These engines are nasty. The N55/B58 engines had their own problems but they were much easier and economical to fix.
Only nasty if you're afraid of them, also if you want an economic maintenance cost, by an economy car.
B58 has no issues
@@nilssjoberg2522 Its not really about the cost itself.. just the sheer time you spend on trying to fix it.
@@MisoElEven I personally don't mind spending time with a car that I like, so it's one of those to each their own kinda deals
@@nilssjoberg2522 I dont mind either.. needs less plastic honestly. Currently deciding between a manual 320d g20 or an automatic 330i g20. I just find automatic trans boring to daily drive but then Im also kinda scared of the EU commies new "eco" ideas.. another problem is that the 320d doesnt have lsd as an option from the dealer and an aftermarket one would break the warranty. Its like bmw want me to either get bored daily driving an AT or on the track with a diesel without an lsd.
So you're saying the post 2014 450hp version is the one to get?
I'm seriously considering changing my e46 m3 for an F13 650i as a more relaxed cruiser, but with enough poke and noise to hide the fact it's not an M car.
Don't.
@@manelisimdakane4470 some more context would help? Personal experience?
What?!? It is perfectly normal for an engine to use 20 quarts of oil between oil changes. These are the best cars ever built. You're just mad because you can't afford one, and your Honda civic is not as fast.
-typical BMW fanboi
I once rented a BMW M6 grand coupe the low oil warning light came up on me and I had to quickly run to find a quart before the auto part closes.
Funny to think that when BMW made the N54, their first turbo I6, it was an overbuilt engine for what it was meant to do. But, you see the N63 and immediately see how bad that engine was.
This engine isn't that bad though, it's got four bolt mains an can put out upwards towards 800hp on a stock bottom end.
@@nilssjoberg2522 just because it can make power after you replace pretty much every part on it doesn’t mean its a good engine. They are absolute nightmares when it comes to reliability.
@@augustortiz replacing HPFPs injectors and chain guides (the latter of which mostly applies to earlier versions) isn't exactly every part. Spend any real time with these engines and you'll understand how it's not the worst BMW engine
N54 and n55 which btw I have just blew one up are amazing engines how EVER a every 6k mile oil needs changed every 60k miles bearings and oil pump and chain need to be changed if you can deal with those things then the engines are amazing other wise absolute nightmares I have rebuilt a good amount of them and believe they are shocking the n54 has shocking turbos and injectors and they cost a bomb n55 has those issues fixed but the crank is weaker and the valve tronic is crap the little half cog wears out then the cam it’s self dies
The amount of n55 with failed oil pumps that have gone are unreal and the rods end up welding them self to the crank or the bearing spin at which point you might as well throw it in the bin, unless you can rebuild this engine your self there is no point in having it other wise this engine is great and very well balanced
What about the 2022 M550 , is it still problematic or ok ?
I've owned 5 BMW's in my lifetime and have gotten rid of all of them prior to that dreaded 90-100K mileage mark. It's really a darn shame to see how the engine quality has steadily declined over the years and the main reason that I'll NEVER own another BMW anytime soon!!
I feel you bro , old bmw were so much better
Never had a issue with my BMWs
I even murdered the f30 engine and it’s still running great. Stop whining!
Blablabla, you never drove a bmw🙈. You ur just cruisin around in a daihatsu cuore the rest of ur life!
How about the 40i BMWs? They have a simple turbocharged inline 6 engine called de B58B30, coolant pump and water pump issues are a factor but because the engine is closed deck, no more head gasket issues like the N54 and N55.
@@h.a.4600 40i is one of the best bmw engines ever made.
@8:12 is it just me or does it look like its shifter is in park?
Very thoroughly made video, I enjoyed it a lot, thanks!
Much appreciated, thanks!
I have a 2011 550ix with about 135k on it. I've done nothing to it since I got it cheap about 30k miles ago. Doesn't seem to use any oil, or the electronic dipstick doesn't work. I change the oil at 7500 though 15k is way to much. Not sure this even deserves the title of worst BMW V8 the M60 had block issues, and they didn't build them for long. Modern engine wise I don't think anything will beat out a 6.4 Ford/Navistar Diesel for reliability issues.
These engines are great when brand new and well maintained. It's largely an engineering nightnare though...
Did they fix these problems in the updated N63 for the newer models (F90, M8, x5m, x6m)?
Yes most of the issues explained in this video we're . with the first technical update and even more in the subsequent TU3 and TU4
Cars with engines like this are amazing to own when new. But sell that shit as soon as it hits 30k miles and don't look back xD
Alex Palmieri just did a video about the 2010 Alpina B7. In 2012, I was in Fort Lauderdale with my '85 Porsche 928S2 5
speed and I got into a little stoplight derby with one of these and the B7 with it's 500 hp walked away from my 13.86 @ 105 mph car. It didn't run away, it definitely walked away; I was suitably impressed!
The thing is, here it is 11 years later and the car is a basket case. My 928S2 when I raced the Alpina, it was 27 years old...
I like BMW cars. I haven't gotten around to owning one yet, but I will eventually. The problem with these is that they seriously (!) need to be LEASED cars. You don't want to own one when the warranty is up....
From BMW only I6 engines nothing else
V10's?
S85 for the win!!!!
@@lighteningbolt6397 No their v10’s are shite as well. Most every engine from BMW is. They all use plastic parts for hoses, guides etc. that fail under any sort of stress. I wouldn’t buy one unless you like fixing cars instead of driving them.
@@lighteningbolt6397 Bro, you are obviously not a car guy (gal) because the BMW S85 V10 is incredibly notorious for being unreliable.
@@electrikoptik The s85 engine has its rod bearing issues like the s65 but it's worth the sound it makes.
I had a 2016 650 convertible which used almost 2 quarts of between oil changes... traded it in for an m850 convertible which used no oil. I think that they repaired the oil consumption issue. Funny how none of my Ferraris have the same engine issues as BMWs do....
The N47 engine was another one of BMW's nightmare engines, what with premature timing chain failure along with a list of other issues
That was a dark era for BMW in general. As a BMW guy I decided to skip the whole generation between 2005 and 2015 to avoid engine issues. Today's B-series engines are golden in comparison with N-series.
The N47 was very fuel efficient and pretty powerful for its time. Sad that is has this many issues.
@@emrefifty5281 it was. My dad currently has an '11 320d ED with the N47 in it, so far it's been a hassle to keep on the road though. New engine, coolant hoses breaking, random battery drain, fuel injector dying, he's only had it like 8 months lol
Either design an engine with parts that will last at least 150,000 miles, or make the engine so that the parts are easily replaced. Instead, what most manufacturers do, including BMW, is make it nearly impossible to replace certain parts, and they make those parts in a way that they need replacement frequently. In other words, a nightmare for the owner.
@@Mrwaffleandmilk you are dead wrong, take a look at the Toyota 3.5 L V6 that they put in to the Camry and in the Sienna and in a bunch of Lexus models, not to mention the Lotus Evora. Those engines frequently go 200,000 Mi without anything being replaced. Case closed.
And I thought the M3 V8 was bad...
E92 owners: *screaming*
BMW: "But wait, there's more"
I actually like those. Throttle actuators die quickly, but you can fit bronze gears to fix that issue. Rod bearings wear quickly, but if replaced then the rest of the engine is very reliable. They sound great too.
E92 rod bearings and throttle actuators, ocasional oil leaks. But probably one of my favorite engines ever. I'd say it fits better in a lighter chassis like E30, E36 and E46.
After rod bearings and throttle actuators, it's smooth sailing. My VF650 charged e90 sings at 8400rpm without a hiccup.
Build a power yet sensitive engine that is complicated & unreliable… German ingenuity at its best!
M54, m57 (and even n47 after 2011) are some of the best engines ever made. The only problem is that people without knowledge about these cars buy them, if you have some common sense, a bit of knowledge about these engines and you know how to use a wrench then these are excellent engines. You just can't treat them like you can treat your honda civic lmao.
@Morphic exactly, depending on the year of m57 you should consider blanking the swirlflaps. The only problems with this engine, are emission related designs such als dpf, egr and and swirlflaps. Taking care of these designs by blanking, combined with proper maintenance will make this literally one of the best diesel engines ever. Such a solid powerhouse, the m57. A lot of the BMW hate is so injustified.
Great engines except for that FUCKING CCV
@@nutsackmania yeah there are some pesky parts that need to be replaced with mileage on some of the 3.0’s like crankcase ventilation waterpump or valvecover gasket but its nothing serious you cant do yourself, still really great engines indeed
Do you consider the current X5M’s S63 engine much better improved?
Are you going to do a video about the best engines in the world, which BMW also produce ?
The B58 for example, literally the best petrol engine currently made.
In my opinion most of these problems are caused by oil change intervals. I change oil in my cars every 10-12kkm. For engine like that it should be 8kkm. Actually a lot of BMW's problems wouldn't practically exist if oil changes were done from the very beginning every 10kkm, like for example valve stem gaskets.
BMW = "Big Money Waster"
We in germany have a nice shoutout for bmw: bring mich werkstatt, in english its like: bring me to workshop :D
BMW = Bring My Wallet.
@@matthiasewert3587 Freude am Zahlen
I have an E39 M5 and its a dream.
+1
N63: Twin turbo 445hp
Corvette: 670 horsepower naturally aspirated LT6 V8 bone stock
N63: 2008
LT6: 2021
sorry
You're considering the base N63. In the X5M and M5 you can get over 600HP from the same engine.
Corvette is supercharged
@@overlord398 not the new one, the new Z06 is n/a
@@spicysnowman8886 sorry my fault
My S54 in my 2005 E46 M3 as 120,000 miles on it period it never has burned drop of oil in between 4,500 mile interval oil changes.
Liqui Molly oil, Liqui Molly Ceratec and Mahle oil filter.
Rod bearings oil test are fine.
But I do something that nobody else I no or read about does. I wait until the engine OIL reaches full operating temperature before I take it over 3000 RPM.
I want to see that OIL TEMPERATURE needle at 190 degrees before I take it over 3000 RPM.
And then I redine the crap out of it since I bought it with 17,000 miles on it in 2009.
Original coils. Original everything else. Frequent air filter changes.
I think I'm only on my third set of NGK plugs
88k on my F10 M5 (2012). I always get oil to temp before going over 2/3K RPM. Thought that was mandatory lol or at least common sense.