High mileage and the M57 engine - twin turbo

[H4MP]

Guys my x5 which I purchased in December has now done 148k should I keep to avoid big bills? What is the overall reliability like?

[lezmtaylor]

I think 148K speaks for itself.

Lez

[X5Sport]

As Lez says 

As long as you keep the servicing regular, especially the oil changes, you will be fine.

One thing that kills turbos is not letting them warm up and especially cool down after a fast run.  Red hot turbos ‘cook’ engine oil and over time the deposits can damage bearings and seals.  Be nice to them and they’ll last longer 

[moggyboy]

Good advice. I've got the same twin turbo with 120k on the clock. Due to my mother in law's departure from this life very recently it's just had to do 3,800 miles in 5 weeks most of it at high speed to sort out her house etc. Thank god for a great motor. I've always had the oil changed around 8k miles. I hope mine goes on for ever and the same for all you twins.

[Alan Gunn]

I bought my 3.0d single turbo i know but with 161k on it.
It get's very regular oil changes as that is about the only job on the car i can do these day's due to me being disabled.
The engine is as sweet as it could be bought of a mechanic friend who really looked after it.
I might only do 3.5k in a year but it get's changed whatever at 12 months.
It's 16 years old now and i hope to get many more from it(my toy want's for nothing lol).
I also do as above let warm up and then sit for a short time before turning off after a run.

[H4MP]

Thanks for the advice my local indie said the M57 is prone to timing chain failure too... Any advice on this. Thanks for your responses. Hope you have good health and enjoy your x5 for as long as you wish

[paulrog]

My understanding is the N47 2.0  4 pot engine timing chain failure is very common, and BMW are keeping it quiet.

The N57 has alot lower failures, there are a few examples on the web, overall a reliable engine

The M57 is a different engine and my understanding is it doesn't have the same design fault.

The problem with diesel high mile cars is the DPF getting clogged, You see it doesn't matter how you drive it it will get clogged up eventually, there is ash and soot, when there is a Regen the soot is burnt and converted into ash, the ash level just keeps on going up, no matter what you do until  the engine starts to get clogged up, you get idrive warnings  around 130-150k miles, also the EGR will stop working, this puts pressure on the turbo unit causing this to fail.

Diesels used to go on forever but the modern ones with the emissions controls only have a small lifecycle.

I have had loads of petrol cars and you don't have these kind of problems.

[X5Sport]

Until now.  All new petrol models have to be fitted with the Gasoline Particulate Filter as direct petrol injection is up to 10,000 times worse emissions wise than indirect.  I can see exactly the same issues with those too.

[henrym3]

Yea, all you petrol heads can start winding your necks in now, you have been warned. We’re going through the cycle of life. In 10 years when all the petrol engines are clogging up, diesel will be our new best friend again. You’ll look back and think how simple the E70 and F15 were. :

[moggyboy]

So how do you pre-empt the inevitable ash clog up?
Does it make economic sense to have it cleaned /replaced before it becomes problematic?

[X5Sport]

No idea what cleaning costs are, but a new one is ~£1,500 plus fitting (and probably VAT too).

[NehalX5]

I've heard of the M57 being a generally bulletproof engine. The base block has been produced since 1998 and has been in most BMW's. The X5 has all aluminium engines, instead of the older cast iron blocks, so they were lighter. It  is generally a solid engine. If anything, there have been cases of timing chain failure on the N57 engine, which is the successor to the M57.

Running 117k on the twin turbo engine and it is still sweet and powerful. Hope to squeeze more miles out of the engine but it is the depreciation on these cars which worries me more than the engine durability - it is making us think about possibly changing earlier. Things to make sure it lasts long is regular oil changes with good oil, allowing it to cool down and warm up properly, and making sure it gets all the filters changed regularly as well.

I have been told that the smaller turbo likes to give up early however as these cars are mainly using the smaller turbo when cruising on the motorway, driving through cities. The larger turbo tends to last longer.

[Ducklakeview]

I would be changing the gearbox oil, and sump/filter.. Changed mine last week at 80k, and the old stuff was black (which I expected) but like water compared to the new. Don't forget it does a lot of work in there!

Mike

[moggyboy]

I was of the impression that they were supposed to be sealed for life the gear boxes?

[Ducklakeview]

[quote="moggyboy"]
I was of the impression that they were supposed to be sealed for life the gear boxes?
[/quote]

Yes, they supposedly are, but I would not be happy running the original fluid over 70k.

Mike