X3 20d M Sport 2013

[Al92x3]

Hi All

I’ve just taken ownership of a BMW X3 2013 20d MSport with 85k miles on. I thought I’d struck a bargain getting it at under 10k, read loads of reviews and thought this was the dream car for me and my young family. Car had missed one service but accountable from new. I plan on changing oil every 7k miles.

I eventually ended up on the Brimmer forum where people from all over the world seem to be having the timing chain issue. Does anyone know if it’s as common in the UK? I think my new car has the dreaded N20 Engine and My anxiety has gone through the roof looking at that forum. The thing that prompted the question was there isn’t much that I can see on this forum?

I got into the deal knowing there may be a repair bill or two but I would not have expected something like this that could cause total engine failure.

I have six months dealer warranty on the car, any advice on what I should get checked?

Also keen to hear from anyone that ran an N20 over 100k successfully. There’s a few on Auto trader so I know it’s possible and this main issue might just be down to luck.

Any advice to calm the nerves would be greatly appreciated
Arron

[X5Sport]

The engine is an N47 not an N20. Now replaced by the B47 series.

Yes there is poor reputation connected with with the timing chain across all versions of BMWs & Minis with that engine, though may be one on the F25 on this forum. Are failures down to luck, poor driving styles, missed services or something else I can’t say. Timing chain issues are reported with many engines, but the question to ask, is how many of the thousands made actually fail?

Changing the oils more often than 20k miles should help. Long term service regimes may be cheaper, and modern oils very good, but does that make it a good idea? As an old school engineer, I change mine on age not mileage.

[Leslie]

Congrats on your new car , when you look at the internet all models have their issues and the 2.0d engine is certainly plagued with timing chain problems, I see a lot for sale just after chain replacement and I know of a recent 520d and a 320d had this issues in the last year and both before 100k too . As said change the oil about every 10k , 20k plus is far too long and if its manual do not be tempted to pottle along at very low revs in top gear to save a few pence in diesel as this rattles and wears the chain more rapidly (imo)
On the plus side you have a warranty but a lot of these only cover total failure not wear and rattling ( check the terms) and id expect it too get quite vocal before it jumps a tooth etc. There were a lot sold as the 2.0d was by far the most common model , maybe 10% ( random figure, bmw have an idea but will never let slip and deny all ) fail by 100k so it really depends on if you are lucky or not , extending the warranty if its not too expensive but I know someone was recently quoted about £1000 by an indi for chain replacement so its not a huge expense if the worse happens so put a few quid to one side and enjoy the car

[Al92x3]

Thank you both for the replies. I really appreciate it.

The car had oil changed on average every 10-12K. I was also surprised when I sat in it for the first time that it said it didn’t need a service until 2022.

I’m certainly assured by the replies. To me this just makes it part of the risk of buying an older car rather than it being a BMW issue that they won’t fix. I traded in a 2012 F30 2.0 Efficient Dynamics which had a lot more miles on and that was a workhorse that just went. Part of the reason I chose to stay with BMW. Was sad to see it go.

Thanks again for the tips, really appreciate it

[Al92x3]

Ok - I’ve had the car a week now and noticed a few issues. To be fair the garage have been sound so far. Just wanted a few thoughts from some other BMW enthusiasts:

1) On National speed limit flat roads, there’s a rumbling noise. Mechanic was convinced it was wheel baring, but on inspection, it turns out part of the run flat tyres had a flat spot so they’ve ordered me two new front tyres, does that sound reasonable? (I’ve never used run flats before so I’m not sure what to expect?)

2) There’s a whistle on the Turbo when hard accelerating. Is this normal on x3’s or should I be concerned? My F30 N47 engine didn’t have this.

Other than that, this is by far the best car I’ve ever owned. Even though it’s only a 2013 it just feels like pure luxury to drive. Totally in love with it.

[X5Sport]

RFT are noisier simply because the sidewall is much stiffer so noise is more readily transmitted. I also think that BMW have removed sound deadening to make the cars lighter and help with emissions.

You also need to keep the tread depth difference to less than 1.5mm or you run the risk of transmission damage. If they are more worn than that then a set-change is your best option. If your tyre sizes are different front/rear then think hard about only using tyres with an ‘*’ on the sidewall (means approved for BMW) , or MO, MOE as Mercedes tyres are also OK. xDrive cars are very sensitive to tyre choice, and a wrong choice can break things. It’s an issue with BMW, Audi, Mercedes and others with AWD and staggered tyre sizes. It is just possible that the drone is actually the transmission complaining. It should not be an issue with proper engineering, however the bean counters seem to have saved a few pennies by not doing things that may be they should have.

What tyres are fitted, and what tread depth difference already exists? It may not be your issue, but needs checking for.