XSeries-forum

Evening all,

New member here (member on sister Z4 forum and owner of multiple BMWs!). Looks like I'm buying another car in the next day or so, a 3.0i E83. It has sub 60k miles on the clock and looks to be an honest car.

I know my cars fairly well, and would always consider myself to be a very careful buyer. Ultimately it's hard to always be 100%, and with buying privately you don't have the benefit of a warranty.

I suppose my main question is, given that it's one of my main concerns, are head gaskets on this engine prone to issues? I know all the usual checks and symptoms (I also think some of the online advice is misleading, e.g. 'mayo' on underside of caps isn't always a clearcut thing at all) but I wanted to ask first hand experience of owners.

Thanks!

Hi and welcome to the forum. 
Regarding the 3.0 I engine, it's the same lump as they fit to the 330i and I guess the Z4, I had an E93 330i until recently and it was very smooth and trouble free ( engine wise )
Regarding the Mayo in the oil filler cap, this is a common complaint on this engine,  ever heard of any complaints of head gaskets going though . No turbo to worry about either, as the 2.0d X3's seem to eat them.
I PXd my E83 3.0 d a few weeks ago after owning it for just less than a year .
Transfer boxes are the main concern on the E83 X3, they are intolerant to any differences in rolling circumferences
And I changed the tyres on day one of ownership as I could feel the transmission winding up on the drive home
MSport models with the staggered setup are most prone, I fitted identical tyres all around and it sorted the problem.
Read up on the E83 section, if you havnt already done so.
I guess you won't be doing high mileage in the X3 as I only used to get 18/21 mpg out of the 330i.
Good luck with the new car.

Thanks very much for that Horizon!

I will keep you posted.

Yes, as previously stated the mismatched tires are the top one to look out for, non staggered fit is the best way to go, or you will be looking at 'star' marked tires, and well, they are not cheap.....

I have had mine for nearly a year now, and apart from horrendous mpg i still very much like it, the car is not fast, but certainly not slow either. The only issue i have really had was with a sensor that kept throwing the engine check light on, but again, the car drives fine with the faulty sensor, just makes my mpg worse than it already is. 16.5mpg.....!! 

But as with most cars, give it a good drive make sure the box changes smoothly through the gears, and drops down when you give it some, and all the obvious other bits, brakes don't pull, suspicious sounds from the engine bay, look for leaks, tho with the shielding underneath, that may be a bit tricky, so try to look down from above the engine. All electrics work, sunroof/windows/mirrors/seats etc, like i say all the usual stuff... I assume its the early 231bhp not the later 265bhp one? Again, i think these are pretty strong engines if looked after, my mates 330i has been going strong for many years now.

Good luck.

Assuming it's an M54 231hp 3.0i.....Mayo is normal on filler cap in a car that has been parked up or left stood.

Thanks for the replies guys. Picking the car up on Wednesday, with an added bonus/peace of mind. The car is going in for a health check at the current owner's local BMW dealer garage. I will get a report/receipt of this work.

I'll let you know once it's been picked up and will upload some pics.

Also note a common issue, search "bmw e83 valve cover gasket" which leads to a whiffy smell of oil smoke around the engine and in the cabin. Relatively easily fixed, albeit a bit fiddly in places, some good vids on YT. Expect to need to do this at least by 100K miles or before; also get spark plugs changed at the same time.

Thanks for all the help on this guys. The car has been bought and it seems as though everything is in order at this stage. Always helpful to know the things to look out for though.