Quote:
Originally Posted by wuX2
I've had an N54 car (135i, bought brand new) for 12 years now and have driven 85,000 miles. Being in California, the car is subject to more fair weather than most other cars. Based on my experience and what others have said about the N55/S55, you can expect at around 60-80,000 miles:
leaking valve cover gasket
leaking oil filter housing gasket
water pump failure
100,000 miles:
leaking oil pan gasket
The gaskets failing aren't a major issue per se, except that the number of hours for labor is ridiculous. I ended up learning how to do this myself because the estimates were 2-3k for labor. Be prepared for this if you intend to keep the car long term. I also replaced a bunch of other stuff along the way (pulleys, timing belt, spark plugs, brittle plastic pieces), which you will also have to account for if you are paying a mechanic.
N54 also had various components that were updated throughout its lifecycle (hpfp, injectors) that were designed quite poorly imo and had recalls for years, but it looks like BMW has learned from their mistakes and isn't as bad on the N55/S55.
Also, freaking window regulators. Why does BMW have issues with window regulators is beyond me, but also expect to replace them if you keep the car long term.
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144k on my 7 series and never had a issue with window regulators but the x5 is another story.