[BlueYonder]

I really like the X5 M50i, the opportunity to own a powerful V8 German automobile may not be around much longer. I tend to keep cars for an extended period of time and would expect to keep a new X5 M50i for at least 10 years and probably around 150,000 miles. Any information on the long term reliability/durability of the V8 motor/transmission?

[eelnoraa]

It will sure go to 150K mile, but as with many other any high performance engines/cars, you just need to keep up with the maintenance. It is NOT one of those cars that you can neglect and expect reliability out of it like Toyotas

Hot Vee V8 will cost you some $ to own or unless you enjoy working on engine

[nordring]

The hot V design of the twin turbo v8's has historically caused a lot of heat related early failure of gaskets and seal...such as requiring replacement of valve stem seals etc, which involves pulling the motor according to some shops.

BMW has reportedly made improvements with each N63 technical update, but you probably want to make good use of your google machine before signing on for 150,000 miles in a twin turbo V8.

i.e has BMW resolved the issues that resulted in the class action lawsuit? does the suit have merit or just a profit gambit for the layers involved? --> https://bimmerlife.com/2021/08/14/up...moves-forward/

BTW - Absolutely wonderful engines, love to drive them, and have experienced them in all body styles. I own BMW 6's and 8's, and as much as I love the smoothness of the classic inline 6, can't beat the sound and torque of the v8's!

[TurtleBoy]

[JimVR4]

My warranty goes to 7 years and 70K. Probably wouldn't want to go without a warranty after that runs out.

[BlueYonder]

I wonder the Mercedes 580 V8 has similar problems? I will check out the Mercedes forums.

I guess the 7 yr 100K mile warranty would be appropriate if I bought the M50i. Do the problems appear to be mileage related or time related?

[Di3s3l_Power]

I haven’t done my research but from what I’ve heard and seen/read Germans are not great on V8 long term 150k miles reliability. I remember reading on Audi’s V8

My personal opinion is V8 go with American manufacturer, I6 with Germans

[-Vanguard-]

Originally Posted by BlueYonder

I wonder the Mercedes 580 V8 has similar problems? I will check out the Mercedes forums.

I guess the 7 yr 100K mile warranty would be appropriate if I bought the M50i. Do the problems appear to be mileage related or time related?

AMG 63's are riddled with issues, the main reason I went with BMW M actually.

These S63 and N63 engines tend to be very reliable until you tune them out of spec.

Tuners are what give BMW its bad name mostly.

[nordring]

Originally Posted by BlueYonder

I wonder the Mercedes 580 V8 has similar problems? I will check out the Mercedes forums.

I guess the 7 yr 100K mile warranty would be appropriate if I bought the M50i. Do the problems appear to be mileage related or time related?

Both mileage and time.

For the most part, the metal parts on Bimmers last a long time. The plastic seals and gaskets, not so much. The extra heat of the hot V speeds up the process, and age adds to the degradation, even when parked.

i.e. I had a first generation (e53 X5) miles and the valve stem seals needed replacing at 85K and 12 years of age. Very common on that engine, along with coolant pipe seal leaks. Granted this is a much older Gen engine than the n63, but there doesn't seem to be much quantitative data showing BMW has made substantial improvement in seal materials.

Fun fact - Mike Miller, the BMWCCA tech advisor, actually offers this advise for all BMW V8 owners - "raise your hood every time you arrive at home or work, to let the excess heat dissipate more quickly". Obviously almost no one is going to do this....but speaks volumes to what Mike thinks about the adverse effect of heat on BMW gaskets ands seals.

Even in low horsepower application. i.e. F15 X5 with n55 engine, replacing a leaking oil pan gasket at 80,000 miles was pretty common (per lead master tech and my dealer) and involved a fair amount of labor given access, front diff, etc.

As others have said, great motors, but probably going to want the extended warranty.

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by BlueYonder

I wonder the Mercedes 580 V8 has similar problems? I will check out the Mercedes forums.

Yes, maybe more.

[nordring]

Another thing to keep an eye on....the X5 LCI is reportedly getting a brand new s68 V8.

https://www.bmwblog.com/2022/06/09/b...ft-at-the-ring

Hopefully BMW will address some of the long term durability in the new design, ands the article manages thermal management as one of the areas being addressed.

[PittsDriver]

The 3 L six in our 2013 X5 hasn't been flawless either. Just out of warranty it needed some internal component of the VANOS replaced and was quoted at over $6K. I threw myself on the mercy of BMW and they covered all but $900 of it. that engine is still in the driveway here with 112,000 miles on it and the only note on service is that the oil pan is weeping very slightly but not enough to worry about - no oil on the garage floor and maybe have to add a little oil between changes. It's a strong and smooth engine but not without some failures.

Will our M50i be any better or worse? I guess we'll see - we plan to keep it for a long time.

[Paul-in-MA]

Apparently JLR thinks that BMW V8's are better than the Ford V8's they have been using. I think the new RRS first edition model has a BMW V8 since it is rated at 523 HP. There are so many nice LR4's available that need a $12K engine. The Ford V8 has plastic coolant crossover lines that get brittle and then crumble, dumping all the coolant in seconds. Many LR4 owners like myself knew to spend the $1500 at 100K miles to replace all the plastic coolant lines.

[-Vanguard-]

Originally Posted by nordring

Both mileage and time.

For the most part, the metal parts on Bimmers last a long time. The plastic seals and gaskets, not so much. The extra heat of the hot V speeds up the process, and age adds to the degradation, even when parked.

i.e. I had a first generation (e53 X5) miles and the valve stem seals needed replacing at 85K and 12 years of age. Very common on that engine, along with coolant pipe seal leaks. Granted this is a much older Gen engine than the n63, but there doesn't seem to be much quantitative data showing BMW has made substantial improvement in seal materials.

Fun fact - Mike Miller, the BMWCCA tech advisor, actually offers this advise for all BMW V8 owners - "raise your hood every time you arrive at home or work, to let the excess heat dissipate more quickly". Obviously almost no one is going to do this....but speaks volumes to what Mike thinks about the adverse effect of heat on BMW gaskets ands seals.

Even in low horsepower application. i.e. F15 X5 with n55 engine, replacing a leaking oil pan gasket at 80,000 miles was pretty common (per lead master tech and my dealer) and involved a fair amount of labor given access, front diff, etc.

As others have said, great motors, but probably going to want the extended warranty.

s63 in the F95/96 runs the fan for 1-5 mins every time I get out of my car.

[JimVR4]

Originally Posted by -Vanguard-

s63 in the F95/96 runs the fan for 1-5 mins every time I get out of my car.

Yep, same with the N63 in my M50i. Grills stay open for at least some of that time.

[iceRN09]

Originally Posted by PittsDriver

The 3 L six in our 2013 X5 hasn't been flawless either. Just out of warranty it needed some internal component of the VANOS replaced and was quoted at over $6K. I threw myself on the mercy of BMW and they covered all but $900 of it. that engine is still in the driveway here with 112,000 miles on it and the only note on service is that the oil pan is weeping very slightly but not enough to worry about - no oil on the garage floor and maybe have to add a little oil between changes. It's a strong and smooth engine but not without some failures.

Will our M50i be any better or worse? I guess we'll see - we plan to keep it for a long time.

its not the B58 inline 6. The N55 and N55 is not as reliable as the B58

[dhopewell]

I have one of the v8 Audis, a 2017. The issue is that the turbo oil filter screen clogs over time so the issue my not be the hot V since there is not a general problem with the screen coking up and it happens at a wide range of mileage. The total failure rate is said to be about 5% but it's really expensive to fix. The youngest cars with the old screen are about 5 1/2 years old now and have only had a few reported failures. Who knows if they recalibrated the cooling system once stopped or the cars will still have problems as they age.

The cooling system runs for several minutes after stopping. That seems to be everyone's solution. I'm guessing that all the companies know where their issues are and have calibrated the cooling systems to limit it. At this point I wouldn't be afraid of buying an N63TU3 engine because of the hot V. General maintenance costs are still likely to be high though

BTW There is a recall to replace the oil screen since NHTSA declared turbo failure a safety issue, but my dealer says that they are not available yet, which is puzzling since only 28k cars are affected by the issue and they are building new cars with the updated screen. There is also an extended warranty to 10/120 on turbo failure.

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by iceRN09

its not the B58 inline 6. The N55 and N55 is not as reliable as the B58

While this is true, the issues brought up by PittsDriver is not where B58 improved tho. Vano can still go wrong just in in any other BWM I6, turbo or not. Oil pan is just oil pan. So yes, B58 also subject these kind if issues too. But overall, Inine6 BMW will be more reliable than hot Vee V8

[swainbmw]

Originally Posted by BlueYonder

I really like the X5 M50i, the opportunity to own a powerful V8 German automobile may not be around much longer. I tend to keep cars for an extended period of time and would expect to keep a new X5 M50i for at least 10 years and probably around 150,000 miles. Any information on the long term reliability/durability of the V8 motor/transmission?

It your looking for a long hauler you might be better off with a Lexus gx460 there you will get your 150,000 plus mileage you will never get past 85,000 on a bmw v8 with out spending 10,000 plus on a rebuild to correct oil leaks and valves seal and turbo problems and I suspect with BMW using newer oil technologies 0W 20 they may not even last that long

[Dranakin]

Wondering how the M50i is now holding up years later. My local dealership just got in a MY20 two months after I already picked up my MY20 40i (with similar mileage)… 😢

[BlkGS]

I don't see many people on here having issues with the N63TU3.

Personally I think we have exited the era of mechanical failures and entered the era of electronic and software failures. I think that what's going to become the norm for big ticket failures isn't going to be motors or transmissions, it'll be bricked modules and such, which won't be specific to motors.

Just my opinion.

Also you will never regret getting the M50i over the 40i once you drive it.

[mmm50i]

Originally Posted by Dranakin

Wondering how the M50i is now holding up years later. My local dealership just got in a MY20 two months after I already picked up my MY20 40i (with similar mileage)… 😢

I'm at 24k miles, city driven. No issues whatsoever.

Many would consider my car to be low mileage though. However, city driving does wear down a car a lot more than highway driving.