How reliable is the N52??

[Danfr]

Hey guys, I have a 2009 E70 with the N52 engine. I believe it’s about 150,000km. Last spring my wife got sideswiped by a flatbed. It’s all cosmetic damage but our insurance company has offered us a settlement.

We are now in the position to be shopping for a replacement. I absolutely loved how that car handled. It was a fantastic driving experience. However it the couple years I had it, I had the following issues that dont exactly fall under maintaince:

-leak somewhere in wash fluid system ( does not hold washer fluid)
-coolant flange crumbled apart enroute to weekend away for a wedding
-blocked rain water drainage lines in skylight
-moisture issues/ingress
-rear marker lights don’t work
-leak valve cover gasket replacement
-failed PCV valve
-rough idle (vanos?)
-replaced those DISA valves


Also the usual wheel bearings, brakes etc.

The crazy thing is I would love to purchase another. I would like to think that I had a particularly poorly maintained car but would love your insite on these issues. Perhaps I would be better off with an N55?

[NYCwagon]

Here's my two cents, having just purchased an N55 2011 X5, coming from an E91 with an N52 engine. I put about 60k miles on my N52, and replaced the VANOS solenoids, valve cover, alternator, entire cooling system, transfer case, ignition coils, engine mounts, TC bushing, and never completely got rid of the annoying idle vibration (though that laundry list of maintenance reduced it considerably). It was about what you'd expect a BMW with 162k miles on it would be like. I'd guess that an N55 would be about the same in terms of reliability as the N52, as the cooling system and oil leaks are shared across the two cars.

I'd argue that one of the best reasons to opt for a 35i over a 3.0i is the 8 speed transmission. It shifts smoother and delivers power better than the 6 speed automatic transmission, and has a reputation for being very reliable and well built. I was a little concerned about the turbo as I have a particular love for naturally aspirated BMW straight sixes, but the N55 delivers power with zero lag. Another huge plus is that the N55 X5 gets the same MPG on the freeway as my N52 E91, while having more power. I've driven the exact same route the last few weeks as I did with my old E91, and the cost of weekly fillups has been the same if not slightly cheaper.

I purchased my X5 35i with 108k miles on it, from the 2nd owner of 13 years, and have put about 2k miles on it in the last few weeks and am extremely happy with the purchase. It really needed a new serpentine belt tensioner, so a new one along with new idler pulleys and belt went in last week (love how much room there is to work on it vs my old E91). It had an occasional idle hiccup, which I believe was primarily from a cracked crankcase ventilation hose which I’ve since replaced. I try to get the revs up to 4-5k RPM every time I drive it once it is nice and warmed up, as it seems like BMW engines run better when they're exercised moderately.

I'd recommend getting as new of an E70 X5 35i over a 3.0i as possible within your budget, with a well documented service history. If you are able to afford the 2013 model year, you'll get the redesigned HPFP which is more reliable and cheaper to replace. You won't be disappointed.