[essjon]

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[SLVSRFR]

Honestly, 'reliability' is going to vary.

I have 87k HARD miles on my '11 550i and had the CCP done at 37k with no major issues whatsoever.

My buddy had a '14 535i that was lemon'd by BMW.

But in general, long term reliability depends on how you maintain the car.

[MWPos]

I read in this forum somewhere that we, in the US, we never really drive the 550i to its design potential, which means that we have issues, not necessarily problems, that BMW did not anticipate. My SA mentioned that the CCB for the 550i's motor was required due to our not getting oil moving through the motor the way it would at autobahn speeds. Not that the SA is always, or ever, correct, but that matched what I'd recently read.

[Gpfarrell]

Get an Accord if that's your criteria.

I assume my 550i will spend an extra week in the shop every year over an Accord.

I also assume I'll spend 50+ weeks a year driving the car I really want.

But for others, for legitimate reasons, reliability is everything. The Accord EX is lovely.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Gpfarrell

The Accord EX is lovely.

Except it's a FWD appliance...

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by MWPos

I read in this forum somewhere that we, in the US, we never really drive the 550i to its design potential, which means that we have issues, not necessarily problems, that BMW did not anticipate. My SA mentioned that the CCB for the 550i's motor was required due to our not getting oil moving through the motor the way it would at autobahn speeds. Not that the SA is always, or ever, correct, but that matched what I'd recently read.

Sorry, but this makes no sense. What do the design flaws of the N63 engine have to do with "autobahn speeds"? One of the weaknesses of this engine is actually heat management and damage caused by heat. Driving it hard only makes it worse.

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by SLVSRFR

But in general, long term reliability depends on how you maintain the car.

Reliability depends mostly on the design of the car. Sure, you need to change the oil, etc. based on the maintenance schedule, but cars which are not designed for longevity and reliability will not be reliable even when you follow the maintenance schedule.

[SLVSRFR]

Originally Posted by visualguy

Reliability depends mostly on the design of the car. Sure, you need to change the oil, etc. based on the maintenance schedule, but cars which are not designed for longevity and reliability will not be reliable even when you follow the maintenance schedule.

No. Just no. Car manufacturer's don't design cars to be unreliable. An engine is not built to last forever and is not designed to. It is full of parts that wear over time and through usage. You can extend its lifespan by using more efficient parts but it will eventually fail (i.e. Injectors, plugs, rod bearings, actuators, etc.). We change these things as PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE because we know how engines work and these items will eventually fail and can pose a catastrophic threat to the engine if not attended to early on.

What people fail to understand is that with the 550i and somewhat the 535i you're getting a performance car. With that, comes more maintenance and less efficieny due to the fact that these parts we know to fail, are working harder and see more usage. That's just the nature of the beast. Let's put it in perspective, you could get 80-120k miles on a clutch out of a Honda Civic. It's not a performance car, so the transmission doesn't see much work. But a transmission is a transmission, you take an EGear transmission with a more efficient clutch and put in a Lamborghini Gallardo and it's only seeing about 15k miles because it sees more usage and works much harder than a transmission in a Honda Civic with 130hp. The dynamics and mechanics are the same, one just works harder than the other and requires more preventative maintenance. People fail to understand that. You can't expect to drive a V8 twin turbo that has the potential to push crazy amount of power and expect to not see any maintenance.

[UA_civ_eng]

N55 is definitely more reliable than the N63. But in my opinion, the extra power and the awesome, awesome sound of a V8 makes the 550 worth the slight drop in reliability.

[Nalod]

Those who own advocate for their preference.
As mentioned, these are performance vehicles and as such require proper maintenance and will have higher running costs.

M5>550>535>528>..........The higher the performance the higher the running costs.
The 550 is not chronically a bad car by any stretch. This motor is used in the 6 and 7 series and the X5 and x6. Resale on those models does suffer as they are known for not being "bulletproof". No BMW really is.

Is it worth it? That is subjective and on a fanboy site like ours, your not going to get a totally objective answer.

We are enthusiasts so you won't see many 528i chiming in. Why? they are busy being happy with what they got. The Mod Squad here mostly has the higher variants and are very "enthusiastic" with their cars and its performance. In a subset filled with testosterone, those with the most power are usually unapologetic about their quest for power and are willing to pay the price of admission.

Im somewhere in the middle. Not that my car is any great bargain by any stretch.
Lost in this discussion is the fact some like my self love the smooth power produced by an inline 6 cyl motor. THis is my third and first with Turbo. I would have bought a non turbo if they were offered! This is not logical to the 550 crowd but that's OK. Its not that one is "better' but its a matter of preference. Im super happy with most cars performance that is 0-60 under six seconds! After that the cars are basically all the same depending on wheels, brakes, etc. In my view if you drive a lot of miles the n20 motor is great for its fuel economy and good performance. After that, the cars are all the same.
If you have the funds, the temperament and quest for fun the 550i is a hell of a ride!!!!
Since the depreciation on the 550i gets hit hard early, they are great values in the secondary market. As long as you go in with your eyes open, you'll be OK.

To answer your question, all things the same, a 2013 N55 is more reliable than the 2011 n63 in part because of the age of the car, and you have not gotten to the N63 improvements in newer models.
How the car was driven early in its life also matters. If the N55 was modded and driven hard vs a pedestrian experienced n63, one might say statistically it might be more reliable.

Many variables to answer your question we don't know.

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by SLVSRFR

No. Just no. Car manufacturer's don't design cars to be unreliable. An engine is not built to last forever and is not designed to. It is full of parts that wear over time and through usage. You can extend its lifespan by using more efficient parts but it will eventually fail (i.e. Injectors, plugs, rod bearings, actuators, etc.). We change these things as PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE because we know how engines work and these items will eventually fail and can pose a catastrophic threat to the engine if not attended to early on.

What people fail to understand is that with the 550i and somewhat the 535i you're getting a performance car. With that, comes more maintenance and less efficieny due to the fact that these parts we know to fail, are working harder and see more usage. That's just the nature of the beast. Let's put it in perspective, you could get 80-120k miles on a clutch out of a Honda Civic. It's not a performance car, so the transmission doesn't see much work. But a transmission is a transmission, you take an EGear transmission with a more efficient clutch and put in a Lamborghini Gallardo and it's only seeing about 15k miles because it sees more usage and works much harder than a transmission in a Honda Civic with 130hp. The dynamics and mechanics are the same, one just works harder than the other and requires more preventative maintenance. People fail to understand that. You can't expect to drive a V8 twin turbo that has the potential to push crazy amount of power and expect to not see any maintenance.

They don't design any engine to be unreliable, but sometimes it just ends up being unreliable unintentionally. In the case of the N63 engines, we're not even talking about long-term reliability. The issues pop up even with low miles on these.

You can read the BMW technical documents of the N63, N63TU and N63TU2. They discuss in detail the problems and the improvements they made between the different engine versions to help address the issues. It looks like they are now working on a completely new V8TT design. I certainly hope this one will finally be good. Unfortunately, BMW has a long record of problematic V8 engines.

It is not the case that powerful turbo V8 engines are inherently problematic. The Audi 4L V8TT and the Mercedes V8TT are fine.

[bcw550ix]

Originally Posted by visualguy

They don't design any engine to be unreliable, but sometimes it just ends up being unreliable unintentionally. In the case of the N63 engines, we're not even talking about long-term reliability. The issues pop up even with low miles on these.

You can read the BMW technical documents of the N63, N63TU and N63TU2. They discuss in detail the problems and the improvements they made between the different engine versions to help address the issues. It looks like they are now working on a completely new V8TT design. I certainly hope this one will finally be good. Unfortunately, BMW has a long record of problematic V8 engines.

It is not the case that powerful turbo V8 engines are inherently problematic. The Audi 4L V8TT and the Mercedes V8TT are fine.

Out of curiousity, where have you seen information regarding the reliability of the Audi and Mercedes V8TT's? I really like the looks of the 2014 E550 and would like to see how it compares to the BMW 550 in terms of reliability. The S6 also looks like a fantastic car and might be worth the additional cost if it's likely to be reliable in the long term.

[SLVSRFR]

Originally Posted by visualguy

They don't design any engine to be unreliable, but sometimes it just ends up being unreliable unintentionally. In the case of the N63 engines, we're not even talking about long-term reliability. The issues pop up even with low miles on these.

You can read the BMW technical documents of the N63, N63TU and N63TU2. They discuss in detail the problems and the improvements they made between the different engine versions to help address the issues. It looks like they are now working on a completely new V8TT design. I certainly hope this one will finally be good. Unfortunately, BMW has a long record of problematic V8 engines.

It is not the case that powerful turbo V8 engines are inherently problematic. The Audi 4L V8TT and the Mercedes V8TT are fine.

They aren't inherently problematic, but they are more maintenance hungry. Audi V8TT have their fair share of problems, just head over to audiworld and see the different threads. The M157 engine from Mercedes has a notorious ticking issue too. Each V8TT has its issues but it's nothing major, each manufacturer manages the issues fairly well. Design flaws from line production are a different issue, but people blow the N63 issues out of proportion just because BMW issued CCP. BMW noticed the injectors, serpentine belt, pulley etc. could be problems in the long run and addressed it free of charge BEFORE it came to that point for the majority. I don't see why people complain about it. Sure, the drivetrain malfunctions were annoying but my car was in and out the dealer in 2 days for the CCP to be performed. The V10 S85 had a huge design flaw with the rod bearings seeing heavy wear in under 30k miles and countless people throwing rods under 100k and BMW hasn't done a thing about it. That was the only reason I sold my E60 M5 and didn't go for the F10 M5 this time around.

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by SLVSRFR

They aren't inherently problematic, but they are more maintenance hungry. Audi V8TT have their fair share of problems, just head over to audiworld and see the different threads.

The Audi V8TT is rock solid. I have been following the Audi forums for a long time now. No issues with this engine. I haven't seen any issues reported for the Mercedes V8TT either when my wife and I were shopping for cars a few months ago.

Also, my wife owns a 2016 S6 which has been wonderful. I wish I could say the same thing about my 2016 550i. So far I've had a power trunk problem (common to the 2016 F10), an expensive rear RFT replacement, and my car has been burning oil at a rate of 1qt per 1K miles. There's no meaningful oil consumption on my wife's S6 - she's at 9,500 miles now. I would have needed to add 10 quarts of oil to my 550i going through that mileage... I wish I had gotten an S6 too, but I'm more of a leaser, so the 550i seemed like the better choice at the time. Also, wanted some variety.

[SLVSRFR]

Originally Posted by visualguy

The Audi V8TT is rock solid. I have been following the Audi forums for a long time now. No issues with this engine. I haven't seen any issues reported for the Mercedes V8TT either when my wife and I were shopping for cars a few months ago.

Also, my wife owns a 2016 S6 which has been wonderful. I wish I could say the same thing about my 2016 550i. So far I've had a power trunk problem (common to the 2016 F10), an expensive rear RFT replacement, and my car has been burning oil at a rate of 1qt per 1K miles. There's no meaningful oil consumption on my wife's S6 - she's at 9,500 miles now. I would have needed to add 10 quarts of oil to my 550i going through that mileage... I wish I had gotten an S6 too, but I'm more of a leaser, so the 550i seemed like the better choice at the time. Also, wanted some variety.

I can see why your situation leaves a bitter taste in your mouth with BMW but your car is under warranty and all those issues will be worked out by BMW, the 1qt of oil every 1k miles is not normal.

To the OP,

You can't go wrong with either the 535i or 550i

From the years I've owned my 550i, I have put hard miles on it, running a stage 2 tune in aggressive mode putting close to 500rwhp for the past 40k miles with no issues at all besides my injectors being replaced under the CCP. So I've been more than happy with my purchase just as many others. Also note that on a forum, you're just going to see the negatives for the most part. Simply because people post only when they have issues and not when the car has been running fine.

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by SLVSRFR

I can see why your situation leaves a bitter taste in your mouth with BMW but your car is under warranty and all those issues will be worked out by BMW, the 1qt of oil every 1k miles is not normal.

My service advisor at the dealership said that it is "normal" in the sense that it's very common with this engine. My salesman said the same thing. He said it's a very common complaint among customers, and his brother has the same problem on his X5. He added that since it's a lease, who cares. Just dump the car then, or if it annoys you too much, get out of it now. No one at the dealership recommended trying to fix it. They said their solution is to offer a free top-off service for vehicles with this engine. I just top it off myself because it's too much hassle to keep going to the dealership - they're way too busy.

[SLVSRFR]

Originally Posted by visualguy

My service advisor at the dealership said that it is "normal" in the sense that it's very common with this engine. My salesman said the same thing. He said it's a very common complaint among customers, and his brother has the same problem on his X5. He added that since it's a lease, who cares. Just dump the car then, or if it annoys you too much, get out of it now. No one at the dealership recommended trying to fix it. They said their solution is to offer a free top-off service for vehicles with this engine. I just top it off myself because it's too much hassle to keep going to the dealership - they're way too busy.

It's definitely not normal. I top off 1 time between oil changes. So that equates to 1qt every 7500 miles. My SA says if it becomes more frequent to let him know and that's when they'll start looking into it.

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by SLVSRFR

It's definitely not normal. I top off 1 time between oil changes. So that equates to 1qt every 7500 miles. My SA says if it becomes more frequent to let him know and that's when they'll start looking into it.

BMW considers an even higher oil consumption than mine to be normal (a ridiculous 1qt per 750 miles rather than 1K miles). Like I said, my dealership says don't do anything about it, just top it off. I also asked another BMW dealership service department, and got the same answer - common to these engines, just top it off.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by SLVSRFR

No. Just no. Car manufacturer's don't design cars to be unreliable.

Are you sure?
BMW sure is trying very hard recently.

I agree with some of what you're saying but the fact is, even meticulously maintained, they just aren't know for their reliability. Saying something like "simply take care of maintenance and it'll be reliable" is unfortunately not true for modern BMWs. As someone pointed earlier, buying modern BMW, you need to understand you'll spend more time in the shop and pay dearly if out of warranty - trade-off for performance, balance, looks and comfort (and?? "prestige" perhaps).

Back to OP's question.

550 on average "seem to" have more issues than 535 when it comes to engines at least.

[Pito11213]

Great information in here.

What makes these rides scary isnt just the issues. It's the issues outside of warranty. Deep pockets or not, a 10k mechanical issue is felt.

I have. '13 528xi. I love to drive fast. I love taking corners fast. I love steep curves....going fast. I purchased this one. Next one will be a leased 550. The resale value just hits so hard though.

I have a friend with a 535 who had a lot of issues. I've had none with mine. I drive it....spiritedly. Lol

If you are under warranty that's what matters. Have fun. Enjoy your money.

[mzabbas]

All else being equal:

MY2013 should be better as MY2011 was the first year for f10.

N63 had some documented issues. N55 has been pretty solid statistically.

But really the factors are many to predict true reliability and how the cars have been treated will definitely matter.

Also a v8 changes the character of the car enough that reliability alone can not be a measure of desirability.

[gulfstream69xr7]

My service advisor at the dealership said that it is "normal" in the sense that it's very common with this engine. My salesman said the same thing. He said it's a very common complaint among customers, and his brother has the same problem on his X5

Your service advisor and sales person are giving you the BMW standard line. I have built dozens of engines and not a single one has ever consumed oil at that rate. My 121,000 mile Rover 4.6 V8 takes a qt every 3000 miles and those motors are notoriously bad. There is no possible way that a quart every 1000 miles is normal. That kind of oil consumption is a time bomb waiting to go off. BMW has been throwing this BS about the TT V8 for years.

“Oil consumption is normal on all engines,” BMW spokesman Hector Arellano-Belloc said in an e-mailed statement. “BMW vehicles have long intervals between oil changes (10,000 miles). BMW engines (excluding the BMW M) may consume up to one quart of engine oil per 750 miles under certain driving conditions.” He added that BMW’s M performance models may consume even more oil than that."

It's a BS excuse to not rebuild factory motors who's tolerances are too loose. I'd pressure the heck out of tem to replace the engine.