[amayzanee]

Hey everyone, looking to buy this 2016 528 with the infamous n20. The car has one owner and 50k miles with all oil changes on time and services done at the same BMW dealer it’s whole life.

Of course I’m terrified of the timing chain guides grenading on me. So I’ve come to the forums. I’ve seen the community split down the middle on if it’s a good buy or not.

I would use the car as a daily driver about 50 highway miles a day. I’m not too worried about oil leaks as it is a 10 year old bmw I don’t mind getting all that taken care of. I am however concerned with the timing chain guides and not too sure if the car could give me another 50k miles.

Let me know what you guys think and if I should pull the trigger on the car!

Thank you!

[ChiNorm]

You have a choice between the troublesome 4 cyl and the very reliable 6 cyl. IMHO, the choice is obvious: get the 6.

Good luck.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by amayzanee

Hey everyone, looking to buy this 2016 528 with the infamous n20. The car has one owner and 50k miles with all oil changes on time and services done at the same BMW dealer it’s whole life.

Go for it. It should be past the March 2015 production date when the chain and guides were improved. But do 5k oil change intervals anyway, as anecdotally that is the best way to to prevent timing chain problems. A 50 mile drive should actually be the best thing for it, as shorter start and stop driving is the worst for internal combustion motors. Get a pre-purchase inspection from a good shop if you are concerned. Worst case scenario, in five years or so you'll need to get the guides/chain done. Not the end of the world as long as you do it before bad things happen. Just think of it as very expensive preventative maintenance.