[ipso_facto]

Hi Folks,

My F10 520D sports auto (October 2010 build) has seen just over 94k miles of motoring now. I have owned this from new.

I have kept the car regularly serviced, as per the service indicators. Since 30k miles, I have run this exclusively on the Shell V-Power performance diesel fuel.

It runs mostly on significant A-Roads and motorways - I would say that 80% of it's driving time is spent here.

I intend to keep the car until around the 150-160k miles mark.

I have read about timing chain and turbo problems occurring at the 90k+ mark. I may be wrong about this - please correct me, if I am wrong.

I wanted to know what I can do to pro-actively get the timing chain and the turbo checked? Can these be checked at a service location / garage?

Only issue I have ever had with this car, was a rear passenger window seal breach. No mechanical / electrical / engine issues at all.

I have no hint from the car that there is anything wrong. It is the mileage mark at mid-90k that is prompting me to investigate this. I would rather have a preventative check / verification, than an expensive post-problem cost.

Thanks for advice ... cheers

[Johnny Grabble]

This is all about probability and how lucky you think you might be - no definitive answers unfortunately. I read somewhere less than 4% of N47s fail like this and their are plenty out there still going just fine with your intended mileage. Trouble is there are millions of N47s out there and so even a small percentage of failures is a fairly large number. There are plenty which have failed with as little as 25k miles on them.
Apparently, the design of some components was improved sometime in late 2011, so reportedly, N47s post late-2011 build are less likely to fail than those earlier than this. That said, I had a 2012 F10 520d for a couple of years and got to about 40k on it, like you doing mainly motorway miles and sticking rigidly to the BMW service schedule on the iDrive. It started rattling noticeably, especially 1500-2000 rpm, also when fully warm, at around 38.5k, so I traded it in pronto. I have no idea what became of it.
Others report that the long BMW service intervals are bad for the chain longevity and say that more regular oil and filter changes reduce the risk. Perhaps that's something you could consider. I doubt that running it on premium fuel makes a difference to the timing chain's components longevity.
I imagine if you are prepared to pay money you can get it inspected but I understand that replacing the "at risk" parts - chain, chain guides, possibly also the sprocket, is an engine out job, so a small 4-figure expense. If you're prepared to pay that, it might be better to run it till it breaks and hope that it doesn't.

[xenon]

Yes because the chain is at the back of the engine the lump has to come out to do anything about it. Cross your fingers and hope and if it starts rattling get rid.

[ipso_facto]

Originally Posted by Johnny Grabble

This is all about probability and how lucky you think you might be ...

Thank you !

[ipso_facto]

Originally Posted by xenon

Yes because the chain is at the back of the engine ...

Thanks also !

[Junebug85]

Both my cars (E90 - April 2011 & F10 June 2012) have the N47 engine in them...

I have the E90 booked in at the dealer to be looked at next week. Even though the car was 3 years old with 21,000 miles on it when I bought it , I was given a 24 month warranty with it which expires this July. Thought I'd get it checked now and see what they say in relation to issues with the timing chain. I did listen to the engine for a while last night on idle and also at 1500rpm but I think I was trying to hear something that wasn't really there. But for piece of mind I thought I'd book it in. I've read around online that it was an issue up to March 2011 and can affect cars with both low and high mileage... Build date on mines is a month after this hence why I'm a little concerned.

The F10 is close to 75,000 miles... Touch wood, so far so good

[ipso_facto]

Originally Posted by Junebug85

Both my cars (E90 - April 2011 & F10 June 2012) ...

Cheers.

I have occasionally done that "listen to the engine" routine too !

[rkomi33]

I have also "listen to the engine" and heard nothing, than i changed timing chain(around 175k Km) and heard much more silenced engine. So if you think it couldn't be more quiet it COULD
F10 520D 09/2012g

[ipso_facto]

Originally Posted by rkomi33

I have also "listen to the engine" and heard nothing, than i changed timing chain(around 175k Km) and heard much more silenced engine. So if you think it couldn't be more quiet it COULD
F10 520D 09/2012g

Six year old thread awakened … I am at 173k miles now.

The turbo died in July 2018, when I was pushing it a little on the acceleration, one Sunday afternoon. I think it was around 120k miles at that point. Replaced with new.

The timing chain gave me a big hint, on the way to work, in July 2019. I headed home and took it to my trusted independent BMW specialist, who performed the necessary open heart surgery and replaced the chain.

A few other issues in the last few years; DPF, EGR, tracking rods.

Going strong and have my eye on 200k miles now