Mr 5er

I see so many questions about reliabiltiy & durability with our e60. How long are we going to keep them?, are they really that well made. So I wrote to Roundel's Tech Talk and asked them specifically about the M54B25 engines. Here is their question and answer. Let hear what the forum thinks after reading it.


In a message dated 9/23/2007 9:08:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, HemiF@aol.com writes:
I have a 2003 325xi, 32k with the m54b25 engine and a 2005 525i, 37k with the m54b25 engine. I hear so much talk about the newer BMW engines. My question is.... What's the bottom line on these engines. What can I expect as far as durability and reliability goes. I had no problems with either engine, but I'm always told "you should have bought the 330 and 530" Help me out here Mike. Are they as good as they claim to be?

Frank
Malverne, NY


The people who say (or, more likely, post on the Internet), "You should have bought the 330i and 530i," are talking about power, and not durability and reliability. The 3.0-liter engine is significantly more powerful, but in terms of durability and reliability the two engines are identical. And of course the cost of that additional power is about a $7,000 premium for the 3.0-liter when the cars are new, along with higher insurance and higher fuel consumption.

The 2.5-liter engine is a quintessential example of BMW's "barely adequate" power output (for the U.S.) at the low end of the model line. The cars move along fine especially if they have a manual gearbox so you can spool up the revs. But they are not quick, and they will never be quick. You can supercharge them, and they're still not quick in most opinions -- the cars are too heavy, and in the case of the AWD models, they've got too much work to do for the 2.5 to ever be quick.

However, for most drivers, "quick" is overrated. Most of these cars are sold new in large urban areas or areas of urban sprawl, where they spend much of their time puttering from stoplight to stoplight or sitting in traffic.

I am a long-distance touring driver, and I chose the 2.5-liter engine, too. It's more economical -- and I didn't have the extra seven grand.

Now, in terms of durability and reliability, the only common problem is the abysmal quality of the cooling system parts BMW installs. Be ready for preventive replacement of cooling system parts in order to avoid a breakdown and possible additional damage. Here's what I recommend:

Every 60,000 miles: water pump, thermostat

Every 90,000 miles: radiator, expansion tank, where applicable: fan clutch, plastic cooling fan

Best regards,

Mike Miller
BMW CCA Roundel Magazine Technical Editor
techtalk@roundel.org
auspuf2002@aol.com

joewatch

That's the first time I've heard of recommendation to replace these parts before they are "broken." I usually hear that you should change all of your fluids more frequently than recommended if you want longer durability. (see recent edition of Consumer Reports)

EBMCS03

Set aside the $7000 last time I checked the 530 was more economical than the 525 between the same model year.