[tranck]

Reading on other forums about this - are the n55 engines prone to the oil filter gasket housing going bad or has BMW fixed this issue across the board with their engines?

Also, how long is the Water Pump on the M2 n55's supposed to last?

I'm now at 61K miles - out of warranty and don't want my car to kill my wallet.

I had an e39 M5 that just about put me in the poor house and I don't want this M2 to do the same.

In general terms - what should I be looking out for on my high mileage M2?

[nioh_lbbm2]

I'm also curious

[F87source]

Originally Posted by tranck

Reading on other forums about this - are the n55 engines prone to the oil filter gasket housing going bad or has BMW fixed this issue across the board with their engines?

Also, how long is the Water Pump on the M2 n55's supposed to last?

I'm now at 61K miles - out of warranty and don't want my car to kill my wallet.

I had an e39 M5 that just about put me in the poor house and I don't want this M2 to do the same.

In general terms - what should I be looking out for on my high mileage M2?

No the OFHG is still susceptible to failure over a long period of time due to the heat cycling of the rubber O-ring causing it to crack and go brittle. It might be fixed with the B58 but I have no clue. But make sure when this repair job is done you have the fuel injector wiring pulled as per bmw's tsb to allow the engine to crank without starting allowing for oil to circulate and remove any air bubbles in the oiling loop. Failure to do so will cause the rod bearings to seize and cause catastrophic engine failure. This issue is really common because people do not purge their oiling system after the OFHG repair.


I've heard the water pumps lasting from 60k miles - 100k miles, it varies. But the water pump is a really easy replacement as it is relatively easily accessible from under the car, you can buy the pump from pierburg which is the OE supplier for bmw to get a better price, the pumps are exactly the same quality. Also if you buy from FCP you get a lifetime warranty.


You really do not need to worry about any real high maintenance repairs just do your regular maintenance and you will be fine.

1) Regularly check you OFHG for leaks (it starts around 100k miles so no real panic just keep an eye on it, and it is not too expensive to fix either)
a) this can show as leaks on the housing itself and visible externally if this gets on your serpentine belt it will slip off and enter your engine which will be a very expensive repair and can cause engine failure.
b) internal leak where oil and coolant mixes which is bad for your engine this shows up as milkiness in the oil (oil turns coffee color when you open the filler cap and look in.

2) Serpentine belt, they run for $50-$100 I recommend changing it so you do not have it snap and enter the engine which would be a really expensive repair.

3) Water pump, you can change it preemptively or just let it fail (not recommended). If it does fail you will get a warning light or an over heat message. If this occurs pull over immediately and turn off your motor and no damage will be done. I would probably look at doing it at 62,000 miles.

4) Plugs and coils

5) All "life time fluids" which is the diff (use only MSP/A or saf-xj [techinically it should be msp/a but that is slowly being phased out in NA and seems to be Europe only now] and definitely not saf-xj + fm), transmission fluid which is MTF LT-5 for the manual (it is made by pentosin for bmw called FFL3 which is suitable for the dct and manual, you can also used redline dctf fluid as it is compatible with the manual and DCT transmission, or motul multi DCTF - the reason why it is compatible is because DCT fluid is just low viscosity manual transmission fluid).

6) You may see the crank case gasket leak but that will likely occur with higher mileage, it is a relatively easy job and again the parts will have lifetime warranty from FCP.

7) Coolant flange may crack and break and you will loose all of your coolant because the factory piece is plastic and really brittle. The replacement part is really cheap at around $25 so you should look into it.

8) Valvetronic - not too likely to fail until you get deep into the 100k mile range (I wouldn't be too worried about this, as this is just a warning of what could happen).

9) Battery, again pretty cheap do not worry too much.

10) HPFP failure shouldn't be catastrophic car should just stall out. This happens in the 100k mile range too iirc. OE pumps are kind of expensive but alot of people are upgrading to higher flowing pumps now so low mileage used OEM pumps should be really cheap online.

11) EKP failure - unlikely unless you have an upgraded LPFP

12) Vacuum pump failure - deep deep 100k mile range don't even worry about this.

13) Old wear and tear on bushings, engine mounts etc making the ride more harsh again no real worries with this.

14) Carbon build up on the valves - apparently less common on the F series n55 but it can occur. The fix is walnut blasting or an oil catch can.

15) Bearing wear but at really high mileage, bearing issues seem to be resolved on the F series N55 in 2014 when bmw updated the bearings on the F series n55. Issues that occur are due to oil starvation at the track with non m2 n55's as the stock oil pan has no baffles and cannot keep the pick up covered with oil under high G forces, and people not priming the oil system when doing an OFHG repair (this one is HUGE, alot of people do not prime their oiling system and literally shortly after (couple of thousand of miles) they get rod bearing failure and blame it on the n55. You will hear alot of this rhetoric being pushed on facebook groups and forum threads about how the n55 bearings fail easily, but I have not seen any signs of that being the case. It is caused by one of the issues above mainly OFHG repairs, and the poster never mentions it leading to people reposting the same misleading information. Or another reason for premature failure is people beating on their cars before oil temperatures have reached safe operating temps, which should be at 90ºC.

There are alot of other things that can potentially go wrong but they are so uncommon I am not going to mention them as it will only create more fear and misconceptions, if you guys can think of anything else just let me know.

Overall not much else could go wrong if you maintain it properly, it's not an N54 meaning if you take good care of it you won't go broke fixing it. At sub 100k miles I would only worry about 1,2,3,4,5,7,9. All of these repairs are fairly cheap and you can have lifetime warranty on all of it so I would not stress about it. Enjoy your M2!

[F87source]

Oh I forgot to mention I am also going to assume you did your oil changes before (like half of the bmw recommended range) the bmw recommended oil change interval? If not then you will probably see alot of issue. I have noticed a trend where people who do their oil changes following bmw's schedule have serious issues with their cars in terms of wear the the bearings, crank, oil pump etc. Long oil change interval cars are the least reliable and most likely to run into costly issues down the long haul post warranty.

Also remember life time fluids = total BS, and more likely life time of the warranty so bmw doesn't have to warranty it.

Originally Posted by F87source

No the OFHG is still susceptible to failure over a long period of time due to the heat cycling of the rubber O-ring causing it to crack and go brittle. It might be fixed with the B58 but I have no clue. But make sure when this repair job is done you have the fuel injector wiring pulled as per bmw's tsb to allow the engine to crank without starting allowing for oil to circulate and remove any air bubbles in the oiling loop. Failure to do so will cause the rod bearings to seize and cause catastrophic engine failure. This issue is really common because people do not purge their oiling system after the OFHG repair.


I've heard the water pumps lasting from 60k miles - 100k miles, it varies. But the water pump is a really easy replacement as it is relatively easily accessible from under the car, you can buy the pump from pierburg which is the OE supplier for bmw to get a better price, the pumps are exactly the same quality. Also if you buy from FCP you get a lifetime warranty.


You really do not need to worry about any real high maintenance repairs just do your regular maintenance and you will be fine.

1) Regularly check you OFHG for leaks (it starts around 100k miles so no real panic just keep an eye on it, and it is not too expensive to fix either)
a) this can show as leaks on the housing itself and visible externally if this gets on your serpentine belt it will slip off and enter your engine which will be a very expensive repair and can cause engine failure.
b) internal leak where oil and coolant mixes which is bad for your engine this shows up as milkiness in the oil (oil turns coffee color when you open the filler cap and look in.

2) Serpentine belt, they run for $50-$100 I recommend changing it so you do not have it snap and enter the engine which would be a really expensive repair.

3) Water pump, you can change it preemptively or just let it fail (not recommended). If it does fail you will get a warning light or an over heat message. If this occurs pull over immediately and turn off your motor and no damage will be done. I would probably look at doing it at 62,000 miles.

4) Plugs and coils

5) All "life time fluids" which is the diff (use only MSP/A not saf-xj and definitely not saf-xj + fm), transmission fluid which is MTF LT-5 for the manual (it is made by pentosin for bmw called FFL3 which is suitable for the dct and manual, you can also used redline dctf fluid as it is compatible with the manual and DCT transmission, or motul multi DCTF - the reason why it is compatible is because DCT fluid is just low viscosity manual transmission fluid).

6) You may see the crank case gasket leak but that will likely occur with higher mileage, it is a relatively easy job and again the parts will have lifetime warranty from FCP.

7) Coolant flange may crack and break and you will loose all of your coolant because the factory piece is plastic and really brittle. The replacement part is really cheap at around $25 so you should look into it.

8) Valvetronic - not too likely to fail until you get deep into the 100k mile range (I wouldn't be too worried about this, as this is just a warning of what could happen).

9) Battery, again pretty cheap do not worry too much.

10) HPFP failure shouldn't be catastrophic car should just stall out. This happens in the 100k mile range too iirc. OE pumps are kind of expensive but alot of people are upgrading to higher flowing pumps now so low mileage used OEM pumps should be really cheap online.

11) EKP failure - unlikely unless you have an upgraded LPFP

12) Vacuum pump failure - deep deep 100k mile range don't even worry about this.

13) Old wear and tear on bushings, making the ride more harsh again no real worries with this.

Overall not much else could go wrong if you maintain it properly, it's not an N54 meaning if you take good care of it you won't go broke fixing it. At sub 100k miles I would only worry about 1,2,3,4,5,7,9. All of these repairs are fairly cheap and you can have lifetime warranty on all of it so I would not stress about it. Enjoy your M2!

[tranck]

Originally Posted by F87source

Oh I forgot to mention I am also going to assume you did your oil changes before (like half of the bmw recommended range) the bmw recommended oil change interval? If not then you will probably see alot of issue. I have noticed a trend where people who do their oil changes following bmw's schedule have serious issues with their cars in terms of wear the the bearings, crank, oil pump etc. Long oil change interval cars are the least reliable and most likely to run into costly issues down the long haul post warranty.

Also remember life time fluids = total BS, and more likely life time of the warranty so bmw doesn't have to warranty it.

Yes - I have changed the oil on average at 4K miles since I got the car at 3500 miles.

The car also *was* serviced at the 1200 mile mark by the previous owner.

Ty very much! F87source

[tranck]

Just sent you a PM F87source

[F87source]

Originally Posted by tranck

Just sent you a PM F87source

Replied.


I also want to add to the thread the issue of carbon build up, this apparently is less common on the F series n55 but it can still happen. So eventually with higher mileage cars you might need walnut blasting.


A good solution is an oil catch can, my personal preference is the Turner can and I will out line that more later on. Other solutions include water injection or port injection.

[F87source]

Updated my original post with a few more things:

14) Carbon build up on the valves - apparently less common on the F series n55 but it can occur. The fix is walnut blasting or an oil catch can.

15) Bearing wear but at really high mileage, bearing issues seem to be resolved on the F series N55 in 2014 when bmw updated the bearings on the F series n55. Issues that occur are due to oil starvation at the track with non m2 n55's as the stock oil pan has no baffles and cannot keep the pick up covered with oil under high G forces, and people not priming the oil system when doing an OFHG repair.

[Dasnub]

Can anyone advise what a fair cost would be to have a shop do each of these repairs?

[Wolfman’s Brother]

Reasonable pricing ranges for the OFHG and water pump would be appreciated as those feel like they’re coming.

Any intel on what to brace for could be helpful.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Wolfman’s Brother

Reasonable pricing ranges for the OFHG and water pump would be appreciated as those feel like they’re coming.

Any intel on what to brace for could be helpful.

About $1200-1500 USD. About $600 if you can do it yourself. Also, plan for a valve cover gasket replacement too at some point. I wouldn't bother doing anything until these things start showing signs of failure.

[M Fifty]

Originally Posted by F87source

Oh I forgot to mention I am also going to assume you did your oil changes before (like half of the bmw recommended range) the bmw recommended oil change interval? If not then you will probably see alot of issue. I have noticed a trend where people who do their oil changes following bmw's schedule have serious issues with their cars in terms of wear the the bearings, crank, oil pump etc. Long oil change interval cars are the least reliable and most likely to run into costly issues down the long haul post warranty.

Also remember life time fluids = total BS, and more likely life time of the warranty so bmw doesn't have to warranty it.

Remind me - you run a BMW-specific service shop?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by M Fifty

Remind me - you run a BMW-specific service shop?

Lol I wish I did. But then I wouldn't be giving any advice for free and I especially wouldn't have offered diagnostic advice that helped save a couple people on here from valvetronic failure and got it covered under warranty. That would've been bad for business if anyone read my posts down the road. Instead I would be contradicting advice from anyone with experience kind of like what you do not only to my threads but to pretty much everyone else.

[cubeee]

Originally Posted by F87source

No the OFHG is still susceptible to failure over a long period of time due to the heat cycling of the rubber O-ring causing it to crack and go brittle. It might be fixed with the B58 but I have no clue. But make sure when this repair job is done you have the fuel injector wiring pulled as per bmw's tsb to allow the engine to crank without starting allowing for oil to circulate and remove any air bubbles in the oiling loop. Failure to do so will cause the rod bearings to seize and cause catastrophic engine failure. This issue is really common because people do not purge their oiling system after the OFHG repair.

Hi.

335i/ N55 owner here. Just had OFHG done. Priming wasn't done. 145 miles later it has rod knock (plus metal in oil visible and confirmed in analysis). Car has only done 77k miles and full BMW service history until now. The garage that did it don't believe the connection between the work they did and the rod knock. Trying to get some definitive info on this, ideally from BMW in order to convince them. Can anyone help me? Thanks in advance.

[ThreeStripes]

These are the links you’re looking for:

BMW SI B11 09 15

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...51166-9999.pdf

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/bmw-si-b11-...system-priming

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by cubeee

335i/ N55 owner here. Just had OFHG done. Priming wasn't done. … Trying to get some definitive info on this, ideally from BMW in order to convince them. Can anyone help me? Thanks in advance.

Here’s a thread that goes into some detail and summary of the issue:
https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=2029851

It expands a bit on the excellent resources that ThreeStripes provided above.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by ThreeStripes

These are the links you’re looking for:

BMW SI B11 09 15

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...51166-9999.pdf

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/bmw-si-b11-...system-priming

+1 the tsb from bmw should be enough to prove your shop did it wrong.

[chris719]

I totally understand why the shop wouldn't think so. It's crazy that this can happen. I used to think it was just coincidence at higher mileage but yeah, it's bad either way. I wonder if this happens to S55 or not? I've never seen it on the forums.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by chris719

I totally understand why the shop wouldn't think so. It's crazy that this can happen. I used to think it was just coincidence at higher mileage but yeah, it's bad either way. I wonder if this happens to S55 or not? I've never seen it on the forums.

It's a very similar oiling design as the N55 so I would yes it affects the S55. BMW does say all of their engines must be primed after messing with the oiling loop, so there's that too.

[cubeee]

Thanks folks. I'm in the UK. Are those SIBs global or country-specific? How do I access the BMW repair instructions?

[lumbrjackedpcj]

Does the priming need to be done for an oil/filter change or more involved work like the oil filter housing?

Thank you,

[ThreeStripes]

Originally Posted by cubeee

Thanks folks. I'm in the UK. Are those SIBs global or country-specific? How do I access the BMW repair instructions?

Yes that service bulletin was from BMW North America. I would assume there is some form of UK equivalent if ya do some googling.

Repair instructions can be found via ISTA Lite or ISTA+ which is factory diagnostic software.