# Is there any modern BMW that could go half-million miles?



## abelhands (Mar 4, 2009)

Just saw this great 3 minute video called Unscripted about this man named Murray who had a BMW with 400,000+ miles. It got me thinking if there is any modern BMW that I could buy new today that could do that with proper care. I'm not sure if it exists.


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## HoustonScott (Sep 19, 2010)

I think the 335d or any of the diesel BMW's could go to 500k. I think I would plan on a turbo rebuild in there though....Block and head never opened? Maybe....

HS


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

New cars certainly aren't as durable as a BMW in-line six car from the early 90's. 



335d? I'd avoid anything that highly tuned or optioned. 

From what's sold in the US, I'd get a zero option 328i sedan or coupe. Only option to consider is paint. BMW's Leatherette is much improved over what they offered in the '90s. No leather. Manual Transmission is be the safer bet. Nice to see that the moonroof is once again an option. Don't get it. Over 400,000 miles you're looking at replacing the cooling system 2 or 3 times, shocks and suspension parts 3 times and at least one complete engine and interior. A/C will fail as will some of electronics. It won't be cheap but you'll be able to get the parts.


In the UK I'd get the de-tuned 316d with the 114HP version of the 2L diesel. BMW builds the N47 diesels in versions up to 204HP. I suspect the motor that makes half the power is going to be the one that lives the longest. I'd get a leather interior as the only other choice is cloth. It might even be worth the extra money for Individual leather. Floor mats, trunk mat. Delete the smoker's package. I'm not one to bother with badge delete but the option is there if you don't want to advertise your 316d.


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## BAMF (Apr 22, 2010)

2000 528i 180K+ miles coming up on half of a half a million and still going strong.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

BAMF said:


> 2000 528i 180K+ miles coming up on half of a half a million and still going strong.


180K is great but you're only 1/3 of the way there.


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

I would vote for either a 530d or a 550i.


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## Inline Sixer (Oct 28, 2010)

abelhands said:


> Just saw this great 3 minute video called Unscripted about this man named Murray who had a BMW with 400,000+ miles. It got me thinking if there is any modern BMW that I could buy new today that could do that with proper care. I'm not sure if it exists.


Sad to think this is doubtful. 

Edit: best bet would be a grandma-owned, religiously maintained, non-turbo 3-series or diesel


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## Michael Schott (Dec 7, 2007)

I don't see why any modern naturally aspirated BMW couldn't last 500,000 miles. Any non-diesel will need a lot of replacement parts to make it that long but the basic engine is very sound. I doubt it would be financially feasible though. I'm sure much of the car's electronics will have to be replaced over that many miles.


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## Inline Sixer (Oct 28, 2010)

Michael Schott said:


> I don't see why any modern naturally aspirated BMW couldn't last 500,000 miles. Any non-diesel will need a lot of replacement parts to make it that long but the basic engine is very sound. I doubt it would be financially feasible though. I'm sure much of the car's electronics will have to be replaced over that many miles.


Agreed. It can. Good take that financial feasibility, not engine strength is the barrier towards 500K. Why do it, even if you can? For sentimentality I suppose.

Especially if you may save more with a replacement that has the latest gizmos.


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## Slaymaster (Oct 17, 2009)

Does anyone know of such a 2011 car that will run 500k? I would think something with as little electronics or electronics already proven. Today's BMW is too cutting edge for long term dependabilty, IMHO. Ethenol is a problem for gas engines so I would think diesel is the best for longevity.

So which car is it? I don't think the 335 diesel is it with the Turbos and possible HPFP or fuel delivery issues. :dunno:


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## dalekressin (Sep 3, 2008)

I'm not sure I'd want to drive 500K on a single car.
No question that it would be a minimally optioned car.
The excitment of the new drive.


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## SWMc (Jul 26, 2010)

abelhands said:


> Just saw this great 3 minute video called Unscripted about this man named Murray who had a BMW with 400,000+ miles. It got me thinking if there is any modern BMW that I could buy new today that could do that with proper care. I'm not sure if it exists.


If bought new and was well maintained (more frequent fluid changes) I don't see why not.

The big question is how long Alusil cylinder bores will last.


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## series88 (May 6, 2007)

Not sure about this because the old cars we used to have outlived most of our newer ones.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

SWMc said:


> The big question is how long Alusil cylinder bores will last.


Not 500,000 miles. The N52 engine in BMW 328i a uses magnesium engine casing with an alusil insert. The result is a very lightweight high performance engine.

http://www.mwerks.com/artman/publish/features/article_960.shtml

An M30 would need a rebuild after 250-300,000 miles. An N52 probably won't last as long and is not rebuildable the way the old cast iron M30 is. Steel sleeves were an option for some of the older Nikisil blocks but I dunno if that's a good idea for an N52.

A high mile 328i could stay on the road with a new block from BMW. Best to replace the entire long block. 500,000 miles? You are looking at 1 maybe 2 new engines. It won't be cheap. The only way this could make economic sense is to find a good used engine.


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## SWMc (Jul 26, 2010)

Andrew*Debbie said:


> Not 500,000 miles. The N52 engine in BMW 328i a uses magnesium engine casing with an alusil insert. The result is a very lightweight high performance engine.
> 
> http://www.mwerks.com/artman/publish/features/article_960.shtml
> 
> ...


Thanks, I know exactly how an N52 is built.

Just your opinion or do you have evidence that Alusil won't last 500k?


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## 1985mb (Apr 2, 2008)

abelhands said:


> Just saw this great 3 minute video called Unscripted about this man named Murray who had a BMW with 400,000+ miles. It got me thinking if there is any modern BMW that I could buy new today that could do that with proper care. I'm not sure if it exists.


Define "could go"... Anything can be kept going with enough care and money invested in it. Do you have a lifetime $ limit on what you'd spend? And do you mean it runs and drives, or that all features still work (almost like new)?

Even in a BMW, it's the motor that would probably last longest. Long before that, you're much more likely to have problems with the electronics, transmission, etc.


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## SWMc (Jul 26, 2010)

1985mb said:


> Define "could go"... Anything can be kept going with enough care and money invested in it. Do you have a lifetime $ limit on what you'd spend? And do you mean it runs and drives, or that all features still work (almost like new)?
> 
> Even in a BMW, it's the motor that would probably last longest. Long before that, you're much more likely to have problems with the electronics, transmission, etc.


My definition is engine without having to break it down. I became a long term, hi miler, when I could no longer stomach the abysmal trade in values I was given. I figured that loss would buy a lot of maintenance. I keep a car I like for decades and replace some components at 100K as a matter of course before they get a chance to let me down someplace inconvenient. My warranty is my Platinum card and I'll even replace an entire engine if the car is in otherwise good condition.

I have the added benefit of being retired so my cars don't sit baking in the sun for half of their lives. The worn out *look* gets most people to buy a fresh new car.


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## scott2640 (Sep 21, 2010)

I come to these forums to find the tips and hints that will make this car last.....500,000 is alot but I agree any modern vehicle should last over hundred with next to no maintenance. Hell My old 2001 Hyundai's engine was well taken care of, but after 120,000 it was the cheap steal that rusted through the entire lower arm assembly that killed her.


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

I think one of the main enablers of high mileage and/or long lifetime is the amount of enthusiasts that get excited enough about a given model to share maintenance tips with each other and keep demand up for aftermarket parst and specialist mechanics. BMW is one of those companies which tends to have a strong enthusiast following, so I wouldn't be sruprised if you could keep one on the road for 500k without totally breaking the bank. And, I know that the modern bmws are more complex, but they also gain some strenghts over the older models. Rust protection for one. Trying to keep an early 70s BMW on the road for any length of time is an exercise in rust prevention. Also, remeber that back when, say, a 3.0 csi was new it was considered to be a complex, hard to maintain German car that required special tools and knowledge to maintantin. Over the years, enthusiastic owners and expert mechanics who specialize in particualr brands manage to come up with ways to keep these cars on the road. I know the electronics always scare people too. But in 10 years, the computers used in these cars will seem so simplistic that people will find cheap ways to "clone" them and come up with replacements that will probably work bette rthan the original parts.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

SWMc said:


> Thanks, I know exactly how an N52 is built.


Ok. I was confused about the Audi pdf you attached. As you know Audi motors use a different construction.



> Just your opinion or do you have evidence that Alusil won't last 500k?


I don't think anyone outside of BMW has good evidence of how long a typical N52 will last. It hasn't been out long enough for owners to get to 200,000 miles let alone 500,000.

I do have plenty personal experience with high milage cast iron motors including a well maintained M30. At 250,000 it was still going but compression had fallen off quite a bit. This was in close agreement to what I'd heard from others and BMW's claimed 300,000mile design life.

Porsche has been using Alusil cylinders since the 1970's. These aren't BMWs of course, but I've never seen a Porshe with 500,000 miles on the original alusil cylinders. Have you?

What about Alusil BMWs from the 90s? 5ers are durable and many of them have alusil blocks.

I just looked on ebay. The highest milage BMW on eBay is a 528i with 300,000 and it needs a motor. Here is the listing:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2000...Cars_Trucks&hash=item53e4dd1c9d#ht_3317wt_858

Next down is a '98 528i with 284,000. I think this car is from the years where US market M52s had steel liners or cast iron block. Not sure and don't trust Wikipedia to get the details right.

V8 e39s are alusil. Highest milage e39 540 on eBay right now has just 202,000 miles. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-...Cars_Trucks&hash=item3cb298526e#ht_532wt_1167

Highest mileage 7 series is this 2001 740iL -- 254,116 miles
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001...Cars_Trucks&hash=item53e4dc1446#ht_3877wt_859

*254,000* isn't bad but is still only 1/2 way there. If I had an endless supply of money I'd buy this car, ship it home and do a compression and leak down test.

I don't know for certain if any of these cars have had rebuilds. No mention in the ads.


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## SWMc (Jul 26, 2010)

Andrew*Debbie said:


> Ok. I was confused about the Audi pdf you attached. As you know Audi motors use a different construction.
> 
> I don't think anyone outside of BMW has good evidence of how long a typical N52 will last. It hasn't been out long enough for owners to get to 200,000 miles let alone 500,000.
> 
> ...


I don't have any knowledge on longevity of Alusil blocks. All my experience is with steel.

With Silicon being a 7 on the Mohs scale http://webmineral.com/data/Silicon.shtml I expect they can last as long or longer than steel liners which are much softer. I would love to see an open Alusil engine with some real mileage on it just to see how the cylinders, pistons and rings do actually wear. I'm most curious as to whether the top ring leaves a ridge of any sort.

Here is a video I found interesting:


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

> Here is a video I found interesting:


Thanks for posting that. Can't hone it but can clean it up. Something I didn't know about.

Costa Mesa R&D ! I'm about 95% certain they did the machine work for at least one Fiat motor for me. Been awhile since I lived in SoCal though.


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## TerraPhantm (Nov 22, 2004)

Depends on what you mean by modern. I've seen an E46 323 and a Z3 2.5i with 300k miles (both of them have Alusil blocks). I don't think another 200k is necessarily out of the question. 

I have no idea about the E9x though, that was a much bigger jump in technology than any of the previous revisions.


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## SWMc (Jul 26, 2010)

Another factor is how they are driven. If they are driven highway then RPM's per mile are much lower than in town light to light driving. That and steady engine speed is easier on the bearings.

OTR diesel trucks regularly run 500,000+ miles but they are low RPM engines.

http://www.truckertotrucker.com/trucking/conventional-sleeper-trucks-virginia.cfm


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

SWMc said:


> OTR diesel trucks regularly run 500,000+ miles but they are low RPM engines.


If this was open to any new vehicle off a US dealer lot, I'd have selected a Cummins powered Dodge RAM pick up. In the UK, it would be a Land Rover Defender or an LTI TX4. The Defender is a simple durable vehicle that is easily repaired. New ones use a Ford 4-cylinder diesel engine from the ZSD family. Ford ZSD engines also powered LTI TXII London Taxis. The new TX4 uses a VM Motori unit specified for taxi service. http://www.lti.co.uk/tx4/engine/

The best bet for a 500,000 mile car would be a W115 or W123 240D. The OM616 diesels run forever. Find one with a decent body shell, do a full restoration ($$$$) and it could be the last car you ever own.


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## Killjoy (May 13, 2009)

Our family e36 325is, a 1993 with 252,000, was running great, although the auto tranny was getting pretty worn out. The car was totaled due to an accident (other drivers fault) but I think it could have definitely gone for another 100k. This car got a minimum of maintenance though, so a well maintained new model could probably
go for the long haul as well. One of the diesel trucks at my work, a 1997 ford f-super duty (before they started making f-450's) made it to 505,000 before we sold it.


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