I have my 130i now for 1 year, and I have been following you from the day I got it.. I can only say one thing... THANK YOU! thank you for your fantastic work! God bless you brother
The N52 is such a wonderful engine, good power, good efficiency for a straight 6 and the magnesium aluminium block is solid. Bulletproof and reliable are the exact right words. The maintenance on the N52 is also affordable and they are nice to work on. BMW certainly don't make engines like the N52 these days, BMW have planned obsolescence in their engines for at least the past 10 years with critical plastic parts designed to break shortly after the warranty period is over. Love the N52, one of BMWs best ever.
@@davidwesternall873 I've heard the B58 engine is pretty reliable too, they've even reverted to the mechanical water pump design so no more water pump issues.
I'm a huge fan of my F10 528i with the N52 engine. Just did the radiator, 3 coolant hoses incl. mickey mouse flange, oil cooler gasket, oil filter housing gasket, belt and tensioner, air filter, and oil service last weekend. Honestly the F10 and N52 were more straightforward to work on for most of the jobs than the M52 in my old E36.
I got lucky with my 18k 2011 328i. Only had 1 ignition coil go out 5 yrs later. Mint engine with only 78kms. The Doc & Nathan taught me everything i needed to know thank you!
I have 09 e82 128i with 205k miles so far. No check engine light no rough idle. I've updated my intake to 330i with 2 disa flaps. Updated to euro 130i software. It runs so smooth and it got decent power delivery.
iam glad from the comment section looks like ill go gor the N52 523i and i was going to go for N20 520i , but there was problems everywhere i looked . this is the first video i have seen where people in the comment praise their cars for reliability
I live in the part of the us where we have the n51. It's basically the n52 but with a lot more emissions equipment. Previous owner bought it certified pre-owned from BMW. Had a lifter tick fix twice under warranty. After the second time the warranty ran out. But the repair was still under warranty for the third time it came back. The dealer had it for 2 weeks, called him and told him he needed a new engine. It has a rod knock. When I bought the car from him, he told me that had the same noise as the last two times when he dropped it off at the dealer. When he picked it up it sounded like the engine was going to fall apart. Definitely different noise. I had it towed to my shop and drain the oil. 2 L of Crystal Clean Water came out before the oil. The car has blue BMW coolant. Apparently the dealer added water to the oil. So they would not have to refund him what he paid for the car under the Lemon Law. Be careful of end of warranty repairs. You're much better off watching videos like this and doing your own repairs. And yes these engines do have some issues with the hydraulic valve lash Adjusters. Mostly during short trips. You need to get the engine up to full operating temperature including the oil to prevent this problem.
Even better is to get oil up to full temp and run it to redline under full throttle in first and second gear. Gets fresh oil going through the vanos system and pumps the lifters to where they should be. Most cars with lifter issues are automatics, and they never see the revs the engine was designed for. I do this every time I drive my 128i manual and the cams looked mint when I did the VCG at 125,000 miles. Never heard a tick from the valves. 178,00 miles, and she runs great. I just have to do the oil pan gasket. Not looking forward to that...
hey doc, I love your videos on bmw engines, really easy to understand!! what's your opinion on installing catless headers + ecu remap on the n52/n53 platform? Not just for power but for a more functional engine as the years go by.
@@yodo5701 e60 N52 is my first BMW… When I purchased it I had never even done an oil change. Shortly after I used UA-cam and replaced the flange from thermostat to cylinder head hose (aka Mickey Mouse flange) to aluminum one, thermostat, coolant housing gaskets, tensioner pulley and belt, front rotors, do my oil changes now… It’s been a lot of fun and I am learning very much about how engines work. I’d highly recommend it.
Thank you for the videos, very helpful. I have one N52 engine and I can't find the issue with the rough idle. It only rough when the fan kicks on and the fluids hot. Seems like a mixture of hot weather, fan on, fluids hot and idle become rough. Any idea ?
Got question 2006 530i can was just settings in driveway running with the ac on no check engine lights on running fine then just cut off like its has no fuel cranks but wont start thought it was maybe fuel pump but nope fuel pump good crank sensor good relays good
What's your opinion about the N53B25 engine? Is it the same reliable as the N52? Im asking because i have an eye on a used 2008 BMW 523i and i want to know if it's a good choice.
I recently bought one 2.5L Msport, and have a rough idle on cold start, ticking noise too. No EML lights. It goes away after it's warm. I've used the additive to get rid of the ticking it worked for the first month, but has come back. My guess the rough idle is the solenoids, the ticking is the tappets. Love this car. Aged very well!
Any updates you know for n53 docta? Surprised some aftermarket company hasn't made an upgraded injector. Got all index 11s at the moment and getting the rough cold starts. So it's either them or my nox cat, my valve cover was leaking badly for awhile. Do you know if nox errors would cause the rough cold starts that looks like failing injectors ? None of the plugs had fuel on them or smelt like they did
I ran 5w 40 shell but I got bad tapping (2006 e87) went back to 5w30 and the tapping went away unless was due a oil change and has been sat. I live in Oz so warmer climate
I sold my endless and always broken rough idle 328 XI 3.0 after many hours of fixing it, I lost the battle, it only had 200k, I trade it in for a brand new Subaru Impreza 2.5 and couldn't be any happier, yes it's not a BMW, but I ride more than I fix at it. I totally do not recommend buying a BMW unless you are loaded with money, don't care for them, buy it brand new and get rid of it before runs out of warranty. Good luck to everyone.
I have E90 325i with only 124000 kilometres and my engine is eating a lot of oil, talking about like half litre in just 400km drive... Its either the stem seals or piston rings :(
Yeah my valve cover gasket went at 100,000 km, sorted that out but now have the famous lifter tick noise, gave it a bottle of liqumolly was ok for awhile but noise back again defo doesn’t like the short runs around town, give it a good blast on the motorway seems to sort it 😊
@brendonlandgraf281 my ticking noise always comes on cold starts, the liquidmolly workd for me for a month, got rough idle on cold starts too. Need to diagnose what it is.
Click here to buy the product : amzn.to/3AhCzgh
I knkw youre mostly UK but do you know what year/model n52 328xi US is thanks- rl
What year is best sorry lol ik you said the n52b30
I have my 130i now for 1 year, and I have been following you from the day I got it..
I can only say one thing... THANK YOU!
thank you for your fantastic work!
God bless you brother
The N52 is such a wonderful engine, good power, good efficiency for a straight 6 and the magnesium aluminium block is solid. Bulletproof and reliable are the exact right words. The maintenance on the N52 is also affordable and they are nice to work on. BMW certainly don't make engines like the N52 these days, BMW have planned obsolescence in their engines for at least the past 10 years with critical plastic parts designed to break shortly after the warranty period is over. Love the N52, one of BMWs best ever.
@@davidwesternall873 I've heard the B58 engine is pretty reliable too, they've even reverted to the mechanical water pump design so no more water pump issues.
@@1001speedster A BMW mechanical coolant pump isn't necessarily a good thing. Ask any E36 owner.
The only video you need about n52. I had DIY repaired my x3 4 years ago with exactly the same things and its still running
Am a Zambian who owns such a machine n i am testament that she's solid .
I'm a huge fan of my F10 528i with the N52 engine. Just did the radiator, 3 coolant hoses incl. mickey mouse flange, oil cooler gasket, oil filter housing gasket, belt and tensioner, air filter, and oil service last weekend. Honestly the F10 and N52 were more straightforward to work on for most of the jobs than the M52 in my old E36.
I didn’t even know the F10 was available with N52. Always thought it was N53 👍🏽
@@Jean-Paul_1984 Only available for one year on the 2011 f10.
It's brilliant in the F10 with electric power steering, zf8 minimal to really to go wrong. and heaps of room to work inside the engine bay
Bro these videos on this engine never gets old 🔥💯 , I did a lot of work on my e92 thanks to you 🔥
250K miles, e83 n52 still runs well
I got lucky with my 18k 2011 328i. Only had 1 ignition coil go out 5 yrs later. Mint engine with only 78kms. The Doc & Nathan taught me everything i needed to know thank you!
Solid Engine N52 3.0 (2006)
No issue
345854 KM done
I have an N52 and a very high mileage N55, definitely the two most reliable and enjoyable engines in my personal experience.
I have 09 e82 128i with 205k miles so far. No check engine light no rough idle. I've updated my intake to 330i with 2 disa flaps. Updated to euro 130i software. It runs so smooth and it got decent power delivery.
Did you pay to get it updated to 130i software or did you do it yourself?
iam glad from the comment section looks like ill go gor the N52 523i and i was going to go for N20 520i , but there was problems everywhere i looked . this is the first video i have seen where people in the comment praise their cars for reliability
Wouldn't mind seeing how to change the water pump on the e90 N52..
66k miles on mine just replaced the ofh gasket with pulleys and belt so far so good tho
Glad you're back on
Mine has right about 67K. 2013 128i and blessed to have it.
I live in the part of the us where we have the n51. It's basically the n52 but with a lot more emissions equipment.
Previous owner bought it certified pre-owned from BMW. Had a lifter tick fix twice under warranty. After the second time the warranty ran out. But the repair was still under warranty for the third time it came back. The dealer had it for 2 weeks, called him and told him he needed a new engine. It has a rod knock. When I bought the car from him, he told me that had the same noise as the last two times when he dropped it off at the dealer. When he picked it up it sounded like the engine was going to fall apart. Definitely different noise.
I had it towed to my shop and drain the oil. 2 L of Crystal Clean Water came out before the oil. The car has blue BMW coolant. Apparently the dealer added water to the oil. So they would not have to refund him what he paid for the car under the Lemon Law.
Be careful of end of warranty repairs. You're much better off watching videos like this and doing your own repairs.
And yes these engines do have some issues with the hydraulic valve lash Adjusters. Mostly during short trips. You need to get the engine up to full operating temperature including the oil to prevent this problem.
Even better is to get oil up to full temp and run it to redline under full throttle in first and second gear. Gets fresh oil going through the vanos system and pumps the lifters to where they should be. Most cars with lifter issues are automatics, and they never see the revs the engine was designed for. I do this every time I drive my 128i manual and the cams looked mint when I did the VCG at 125,000 miles. Never heard a tick from the valves. 178,00 miles, and she runs great. I just have to do the oil pan gasket. Not looking forward to that...
Proud N52 Owner! E60 BABY!
hey doc, I love your videos on bmw engines, really easy to understand!!
what's your opinion on installing catless headers + ecu remap on the n52/n53 platform? Not just for power but for a more functional engine as the years go by.
should I buy this as my first car to learn DIY mechanics?
@@yodo5701 e60 N52 is my first BMW… When I purchased it I had never even done an oil change. Shortly after I used UA-cam and replaced the flange from thermostat to cylinder head hose (aka Mickey Mouse flange) to aluminum one, thermostat, coolant housing gaskets, tensioner pulley and belt, front rotors, do my oil changes now… It’s been a lot of fun and I am learning very much about how engines work. I’d highly recommend it.
I do own one and it has been amazing for now
N52 Owner/ First comment 😂 U.S, Ohio
Thank you for the videos, very helpful. I have one N52 engine and I can't find the issue with the rough idle. It only rough when the fan kicks on and the fluids hot. Seems like a mixture of hot weather, fan on, fluids hot and idle become rough. Any idea ?
Got question 2006 530i can was just settings in driveway running with the ac on no check engine lights on running fine then just cut off like its has no fuel cranks but wont start thought it was maybe fuel pump but nope fuel pump good crank sensor good relays good
hello can I use LAUNCH CREADER ELITE FOR BMW to chek if car have milege corection done
I have a black top no issues. VCG, Mickey Mouse, OFHG, serpentine belt done. 13 e92 328i vanos and tune up next.
Crashed my 67k mile e82 128i in April. Still cant get over it
What's your opinion about the N53B25 engine?
Is it the same reliable as the N52?
Im asking because i have an eye on a used 2008 BMW 523i and i want to know if it's a good choice.
I recently bought one 2.5L Msport, and have a rough idle on cold start, ticking noise too. No EML lights. It goes away after it's warm.
I've used the additive to get rid of the ticking it worked for the first month, but has come back.
My guess the rough idle is the solenoids, the ticking is the tappets.
Love this car. Aged very well!
Any updates you know for n53 docta? Surprised some aftermarket company hasn't made an upgraded injector. Got all index 11s at the moment and getting the rough cold starts. So it's either them or my nox cat, my valve cover was leaking badly for awhile. Do you know if nox errors would cause the rough cold starts that looks like failing injectors ? None of the plugs had fuel on them or smelt like they did
Opinions on buying a used e60 with 200k miles. Its has the 3.0 M57 engine with brand new glow plugs. Its a 2007 lci saloon full m-sport
Could you do a review on the Ancel BM700 scanner?
I owned one… liked it
Great Video! What about Timing chain? Is it bulletproof as well?
Mine looks like gold still! Just had to adjust the timing 3 years ago with the special tool for that.
I ran 5w 40 shell but I got bad tapping (2006 e87) went back to 5w30 and the tapping went away unless was due a oil change and has been sat. I live in Oz so warmer climate
Hi I have 325i n52 Enjin with black cover does it have a intake temperature sensor
Just sold my n52 3.0 2006 325xi US at 269,000 miles the engine ran still rear subframe rotted out tho but im from salty new england
Hello mate, being trying for months to find your contact. Used to had this engine. I hate it, now I'm with m54b22, what do you think about it?
I sold my endless and always broken rough idle 328 XI 3.0 after many hours of fixing it, I lost the battle, it only had 200k, I trade it in for a brand new Subaru Impreza 2.5 and couldn't be any happier, yes it's not a BMW, but I ride more than I fix at it. I totally do not recommend buying a BMW unless you are loaded with money, don't care for them, buy it brand new and get rid of it before runs out of warranty. Good luck to everyone.
You had a rough idle cause you didn't know how to fix it 😂
Subaru is too plasticy. My cousin owns one and it creaks and bangs everywhere!
5w40 castrol represent
whats the issue of my 730i n52 with 2A9E code? all cam sensors are new.
Maybe replace the VANOS solenoids, or the timing is off.
I aint a mechanic, should i buy n52, b47 or b48?
N52 im also not a mechanic but it was my first car at 15 and i did all the work at home with basic tools
I have E90 325i with only 124000 kilometres and my engine is eating a lot of oil, talking about like half litre in just 400km drive... Its either the stem seals or piston rings :(
E88 150K Miles NP!! Everything works I have the seat belt light on it so annoying!! I do believe its a recall :/
278tkm and runs well e61 2003 or 2004 i dont know exactly
115k km e92, barely gotten started 😂
Combining elegance and luxury kislux
I literally have an N52 sitting in my shop that the bottom end went out at 130k miles.
got one with valve cover leaks... -they all do..after while
Yeah my valve cover gasket went at 100,000 km, sorted that out but now have the famous lifter tick noise, gave it a bottle of liqumolly was ok for awhile but noise back again defo doesn’t like the short runs around town, give it a good blast on the motorway seems to sort it 😊
@@brendonlandgraf281 I found using 5w30 and changing every 6000kms the lifter tick was drastically reduced.
@brendonlandgraf281 my ticking noise always comes on cold starts, the liquidmolly workd for me for a month, got rough idle on cold starts too. Need to diagnose what it is.
2006 BMW E90 330xi N52B30
I’m on 290,000 KM😅
Why does bro sound so sad 😭
owner f25 x3 28i.
it is underwhelming and undeserving of praise.
the Nissan VQ35 is worlds better. I'm just glad I have electric steering
ur cars too heavy for it
The F25 X3 28i does not come with the N52 engine
It's adequate in an SUV. It's best suited to the 1 or 3 series. "Undeserving of praise" give me a break 😂