[m550i curious]

There is a good price on a 2018 m550i. It was used as a corporate car, then a nearby dealer bought it and put for sale. It's described as a demo. 12,000km

Are there are issues I need to know about as a relatively new BMW buyer?

[Bymep]

Buying or leasing? Lease, i wouldnt worry. Buy, i’d push for an extended warranty into the deal. I’d only worry previous owner/dealer launched it a few dozen times, or more. In case you dont know, the launch control function, while fun, does put a lot of stress on the drivetrain.

[stein_325i]

I typically would only lease BMW's with a V8. The inline 6's (currently the B58 engine) tend to be a lot more reliable than the V8's which are known to burn and leak oil as well as have more problems in general. Google BMW N63 (that's the engine code name for the V8) and you might be a little scared off if you plan on owning long term.

As you being a new BMW owner, and having an Accord currently, I'm sure you'll find a used 540i (inline 6) to be powerful enough for your liking, plus there are plenty more of those used at better prices, and you can then put the extra cash towards an extended warranty if you have fears about long-term reliability and maintenance costs. BMW's parts and labor rates are more expensive than a Honda Accord, even if using a third-party mechanic, so its good to be informed about any warranty plans if you want one.

[m550i curious]

Originally Posted by joshuastein55

I typically would only lease BMW's with a V8. The inline 6's (currently the B58 engine) tend to be a lot more reliable than the V8's which are known to burn and leak oil as well as have more problems in general. Google BMW N63 (that's the engine code name for the V8) and you might be a little scared off if you plan on owning long term.

As you being a new BMW owner, and having an Accord currently, I'm sure you'll find a used 540i (inline 6) to be powerful enough for your liking, plus there are plenty more of those used at better prices, and you can then put the extra cash towards an extended warranty if you have fears about long-term reliability and maintenance costs. BMW's parts and labor rates are more expensive than a Honda Accord, even if using a third-party mechanic, so its good to be informed about any warranty plans if you want one.

Thanks for this. I do love that V8 sound however.....

It has 3 years left of warranty, so if I went ahead I would probably trade it in for whatever around that time.

[kwstandard]

I have a 2018 M550i that I purchased (ordered) new and it now has 46,000 miles on it. I plan on keeping it a while. No issues at all, and great fun to drive. I would not worry too much about the current V8 - the 2018 model you're looking at is the 3rd iteration of that engine - and the 2020 is the 4th iteration. The 1st-gen definitely had some issues, and the 2nd-gen had some too, but I have not heard of the 3rd-gen having those problems. Personally, I have not had to add a single drop of oil between changes. Now, like others have mentioned, you never know what you're getting in to with a car that someone else has had their way with... It should be eligible for CPO status - that will get you an extra year of warranty for peace of mind. If they won't CPO it, I would be leary of it.

Cheers

[530iDriver]

Not sure about BMW extended warranty coverage plans offered in Canada, but here they offer plans "Platinum" being the most comprehensive offering coverage up to 7 years or 125K miles which ever occurs first (From vehicle first in-service date). You can purchase the plan at a reasonable cost while the car is still under the new car warranty and often the out of pocket cost for each repair visit is either a $50 deductible or $0 deductible depending on the plan.

I can vouch on how excellent and well worth it are BMW extended warranty contracts. It is an insurance policy but with a N63 V8 you will use it. These allow you to enjoy the car for a long time and pretty much worry free. Highly recommend these. However, in Canada these plans may be different so it pays to check BMW Canada or find out from your dealer what it's offered.

I am
No fan of third party extended warranty contracts because they are a hassle, require approvals and each company has a different criteria of what a part failure either constitutes a defect or wear and tear.

BMW extended warranties don't require pre approvals before visiting the dealer. On a M550 I would go straight for the Platinum level coverage which is almost new car warranty in scope.

[m550i curious]

I will definitely check into the extended warranty options. Thanks for the suggestions. My experience is that in Canada these warranties are very expensive and generally not worth it, but I will surely check it out.

EDIT: Just heard back that for + 2 years up to 100,000 km (62,137 miles) it's $3549 CAD ($2689 USD).

[georgere]

OP, I have been bmw owner since mid 2000s. My first bmw was bough at 2 years old and sold at 10 years old with 140k. I had no issues with it except for:
Water pump went at 86k
Oil filter housing gasket leaked
Oil pan gasket leaked

About those issues, they are well known and recommended to be taken care of. So I don't consider me taking care of these as problems with the car. On my wife's Toyota RAV4, hvac fan went bad within first 30k and 2 years. Just to give you idea about Toyota legacy.

However one thing about that BMW, it was non-turbo and had manual transmission and did not have any of the electronic stuff like I drive comfort access etc. this makes for fewer things to break.

My second bmw was purchased brand new M3 and kept for 4 years. 0 issues, nada. Perfect record.

My 3rd bmw is m550, it's a lease and so far no issues.

My BIL experience with a 2011 535 F10 - he bought is used after lease, maintained/repaired at non-bmw shop not always using BMW parts. The car developed some problem at about 150k this year. Could be turbo or something with the engine. Traded it in for 5k and got a new x6 with v8. I think if he put 3-5k or so to fix it, the car would run just fine for a long time.

My friend experience with 2010 3 series he purchased new - no issues until 60k when auto tranny went bad. Was replaced under CPO warranty. He sold it at 70k or so. He never complained about the car but felt lucky to have that CPO

My point is:
Everyone experience is different
Bmw cars are solid and build to handle some abuse
All car makes and models may have issues
New cars may have issues too not only used ones
Modern cars are generally more reliable
A lot of issues people complain about electronics or leaks have been resolved since 90s and 2000s and most current tech has been improved and is reliable
Nobody knows if the car one gets will be good or bad
Bmw repairs labor and parts are not much more vs Honda if you service at the dealer
Buy the car and enjoy. If it fails you, sell it. You have no choice anyway - you can drive accord for rest of life with false idea that it is a smart choice. If you are a car person take what you want and take it from there. If a car is a trouble, sell it.
Most importantly- pay to play. This car will cost to buy, maintain, and will depreciate more than accord no matter what. And your specific case depends on above....

[LuvMyE92]

Originally Posted by m550i curious

Thanks for this. I do love that V8 sound however.....

It has 3 years left of warranty, so if I went ahead I would probably trade it in for whatever around that time.

If you don't plan to keep it beyond the warranty, then you should be fine.

Owning a V8 BMW out of warranty can be a very expensive proposition. I got rid of a 750i to buy my 540i. I don't miss the 120 or so horsepower, really, who needs that much power in a luxury sedan? It just got me into trouble.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by LuvMyE92

If you don't plan to keep it beyond the warranty, then you should be fine.

Owning a V8 BMW out of warranty can be a very expensive proposition. I got rid of a 750i to buy my 540i. I don't miss the 120 or so horsepower, really, who needs that much power in a luxury sedan? It just got me into trouble.

Not to mention the added fuel and insurance costs. And if you live in an area with gridlock traffic or heavily policed roads/speed traps the M550i is a moot point.

[Jagu]

Originally Posted by m550i curious

Thanks for this. I do love that V8 sound however.....

It has 3 years left of warranty, so if I went ahead I would probably trade it in for whatever around that time.

You should have just leased a new one in that case.

[Big boi m5]

My dealer service techs told me every N63 (the engine in this car) is prone to the cooling problems and soon burning oil. Its sort of fundamental to the way BMW cool the thing and they've improved it but not fixed it.
Eventually the cooling lines will melt or warpa dn fail to cool the engine, the turbo will got too hot, turn brittle, and the seals will suffeer adn the engine will burn oil.
I was advised to just avoid them no matter how tempting. The S63 has a different cooling solution totally and should be safe. Its ironic but you'd be far better served buying an older M5 than buying a new M550i if you are worried about time int he shop and repair bills. Thast straight from the guys fixing these things. They hate them.

If you want a nice ttV8 Cadillac and Audi both offer far better examples with sport packages that are arguably better than what BMW is offering. I say that as someone who loves BMW.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by SleepingBMW

My dealer service techs told me every N63 (the engine in this car) is prone to the cooling problems and soon burning oil. Its sort of fundamental to the way BMW cool the thing and they've improved it but not fixed it.
Eventually the cooling lines will melt or warpa dn fail to cool the engine, the turbo will got too hot, turn brittle, and the seals will suffeer adn the engine will burn oil.
I was advised to just avoid them no matter how tempting. The S63 has a different cooling solution totally and should be safe. Its ironic but you'd be far better served buying an older M5 than buying a new M550i if you are worried about time int he shop and repair bills. Thast straight from the guys fixing these things. They hate them.

If you want a nice ttV8 Cadillac and Audi both offer far better examples with sport packages that are arguably better than what BMW is offering. I say that as someone who loves BMW.

Just clarifying that there are MULTIPLE interations of the N63 engine...and the OP is looking at the g30 M550i which has the N63TU3 engine...not the plagued N63 engine. Not to take away from the fact that all BMW engines have their pluses/minuses...whether its their venerable I6 engines, V8 engines, V10 engines, or V12 engines...but be careful to not conflate issues from one iteration onto another iteration if the issues don't actually have the numbers to send up warning flags that it, too is plagued with the same issues.

There are actually 6 versions (one which was only sold in China). The original (1st iteration) N63 engine was the one that BMW did the customer care "recall". The proceeding iteration (TU/TU2/TU3/etc) have been for the most part...less prone to the failures of the original N63. Make sure it is understood and clear when discussing these V8s and their historical short comings.

Also see the attached information below of the changes BMW did to the N63TU engine...it wasn't just a HP & torque upgrade...there were design changes implemented as well.

Just know that the roll out of the upgrade from N63 to N63TU was not the same across all the platforms that offered the V8.

For some reason, the 6 & 7 series (f06/f12/f13/f01/f02) got the n63tu in the 2013 model year...and the 5 & X5 series (f07/f10/f11/f15/f16) started a model year later in 2014.

The N63 engine iterations are listed below...along with their 4.4 cubic inch designation (there was a 4.0 cubic inch N63 engine sold in China...it is not listed below)..and the model/model year each can be found in:

• N63B44O0 (N63)
  • 2008– 2013 E71 X6
  • 2009– 2012 F01/F02 750i/750Li[11]
  • 2010– 2012 F07 550i GT
  • 2011– 2013 F10/F11 550i
  • 2011– 2013 E70 X5
  • 2012– 2012 F12/F13 650i
• N63B44O1 (N63TU)
  • 2013–2015 F01/F02 750i/750Li
  • 2013–2016 F07 550i GT
  • 2014–2016 F10/F11 550i
  • 2014–2018 F15 X5
  • 2014–2019 F16 X6
  • 2013–2018 F12/F13 650i
  • 2013–2019 F06 650i
• N63B44O2 (N63TU2)
  • 2016– G12 750i/750Li sDrive/xDrive
  • 2017– G30 M550i xDrive
• N63B44M3 (N63TU3)
  • 2018– G05 X5 xDrive50i
  • 2018– G07 X7 xDrive50i
• N63B44T3 (N63TU3)
  • 2018– G15 M850i xDrive

[stein_325i]

I still don't trust BMW V8's outside of leasing/warranty, I just find that their inline 6's are better in the long-run.