650i with new engine

[RKCJ]

Hi there,

I've found a 2012 F13 650i with 50,000 km on the clock for sale. It's just had a complete new engine sourced from BMW Germany, fitted by the BMW dealer selling the car.

This is an N63, I was looking for an N63TU to reduce the risk of failures.

Any advice on whether this would be a good buy. I am planning on purchasing a warranty to cover mechanical failures, but would rather not have to deal with having the car being repaired repeatedly.

Thanks.

[Opie55]

Well, if BMW just supplied a brand new engine 6 years after the fact then presumably it is not an engine with the same faults that plagued the 2012s to begin with. It really depends on the price. If it is a super good deal because it has a replaced engine, then go for it. Otherwise, I'd buy one a year or two newer with the updated engine.

[DerBosewicht]

I purchased my 2013 that had a new engine but they upgraded to the N63TU, I still get fault codes occasionally. I would hold off and and try and get a 14 or 15, which have less problems. The reason why I opted to go this route because I knew I was going to do heavy power modifications in the near future, so my mechanic should be able to sort out any issues. But if you just plan on keeping stock, I would definitely advise to go with the less problem likely solution

[RKCJ]

Originally Posted by Opie55

Well, if BMW just supplied a brand new engine 6 years after the fact then presumably it is not an engine with the same faults that plagued the 2012s to begin with. It really depends on the price. If it is a super good deal because it has a replaced engine, then go for it. Otherwise, I'd buy one a year or two newer with the updated engine.

Thanks for the reply. The price is about average for the year, the difference is the low KM's. The replacement engine was the same spec, i.e. they didn't put an N63TU in it.

There are not many 650i's over here, and I've been looking for awhile. This one is the spec I'm looking for; I'm already going to have to travel 1,500km's for this one

I guess I'm asking:
1) Is it bad news to have an engine replaced with a new factory unit from BMW by a BMW dealer?
2) Knowing the N63 has problems, the symptoms can be monitored and corrected before failure?
3) Should I stay clear of this one.

Thanks.

[RKCJ]

Originally Posted by DerBosewicht

I purchased my 2013 that had a new engine but they upgraded to the N63TU, I still get fault codes occasionally. I would hold off and and try and get a 14 or 15, which have less problems. The reason why I opted to go this route because I knew I was going to do heavy power modifications in the near future, so my mechanic should be able to sort out any issues. But if you just plan on keeping stock, I would definitely advise to go with the less problem likely solution

Interesting, when I spoke to the dealer, they said they couldn't put in the N63TU as it would have required other modifications.

The 2014/15 models are out of my price range.

[DerBosewicht]

Originally Posted by RKCJ

Interesting, when I spoke to the dealer, they said they couldn't put in the N63TU as it would have required other modifications.

The 2014/15 models are out of my price range.

Mine too lol... I am not sure I didn’t know I had a TU until my mechanic pointed it out and was saying that was strange... I am still new to BMW and especially this platform

[Havy]

If the car is as you are looking for .....take it. The replacement of the engine is not a problem especially if it comes directly from Munich and was installed by an authorized BMW dealer. You get a full warranty so what. Go for it.

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by RKCJ

Thanks for the reply. The price is about average for the year, the difference is the low KM's. The replacement engine was the same spec, i.e. they didn't put an N63TU in it.

There are not many 650i's over here, and I've been looking for awhile. This one is the spec I'm looking for; I'm already going to have to travel 1,500km's for this one

I guess I'm asking:
1) Is it bad news to have an engine replaced with a new factory unit from BMW by a BMW dealer?
2) Knowing the N63 has problems, the symptoms can be monitored and corrected before failure?
3) Should I stay clear of this one.

Thanks.

I get that it's not a TU, but I'm assuming it has the problematic timing chain issues addressed, etc.

[ezmaass]

The original N63 was very problematic. I've owned two N63TU and N63TU2 cars now (current 650GC and former 550), and both have been flawless mechanically - admittedly, either has seen a lot of mileage. However, if you look back at the posts on this forum, you'll see plenty of very bad N63 issues documented. It's not a guarantee that you'd have issues, but I'm not sure I'd take that chance. The N63TU was a fairly major revision, and it's since now been revised three times from the original (2012, 2016, and 2018).

[RKCJ]

Thanks for the input everyone.

What I'm reading is the engine replacement is not an issue; it's that it's an N63 and the unreliability which comes with it.

To provide more context. It will be a daily driver, but I do very little distance, I will average 7,000km (4,300 miles) a year, mostly on freeways. If i keep the car 5 years, the engine will have to last 35,000 km's (22,000 miles).

[Havy]

As I said earlier, I don’t see any problem as long as you maintain the car / engine as per maintenance schedule. And you get a warranty.

[ezmaass]

Originally Posted by Havy

As I said earlier, I don’t see any problem as long as you maintain the car / engine as per maintenance schedule. And you get a warranty.

Maintaining the car is well and good, but it won't stop these engines from failing. They weren't failing due to lack of proper maintenance but rather a flawed design, which is why BMW updated them significantly.

Back when I owned my 2014 550xi (LCI with N63TU), there were guys on this forum with 1 and 2 year old 550's (pre-LCI with the N63) that were failing with very little mileage. They were, of course, under warranty, but that didn't stop them from becoming incredibly frustrated with numerous visits to the dealer, having the car out of service, and a few of them eventually going through a buy-back with BMW.

There's no guarantee an N63 will fail, of course, but considering they became relatively well known for this notorious behavior, I just don't see why anyone would knowingly buy one with the expectation of driving it for 5 years - warranty or not.

I'd simply look for a vehicle with an N63TU or TU2.