Thread: Looking for another car

Keep an eye out for water pump failures on the N52, assuming they still used the inline 6 in 2014? If not the same concept applies to the newer 4cyl. They're electric and fail very quickly, with little warning. Typically you get a warning message, and within a minute it begins running hot.

N20 also has common timing chain issues, but i believe they have extended warranty coverages on them. Hopefully they've worked them out in recent years, but it was very common when that engine first started being used.

Originally Posted by GYSOT1

This car is all uncharted territory for me. He has the twin turbo 4 in it. I've been seeing all those 'N' numbers being thrown around. What do they mean and how do I find out which one we have?

BMW likes to label their engines just like other manufacturers, And the N52 is the naturally aspirated inline 6 in most BMWs from about 2007/8 to 2013/4. It's in everything from an X5 to a Z4. Turbo variants of it are N54/55.

The 4cyl is the N20. There's other variants, but that's the most common one... Also, despite their "TwinPowerTurbo" label, there's only one turbo on those.