[Sasquartch]

There seems to be a lot of negativity about the N20 engine on here despite the fact it is relatively rare.

I've had my 328i for 2 years now and taken the mileage from 29k to 60k and had no engine issues.

It performs pretty well and although it has the usual injector noise it seems pretty smooth

What mileages have people done in a 2.0 petrol ?

I'd like to take mine to 100k+

Mine has had 4 oil changes in that time, I'm intending to do a change between official services to try and mitigate against engine issues.

Thoughts ?

[RobUK]

I loved my F30 328i when it was working.

[Sasquartch]

Originally Posted by RobUK

I loved my F30 328i when it was working.

Sounds like there's a story......

[MashinBenzin]

I've not driven one but it sounds like a good option to me. Well priced, reasonably economical and not a diesel, so I am guessing reasonably smooth. I don't doubt for a second that it would be a better steer than the 40i with less weight in the nose.

I'm surprised more don't pick the 20i/30i over the 20d.

[Sasquartch]

The reason I posted was really a reaction to the post on another thread https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...00&postcount=6
which seems to imply the N20 2.0 is not great reliability wise

So am interested to hear of people's problems as well as those who've put big mileages on them without issue

[Turbonut]

My last e90 was the 2.0i manual, ran it to 127k when the timing chain stretched. The car is still going with 170k or so on it the last time I checked. Had a few issues, misfire on each cylinder. It went back to BMW under warranty and each time they change a plug and coil pack on each cylinder. They wouldn't do all 4, only the faulty one though they all went eventually. It appeared to be a common fault with that engine.

Other than that it was a peach, smooth power delivery, quick and light on the nose.

[dopper99]

Hate for the 2.0L? Because we are all snobs and like a big engine.

Wait until after the G20 when they do away with the 6 pots. The biggest engine will be a 2.0L and electric motors then.

[nickb3]

I had a 328i and thought it was a great engine. It didn't have the sound or the smoothness of a 335i, but I couldn't fault performance or economy. I kept it for about 30k miles with no reliability problems.

[rich100]

There's always been a bit of piss taking of the 2.0 unit on the forum although mainly directed at the 320i rather than the 328/330.

I've had mine (320i) for 5 years now from new, and touch wood have not had any issues. Admittedly it's probably not that exciting compared to the the 6 cylinder variants and anyone driving it in comparison to those are likely to be disappointed . If you don't have those preconceptions though it certainly not as bad as it's sometimes made out to be.

Fortunately I had a five year service pack so it's got a full Bmw history and I managed to get the final service done just prior to it finishing. As a precaution I did take out the extended warranty.. seemed sensible and I didn't think the cost was too prohibitive.

I have toyed with the idea of changing but I don't do many miles (39k from new) so it didn't seem to make a huge amount of sense from a financial point of view. Now I'm thinking best to wait until the g21 comes out. TBH I think I would like to go down the 6 cylinder route next time but a lot will depend on pricing.... I note that this will be an M340 so not sure how much of an extra premium that will entail.

If it's ridiculous I'll probably look at the 330.

[aquazi]

In isolation the n20 is an ok engine, fairs well against the vag group ea113 2.0t engine.

However bmw’s inline 6 are so silky smooth and efficient that for (relative to total cost) a little more money and a little loss of efficiency you get more powerful smoother engine.

[Lorcan]

We really liked the 28i engine in our Z4, which we tuned to 294hp (actually a tad over 300). The car was better balanced than the 6 cylinder as the engine is effectively further back, and it was fast enough with some nice mid range torque. A Supersprint exhaust is a nice addition. And some good suspension of course

A few N20 engines suffered with crank thrust bearing failure, but if yours has made it this far it will almost certainly be ok.

The timing chains on these are really no worse than many other models. They are all made of "bicycle chain" now to save weight so can need changing anywhere from 70k upwards. Don't delay if you hear a rattle.

[SkyJawa]

Just do a search on here. The 20i engine seems to be the range lemon. So many more stories about issues than other engine types.

[RobUK]

Originally Posted by Sasquartch

Sounds like there's a story......

I bought the 328i new in 2012 and the car was sweet as a nut. Free revving engine all the way up to 7K, reasonably nimble (on stock 'Lux' suspension) and I liked everything about it other than the rather diesel-y sound of the direct injection engine at idle. Unfortunately it required a new auto gearbox at 6K miles and was never right after that, with numerous steering, suspension, turbo, drivetrain, etc. problems. At just over 30K miles the engine developed a nasty rattle and the dealer agreed with me that I'd be better off in a new car, hence the 340i. That said, I always figured the 328i was the sweet-spot of the range.

[Mrklaw]

I’ve only ever had 6-cyl BMWs up to my current car when I got fed up of congestion etc so went for a more frugal 320i F30. I was surprised how much oomph it had for such a ‘little’ engine. Just ordered a 420i GC and I’m perfectly happy to stick with the lower end engines for now

[LarsF]

My 328i F30 has covered 80K in just under 5 years with no engine reliabilty issues at all.
Only 1 big reliability problem was a faulty FEM electronic box after 3 1/2 years. My local Indy expert replaced the box at £600 cost.
Other than that just the normal services and consumerables. Planning to keep enjoying car for another few years, so had the 8AT gearbox oil change done.

Sweet spot in the range? I like everything about my 328i

With the adaptive suspension it feels like having 2 cars in one:
- In comfort mode it is quite comfortable and economical.
- In sport+ mode, gear stick to left and with aircon off its one of the fastest and best handling cars in the car club on Sunday drive outs in North Wales

[AlanQS]

My 430i has now done 29,000 miles in 2¼ years and I've had no problems, no warranty claims of any sort, except... it doesn't happen often (lack of opportunity mostly) but if you floor it in third for a quick sprint, as it gets up to the higher revs, it sometimes completely bogs down and you lose all acceleration. You have to back off, wait a second, then start building up speed again. In the wrong circumstances this could be a bit dodgy. Alternatively, once you've cleared the obstacle or whatever you were booting it for, slip it straight from 3rd into sixth and it bogs down once it's in sixth for a second.

There are no error codes and obviously it isn't repeatable on command. Other than that, I get 38mpg and I'm still on the original set of Goodyear tyres.

PS. It's being doing this since it was first run-in.

[sensible]

Very happy with my Dec 2015 320i which is an LCI with a B48 engine.

I think the OP was originally talking about the older N20 engine of which I have no experience, but believe the two engines are very different and not to be confused.

[2CRO4TV]

Had my 328i 3 years now and it's been perfect. You do need an exhaust upgrade as the stock exhaust sounds like a diesel. I'm really struggling to find something better as the 328i imho is the perfect blend of performance and economy plus I got 3 services and a brake fluid change from the 50k service pack.

[SkyJawa]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

My 430i has now done 29,000 miles in 2¼ years and I've had no problems, no warranty claims of any sort, except... it doesn't happen often (lack of opportunity mostly) but if you floor it in third for a quick sprint, as it gets up to the higher revs, it sometimes completely bogs down and you lose all acceleration. You have to back off, wait a second, then start building up speed again. In the wrong circumstances this could be a bit dodgy. Alternatively, once you've cleared the obstacle or whatever you were booting it for, slip it straight from 3rd into sixth and it bogs down once it's in sixth for a second.

There are no error codes and obviously it isn't repeatable on command. Other than that, I get 38mpg and I'm still on the original set of Goodyear tyres.

PS. It's being doing this since it was first run-in.

430 is the B series engine, not N series, which seem much better.

[RobUK]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

My 430i has now done 29,000 miles in 2¼ years and I've had no problems, no warranty claims of any sort, except... it doesn't happen often (lack of opportunity mostly) but if you floor it in third for a quick sprint, as it gets up to the higher revs, it sometimes completely bogs down and you lose all acceleration. You have to back off, wait a second, then start building up speed again. In the wrong circumstances this could be a bit dodgy. Alternatively, once you've cleared the obstacle or whatever you were booting it for, slip it straight from 3rd into sixth and it bogs down once it's in sixth for a second.

There are no error codes and obviously it isn't repeatable on command. Other than that, I get 38mpg and I'm still on the original set of Goodyear tyres.

PS. It's being doing this since it was first run-in.

My 328i had a similarly curious gear shift problem (on the new gearbox). In manual mode going from 4th to 5th at a specific rpm it would stutter. Never did it in other gears or when in full auto. Local dealer verified it on test drive but couldn't find the cause so they did some software re-flash and the problem disappeared

[dangerous_al]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

My 430i has now done 29,000 miles in 2¼ years and I've had no problems, no warranty claims of any sort, except... it doesn't happen often (lack of opportunity mostly) but if you floor it in third for a quick sprint, as it gets up to the higher revs, it sometimes completely bogs down and you lose all acceleration. You have to back off, wait a second, then start building up speed again. In the wrong circumstances this could be a bit dodgy. Alternatively, once you've cleared the obstacle or whatever you were booting it for, slip it straight from 3rd into sixth and it bogs down once it's in sixth for a second.

There are no error codes and obviously it isn't repeatable on command. Other than that, I get 38mpg and I'm still on the original set of Goodyear tyres.

PS. It's being doing this since it was first run-in.

My 330i is now 3 years old with 24k miles on it and not had a single issue with it. It is plenty quick enough and very smooth and quiet. The only warranty work was a rear 400m (18") wheel replaced with some minor corrosion around the centre cap. No hesitation or bogging down in any gear and always accelerates strongly so not sure what's going on with yours

[sensible]

Originally Posted by dangerous_al

My 330i is now 3 years old with 24k miles on it and not had a single issue with it. It is plenty quick enough and very smooth and quiet. The only warranty work was a rear 400m (18") wheel replaced with some minor corrosion around the centre cap. No hesitation or bogging down in any gear and always accelerates strongly so not sure what's going on with yours

That's a B48 engine like mine. He is a asking about the N20 engine! That is a pre-LCI, pre-2015 328i or 320i.