I've been around the M54 (and BMW engines in general) for a long time and this is the first I've heard of the Oil Seperator clogging and grenading engines. Is this really that common?

Worked at an indy BMW shop for a few years and seen hundreds of CCB/Oil separator replacements on those engines and never seen a hydrolocked engine due to its failure.

PS: Trader, I understand your position... buy a BMW built before 96 and you will get the reliability you desire (the M30 engine is damn near bullet proof). Except with window regulators... lol. For that you have to go back to the e30 chassis. The complexity of these cars has made them less reliable in the terms you are describing. Honda type of reliability I mean.

It definitely seems as if this is not the marque for you. BMW builds some of the best vehicles in the world in terms of performance. If you have to sacrifice some reliability after the warranty period there are obviously people out there willing to do so. I have bought lots of used bimmers. A front end rebuild is almost always in the budget for me when I purchase. These cars handle like they do for a reason... and their parts wear out faster because of it. Audi suspensions are the same.

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