4.6is vs 4.8is Common Issues - which is worst?

[williamx5]

Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny

Eh, a 4.6 can be a daily just as well as any other old BMW. You just have to do a little bit of preventative maintenance and fix things as they come up instead of letting them get bad.

You may note what I have in my garage... All I drive are V8 BMW's... I have two N62's that I rebuilt the motors completely... The 540i has a different untouched block, but rebuilt heads... And the 4.6is is pretty much the same as I purchased it... Then there is the 2001 that in slowly turning into a RWD 6MT... That will be my daily driver, until I convert a nicer one to replace it...

My vote is for the 4.6is personally... And I know that is really all it is... You might want to borrow versions of both to fully get the experience from both... I hear the 4.8is handles better than the little brother... I have only driven my 4.6is and the 4.4L versions of the N62...

Having done both jobs is the reason I like the 4.6... It can be done in the car with just a minor back ache when I'm done... To do the VSS in the 4.8, I would recommend pulling the heads, if not the entire motor... And rebuilding the heads on the workbench... The kit to do the seals IN the vehicle is, IMHO more of a cost than pulling the motor, but I do my own labor... And since the motor is already out, may as well go thru it and clean it up completely...

Other aspects for both... I prefer the front end of the 4.8is... I prefer the non-electric transfer case of the 4.6is... I absolutely HATE (can I use that word on here?!)... I HATE the 6-speed automatic in the 4.8is (4.4)...

But I love the X5 so much more than my 540i that I am squashing them together and making my X5 more like my 540i... The one BMW should have made, IMHO!!! The RWD is just a by-product of the conversion, but the V8's should have a three pedal 6-speed!!

This is just my two cents... Well, maybe like a dime....

Cheers!!!!