I've replaced the timing chains on m62 on two cars, the second involved removing the heads and replacing about 1/3 of the valves because the engine was running when the timing chain broke.

There is more hardware to remove on the N63 than M62 to get to the meat of the system but the process looks similar. I'd like to know if it can be done with engine in, I'll maybe look for that.

Most cases of chain guide failure trace back to loss of oil pressure or not replacing the chain tensioners so those would be replaced right after getting the car no matter which model we get.

I think it took me about a week of 4-5 hour shifts to do the chain guides on the m62tu. It feels like an extra day for either removing the parts or pulling the engine if needed.

I did almost all the work solo. The car owner removed all the intake and fuel supply hardware from the engine to save me some work but all the real wrenching was done solo.

I had to build a valve spring compressor to change the bent valves so definitely not a simple job however it's very freeing to have passed that hurried l hurdle twice even, so the job though a ton of work (I think I estimated I spent 28-32 hours), it's just a lot of simple steps that are not more difficult than R & R a water pump (which of course is one of the steps).

I'm curious to know more about VSS with n63. I've seen a lot about it with N64 and was a concern with my next car: wonder if there is any treatment that can reduce the chance of needing to replace them.

Back to the water pump; bought OEM pump and Thermostat for about $340 for n52 motor in the 328xi and absolutely that had to be the worst case scenario; if there is literally one more inch of space to work would drop the difficulty from 9 to 6! I'm just curious about which motor uses which pump as I've heard some e70 use that same pump I just described and some use one that is like twice the price.

The 328xi pump died at about 120,000 miles. I've read that is not uncommon to fail about that age but our M54 motors have original pumps at 190-195,000. (going on second and third thermostat though)

If we get the 50i it will have to be a nearly flawless test drive, not buying a project car, however the prices have apparently dropped like a meteor over the past couple years because 50i weren't on our radar at all until my wife not even knowing anything about the engine options sent me a link to a 50i model within our price and mile restrictions.

My two cents after having experience with a 4.8i, 3.0i, and 35i all e70 - I would go for the 35i or 35d WITH adaptive drive. While I have no experience with the 50i, the N63 is by all accounts a complete nightmare engine. I believe the 35d has the older ZF 6 speed transmission and imo, the ZF 8 is a much nicer shifting transmission. The ZF 6 always has its quirks while the 8 is bang on 99.9% of the time. The N55 in the 35i should be solid but I have seen reports (and a disconcerting number of vehicles, including E70s) of blown N55s. It seems like they have rod bearing issues as they age. I believe the water pump on the 35i and 50i will each be an expensive pain to replace.

A couple notes. Adaptive drive is worth it. I've had two E70s with it, a 3.0 and my current 4.8. While I know it can be problematic, the only issue I've encountered so far was a leaky electrical connector on a rear damper that caused a pin to rot off. We repaired that by splicing the wires and it's been fine ever since. The 3.0 has almost 150k miles on it and my 4.8 has 120k. The 35i doesn't have adaptive drive and not only does it not handle as well, the ride quality is significantly worse. Unfortunately 35is with adaptive drive are a bit of a unicorn.


Look for the "sport" button under the shifter.


The 35i has adequate power in stock form but a quick MHD tune will really wake it up. On "Stage 1," I'd say it drives similar to my 4.8 and delivers far better economy.

Other options to look for in general are the HUD (never knew what I was missing until I had it. If your eyesight isn't great, it's super helpful because the focus distance is about the end of the hood), comfort seats (AMAZING), heated steering wheel (plus rear seats if you have more passengers), premium sound, and the updated iDrive system in the 2010+(?) E70s.

It's also worth noting that the LCI (2011+) 35d had the N57 motor, as opposed to the M57 in pre-LCI cars.

The N57 is more prone to timing chain issues and the chain sits at the back of the motor which makes it an expensive task.

Having said that, you'll find a lot of N57 owners that have never had an issue, it's just not as bulletproof as the M57.

^ In the US all 35d's use the m57 and variants of the zf 6hp transmissions.

I learn something new every day!
Here is AUS, the LCI 35d got the N57 and ZF 8 speed. I'm guessing Europe was the same.

I put the VIN from a 50i into realoem and it showed a mechanical water pump. $170 OEM and the aux water pump only $73.

Very interesting on the different engine/trans on the USA 35d. I diff notice the 35d didn't have the 8 speed but it seems to do well enough without it.

It's tricky to find adaptive drive via on-line posts but I think I've seen a couple interior shots that show the sport button I just need a close up of one I know it's there to recognize.

I'm open to any of the three models especially now that I found the 50i uses mechanical water pump on the front of the motor!

I haven't realoem scanned the VIN from 35i yet to compare with the 328xi and see if it's the same one or the horror show model over read about.

If the 50i water pump is anything like the 48i, be warned they fail constantly, are a pain to replace, and the hoses and other parts are very expensive. Of the problems to worry about, the water pump would be at the bottom of my list. The N55 doesn't use the same water pump as the N52 (328xi) but it's a similar model. The N52 one seems to fail more frequently for some reason, but I'd take it over the N63 mechanical one.

The bigger issue on the N63 are all the hoses in the hot-v and its propensity to grenade. That and the V8s are not pleasant to service in general, so valve cover leaks, valve stem seals, valley pan (not sure how that works on the N63), etc are all a royal pain. I prefer the engine note and power, but HATE servicing the V8s.

This is still the best decoder I've found. One of the few (maybe only) that still works after BMW changed their VIN system last year. I used it EXTENSIVELY when shopping for the F15.

bimmer.work : VIN Decoder for BMW

That's the one I've been using but I can't tell yet how to tell if it's got adaptive drive.

I believe you will want to look for 2VA Chassis & suspens. setup"Adaptive Drive" on the options list. See attached.

From another thread a visual method for pre 2010 models: