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N57D30

BMW N57 engine: faults and reliability

BMW N57 (N57D30) · BMW

The BMW N57 (2008-2019, successor to the M57) is a six-cylinder diesel that is mechanically robust in the basics, but it shares with the N47 and B47 the EGR cooler covered by BMW's service campaign for engine fire risk, and it inherits from the N47 the timing chain at the rear of the block, with wear cases documented mainly from 200,000 km. Without a clear history of these checks, it is worth buying with some caution.[1][2][3]

Risk index
87
Very high risk · what it is
Documented faults
4
3 of high or critical severity
Timing
Chain
Technical data[1][4]
Production
2008–2019
10 models on this site

16 sourcesHow we work

Which BMW N57 versions should you buy?

Our verdict for each version, based on the documented faults.

  • N57D30 204-211 hp, single turbo (U0/UL, 2010-2013)

    2010–2013 · 204–211 hp · N57D30U0, N57D30UL

    With caution

    It shares with the rest of the N57 family the documented risk of the rear timing chain and, depending on the build date, may fall within the window covered by BMW's service campaign for the EGR cooler.[3][5]

  • N57D30 245-258 hp, single turbo (O0/O1, 2008-2019)

    2008–2019 · 245–258 hp · N57D30O0, N57D30O1, N57D30OL

    With caution

    The same documented rear timing chain risk and inclusion in the EGR cooler service campaign as the rest of the N57 range.[3][5]

  • N57D30 299-313 hp twin turbo (T0/T1, 2009-2019)

    2009–2019 · 299–313 hp · N57D30T0, N57D30T1, N57D30TOP

    With caution

    It shares the general timing chain risk and the EGR campaign, and adds the documented risk of loss of thrust through the vacuum circuit or the actuator of the two turbos.[5][6]

Buy: No known serious faults, or they have already been corrected, in this version. With caution: Worth buying if something specific is verified: history, a replaced part or a completed campaign. Avoid: High risk of a serious fault that is hard to check for or prevent.

Known faults of the BMW N57

Sorted from most to least important (severity × frequency).

  1. 1Critical severityVery frequentFrequency: Very frequentEmissions controlEGR cooler leaks with risk of engine fireYes: like the N47 and B47, the N57 is covered by BMW's service campaign for EGR cooler leaks, which can mix coolant with soot and oil to combustion temperatures. BMW checks free of charge the 6-cylinder engines built between July 2012 and June 2015 because of the fire risk.
  2. 2Critical severityCommonFrequency: CommonTimingRear timing chain wearThe N57 inherits from the N47 the timing chain at the rear of the block, next to the gearbox, which complicates any repair. Unlike the N47, there is no documented campaign or wave of mass claims, and cases of serious wear appear mainly above 200,000 km.
  3. 3High severityCommonFrequency: CommonTurboLoss of thrust on twin-turbo versions due to the vacuum circuit or the actuatorOn the twin-turbo versions (335d, 535d, xDrive35d/40d) it is common to lose thrust at low revs because of a degraded vacuum circuit or dirt in the actuator that synchronises the turbos, not because of a mechanical turbo failure. The variable-geometry turbo is also cited, more generically.
  4. 4Medium severityCommonFrequency: CommonOtherCrankshaft pulley vibration damper wearThe N57's crankshaft vibration damper (pulley) wears with use and, according to a technical guide to the engine, usually needs replacing between 80,000 and 120,000 km, giving warning with abnormal noises before failing completely.Appears at around 80,000 km

Severity colours: low, medium, high, critical. How we rate them

By part

Compare each fault with the same part on other engines: symptoms, cost and affected models.

Symptoms of these faults

What the BMW N57 is

The N57 is the family of in-line six-cylinder diesel engines with which BMW replaced the M57 from 2008. It has an aluminium block, twin overhead camshafts, third-generation common rail injection with Bosch piezo injectors and a displacement of 2,993 cc (84 x 90 mm bore and stroke), with factory outputs ranging from 204 to 381 hp depending on the version. BMW progressively replaced it with the B57 between 2015 and 2019, depending on the model.[1][4]

Unlike the M57, which had the timing chain at the front, the N57 keeps the N47's layout: the chain is at the rear of the block, against the bulkhead separating the engine from the gearbox, which means the two units must be separated to reach it. On the other hand, the N57 does not have the plastic swirl flaps that the M47 and M57 did: according to a specialist garage, BMW abandoned that design around 2008, just when the N57 arrived.[5]

In addition to the single-turbo and twin-turbo versions covered in this entry (204 to 313 hp), BMW offered a triple-turbo variant (N57S, 375-381 hp) in the M550d, the 750d and the M50d versions of the X5 and X6; as these are very low-volume variants in Spain, they are not detailed as a separate version in this file, although they share the block and many of the faults described.[1][4]

The N57 was fitted to the 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series and the X3, X4, X5 and X6, among others. In January 2022, BMW acknowledged a technical problem with the N57 linked to several fires in British police patrol cars, including a fatal incident in 2020; several police forces withdrew or restricted the use of BMWs with this engine, and in January 2023 BMW stopped supplying vehicles to UK police. The manufacturer attributed the problem to the specific way these vehicles are driven (long periods idling followed by high-speed driving) and said it saw no need to act on civilian vehicles.[1]

The BMW 5 Series E60 (2003-2010) never received the N57: according to Wikipedia, the 525d, 530d and 535d kept the earlier M57 engine until the end of their production in 2010, and only the 520d moved to the four-cylinder N47 engine. That is why this entry does not include the 5 Series E60 among the N57's applications, unlike later generations such as the F10.[1][7]

Manufacturer
BMW
Family
N57
Fuel
Diesel
Displacement
2,993 cm³
Cylinders
6
Fuel system
Turbo
Injection
Common rail
Timing
Chain
Power
204–381 hp
Peak torque
740 Nm
Production
2008–2019
Makes
BMW

Technical data[1][4]

What changed between versions

  1. 2008–2019

    N57D30 245-258 hp, single turbo (O0/O1, 2008-2019)

    This is the reference version of the N57 family, with a single variable-geometry turbo. It debuted in 2008 in the 330d and, with successive revisions that raised the output to 258 hp, was fitted to practically all of BMW's "30d" models until the end of the engine's production.[1][4]

  2. 2009–2019

    N57D30 299-313 hp twin turbo (T0/T1, 2009-2019)

    High-end twin-turbo version, with two turbos of different sizes working in sequence, reserved for the "35d"/"40d" models and the 335d/535d. Besides the general risk of the family, several sources document a loss of thrust at low revs in these versions, attributable to the vacuum circuit or the actuator that synchronises the two turbos rather than to a mechanical failure of the turbo itself.[1][4][5]

  3. 2010–2013

    N57D30 204-211 hp, single turbo (U0/UL, 2010-2013)

    Entry-level step of the N57 family, with a single turbo and the lowest output in the range. BMW introduced it around 2010 for entry versions such as the 325d and, very briefly, the 525d, before replacing the latter with the four-cylinder N47 engine.[1][4]

Cars fitted with the BMW N57

10 models sold in Spain. Open each one to see all their faults and the buying checklist.

BMW

Compare the BMW N57

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Sources

Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.

  1. 1.BMW N57Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  2. 2.Motor BMW B47 - Reparación EspecializadaDasercars · Technical documentation · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
  3. 3.324.000 diésel de BMW tendrán que pasar por el taller en Europa, por un posible riesgo de incendio en la EGRDiariomotor · Motoring press · published 8 August 2018 · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
  4. 4.BMW N57Wikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
  5. 5.Motor BMW N57 - Reparación EspecializadaDasercars · Technical documentation · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
  6. 6.Motor BMW N57: problemas, modelos y qué revisarCarexam · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
  7. 7.BMW 5 Series (E60)Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  8. 8.BMW 3 Series (E90)Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  9. 9.BMW 3 Series (F30)Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  10. 10.BMW 5 Series (F10)Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  11. 11.BMW X3 (F25)Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  12. 12.BMW 7 Series (F01)Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  13. 13.BMW X4Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  14. 14.BMW X5 (E70)Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  15. 15.BMW X5 (F15)Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  16. 16.BMW X6Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026