Car Model Guide/ BMW/ 3 Series/ E90/ 316d
BMW·3 Series·E90 sedan

316d N47

Efficient, torquey, and carrying a rear-mounted timing chain that fails and takes the engine out with it. Then buy only with documented chain work.

Overview

The 316d is the N47 diesel version of the BMW 3 Series sedan (E90), sold 2009–2011 with 116 PS and manual_6. Avoid unless documented at level 5. Rear-mounted timing chain failure costs €1,500–2,500 with the engine out, on a car worth under €6,000. 15 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, one of which is a walk-away item without documented proof. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.

BMW 3 Series sedan (E90)

BMW 3 Series sedan (E90) · photo BMW E90 kallerna by kallerna · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Power116 PS
Torque260 Nm
Years2009–2011
Fueldiesel
DriveRWD
EnginesN47
Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 15 recorded in total.

18High risk
  1. Rear timing chain failure€1,500–€2,500checkablewalk away
  2. Dual-mass flywheel and clutch wear€900–€1,600checkable
  3. DPF clogging and forced regeneration€250–€1,800partly checkable

Risk level −44 · Walk-away failures −12 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 1 with no recurring fault reported
Engine⚠ attentionRear timing chain failure, €1,500–€2,500. Walk away without proof.+1 more in this system
Fuel system✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.
Turbo & intakewatchVariable-vane turbo actuator sticking, €400–€1,200.
CoolingwatchCoolant expansion tank cracking, €120–€250.
Emissions⚠ attentionDPF clogging and forced regeneration, €250–€1,800.+1 more in this system
Transmission⚠ attentionDual-mass flywheel and clutch wear, €900–€1,600.+1 more in this system
ElectricswatchFootwell module (FRM) failure, €150–€700.+2 more in this system
Suspension & brakeswatchFront control arm bushing wear, €300–€700.+2 more in this system
Body & interiorwatchCorrosion at the rear subframe and arch seams, €300–€2,000.

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.

Rear timing chain failureN47D20€1,500–€2,500
Rattle from the bulkhead end of the engine on start-up and on the overrun, then chain jump and catastrophic valve damage. The timing chain sits at the rear of the block against the bulkhead. The chain and its guides wear early, and the repair requires the engine or gearbox out.
Check: Stand at the rear of the engine bay at a genuinely cold start and listen for rattle. Then demand documentation: a chain replacement with current part numbers, or walk. The repair costs a meaningful fraction of the car's value.
Later parts: Revised chain and sprockets phased in from roughly 2011; coverage was inconsistent, so verify by part number and receipt rather than by build year.
EnginecommonDetectable at viewingwalk away without proofevidence: manufacturer100–200k km
Dual-mass flywheel and clutch wearGetrag six-speed manual€900–€1,600
Rattle at idle with the clutch up that disappears when you press it, judder on pull-away, gearbox rumble. The dual-mass flywheel's springs wear. Diesels and tuned petrols wear them faster.
Check: Idle in neutral with the clutch up and listen, then press the clutch. A rattle that stops when you press is the flywheel. Also check for judder pulling away in first.
TransmissioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented130–250k km
DPF clogging and forced regenerationDPF€250–€1,800
Warning light, limp mode, oil level rising above the maximum mark from fuel dilution. The filter needs sustained hot running to regenerate. A car used for short urban trips never completes a regeneration cycle.
Check: Read the DPF soot load and the distance since the last regeneration on a scan tool, and check the engine oil level and smell it for diesel. Ask what the car was used for. A short-trip city diesel is the wrong car regardless of mileage.
EmissionscommonPartly detectableevidence: documented120–250k km
Front control arm bushing wearE9x chassis€300–€700
Knocking over bad surfaces, vague or wandering steering, uneven front tyre wear, steering shimmy under braking. The front lower arm bushings are a known wear item on this chassis and go well before the ball joints.
Check: Drive over a rough road at low speed with the windows down and listen. Check the inside edges of the front tyres for feathering.
SuspensionuniversalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented80–150k km
Variable-vane turbo actuator stickingvariable-vane turbo€400–€1,200
Sudden loss of power on a hard pull, limp mode that clears on restart, underboost or overboost codes. Soot binds the variable vanes or the actuator linkage seizes.
Check: Do a full-throttle pull in third from 1,500 rpm to the limiter. Hesitation or a drop into limp mode is this fault. Do this twice.
Turbo & intakecommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented130–250k km
Run-flat tyres and kerbed or cracked wheelsE9x chassis€150–€900
Harsh ride, vibration at speed, slow punctures. Stiff-sidewall run-flats transmit impacts straight into the rim, and these alloys crack rather than bend.
Check: Inspect the inner rim edge of every wheel for cracks and hairline splits, not just the face for kerbing. Budget for a set of conventional tyres; most owners switch and the ride improves markedly.
SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented
Corrosion at the rear subframe and arch seamsE9x chassis€300–€2,000
Bubbling at the rear arch lip, scaling on subframe mounting points and rear suspension components. Age plus road salt. This generation isn't a notorious rotter, but nothing from 2005–2013 is immune in a salted market.
Check: Put it on a lift and look at the rear subframe mounting points and the arch lips from behind. Largely a non-issue on cars from southern Europe, a real one on northern and Baltic cars.
Body & corrosionoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented
Footwell module (FRM) failureE9x chassis€150–€700
Headlights, indicators, windows, wipers and central locking stop working at once, usually right after a battery change or a jump start. The module's memory corrupts when supply voltage dips. It is the single most common electrical failure on this generation.
Check: Test every window, both mirrors, the wipers, all exterior lights and the central locking before you drive. If any cluster of these is dead, this is why.
ElectricalcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once. All 15 issues in full →

Pre-purchase inspection

The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.

15 checks · saved in this browser ·

1Cold startYou get one. If the engine is warm when you arrive, come back another day.

2Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.

3On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.

4PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.

5OBD scanMandatory. A seller who refuses a scan has answered the question.

Mileage and servicing

What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.

These were bought for economy and driven a long way. And distance itself isn't the problem. A documented chain replacement is what separates a usable car from a liability, and on a 116 PS car the repair costs more than the car is worth.

Service itemIntervalCost
Timing chain documentation
This is the whole purchase decision, not one item on a list
verify before purchase€1,500–2,500 if outstanding
Engine oil
Chain wear tracks oil condition directly
10,000–12,000 km, never the long-life interval€90–140
DPF regeneration behaviour
A city-only diesel clogs its filter regardless of mileage
ongoing€250–1,800

What to pay

What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.

Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.

United States vs Europe

1 EUR = 1.08 USD ·
🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€4,200band €3,600–€6,550
🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold316d N47 was never a US-market car
What that meansNo US band exists to compare. Any car you find there's a private import, parts and specialist knowledge are thinner, and the price says more about import cost than about the market.

US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.

  • ModelBMW 3 Series 316d
  • ChassisE90
  • EngineN47
  • Years2009–2011
  • MarketCentral EU
  • Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07
€4k€5k€6kE90 median, all 21 engines €6,300Facelift (LCI)Facelift (LCI): low €3,600, good buy €4,200, average €4,800, high €6,550€4,800€3,600€6,550€4,200
Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the e90 median, all 21 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. Any car without documentation for rear timing chain failure should be priced as if the repair is still owed. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.

Our read, not a record
Nothing is wrong with the 316d as transport: it's genuinely frugal, it has enough torque for daily use, and rear-wheel drive with a manual box is a pleasant way to cover distance cheaply. But the problem is entirely economic. When the chain goes, and on pre-2011 N47s it does, you're looking at a repair bill larger than the resale value, which means the sensible decision at that point is to scrap a car that otherwise had years left. Only buy one with a documented chain replacement using current part numbers, and expect to pay a real premium for that. Otherwise, an older M47-engined 320d does the same job without the same ending.

Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.

Full specification

Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.

Engine codeN47D20
ConfigurationI4, turbodiesel · 1995 cc
Fuel / injectiondiesel · common rail
Model years2009–2011
Facelift phaseFacelift (LCI) only, from 2008
Power / torque116 PS · 260 Nm
Transmissions6-speed manual
Gearbox familiesGetrag six-speed manual
DrivetrainRWD
Economy (real-world)5–6.5 l/100 km mixed
MarketsEU