Car Model Guide/ BMW/ 3 Series/ E90/ 318d

318d 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 318d is the N47 diesel version of the BMW 3 Series sedan (E90), sold 2007–2011 with 143 PS and manual or automatic. Avoid unless documented at level 5. The N47 rear timing chain fails and the repair is engine-out, costing a large fraction of the car's value. 17 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) · photo BMW E90 kallerna by kallerna · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Power143 PS

Torque300 Nm

Years2007–2011

Fueldiesel

DriveRWD

EnginesN47

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 17 recorded in total.

18High risk

Rear timing chain failure€1,500–€2,500checkablewalk away
"Lifetime" fluid neglect€400–€2,500partly checkable
Dual-mass flywheel and clutch wear€900–€1,600checkable

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⚠ attention"Lifetime" fluid neglect, €400–€2,500.+3 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.

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

The same badge either side of the changeover. Bands are split at the facelift year from the generation record.

Phase	Years	Low	Average	High	Good buy	What differs
pre Pre-facelift	2007	€3,500	€4,700	€6,400	€4,100	The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)	2008–2011	€3,800	€5,100	€7,000	€4,450	Revised front and rear lights and bumpers; Interior trim and iDrive updates; N53 replaced N52 in most European markets; N57 replaced M57 in the 330d

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

"Lifetime" fluid neglectZF 6HP19 / 6HP21 six-speed automatic€400–€2,500

Harsh or hunting shifts, a shunt between second and third, delayed engagement when cold. BMW declared the fluid a lifetime fill. It's not. Fluid degrades, the valve body wears, and the box eventually fails.

Check: Drive it from cold through every gear, then in manual mode. Ask when the fluid was last changed. "It's sealed for life" means never, and you should price a service in.

TransmissioncommonPartly detectableevidence: documented120–200k 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

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 17 issues in full →

Mileage and servicing

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

Chain risk isn't neatly tied to mileage. Cold, short-trip use is harder on it than steady distance. Cars from roughly 2011 got revised parts, but coverage was inconsistent, so verify by part number and receipt rather than by build year.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Timing chain documentation €1,500–2,500 engine-out repair on a €5,000 car	verify before purchase	€1,500–2,500 if outstanding
EGR cooler recall Free, and it was issued over a fire risk	check by VIN	free
Engine oil Never use the extended long-life interval on this engine	10,000–12,000 km	€90–140

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.

median €4.9k

€3.5k€4.1k€7k

Cheapfind the reasonGood buyif it checks outFairnormal moneyOverpricedneeds justifying

Asking price (€)Mileage (km)

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 · 2026-07

🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€4,100band €3,500–€7,000

🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold318d 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 318d
ChassisE90
EngineN47
Years2007–2011
MarketCentral EU
Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07

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

The 318d is the version of the N47 that makes most sense on paper: 300 Nm, 5–6 l/100 km, cheap tax, cheap insurance. And it also carries the generation's worst single failure mode. The advice is unambiguous: buy only with documented chain work using current part numbers, and treat the seller's assurance that "it's been fine" as meaningless, because it's fine right up until it's not. If you find a car with the chain done, receipts present and the EGR recall carried out, it's a genuinely cheap way to cover 30,000 km a year. Everything else on the engine is ordinary diesel maintenance.

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 code	N47D20
Configuration	I4, turbodiesel · 1995 cc
Fuel / injection	diesel · common rail
Model years	2007–2011
Facelift phase	Sold either side of the 2008 facelift, 2007 pre, 2008–2011 LCI
Power / torque	143 PS · 300 Nm
Transmissions	6-speed manual · 6-speed automatic (ZF)
Gearbox families	Getrag six-speed manual · ZF 6HP19 / 6HP21 six-speed automatic
Drivetrain	RWD
Economy (real-world)	5–6.5 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU

318d N47

Overview

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Pre-purchase inspection

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.