330d M57 / N57
Sold with 2 different engines in this chassis, M57 2005–2008, N57 2008–2012. Both are on this page; they differ in exactly the ways that cost money.
Overview
The 330d is the M57 diesel version of the BMW 3 Series wagon (E91), sold 2005–2008 with 231 PS and manual or automatic. Manageable at level 2. Nothing on the M57 fails catastrophically. Swirl flaps, turbo actuator and DPF are the wear items, all in the €400–1,200 bracket. 18 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components. 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 wagon (E91) · photo BMW E91 LCI 330xi Touring Arctic Metallic (2) by Damian B Oh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Ranked by probability × repair cost. 18 recorded in total.
Risk level −11 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →
Ranked by probability × repair cost. 19 recorded in total.
Risk level −22 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →
Which engine
| Engine | Years | Facelift | Power | Torque | Risk | Issues | Good buy | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M57 | 2005–2008 | both | 231 PS | 500 Nm | R2 | 18 | €6,300 | The best value in the entire range: 500 Nm, 6.5 l/100 km, and an engine that outlives the car around it. |
| N57 | 2008–2012 | LCI | 245 PS | 520 Nm | R3 | 19 | €9,050 | The best all-round car in the range if you can stretch to it: fast, economical, refined, and durable. |
330d M57D30TU2 / M57D30TOP 2005–2008
The strongest engine in the range. Bottom ends routinely pass 400,000 km; everything that fails on it's bolted to the outside and priced accordingly.
Risk 2, Manageable. Nothing on the M57 fails catastrophically. Swirl flaps, turbo actuator and DPF are the wear items, all in the €400–1,200 bracket.
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 | 2005–2007 | €5,300 | €7,300 | €10,200 | €6,300 | The specification the car launched with. |
| LCI Facelift (LCI) | 2008 | €5,800 | €7,950 | €11,100 | €6,900 | Revised lights and bumpers; 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.
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 18 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.
1Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.
2On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.
3PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.
4OBD 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.
This engine treats 300,000 km as middle age. So buy on service history and turbo health, not on the odometer. The most common way one of these is ruined is a life of five-kilometre trips that never let the DPF regenerate. Ask what the car was used for before you ask how far it went.
| Service item | Interval | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Swirl flaps The one avoidable way to destroy this engine | preventive | €400–900 |
| Automatic fluid + pan 500 Nm through a box BMW calls sealed for life | 80,000–100,000 km | €400–600 |
| Turbo actuator Sticking vanes cause limp mode and shorten turbo life | inspect at 150,000 km+ | €400–1,200 |
| Injector seals Cheap when caught early, a cylinder-head job when ignored | inspect at 200,000 km+ | €400–1,400 |
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 ·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 330d
- ChassisE91
- EngineM57
- Years2005–2008
- MarketCentral EU
- Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07
Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. The good-buy figure assumes the known failure items are either done with receipts or verifiably not yet due. Full breakdown by facelift phase →
Buyer notes
Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.
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 | M57D30TU2 / M57D30TOP |
| Configuration | I6, turbodiesel (twin-turbo in 335d) · 2993 cc |
| Fuel / injection | diesel · common rail |
| Model years | 2005–2008 |
| Facelift phase | Sold either side of the 2008 facelift, 2005–2007 pre, 2008 LCI |
| Power / torque | 231 PS · 500 Nm |
| Transmissions | 6-speed manual · 6-speed automatic (ZF) |
| Gearbox families | Getrag six-speed manual · ZF 6HP19 / 6HP21 six-speed automatic |
| Drivetrain | RWD · xDrive |
| Economy (real-world) | 6.5–8 l/100 km mixed |
| Markets | EU |
330d N57D30 2008–2012
The M57's successor: quieter, cleaner, a little more powerful, and slightly more complicated. Shares the rear chain layout of the N47 with a far better record.
Risk 3, Demands diligence. A strong engine with more emissions hardware than its predecessor and the same rear-chain layout as the N47, though with a far better record.
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.
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 19 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.
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.
Late-production examples with 200,000 km are normal and fine. The things that matter are EGR recall completion, evidence of regular oil changes at sensible intervals, and a usage pattern that let the DPF do its job. Cold-start rattle at the bulkhead is worth listening for even though the six rarely suffers it.
| Service item | Interval | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| EGR cooler recall Free, safety-related, and easy to confirm | check by VIN | free |
| Engine oil Chain wear and turbo life both follow oil condition | 10,000–15,000 km, not long-life | €100–150 |
| Automatic fluid + pan 520 Nm through a nominally sealed box | 80,000–100,000 km | €400–600 |
| Swirl flaps Same avoidable engine-destroyer as the M57 | preventive | €400–900 |
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 ·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 330d
- ChassisE91
- EngineN57
- Years2008–2012
- MarketCentral EU
- Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07
Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. The good-buy figure assumes the known failure items are either done with receipts or verifiably not yet due. Full breakdown by facelift phase →
Buyer notes
Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.
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 | N57D30 |
| Configuration | I6, turbodiesel · 2993 cc |
| Fuel / injection | diesel · common rail |
| Model years | 2008–2012 |
| Facelift phase | Facelift (LCI) only, from 2008 |
| Power / torque | 245 PS · 520 Nm |
| Transmissions | 6-speed manual · 6-speed automatic (ZF) |
| Gearbox families | Getrag six-speed manual · ZF 6HP19 / 6HP21 six-speed automatic |
| Drivetrain | RWD · xDrive |
| Economy (real-world) | 6–7.5 l/100 km mixed |
| Markets | EU |