Car Model Guide/ BMW/ 3 Series/ E92/ 320d
BMW·3 Series·E92 coupe

320d 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 320d is the N47 diesel version of the BMW 3 Series coupe (E92), sold 2007–2013 with 177 PS and manual or automatic. Avoid unless documented at level 5. The rear-mounted timing chain fails, the repair is engine-out at €1,500–2,500, and the car is typically worth €6,000. 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 coupe (E92)

BMW 3 Series coupe (E92) · photo BMW 335i Coupe (E92) Washington DC Metro Area, USA by OWS Photography · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Power177 PS
Torque350 Nm
Years2007–2013
Fueldiesel
DriveRWD / xDrive
EnginesN47
Biggest risks

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

18High risk
  1. Rear timing chain failure€1,500–€2,500checkablewalk away
  2. "Lifetime" fluid neglect€400–€2,500partly checkable
  3. 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.

PhaseYearsLowAverageHighGood buyWhat differs
pre Pre-facelift2007–2009€4,250€5,850€8,050€5,050The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)2010–2013€4,650€6,400€8,750€5,550N55 single-turbo replaced the N54 twin-turbo in the 335i; N57 replaced M57 in the six-cylinder diesels; Revised lights, bumpers and iDrive; Seven-speed DCT offered on the 335i

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 →

Pre-purchase inspection

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

17 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.

Everyone asks about mileage on these and it's the wrong question. Yet what matters is whether the chain has been replaced with current part numbers, whether oil changes were done at 10,000–12,000 km rather than BMW's long-life interval, and whether the car did motorway distance or town trips. A 250,000 km motorway car with a new chain is a far better purchase than a 120,000 km city car without one.

Service itemIntervalCost
Timing chain documentation
The entire purchase decision rests on this one item
verify before purchase€1,500–2,500 if outstanding
Engine oil
Chain and tensioner wear track oil condition directly
10,000–12,000 km, never long-life€90–140
EGR cooler recall
Issued over a fire risk; free to have done
check by VINfree
Swirl flaps
Cheap insurance against an ingested flap
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 ·
🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€5,050band €4,250–€8,750
🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold320d 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 320d
  • ChassisE92
  • EngineN47
  • Years2007–2013
  • MarketCentral EU
  • Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07
€4k€6k€8kE92 median, all 16 engines €7,700Pre-faceliftPre-facelift: low €4,250, good buy €5,050, average €5,850, high €8,050€5,850€4,250€8,050€5,050Facelift (LCI)Facelift (LCI): low €4,650, good buy €5,550, average €6,400, high €8,750€6,400€4,650€8,750€5,550
Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the e92 median, all 16 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
By volume this is the E9x most people are looking at, and it's the one that needs the strictest rule applied. The engine is otherwise good. Strong torque, real 5.5 l/100 km on a run, cheap to tax and insure. But the chain runs at the back of the block against the bulkhead, wears early, and takes valves with it when it jumps. Post-2011 cars received revised components, though not consistently, so a build date isn't proof. Get the car stone cold, stand at the bulkhead end, and listen at start-up. Then ask for the receipt. No receipt and no cold start means no deal. There are enough of these around that you never need to take the risk.

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 years2007–2013
Facelift phaseSold either side of the 2010 facelift, 2007–2009 pre, 2010–2013 LCI
Power / torque177 PS · 350 Nm
Transmissions6-speed manual · 6-speed automatic (ZF)
Gearbox familiesGetrag six-speed manual · ZF 6HP19 / 6HP21 six-speed automatic
DrivetrainRWD · xDrive
Economy (real-world)5–6.5 l/100 km mixed
MarketsEU