Car Model Guide/ BMW/ 3 Series/ F31/ 330d

330d N57

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.

Overview

The 330d is the N57 diesel version of the BMW 3 Series wagon (F31), sold 2012–2018 with 258 PS and auto_8_zf. Demands diligence at level 3. The rear chain is far less troublesome than on the four-cylinder, and the emissions hardware still costs when it goes. 7 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 (F31) · photo BMW F31 3 Series Touring Mineral Grey Metallic (1) by Damian B Oh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Power258 PS

Torque560 Nm

Years2012–2018

Fueldiesel

DriveRWD / xDrive

EnginesN57

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 7 recorded in total.

67Solid

DPF clogging and forced regeneration€250–€1,800partly checkable
Rear timing chain wear€1,800–€3,000checkable
Variable-vane turbo actuator sticking€400–€1,200checkable

Risk level −22 · Likely spend vs price −11 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 5 with no recurring fault reported

EnginewatchRear timing chain wear, €1,800–€3,000.+2 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.

Cooling✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Emissions⚠ attentionDPF clogging and forced regeneration, €250–€1,800.+1 more in this system

Transmission✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Electrics✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Suspension & brakeswatchRear air spring leak, €300–€1,200.

Body & interior✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

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	2012–2014	€12,700	€18,000	€26,500	€15,350	The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)	2015–2018	€13,850	€19,650	€28,900	€16,750	B47 and B48 engines replaced N47 and N20; Revised lights and bumpers; Updated iDrive and interior trim

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.

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

Rear timing chain wearN57D30€1,800–€3,000

Rattle from the bulkhead end of the engine on start-up, worst when cold. Same rear-mounted chain architecture as the four-cylinder N47, but with a materially lower failure rate on the six.

Check: Cold start. Listen at the bulkhead. The six isn't the four. This is a real but much rarer failure, and it shouldn't by itself put you off the engine.

EngineoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented180–300k 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

Rear air spring leakF31 body€300–€1,200

The rear of the car sitting low after standing, a suspension warning, or a compressor that runs for longer than it should. The Touring's self-levelling rear suspension uses air springs, and their rubber bags perish and crack with age. A leaking spring then makes the compressor work harder until it fails as well.

Check: Look at the car cold and before it's been started, and check that it sits level. Then load the boot and watch it lift back to height, listening for the compressor running on.

SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented90–180k km

Oil filter housing gasket leakoil filter housing€300–€600

Oil pooling on the subframe, oil on the serpentine belt, drips on the driveway. The gasket between the filter housing and the block fails. Oil then lands on the belt, and a belt that shreds can be drawn into the front crank seal.

Check: Put the car on a lift. Check the belt itself for oil contamination. An oily belt is the version of this fault that ends badly.

EnginecommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented90–170k km

EGR cooler leakEGR cooler€400–€1,000

Coolant loss with no visible external leak, white smoke, sweet smell. The EGR cooler cracks internally and leaks coolant into the intake. BMW recalled affected diesels over a fire risk from glycol deposits igniting.

Check: Check coolant level and look for unexplained top-ups in the service history. Verify the recall was carried out. It's free and searchable by VIN.

EmissionsoccasionalPartly detectableevidence: manufacturer120–250k km

Swirl flap wear and ingestionswirl flaps€400–€900

Often none until it happens. Rough running, then in the worst case an engine destroyed by an ingested flap. The intake manifold's swirl flaps run on spindles that wear. A detached flap can be drawn into a cylinder.

Check: Not visible without removing the manifold. Ask whether the flaps have been removed or the manifold replaced. Many well-kept examples have had this done preventively, and that's a selling point.

EngineoccasionalNot detectable at viewingevidence: documented120–250k km

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.

Pre-purchase inspection

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

7 checks · saved in this browser ·

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

Rear timing chain wearCold start. Listen at the bulkhead. The six isn't the four. This is a real but much rarer failure, and it shouldn't by itself put you off the engine.

2Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.

Rear air spring leakLook at the car cold and before it's been started, and check that it sits level. Then load the boot and watch it lift back to height, listening for the compressor running on.Oil filter housing gasket leakPut the car on a lift. Check the belt itself for oil contamination. An oily belt is the version of this fault that ends badly.

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

Variable-vane turbo actuator stickingDo 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.

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

EGR cooler leakCheck coolant level and look for unexplained top-ups in the service history. Verify the recall was carried out. It's free and searchable by VIN.Swirl flap wear and ingestionNot visible without removing the manifold. Ask whether the flaps have been removed or the manifold replaced. Many well-kept examples have had this done preventively, and that's a selling point.

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

DPF clogging and forced regenerationRead 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.

Mileage and servicing

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

The N57 runs to very high mileage when the oil is looked after, so a 200,000 km car with a full record is a reasonable buy. Consumables and the gearbox oil are what the odometer predicts here.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Engine oil and filter Chain, turbo and filter life all track oil condition.	15,000 km or annually	€140–210
Gearbox oil The eight-speed ZF lasts far longer with fresh oil than its sealed-for-life label suggests.	every 100,000 km	€300–450

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 €18.9k

€12.7k€15.3k€28.9k

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€15,350band €12,700–€28,900

🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold330d N57 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 330d
ChassisF31
EngineN57
Years2012–2018
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 f31 median, all 5 engines

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.

Our read, not a record

With 560 Nm and the eight-speed ZF this is a genuinely fast car that returns sensible economy, which is why it's the enthusiast's pick of the generation. The chain shares the N47's position at the back of the engine and has a much lower failure rate, so a rattle still deserves attention. Check the particulate filter history and the EGR recall record. So budget for tyres and brakes at the level this performance implies, since a hard-driven 330d eats both.

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	2012–2018
Facelift phase	Sold either side of the 2015 facelift, 2012–2014 pre, 2015–2018 LCI
Power / torque	258 PS · 560 Nm
Transmissions	8-speed automatic (ZF)
Gearbox families	ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic
Drivetrain	RWD · xDrive
Economy (real-world)	5–6.5 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU