30d 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 30d is the N57 diesel version of the BMW X5 SUV (E70), sold 2010–2013 with 245 PS and auto_8_zf. Demands diligence at level 3. A better engine and gearbox than the pre-facelift car, on the same expensive chassis. 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 X5 SUV (E70) · photo BMW E70 X5 3,0d pre-facelift by JaayJay · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Power245 PS

Torque540 Nm

Years2010–2013

Fueldiesel

DrivexDrive

EnginesN57

Biggest risks

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

64Demands diligence

Transfer case actuator seizure€500–€2,600partly checkable
DPF clogging and forced regeneration€250–€1,800partly checkable
Rear timing chain wear€1,800–€3,000checkable

Risk level −22 · Likely spend vs price −14 · 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⚠ attentionTransfer case actuator seizure, €500–€2,600.

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

Suspension & brakes✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

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

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.

Transfer case actuator seizureE70 body€500–€2,600

A four-wheel-drive warning, a grinding or clicking from under the centre of the car, and in later stages a transmission fault light. The servo actuator that controls the clutch inside the transfer case seizes, and the motor then damages the case as it tries to move it. Catching it at the actuator stage is the difference between a moderate bill and a large one.

Check: Scan for stored transfer case faults rather than relying on the dashboard, since the warning arrives late. Listen underneath at low speed for clicking, and ask whether the actuator has ever been replaced.

DrivetraincommonPartly detectableevidence: documented90–180k 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

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

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.

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.

Transfer case actuator seizureScan for stored transfer case faults rather than relying on the dashboard, since the warning arrives late. Listen underneath at low speed for clicking, and ask whether the actuator has ever been replaced.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.

These are the younger cars in the generation and usually the better-kept ones. The eight-speed gearbox and the N57 are both durable, so condition and history still decide the purchase.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Engine oil and filter Chain wear on this engine family tracks oil condition.	15,000 km or annually	€130–200
Gearbox oil The eight-speed ZF lasts far longer with fresh oil than its sealed-for-life label implies.	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 €18k

€12k€15k€26.1k

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€15,000band €12,000–€26,150

🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold30d 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 X5 30d
ChassisE70
EngineN57
Years2010–2013
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 e70 median, all 3 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

The 2010 update brought the N57 and the eight-speed ZF gearbox, and together they make the E70 quieter and noticeably more economical. Everything expensive about the chassis is unchanged, so the air suspension and the tyres still set your running costs. Check the timing chain history, since the N57 shares its family's chain concern even though it's less prone than the four-cylinder N47. So budget properly rather than optimistically, because this is a heavy car with premium consumables.

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	2010–2013
Facelift phase	Facelift (LCI) only, from 2010
Power / torque	245 PS · 540 Nm
Transmissions	8-speed automatic (ZF)
Gearbox families	ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic
Drivetrain	xDrive
Economy (real-world)	7–9 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU