Oil filter housing gasket leak
Attaches to oil-filter-housing at component level · Engine · carried by 53 variants across 8 chassis
Overview
Oil filter housing gasket leak is a common fault recorded against oil-filter-housing at component level, typically from 90–170k km. It shows up as oil pooling on the subframe, oil on the serpentine belt, drips on the driveway. Where it's documented, the repair runs €300–€600 (gasket at an independent, belt extra, costs dated 2026-07), and it can be checked before you buy. 53 variants across 8 chassis in this database inherit it.
What happens
Symptom. Oil pooling on the subframe, oil on the serpentine belt, drips on the driveway.
Cause. 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.
How to check it
Static checks
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.
Engine off, ideally on a lift.
Every variant that carries this
| Variant | Chassis | Body | Years | Risk | Good buy | Cost as % of good buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 323i N52 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2007 | R2 | €4,050 | 11% |
| 323i N52 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2007 | R2 | €4,300 | 10% |
| 323i N52 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2007 | R2 | €4,650 | 10% |
| 325i N52 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2007 | R2 | €4,750 | 9% |
| 325i N52 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2007 | R2 | €5,050 | 9% |
| 325i N52 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2007 | R2 | €5,450 | 8% |
| 325i N52 | E93 | convertible | 2007 | R2 | €5,350 | 8% |
| 325i N53 | E90 | sedan | 2007–2011 | R4 | €5,250 | 9% |
| 325i N53 | E91 | wagon | 2007–2012 | R4 | €5,550 | 8% |
| 325i N53 | E92 | coupe | 2007–2013 | R4 | €6,050 | 7% |
| 325i N53 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2013 | R4 | €5,900 | 8% |
| 328i N52 | E90 | sedan | 2006–2011 | R2 | €5,150 | 9% |
| 328i N52 | E91 | wagon | 2006–2012 | R2 | €5,450 | 8% |
| 328i N52 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2013 | R2 | €5,950 | 8% |
| 328i N52 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2013 | R2 | €5,750 | 8% |
| 330i N52 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2007 | R2 | €5,600 | 8% |
| 330i N52 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2007 | R2 | €5,950 | 8% |
| 330i N52 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2007 | R2 | €6,450 | 7% |
| 330i N53 | E90 | sedan | 2007–2011 | R4 | €6,000 | 8% |
| 330i N53 | E91 | wagon | 2007–2011 | R4 | €6,350 | 7% |
| 330i N53 | E92 | coupe | 2007–2011 | R4 | €6,900 | 7% |
| 330i N53 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2011 | R4 | €6,750 | 7% |
| 335i N54 | E90 | sedan | 2006–2010 | R4 | €7,350 | 6% |
| 335i N54 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2010 | R4 | €8,450 | 5% |
| 335i N54 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2010 | R4 | €8,250 | 5% |
| 335i N55 | E90 | sedan | 2010–2011 | R3 | €11,700 | 4% |
| 335i N55 | E92 | coupe | 2010–2013 | R3 | €13,450 | 3% |
| 335i N55 | E93 | convertible | 2010–2013 | R3 | €13,100 | 3% |
| 325d M57 | E90 | sedan | 2006–2010 | R2 | €5,200 | 9% |
| 325d M57 | E91 | wagon | 2006–2010 | R2 | €5,500 | 8% |
| 325d M57 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2010 | R2 | €6,000 | 8% |
| 325d N57 | E90 | sedan | 2010–2011 | R3 | €7,200 | 6% |
| 325d N57 | E91 | wagon | 2010–2012 | R3 | €7,650 | 6% |
| 325d N57 | E92 | coupe | 2010–2013 | R3 | €8,300 | 5% |
| 330d M57 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2008 | R2 | €5,950 | 8% |
| 330d M57 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2008 | R2 | €6,300 | 7% |
| 330d M57 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2008 | R2 | €6,850 | 7% |
| 330d M57 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2008 | R2 | €6,700 | 7% |
| 330d N57 | E90 | sedan | 2008–2011 | R3 | €8,500 | 5% |
| 330d N57 | E91 | wagon | 2008–2012 | R3 | €9,050 | 5% |
| 330d N57 | E92 | coupe | 2008–2013 | R3 | €9,000 | 5% |
| 330d N57 | E93 | convertible | 2008–2013 | R3 | €8,750 | 5% |
| 335d M57 | E90 | sedan | 2006–2010 | R3 | €6,900 | 7% |
| 335d M57 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2010 | R3 | €7,950 | 6% |
| 125i N52 | E82 | coupe | 2008–2013 | R2 | €7,000 | 6% |
| 125i N52 | E88 | convertible | 2008–2013 | R2 | €7,400 | 6% |
| 130i N52 | E87 | hatchback | 2005–2011 | R2 | €7,000 | 6% |
| 130i N52 | E81 | hatchback | 2007–2011 | R2 | €6,800 | 7% |
| 135i N54 | E82 | coupe | 2007–2010 | R4 | €9,800 | 5% |
| 135i N54 | E88 | convertible | 2008–2010 | R4 | €10,350 | 4% |
| 135i N55 | E82 | coupe | 2010–2013 | R3 | €12,600 | 4% |
| 135i N55 | E88 | convertible | 2010–2013 | R3 | €13,300 | 3% |
| 1M N54 | E82 | coupe | 2011–2012 | R3 | €50,700 | 1% |
The last column is the point. The same repair is an inconvenience on one variant and a reason to scrap the car on another. A failure costing a quarter of the vehicle's value changes the purchase decision regardless of how rare it is.