I was in the market for an F30 320d — something to run around in, preferably with a bit more mileage on it so that I could document the experience of owning a higher-mileage diesel BMW: what to look out for, what eventually needs attention, what these cars are really like beyond 200,000 km and, at some point, the infamous N47 timing-chain replacement.
Anyway, long story short...
I logged onto the forum the other day for the first time in a while and came across @lebofa 's For Sale thread. Then I realised the thread was about six years old. 😂
Since I know him and he literally lives three streets away from me, I figured I’d drop him a message and see what had happened with the sale.
We arranged for me to quickly come and have a look at the car — not inspect it, just spend a few minutes looking at it in his garage.
He mentioned that he had owned it from new, had done oil services every 10,000 km, and had maintained it properly throughout its life.
Being a 2014 model, I certainly wasn’t expecting to find a “like new” example. What I found instead was a good, honest car.
It isn’t perfect, but it is in far better condition than probably 90% of the used cars I come across.
We agreed on a price, I paid the deposit that evening, settled the balance the following day, and arranged to collect it on Friday morning at 08:30.
Since he lives so close, I literally walked to his house and drove the car back home. 😂
Then my wife saw it... And apparently it is now her run-around because the Fortuner has suddenly become “too big to park at work”. 😂
Either way, the goal remains the same: get the car as close to 100% mechanically perfect as possible and use it.
At some point during the day I was ordering parts for another vehicle, so I decided to add a few service items for the 320d to the order.
I ended up with:
• 3 × oil filters
• Fuel filter
• Cabin air filter
• Engine air filter
• New ZF 8HP oil sump/filter kit
All of the fluids — engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, differential oil, etc. — will eventually be switched over to their Motul equivalents.
After completing the day’s work and bookings, I moved the 320d into the workshop and put it onto the lift.
My plan with the engine is to gradually clean out whatever accumulated soot, contamination or deposits may be present after 200,000 km by doing three oil services within roughly 1,000 km.
The first two will be done using Liqui Moly 5W-30, mainly because I have some extra stock taking up space in the cupboard.
The idea is simple: fresh oil and filter, run it for a short interval, drain it, replace the filter and repeat. Once I’m satisfied that everything is nice and clean, I’ll make the permanent switch over to Motul engine oil.
Once the car was on the lift, this was actually the first opportunity I had to properly inspect it. For a 200,000 km car, it is a fairly clean and decent specimen.
• Known history, so there are no concerns regarding accident repairs or mileage tampering
• Fairly clean inside and out
• One owner from new
• OEM BMW M Performance Power Kit
• Clearly not abused — mature gentleman owner rather than some punk kid 😂
• Drives extremely well: smooth, quiet and no funny business
• OEM BMW water pump, vibration-damper pulley and several other items replaced relatively recently at BMW
Both front shocks are leaking.
So the list currently includes:
• Front shocks
• New shock mounts
• Bump stops
• Stabiliser end links
• Steering rack ends
The control arms still look good and were replaced in 2024, so I’ll run those for a little longer before replacing them.
Rear suspension
The rear bump stops have deteriorated and broken apart.
The rear shocks aren’t leaking yet, but considering their age and mileage, I’ll probably replace the shocks and mounts at the same time.
Oil-filter housing
There is quite a bit of old coolant residue around the oil-filter housing.
I’m not sure yet whether there is a very slow current leak or whether it is residue from a previous leak that was repaired.
Either way, at 200,000 km I’m leaning towards replacing the complete housing as preventative maintenance. I may also look at replacing the original plastic housing with an aluminium version.
Front right tyre
The right-front tyre has a cut in the sidewall.
I’ll replace both front tyres rather than just the damaged one.
Rainy season is almost upon us, and fresh front tyres with proper tread depth mean better wet-weather grip and braking performance.
I’ll most likely stick with the Continental ContiSportContact 5 SSRs currently fitted to the car.
Cooling system
The BMW invoices confirm that the water pump has been replaced, but I haven’t seen any mention of the thermostat being done.
I’m therefore considering replacing the thermostat and housing before flushing the cooling system and switching over to Motul coolant.
Engine and gearbox mounts
I can’t find any evidence that these have previously been replaced.
At this mileage, they’re definitely worth adding to the preventative-maintenance list.
Propshaft
There are two flexible couplings/guibos on the propshaft.
Both the front and rear couplings are beginning to show very minor cracking.
Nothing alarming yet, but they will need attention, and while I’m in there I’ll probably replace the centre support bearing at the same time.
• Added Motul Engine Clean/Flush and allowed it to circulate before draining the old engine oil
• Removed the oil filter, cleaned the housing and installed a new MANN oil filter and O-ring
• Installed the drain plug with a new crush washer
• Filled the engine with approximately 5.2 litres of Liqui Moly 5W-30
• The engine air filter had last been replaced in October last year, roughly 10,000 km ago, so that was replaced again
• Removed the old cabin/pollen filter and installed a new activated-carbon cabin filter
• Ran a full diagnostic scan, cleared historical faults and reset the engine-oil service reminder
• Ran diagnostics on the EGS/transmission control unit and checked the transmission data to determine whether the gearbox can be safely serviced
• Took the car for a drive to bring the differential oil up to temperature
• Returned to the workshop and put it back onto the lift
• Drained the rear differential oil, which had apparently been replaced last year, and refilled it with Motul Gear oil
That’s where I stopped for Day 1.
I’ll drive it around for the next week and let the fresh oil do its thing.
Then, if I get some free workshop time next week, I’ll continue working through the list.
• ZF 8HP transmission service with a new oil pan/filter kit and Motul ATF
• Flush and bleed the braking system with Motul DOT 5.1 brake fluid
• Replace both front tyres with new Continental ContiSportContact 5 SSRs
• Start collecting the parts for the complete suspension refresh
• Engine and gearbox mounts
• Front and rear propshaft guibos and centre support bearing
• Replace the driver’s door seals — replacement seals came with the car
• Install the steering-rack repair kit — a new kit also came with the car
And obviously, somewhere further down the road...
N47 timing chain. 😅
The idea with this car isn’t simply to throw parts at it because it has 200,000 km on the clock.
I want to go through it systematically, establish a proper mechanical baseline, address the things that genuinely need attention, carry out sensible preventative maintenance and then document what living with a well-maintained, higher-mileage F30 320d is actually like.
I’ll keep updating this thread as the work progresses.
Here's the pics from day 1
Anyway, long story short...
I logged onto the forum the other day for the first time in a while and came across @lebofa 's For Sale thread. Then I realised the thread was about six years old. 😂
Since I know him and he literally lives three streets away from me, I figured I’d drop him a message and see what had happened with the sale.
We arranged for me to quickly come and have a look at the car — not inspect it, just spend a few minutes looking at it in his garage.
He mentioned that he had owned it from new, had done oil services every 10,000 km, and had maintained it properly throughout its life.
Being a 2014 model, I certainly wasn’t expecting to find a “like new” example. What I found instead was a good, honest car.
It isn’t perfect, but it is in far better condition than probably 90% of the used cars I come across.
We agreed on a price, I paid the deposit that evening, settled the balance the following day, and arranged to collect it on Friday morning at 08:30.
Since he lives so close, I literally walked to his house and drove the car back home. 😂
Then my wife saw it... And apparently it is now her run-around because the Fortuner has suddenly become “too big to park at work”. 😂
Either way, the goal remains the same: get the car as close to 100% mechanically perfect as possible and use it.
At some point during the day I was ordering parts for another vehicle, so I decided to add a few service items for the 320d to the order.
I ended up with:
• 3 × oil filters
• Fuel filter
• Cabin air filter
• Engine air filter
• New ZF 8HP oil sump/filter kit
All of the fluids — engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, differential oil, etc. — will eventually be switched over to their Motul equivalents.
After completing the day’s work and bookings, I moved the 320d into the workshop and put it onto the lift.
My plan with the engine is to gradually clean out whatever accumulated soot, contamination or deposits may be present after 200,000 km by doing three oil services within roughly 1,000 km.
The first two will be done using Liqui Moly 5W-30, mainly because I have some extra stock taking up space in the cupboard.
The idea is simple: fresh oil and filter, run it for a short interval, drain it, replace the filter and repeat. Once I’m satisfied that everything is nice and clean, I’ll make the permanent switch over to Motul engine oil.
Once the car was on the lift, this was actually the first opportunity I had to properly inspect it. For a 200,000 km car, it is a fairly clean and decent specimen.
Things I like about it:
• Full service history, including 10,000 km oil-service intervals and a file full of invoices covering the car over the years• Known history, so there are no concerns regarding accident repairs or mileage tampering
• Fairly clean inside and out
• One owner from new
• OEM BMW M Performance Power Kit
• Clearly not abused — mature gentleman owner rather than some punk kid 😂
• Drives extremely well: smooth, quiet and no funny business
• OEM BMW water pump, vibration-damper pulley and several other items replaced relatively recently at BMW
Things I picked up that will need attention:
Front suspensionBoth front shocks are leaking.
So the list currently includes:
• Front shocks
• New shock mounts
• Bump stops
• Stabiliser end links
• Steering rack ends
The control arms still look good and were replaced in 2024, so I’ll run those for a little longer before replacing them.
Rear suspension
The rear bump stops have deteriorated and broken apart.
The rear shocks aren’t leaking yet, but considering their age and mileage, I’ll probably replace the shocks and mounts at the same time.
Oil-filter housing
There is quite a bit of old coolant residue around the oil-filter housing.
I’m not sure yet whether there is a very slow current leak or whether it is residue from a previous leak that was repaired.
Either way, at 200,000 km I’m leaning towards replacing the complete housing as preventative maintenance. I may also look at replacing the original plastic housing with an aluminium version.
Front right tyre
The right-front tyre has a cut in the sidewall.
I’ll replace both front tyres rather than just the damaged one.
Rainy season is almost upon us, and fresh front tyres with proper tread depth mean better wet-weather grip and braking performance.
I’ll most likely stick with the Continental ContiSportContact 5 SSRs currently fitted to the car.
Cooling system
The BMW invoices confirm that the water pump has been replaced, but I haven’t seen any mention of the thermostat being done.
I’m therefore considering replacing the thermostat and housing before flushing the cooling system and switching over to Motul coolant.
Engine and gearbox mounts
I can’t find any evidence that these have previously been replaced.
At this mileage, they’re definitely worth adding to the preventative-maintenance list.
Propshaft
There are two flexible couplings/guibos on the propshaft.
Both the front and rear couplings are beginning to show very minor cracking.
Nothing alarming yet, but they will need attention, and while I’m in there I’ll probably replace the centre support bearing at the same time.
DAY 1 — SERVICE & BASELINE MAINTENANCE
Once the inspection was finished and I had a better idea of what I was working with, I got started.• Added Motul Engine Clean/Flush and allowed it to circulate before draining the old engine oil
• Removed the oil filter, cleaned the housing and installed a new MANN oil filter and O-ring
• Installed the drain plug with a new crush washer
• Filled the engine with approximately 5.2 litres of Liqui Moly 5W-30
• The engine air filter had last been replaced in October last year, roughly 10,000 km ago, so that was replaced again
• Removed the old cabin/pollen filter and installed a new activated-carbon cabin filter
• Ran a full diagnostic scan, cleared historical faults and reset the engine-oil service reminder
• Ran diagnostics on the EGS/transmission control unit and checked the transmission data to determine whether the gearbox can be safely serviced
• Took the car for a drive to bring the differential oil up to temperature
• Returned to the workshop and put it back onto the lift
• Drained the rear differential oil, which had apparently been replaced last year, and refilled it with Motul Gear oil
That’s where I stopped for Day 1.
I’ll drive it around for the next week and let the fresh oil do its thing.
Then, if I get some free workshop time next week, I’ll continue working through the list.
NEXT UP:
• Replace the diesel fuel filter — I’ll probably do this together with the gearbox service since I’ll already be working in that area• ZF 8HP transmission service with a new oil pan/filter kit and Motul ATF
• Flush and bleed the braking system with Motul DOT 5.1 brake fluid
• Replace both front tyres with new Continental ContiSportContact 5 SSRs
• Start collecting the parts for the complete suspension refresh
• Engine and gearbox mounts
• Front and rear propshaft guibos and centre support bearing
• Replace the driver’s door seals — replacement seals came with the car
• Install the steering-rack repair kit — a new kit also came with the car
And obviously, somewhere further down the road...
N47 timing chain. 😅
The idea with this car isn’t simply to throw parts at it because it has 200,000 km on the clock.
I want to go through it systematically, establish a proper mechanical baseline, address the things that genuinely need attention, carry out sensible preventative maintenance and then document what living with a well-maintained, higher-mileage F30 320d is actually like.
I’ll keep updating this thread as the work progresses.
Here's the pics from day 1
👌
