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BMW is harder to buy used parts for than most brands, and it is worth understanding why before you start.
BMW builds to chassis codes rather than model years, and it revises parts mid-production without changing the model name. Two 2013 328i sedans built four months apart can take different components. Option codes change things further: a car with adaptive suspension, a sport package or a cold weather package uses parts a base car does not, and the exterior gives you no clue.
This is why we ask for your VIN. It resolves the chassis code, the production date and the factory option list in one step, and it is the difference between the right part arriving and a return.
We search the inventory of more than 14,000 salvage yards and auto recyclers nationwide to find genuine OEM BMW parts.
The chassis code identifies the generation of the platform, and it is what actually governs interchange. A few of the common ones:
A part listed for a “2012 3 Series” is ambiguous, because 2012 spans both the E90 and the F30. Give us the VIN and that ambiguity disappears.
Because of the N20 and N26 timing chain problem.
The 2.0-litre turbocharged N20 and N26 engines built roughly between 2012 and early 2015 used a plastic timing chain guide that becomes brittle over time. When the guide breaks apart, fragments can lodge in the crankshaft drive sprocket, the chain loses tension and skips teeth, and the camshafts fall out of sync with the crankshaft. On an interference engine that means valve and piston contact, and the repair is often an engine replacement rather than a repair.
A class action (Gelis v. BMW) was settled over the timing chain and oil pump drive chain modules in 2012–2015 vehicles. BMW put in place a 7 year / 70,000 mile warranty extension on the chain assemblies with a reimbursement program running to 8 years / 100,000 miles. There was never a formal recall, and that coverage has now lapsed on every affected car.
Models covered by the settlement included the 2012–2015 X1, X3, Z4, 320i, 328i and 528i, and the 2014–2015 228i, 428i and X4. Eligibility depended on production range, not just model year, which is the chassis-code point again.
Two practical consequences. Replacement engines for these cars move through salvage networks in real volume, so a used N20 is usually far cheaper than a rebuild. And if you are buying one, ask whether the chain, guides and oil pump drive chain were done. BMW revised the guide design around 2015, so a later-build unit is the better bet.
The 4.4-litre twin-turbo N63 V8, used in 2008–2013 vehicles badged 50i across the 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, X5 and X6, has a well-documented appetite for oil.
The design puts the turbochargers in the valley between the cylinder banks. The heat that generates hardens the valve stem seals, and oil passes into the combustion chamber. Owners have reported consumption at a quart every several hundred miles.
BMW responded in December 2014 with service bulletin B001314, the “N63 Customer Care Package.” It was a voluntary campaign rather than a recall, and it covered inspection and where needed replacement of the timing chain, fuel injectors, mass airflow sensors, crankcase vent lines, the vacuum pump and the battery, and shortened the oil service interval. Notably it did not automatically replace the valve stem seals, which are the usual root cause of the oil consumption and a separate, expensive job. A later class action settlement added an engine replacement path for cars that still failed oil consumption testing after the package was performed.
If you are shopping for a used N63, service history matters more than mileage. A documented engine with the care package and valve stem seal work behind it is a better buy at 100,000 miles than an undocumented one at 50,000. Look for the campaign sticker, code 721, on the driver’s side A-pillar.
Beyond the drivetrain, the parts we are asked to source most often for BMWs tend to be the ones where plastic meets heat: cooling system components, expansion tanks, thermostat housings and water pumps, along with oil filter housing gaskets and valve cover gaskets. These are consumable failures on most German cars of the last two decades rather than defects specific to one engine, but they drive a lot of the requests that come through the network.
We publish our price tiers rather than making you call to find out:
These apply to engines and transmissions. Smaller components are quoted individually, since price varies with the part, the chassis and which yard has it. Shipping is arranged through the supplying yard and quoted with the part.
We source across the range, including the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 Series, the X1 through X7, the Z3 and Z4, and M variants. M cars and lower-volume chassis take longer to locate, but a network of 14,000 yards turns up parts a single yard would never carry.
Send us the year, model and part, and your VIN. On a BMW the VIN is not optional in practice. It resolves the chassis code, production date and option codes, and it is the difference between a part that bolts on and a part that goes back.
We search the network and come back with what is available, including the grade the yard assigned the part and its mileage where that applies. Nothing is charged until the part is located and its condition confirmed.
Every part we supply carries a 30-day warranty.
Call 800-646-4790 or send a request and we will start the search.
