650i GC with new engine. Should I be worried?

[SimSimma!]

Looking at buying a 15 650 that had its engine replaced. 80k total miles, engine replaced at 40k due to oil consumption.
Is this a net benefit or will I be replacing it again in another couple of years?
I barely put 5k miles a year on my car so I just want to make sure I’m not in for it at 90k.
Anything to look for? PPI came back pretty clean.
Any thoughts?

[SimSimma!]

F*ck it. I bought it and I love it.
Fingers crossed ��

[Ralph III]

They are beautiful cars. We purchased a 2018 650i GC last year and love it. It had around 58k miles on it at the time. I will be installing a lower t-stat, turbo blankets, and thermal paint to the down-pipes very shortly to mitigate engine compartment heat. Which is the major concern of these vehicles. I actually often crack the hood after a drive to allow it to cool down quickly. Be sure to change the oil at 5k mile intervals as that will be the greatest benefit. You should also look to have the transmission serviced asap also (fluids/pan) as per ZF recommendations. Also, be sure to use a sunshade to minimize the ambient heat within the car. This can cause warping to the dashboard and it's nearly $5,000.00 to have it replaced. BMW agreed to cover 80% of the cost for us, as a courtesy, when it happened to ours. We leave the window visors up and use an umbrella shade for the front windshield.

Provide some pics and good luck.

God Bless,
Ralph

[SimSimma!]

Thanks!
I’ll be taking it in this week to get the HPFP changed, seems like that was the only thing missing from the paperwork. Was thinking of doing trans fluid so good to hear it’s recommended. Is the t-stat a DIY job? I’ll post pics soon after it gets detailed.
Thanks again!

[Ralph III]

Hey Sim,
ZF, who actually manufacturers the transmission, recommends servicing the transmission (fluid/pan/seal) every 50k miles. BMW used to say it was "lifetime" and consequently never recommended servicing. That however was a major disservice to owners, because at some point you will have a failure with the mechatronics units (seals/solenoids) and thus shifting issues with the transmission. It happened to me at 200,000 miles on our 2007 530xi. I had to replace the mechatronics unit. I serviced it again at 260,000 miles which included installing all new solenoids.

The service video and kit provided by FCP Euro is spot on, as seen HERE, with one exception. I don't agree that it is too late to service the transmission with a high mileage car, as the technician states. The going theory is, that the components are worn and if you service it with new fluid which is thin; then you'll experience issues. Here is the deal though. If you do have damaged or worn components, then you are going to have issues with the vehicle at some point anyhow. On our all wheel drive 530xi, I'd give it a 6-7 for a DIY job. The 6 series looks to be quite a bit easier. Be sure to use a kit such as FCP Euro with genuine ZF transmission fluid. Also, be sure you or your mechanics tops it off at the recommended temperature. Otherwise, you will be leaving it low on fluid.

The T-Stat replacement looks to be an 8 for a DIY. I'll be finding out pretty soon though. Some videos show people taking off all sorts of components to get to it from above. Whereas, it looks like I can get to the bottom bolt and a few things from below on the t-stat, which would significantly reduce how much I have to remove from above. This job looks daunting from videos but it may not be as bad as it seems once involved. Anyhow, there is no doubt this service could significantly extend the life of a N63 engine. Be sure to get one rated at 90c or above. Anything below 90c will throw codes.

I'd recommend adding Water Wetter to you coolant system which is a given to most everyone. Lastly, and this is debatable, as some call it snake oil, but I'd recommend adding ATP AT205 to the oil. This will revive the seals within the N63 engine while causing no issues. It's proven to work at restoring seals and many DIYs and Mechanics use it for a lot of other applications as well.

Good luck,
Ralph

[Cryptikz]

Originally Posted by SimSimma!

F*ck it. I bought it and I love it.
Fingers crossed ��

Congrats!! Any pics?

[Cryptikz]

Originally Posted by Ralph III

They are beautiful cars. We purchased a 2018 650i GC last year and love it. It had around 58k miles on it at the time. I will be installing a lower t-stat, turbo blankets, and thermal paint to the down-pipes very shortly to mitigate engine compartment heat. Which is the major concern of these vehicles. I actually often crack the hood after a drive to allow it to cool down quickly. Be sure to change the oil at 5k mile intervals as that will be the greatest benefit. You should also look to have the transmission serviced asap also (fluids/pan) as per ZF recommendations. Also, be sure to use a sunshade to minimize the ambient heat within the car. This can cause warping to the dashboard and it's nearly $5,000.00 to have it replaced. BMW agreed to cover 80% of the cost for us, as a courtesy, when it happened to ours. We leave the window visors up and use an umbrella shade for the front windshield.

Provide some pics and good luck.

God Bless,
Ralph

What are turbo blankets? Can you provide a link to what you will install? Also are you taking out the downpipe to pipes to paint them?

My main curiosity is how does a new thermostat increase the life of the engine? Which thermostat do you specifically recommend?


Thank you for any insight 😁

[Cryptikz]

Originally Posted by Cryptikz

What are turbo blankets? Can you provide a link to what you will install? Also are you taking out the downpipe to pipes to paint them?

My main curiosity is how does a new thermostat increase the life of the engine? Which thermostat do you specifically recommend?


Thank you for any insight 😁

I just looked it up and it seems the thermostat can tell the engine to perform better cooling earlier before it over heats. How do you properly program this in? Sounds good