Looking to purchase this 2014 F56 S with 110k miles and was wondering if this (cold started) engine sounded healthy. Thanks!

 

Played the clip but it is not very long. And I had to deal with all kinds of pop ups from I guess Apple Music app wanting me to sign up for every frickin' option available so I was loathe to play it again. In fact I didn't even see a replay button.

But I did play it again and this time focused on the noise and not the popups...

I heard a bit of odd/irregular tick-y noises. Based on what I heard I'd be leery of the engine.

110K miles? Can't you find a similar MY car with fewer miles? And less tick-y?

 

Sounds just like my 2017 F56S with 102K miles. Which I don't mean to suggest inspires confidence, it just sounds like mine at cold start (gets better with warmup but never convincingly goes away), and I have wondered the same thing. Then again, my mid-90s vintage Subaru has similar cold start ticking (also gets better with warmup but never convincingly goes away), sometimes louder than others, and has had me scratching my head about it for over 300K miles while still continuing to run.

So... I'm curious about the "real" answer to whether this is normal/ok for the F56S engine too, and if not normal/not ok, what's up and how to deal with it.

 

My F56 has 116,500 and here's how it sounds on startup....


Cheers,

Charlie

 

I know you said in your recording that you couldn't hear the ticking, but I could for sure. Wasn't consistent though, and wasn't as heavy. I got the impression you might be moving to different places relative to the engine and/or it was coming and going. A good example would be between timestamps 0:18 and 0:25 (I arbitrarily stopped at 0:25 for the sake of this post).

 

Quite true - I was moving the phone around the motor during the recording.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Here's another try... more useful I hope.



Cheers,

Charlie

 

Cool and helpful recording. Tough to make out until the engine starts to drop RPMs, but starting around timestamp 1:02 I can begin to identify it (meaning the ticking sounds like my 2017 F56S and what I hear in OP's recording), and as the engine idles down further it becomes more distinguishable, especially towards the end.

Very interesting!

 

Some more thoughts based on my own experience...

The B48 engine has, thus far proved itself as a remarkably durable power plant - listed in the Top 10 Turbo 4 Cyl as compiled by HotCar.


The key is the oil.

So I'd be looking at maintenance records, and seeking proof that the car had 5-7k change intervals.

I'd also run a compression test, seeking 150 psi+ on all four with < 5% variation.

The Getrag is damn bulletproof.

I've had ONE surprise on mine, which was the oil filter and integrated cooler mount on the front of the block which is bloody plastic and to which the gasket failed That was a $1,500 repair.

So I intend to run Gollum to 150-200,000 miles and expect to get there. That means I do not immediately look askance at a 110,000 mile F56.

It all depends on the love the car has, or has not, known.

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

You have a B48? I have a B46.

I had the plastic oil cooler boom thing happen -- definitely a thing that is "going to happen" rather than an "if it will happen," IMO. And I am currently chasing a slow coolant leak that I know is a leak because the coolant level drops even when the car sits doing nothing for days. I suspect one or more of the smaller hoses attached to the reservoir or the heater core, but haven't nailed it yet. In any case, a "well known BMW phenomenon" that simply is what it is.

I have 1 other issue on my F56S that feels like brewing trouble -- unexplained blow-by at the oil fill cap that takes only 1 quick drive after cleanup to reappear -- but like the coolant-related items noted, I suspect all of the B46s have it.

Excellent guidance and feedback, BTW.