i don't really know trucks that well but even i know that the excursion with 7.3 powerstroke is quite sought after these days, and is preferred to the 6.0 that followed

 

The funny thing is, the primary goal behind the design of the 7.3 (and presumably the 6.8 as well) was...wait for it....fuel economy! But they were only able to build it because the trucks they put them in (3/4 ton and up) are exempt from federal fuel economy regulations. So instead of designing them for a test, they designed them for real-world use. And their research showed them that, unlike their 1/2 ton brethren which have largely become the new luxury vehicles, the average 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are used hard for nearly their entire lives. It was some crazy high statistic like 73% (I forget the actual figure) carry or tow heavy loads at least twice a week, and something like half do it every single day. So they designed the 7.3 to deliver the best possible mpg under stress, rather than in a standardized test cycle. Yeah the fuel economy probably sucks compared to a 5.0 or Ecoboost if you're just puttering around town like you're in an escape. But hook a big-*** trailer up, and it doesn't hurt you nearly as badly.

 

My brother has a 9 year old BMW with a diesel engine. Overall the car is below average and mediocre when it comes to reliability. A lot of things have to be replaced such as ball joints, bushings and suspension bits. Overall the engine has never let him down, but he has a constant CEL on for something to do with emissions but we don’t have an emissions testing here. Sadly, the car is not very quiet.

never go to the stealership

 

This isn't a reliability issue, it's a design ethos. These parts are consumables in ALL BMWs. It's a consequence of designing a car for both sharp, tight handling, and simultaneously a good ride. If you want to do one or the other, it's a cakewalk to make these parts last nearly forever. Either you use rock-hard urethane bushings everywhere and get great handling at the expense of a jittery ride, or you use soft rubber ones for mushy, imprecise handling and a really smooth ride. BMW uses very hard rubber to try to get close to the performance of the urethane, while still providing a compliant ride. As a result, they wear and typically have to be replaced in the 80-100k mile range. I had to do it on my E46, and also on my E90. I'm fully expecting the same on my G80, though I drive so little now I might not ever get there.

The emissions equipment is absolutely a weak point on these cars, as it is on most diesels of the time, especially imports due to the Euro6 regulations. Removing the EGR at a minimum works wonders for overall reliability and smoothness. There's no reason for it to be there in the first place. Diesel passenger vehicles are permanently exempt in IL also.

It's a tractor, what did you expect? But if it's particularly bad, it may be related to the CEL. He should get that checked out.

 

I was behind an X5 diesel a year or two ago that was malfunctioning so badly and so loudly that it sounded like almost like dump truck or some insane tuned 3500.

I could hear it 3 cars away and drove up to see what the deal was, tailpipes were smoking. I have no idea what the issue was. It sounded bad. The owner was oblivious which I couldn't believe, because that's how freakin' loud it was.

 

i'm sure they're aware, but probably just fed up and sick of dealing with it lmao

 

How many miles are on your truck? I know you know this but expect that V8 as well to last 300k.

 

Dual circuit EGR is necessary for achieving the cold start & cold ambient emissions on eur6d cars - and probably EPA/CARB too, given that we've always been... lax, to say the least, with tractor emissions. Once the car is up to temp, there's very little reason to rely on it, assuming that DPF + SCR are fitted. People to buy them for short trip city cars here, so there's that, I guess.

Re: the suspension - this applies for pretty much all "developed" vehicles, does it not? I don't think I've heard of somebody complaining about weak suspension / transmissions / brakes on a bmw. It's mostly the engine (& some auxiliaries like the cooling system) and the electronics.

 

106k. She's got a lot of life left in her.

 

I love european cars, they are my favorite.

However, I always traded them in before they hit 100k miles because I worried about reliability at high miles.

 

I was referring to more of the overall noise of his car and not just the diesel engine which was pretty quiet at idle. Wind noise and road noise seemed to me a little too much. his car is a 3 series.

100K is not a lot of miles.

 

for the 2UZ in a 4Runner it's not (or in fact the majority of good engines lol), but for a 2008 BMW M5 that uses 10W-60 oil for its 8500rpm V10 and can't properly lubricate its piston bearings 100k miles is about all you can expect

 

They don’t make it that long lol. They start throwing rods at 50k.

Stick with 6s, BMW. That’s their forte.

100k is not a lot of miles, gotta agree with Jill there. Isn’t that what your E55 is about at? From what I’ve seen and know it’s flawless and ready to go another 200k.

 

The S85 is generally okay up to 125k miles if you aren't a dumbass and let the oil warm up. So many people don't and end up killing them, yes I agree it shouldn't be needed but there is a way to treat the engine to extend life/delay the bearing service

 

i'm at like 120k now, but this one was at 402k!! (i love how quickly that jeep goes backward when he steps on it in 2nd lol)


it was bought by some other 'youtubers' who had it up to 450k miles as of like a year ago but haven't seen updates since