BMW's 3.0L, anyone know it first hand?

Hmmm... well, I don't know how much help this'll be, but here's what little information I can pass along about the BMW 3.0 engine you're talking about.

My dad had that engine in a manual Z4 that was made in late 2003. He had it from new, bought it off the lot with a few dozen miles already on the clock, and did around 40k miles in it over about 3 years before he changed (when the warranty ran out) to an automatic 2006 3-series (also bought off the lot with a few dozen miles on it) that had the exact same engine. He did around 70k miles in the 3-series over 6 years (holding on to it even after the warranty expired) before changing to a new Porsche Cayenne S very recently.

Never any problems with the Z4, it was bullet-proof. The 3-series had some suspension problems around 55k miles (just out of warranty), but that was nothing that wasn't easily fixed. No engine or transmission problems at all to report in either BMW. I realise that history falls about 30k short of the time-frame you're interested in, so I don't know how much help that is, but I'm afraid it's all I can pass along.

Good luck!

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I've had a couple - ran a 2002 330i round to about 155,000 miles without any engine issues - only thing to note is it did use a bit of oil which is not unusual on that engine, but never had any problems with it.

Daily is now a 2009 325i, again a 3.0 but the newer engine type - it's a bit more economical but doesn't make as nice a noise on full chat as the older one!

Brilliant engines - great cars!

 

That's the M54B30 motor. My daily uses the same. I have over 160k miles on mine and it sees redline on a daily basis. They burn a bit of oil regularly and quite often, it's very common and nothing too worrisome. Funny enough, like some higher end sports cars, these motors like to be driven. My dad's old 330ci had sludge build up on the oil cap as he barely drove it, and never drove it hard to work the motor out.

Biggest issues are cooling system overhauls every few years or 100k miles. Valve cover gasket leaks are not uncommon at high miles but a super easy fix. The waterpump/t-stat tend to go boom. Though mine never did, I just changed it as a precaution this summer. That's a few hundred there. Check the radiator hoses around the necks for cracks and leaks. It can sometimes be hard to see as it could be on the lower hoses.

I think that covers the basics. PM me if you need more help

 

I purchased my 3.0 CSL in 1975 and had it until 1987 with more than 80,000 km on the clock.

I never had problems despite a new gasket.

 

I had my 2007 335 from new and just traded it in with just under 85K on the clock. Absolutely zero engine problems. Only one fuel pump issues that was handled under the recall. Pretty good considering some people went through multiple before they even hit 20k or 30k miles.

 

Yea, drive trains are about bullet proof - however as was already mentioned, the coolant system is garbage, radiators go and so do thermostat problems and such, but it's the hoses and the overflow bottle that crack more regularly.