Turbocharger

Turbochargers are a problem in all turbocharged BMWs—but the common problems can be avoided with good servicing. The main issues that occur are:

• Oil starvation: Oil starvation is the biggest killer of BMW turbochargers—and is mostly caused by blocked feed lines. The lack of oil will wear out the turbine, which can then present as a whining noise, poor acceleration or blue/grey exhaust smoke. This can be avoided with regular oil changes and replacing/cleaning the turbo feed lines at recommended intervals.
• Cheap oil: Turbochargers seals can be killed by poor quality oil—so it is important to use the BMW Long-Life specified for your engine.
• Oil contaminants: Contaminants in the oil can kill the turbocharger—so ensure that your changing the oil and filter at regular intervals (for the petrol cars in our fleet we change them every 8,000 kms.)

Additionally, there are some specific design issues with certain turbochargers. For example, the N54 and N20 engines have problems with excessive wastegate rattle, and the N47T engines in the X5 F15 25d have a critical design flaw in the wastegate actuator that leads to failure. There might be fixes for these, but we’re not really involved in that part of the BMW ecosystem.

A turbocharger is a forced induction device that increases an engine’s efficiency and power output by forcing extra compressed air into the combustion chamber.

Turbochargers consists of a turbine and a compressor on a shared shaft. The turbine is powered by the engine’s exhaust gases, which rotate the compressor, drawing in and compressing air more densely than atmospheric pressure alone. This compressed air allows the engine to burn more fuel per engine cycle, significantly enhancing power and torque outputs without increasing engine displacement.

When determining fitment compatibility of a turbocharger for your vehicle—it is best to match the BMW part number from the catalogue. You can alternatively match the BMW part number or manufacturer number engraved into the unit—but these numbers have likely been superseded.

Provide us with your vehicle’s 17-digit VIN—and we’ll check our stock for a compatible match.

Turbochargers are highly-interchangeable between vehicles with the same engine.