Hi All, I have a '92 BMW525i with 265K miles on it. It still runs great, has lots of power and doesn’t burn or use any oil and everything else on the car works fine. My question is; how many miles can this engine go before I need to rebuild it. The car itself is in almost show room condition, so I plan on keeping it.
Thanks
You have presented no information that convinces me that it is engine rebuild time. Now one overheat event could quickly put you in that catagory, Spend your money on keeping that overheat event from happening and keep the body and accessories up to the highest level that is practical. Keep in mind you are dealing with a 92 and if a difficult to diagnoise event occurs it could get expensive. Techs familar with the 92 are getting older and the emphasis is on newer more popular models.
You need to tell me what definition of “need to rebuild” you are working off.
It could go quite a bit further, but no way to know for sure. Could be 30k, could be 130k. Just keep checking the oil, note when consumption starts going up. You’d probably want to put a rebuilt engine in there, One source for BMWs is Metric Mechanic, I’m sure there are others, you might check a BMW forum for ideas. You’ll probably spend more on the rebuild than the car is worth, but if you like it, who cares? Way cheaper than a new car.
Have the water pump and radiator been replaced?
Nobody can answer your question…The engine could go another 100K miles or it could blow tomorrow…Impossible to predict…But when it does fail, the cost to rebuild or replace it will exceed the value of the car…
It’s nice to get a question from a poster who does not have a horror story on his hands. A colleague of mine has a late 80s Series 7 BMW, used constantly, with very high mileage and the engine is still sound. BMW engines if cared for by the book, will outlast the rest of the car.
As others point out, and I’m sure you will understand, regular oil changes using the right oil, taking care of the cooling system, and keeping the fuel and ignition system in good shape will allow these cars to achieve very high miles. Unlike a Jaguar engine, which gets extremely expensive to maintain and repair as it ages, the engine is the best part of a BMW.
On my friend’s car many other things (non engine) are starting to fail, and he may get rid of the car next year, when it’s 23 years old.