N62 vs M50

Side-by-side reliability comparison

Higher reliability score
M50 BEST 88/100
+50 points over N62
0 / 100
AVOID N62 BMW
0 / 100
BEST M50 BMW

Specifications

N62
M50
Brand
BMW
BMW
Verdict
AVOID
BEST
Reliability
38
88
Years
2001--2010
1990--1996
Displacement
4799 cc
2494 cc
Layout
V8
I6
Type
Petrol Na
Petrol Na
Power
325--367 hp
150--192 hp
Known Issues
2
2
Total Risk Cost
€4,000--€14,000
€400--€1,100

Character

N62

"Valve stem seal failure (30%+ by 160k km). Coolant transfer pipe leak = 40+ hours labour. Timing chain guide brittleness. Over-engineered with too many failure points. Beautiful power, terrible ownership."

M50

"Cast iron block legend. One of BMW's most reliable ever. M50TU added single VANOS. Strong internals handle 300k+ km. Cooling plastics only weakness."

Issues Comparison

N62 2

◆ CRITICAL
Coolant transfer pipe seal leak €2,000--€8,000 60,000 km--120,000 km
◆ CRITICAL
Valve stem seal failure €2,000--€6,000 100,000 km--180,000 km

M50 2

▲ HIGH
Water pump plastic impeller failure €200--€500 60,000 km--120,000 km
● MODERATE
VANOS unit wear (M50TU) €200--€600 100,000 km--200,000 km

Models

N62 5

5 Series E60 2003--2005 7 Series E65 2001--2005 X5 E53 2003--2006 5 Series E60 2005--2010 X5 E53 2004--2006

M50 0

No models listed.

Full N62 Report Full M50 Report