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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum BMW 2 Series (F22) Forum BMW 2 Series Coupe and Cabriolet (F22/F23) General Forum Difference between B46 and B48?

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      05-12-2017, 06:39 PM   #1
kaputt
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Difference between B46 and B48?

What are the differences between the B46 in the 2 series and the B48 in the 3 series? I read that the B48 put a couple of critical components like the VANOS and timing chain at the back of the engine. And if either ever needed work it would require an engine out service ($$$). I'm assuming the B46 is just a variant of the B48, but does anyone know if it also has that critical Achilles heel?
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      05-13-2017, 07:15 PM   #2
englishguy84
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Yes, it does. The B46 is a super-ultra low emission vehicle (SULEV) version of the B48. It has some differences to meet stricter emissions standards in states like California. The layout and engineering is the same, so the VANOS and timing chain is in the back. There's no reported problem with VANOS or the timing chain in these engines thus far, btw. It's more that the N20 and N47 engines have had timing chain issues, and VANOS issues have come up over the years on many engines. Both should not be an issue if you are leasing. If you are buying, it depends on whether you have a warranty and your appetite for risk.
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      05-13-2017, 09:37 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by englishguy84 View Post
Both should not be an issue if you are leasing. If you are buying, it depends on whether you have a warranty and your appetite for risk.
I never understood this logic. BMW or any company should be engineering cars to be as good or better than the competition. If BMW ends up just building cars to last 3 years, which seems to be the typical lease period, the used market will be flooded and new car values will drop... because the cars basically become 3 year rental cars and no one will want to buy one.

With the price as high as it is on a BMW versus other brands we know that last, I expect maintenance to be a bit more, ride a bit better, and reliability to be the same or better. If not, I'll get rid of the Bimmer and bad mouth them to hell to never purchase or lease one.

There are too many other brands that deliver cars that meet/beat expectations.
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      05-14-2017, 03:06 AM   #4
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In Australia we also get the 220i's as EU spec with the B48 engines.
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      05-14-2017, 02:55 PM   #5
kaputt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by englishguy84 View Post
Yes, it does. The B46 is a super-ultra low emission vehicle (SULEV) version of the B48. It has some differences to meet stricter emissions standards in states like California. The layout and engineering is the same, so the VANOS and timing chain is in the back. There's no reported problem with VANOS or the timing chain in these engines thus far, btw. It's more that the N20 and N47 engines have had timing chain issues, and VANOS issues have come up over the years on many engines. Both should not be an issue if you are leasing. If you are buying, it depends on whether you have a warranty and your appetite for risk.
My issue is whatever car I buy next I plan on keeping. I realize that VANOS has been an issue on earlier models (E46 comes to mind), but none of them required an engine out service to fix it, meaning it remained relatively affordable to fix. It seems as though modern BMW is engineering their vehicles like modern phones. A disposable appliance that will just be thrown away when it's time has come. I realize most purchasers dont care what happens to their car post 7 years or ~100k miles, but there are those of us who would like to drive a car till 200k+.

The most frustrating thing for me is that from a product standpoint (forgetting current or future reliability) BMW is the only one who is offering a practical RWD offering with a manual transmission. As the poster above said, I'm not expecting Honda Civic like affordability or reliability, but having a massive Achilles heel designed into the motor from the start just seems like poor foresight from the engineers.
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      05-14-2017, 07:09 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaputt View Post
My issue is whatever car I buy next I plan on keeping. I realize that VANOS has been an issue on earlier models (E46 comes to mind), but none of them required an engine out service to fix it, meaning it remained relatively affordable to fix. It seems as though modern BMW is engineering their vehicles like modern phones. A disposable appliance that will just be thrown away when it's time has come. I realize most purchasers dont care what happens to their car post 7 years or ~100k miles, but there are those of us who would like to drive a car till 200k+.

The most frustrating thing for me is that from a product standpoint (forgetting current or future reliability) BMW is the only one who is offering a practical RWD offering with a manual transmission. As the poster above said, I'm not expecting Honda Civic like affordability or reliability, but having a massive Achilles heel designed into the motor from the start just seems like poor foresight from the engineers.
I've got an E46 325i with 166,000 miles on it, with no VANOS issues whatsoever. I think frequent oil changes with proper-grade synthetic are key...with a lot of higher-mileage cars, the owners tend to go a lot longer between changes, use cheaper oil, etc., with predictable results.

I've got an M240i on order, and I plan on keeping it well past 100,000 miles.
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      05-16-2017, 11:03 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rightrudder View Post
I've got an E46 325i with 166,000 miles on it, with no VANOS issues whatsoever. I think frequent oil changes with proper-grade synthetic are key...with a lot of higher-mileage cars, the owners tend to go a lot longer between changes, use cheaper oil, etc., with predictable results.

I've got an M240i on order, and I plan on keeping it well past 100,000 miles.
With all due respect, while you may well be right--and I hope your car lasts many years--it's always important to remind new folks what they could be getting into, not to scare them off, but so that they go in eyes wide open.

To new buyers: you should not be basing your buying decision on anecdotal evidence, or evidence about the reliability of engines that were made to different standards, with different parts, in a different business environment, over a decade ago. Definitely do not base your decision on anecdotal evidence about such engines. That said, maintaining your engine well is absolutely critical, and you should only use high quality oil, change oil regularly, and stay on top of all required services like this guy did - your odds go way up.
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      05-21-2017, 09:44 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by englishguy84 View Post
That said, maintaining your engine well is absolutely critical, and you should only use high quality oil, change oil regularly, and stay on top of all required services like this guy did - your odds go way up.
I don't know what you mean with that statement, because all that should be necessary to go 100K + miles, is what BMW recommends. That is BMW FE+ oil and 1 year/10K oil changes. If a consumer has to try and guess what what the best oil and or how frequently it has to be changed, there's something seriously wrong.

On a side note... I'm waiting to see what Toyota recommends for the B engines in the new Supra and Corolla, when they're released. Based on what I've read, Toyota and the other Asian manufacturers are more reliability driven.. I read this in an article about how all the manufacturers are now testing in Nürburgring and why they were testing there.... It would be really interesting if Toyota recommends an API rated oil with the same or different OCI than BMW on the same engine.
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      05-04-2020, 09:21 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crabu2 View Post
I don't know what you mean with that statement, because all that should be necessary to go 100K + miles, is what BMW recommends. That is BMW FE+ oil and 1 year/10K oil changes. If a consumer has to try and guess what what the best oil and or how frequently it has to be changed, there's something seriously wrong.

On a side note... I'm waiting to see what Toyota recommends for the B engines in the new Supra and Corolla, when they're released. Based on what I've read, Toyota and the other Asian manufacturers are more reliability driven.. I read this in an article about how all the manufacturers are now testing in Nürburgring and why they were testing there.... It would be really interesting if Toyota recommends an API rated oil with the same or different OCI than BMW on the same engine.
From what I've read Toyota put the BMW engines through a slew of tests, did multiple tear downs and the BMW products exceeded their standards.
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