[will0621]

I am looking to pick up a used x3m. This one in particular caught my attention, but the carfax states the ignition coil(a) was/were replaced on 11/30/22, 2/16/23, 6/19/23.
My question is if this is a cause for concern? I don’t know much about the x3m/S58 platform, but have not seen that on other carfaxes before. I know I can ask the dealer but they will probably give a generic answer to downplay it.

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...5Vjmm4X1-IXvko

[thestimp]

Coils replaced is normal at 30k milage.

[mattsheng]

I checked the detail history of this X3M.

• 18353 miles: they replaced all 6 spark plugs because CBS said they needed to be replaced.
• 24371 miles: replaced 1 spark plug & 1 ignition coil because check engine light was on. They also changed oil with LL17FE+ 0W-20 even though the car calls for LL01FE 0W-30. Probably because they ran out of LL01FE and had to put in LL17FE+, which is technically suitable for S58.
• 26566 miles: replaced 1 ignition coil again because cylinder 3 was misfiring.
• 29146 miles: replaced 1 ignition coil again because the check engine light came on and lost all power.

All in all, I don't have a good feeling about this...

[will0621]

Originally Posted by mattsheng

I checked the detail history of this X3M.

• 18353 miles: they replaced all 6 spark plugs because CBS said they needed to be replaced.
• 24371 miles: replaced 1 spark plug & 1 ignition coil because check engine light was on. They also changed oil with LL17FE+ 0W-20 even though the car calls for LL01FE 0W-30. Probably because they ran out of LL01FE and had to put in LL17FE+, which is technically suitable for S58.
• 26566 miles: replaced 1 ignition coil again because cylinder 3 was misfiring.
• 29146 miles: replaced 1 ignition coil again because the check engine light came on and lost all power.

All in all, I don't have a good feeling about this... I attached the detailed history in case you are interested.

Attachment 3300895

This was extremely helpful. Thank you! I know M cars get spark plugs replaced at the third oil change, but the ignition coil replacements were new to me. I think I'll pass on this one.

[thestimp]

Originally Posted by will0621

This was extremely helpful. Thank you! I know M cars get spark plugs replaced at the third oil change, but the ignition coil replacements were new to me. I think I'll pass on this one.

Its honestly not too huge of a deal, but my guess is he had a tune and it just ran hot which will kill plugs sooner and the dealer being lazy just did the coils too because dealer.

[will0621]

Originally Posted by thestimp

Its honestly not too huge of a deal, but my guess is he had a tune and it just ran hot which will kill plugs sooner and the dealer being lazy just did the coils too because dealer.

This crossed my mind too, but the car is CPO and I would think it would be difficult for a dealer to CPO a tuned car (correct me if I’m wrong)

[Oldgixxer]

Originally Posted by will0621

This crossed my mind too, but the car is CPO and I would think it would be difficult for a dealer to CPO a tuned car (correct me if I’m wrong)

Do you feel comfortable purchasing a vehicle that was possibly tuned without knowing which tune,who tuned it,owners driving habits(possible weekly dragstrip visits)etc?

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by thestimp

Coils replaced is normal at 30k milage.

wait wat? Coils at 30k is asinine. Not even corvettes either z06 or zr1 require coils at 30k. Is it just more M shenanigans to make money?

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by will0621

I am looking to pick up a used x3m. This one in particular caught my attention, but the carfax states the ignition coil(a) was/were replaced on 11/30/22, 2/16/23, 6/19/23.
My question is if this is a cause for concern? I don’t know much about the x3m/S58 platform, but have not seen that on other carfaxes before. I know I can ask the dealer but they will probably give a generic answer to downplay it.

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...5Vjmm4X1-IXvko

Buy a CPO, at least you get an extra year warranty unlimited miles

[thestimp]

Originally Posted by saabster2010

wait wat? Coils at 30k is asinine. Not even corvettes either z06 or zr1 require coils at 30k. Is it just more M shenanigans to make money?

30-50k is a normal range for tuned M's. Or at least it used to be? They are not that hard to do so why not.

[mattsheng]

Originally Posted by thestimp

30-50k is a normal range for tuned M's. Or at least it used to be? They are not that hard to do so why not.

Repeated coil change is normal? I don't think so. The dealer only fixed the symptoms but not the root cause for CEL.

If the car is tuned, it will be flagged by ISTA when the dealer did diagnostic and BMW would deny all engine warranty claims and the car can't be CPO later on. So it's very unlikely that the car was previously tuned and the CELs were caused by the tune.

The car is listed for sale soon after the 3rd CEL. I'm pretty sure the first owner had enough of it.

[strohw]

Originally Posted by mattsheng

If the car is tuned, it will be flagged by ISTA when the dealer did diagnostic and BMW would deny all engine warranty claims and the car can't be CPO later on. So it's very unlikely that the car was previously tuned and the CELs were caused by the tune.

When I got rid of my X3M in 2021, the dealer bought out my lease. They put it up for sale as CPO and it did have a BM3 tune on it. So there is never a guarantee that people do their jobs correctly.

But I do agree that I wouldn't even consider this vehicle. It's been to the dealer 3 times in the last 5000mi. Perhaps even needed a tow to get there on the last one.

[mattsheng]

Originally Posted by strohw

When I got rid of my X3M in 2021, the dealer bought out my lease. They put it up for sale as CPO and it did have a BM3 tune on it. So there is never a guarantee that people do their jobs correctly.

But I do agree that I wouldn't even consider this vehicle. It's been to the dealer 3 times in the last 5000mi. Perhaps even needed a tow to get there on the last one.

They probably were able to CPO your car because they didn't hook up ISTA. But according to this car's history, the tech did hook up ISTA to diagnose CEL and just by hooking it up the tune would be flagged automatically so the dealer can't do anything about that.

Yea, 3 CELs in the last 5000 miles doesn't sound good at all LOL.

[M4Lou]

Originally Posted by Oldgixxer

Do you feel comfortable purchasing a vehicle that was possibly tuned without knowing which tune,who tuned it,owners driving habits(possible weekly dragstrip visits)etc?

Given the incredible potential of these "m" cars, esp the s58 - you really have to accept that any used car could have been tuned or abused.

I think it goes back to basics, multiple owners, unknown history, etc. My s58 has a Rchip, eibachs, ER midpipe - but I take excellent care of it and bought it to KEEP. Some of these guys buy these cars to beat on/thrill ride it/ then flip for even money or even a profit. Just an opinion...

[Oldgixxer]

Originally Posted by M4Lou

Given the incredible potential of these "m" cars, esp the s58 - you really have to accept that any used car could have been tuned or abused.

I think it goes back to basics, multiple owners, unknown history, etc. My s58 has a Rchip, eibachs, ER midpipe - but I take excellent care of it and bought it to KEEP. Some of these guys buy these cars to beat on/thrill ride it/ then flip for even money or even a profit. Just an opinion...

Exactly. Thats why when it comes to high performance/enthusiast type cars(or bikes) I personally only go brand new as I have OCD and trust-issues so I'll literally lay in bed at nite wide awake wondering if my used purchase was beat to crap then put back to stock and sold.

Thats strictly my opinion,as I know plenty who've purchased pre-owned,CPO,etc and have nothing but positive experiences. I'm not that fortunate however.

[e30 4 life!]

Changing coils is a waste of money and not part of regularly scheduled maintenance. This car had a misfiring issue and that alone would be enough for me to just walk away. I have no problem buying a tuned car if the maintenance history is there to support it.

[Mnfamilyguy2020]

I know the coil discussion has been repetitive here, but I'd like to add that the current Gen of coils that are used now by BMW; including the type on the S58 do not suffer the same issues that plagued the previous BMW models of a few years ago. Good riddance Bosch XXX44XXX yuck! I still have a dozen of these things I need to get rid of from Mini S, F06, F10 etc.

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by Mnfamilyguy2020

I know the coil discussion has been repetitive here, but I'd like to add that the current Gen of coils that are used now by BMW; including the type on the S58 do not suffer the same issues that plagued the previous BMW models of a few years ago. Good riddance Bosch XXX44XXX yuck! I still have a dozen of these things I need to get rid of from Mini S, F06, F10 etc.

Ok thanks for giving me some peace of mind!

[Scottycs19]

Seems like most of the people her have never owned a turbo BMW before...

Having had a tuned N54 many years ago, the plugs would last 20k and the coils would last slightly longer. If you didn't change them like clockwork, you would get misfires and CEL. A few coil packs is not something that should scare you or be a cause for alarm.

[strohw]

Originally Posted by Scottycs19

Seems like most of the people her have never owned a turbo BMW before...

Having had a tuned N54 many years ago, the plugs would last 20k and the coils would last slightly longer. If you didn't change them like clockwork, you would get misfires and CEL. A few coil packs is not something that should scare you or be a cause for alarm.

That's a bit of antiquated experience. You're referencing a 20 year old engine and coil packs have gotten much better since then. You're not going to eat coils on a modern reasonably tuned turbo engine. Plugs, ya they still should be changed. Plus, you're making an assumption the very reason it's eating coils is because it's tuned, without any other information available.

[Scottycs19]

Not really, how have coils packs gotten much better? What has drastically charged with coil packs in the past 10 years? BMW doesn't have a good track record with coil packs. Would love to see the data for your claims.

Originally Posted by strohw

That's a bit of antiquated experience. You're referencing a 20 year old engine and coil packs have gotten much better since then. You're not going to eat coils on a modern reasonably tuned turbo engine. Plugs, ya they still should be changed. Plus, you're making an assumption the very reason it's eating coils is because it's tuned, without any other information available.

[strohw]

Originally Posted by Scottycs19

Not really, how have coils packs gotten much better? What has drastically charged with coil packs in the past 10 years? BMW doesn't have a good track record with coil packs. Would love to see the data for your claims.

I wasn't referring to coil packs as a whole industry wide, I meant the n54 coil pack issues were pretty well known. You used one of the most obvious examples of an engine that eats coils and even did it in stock form. No tuning required. They use better coils now in the b58/s58 iterations and you can easily look up n54 vs b58/s58 coil differences. The b58 coil is literally recommended as a direct swap coil upgrade for the n54.

In regards to data that isn't simply numbers like those you can look up, you can look through the main and sub forums for vehicles that use these engines. Do you see prevalent issues related to coil packs that are prompting threads in those forums? Do you see anyone complaining about eat coils in any of the numerous tuning threads for the s58 across the models that use it? The n54 is just not a good representation of modern turbo engines and their reliability.