The expert listed unreliable BMW models

On September 20, auto expert Alexander Kovalev, in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, warned against buying BMW cars with problematic engines.

According to Kovalev, the N20 four-cylinder engine, which was produced from 2011 to 2018 and became one of BMW's most controversial developments, should be avoided. This engine is known for problems with the timing chain drive, oil leaks and premature wear of the piston group.

After the modernization in 2015, some of the problems were eliminated. However, buying 2011-2014 cars with such an engine should be approached as carefully as possible, warns Alexander Kovalev. Among them are the BMW 3 and 5 series, as well as the X1 and X3 crossovers.

The N13 engine, similar in design, created in partnership with Peugeot, inherited the same diseases as the N20. Including timing problems and oil leaks. Such engines were installed on the younger models of the 1st and 2nd series in the period from 2011 to 2016, the expert said.

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Earlier, Avito Auto experts found that BMW is the most popular car among the "German three" in Russia. The demand for Mercedes-Benz in 2025 was 10% less, and for Audi — by 14%. These brands account for two to three offers in the segment.

Among the flagship sedans, users are primarily interested in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which is 22% more popular than the BMW 7 Series. The Audi A8 attracts another 18% less attention. Among the smaller models (the E segment), Audi also proved to be less in demand: there is almost parity between the Mercedes-Benz E-class and the BMW 5 Series (demand for the Bavarian is 4.5% lower), the Audi A6 is more than 30% inferior to them.

In the D segment, there are many more BMW 3 and 4 Series fans than there are competitive models. The demand for Audi A4 is 27.8% lower, for Mercedes-Benz C-class — 36.9%. However, in the segment of off-road vehicles, Audi is among the favorites along with BMW.

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