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BMW F32 4 Series buyer's guide

2014–2020 · 428i / xDrive, 435i / xDrive, 430i / xDrive, 440i / xDrive (N20, N55, B46/B48, B58)

2018 BMW 420i coupe (F32)
2018 BMW 420i coupe (F32). Photo: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped, resized).

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Engines by year Model-year changes Known problems Other issues Warranty extensions Recalls Inspection checklist Red flags Specs Paint codes Coding Ownership costs Sources

Models and engines by year

ModelUS model yearsEngine
428i / xDrive2014–2016N20
435i / xDrive2014–2016N55
430i / xDrive2017–2020B46/B48
440i / xDrive2017–2020B58

US-market models. Chassis codes: F32, F33, F36. Not sure which one you have? The VIN check decodes year, model and engine.

Model-year changes

Model yearWhat changed
20144 Series coupe (F32) launches as the replacement for the E92 3 Series coupe: 428i (N20) and 435i (N55); xDrive followed a few months after launch. Convertible (F33) shown late 2013.16
2015Gran Coupe (F36) five-door liftback, built in Dingolfing from July 2014.16
2017 (LCI)430i (B46/B48) and 440i (B58) replace the 428i and 435i, with the F30 LCI engine update. The facelift (unveiled January 2017) brings redesigned LED headlights, taillights and bumpers, iDrive 6.0, and stiffer suspension on coupe and Gran Coupe.16
2020Production ended in September 2020.16

US model years unless noted. "LCI" (Life Cycle Impulse) is BMW's name for a mid-cycle facelift.

Known problems and when they show up

Mileages are what the cited shops, specialists and owner forums report. They are typical ranges, not predictions for any one car.

N20 engine

428i / xDrive (2014–2016) · N20 bulletins

ProblemWhen it shows upWhat to knowRepair prices
Timing chain guides and oil pump drive chainany mileage; BMW warranty extension is 7 years/70,000 milesA whine from the front of the engine that rises with rpm, or a cold-start rattle. A broken guide can destroy the engine. BMW revised the chain parts from January 2015 production. Its warranty extension (SIB 11 03 17) covers listed 2012–2015 N20/N26 cars built up to mid-2015, for 7 years/70,000 miles from in-service. A class-action settlement (SIB 11 02 21) covers cars built through February 2015.1,2,3,4N20 timing chain replacement
Owners paid: indie shop $2,375–$2,832 · dealer $3,550–$5,000
Oil leaks and electric water pumpnot tied to a mileage in our sourcesValve cover, oil filter housing gasket leaks and electric water pump failures also come up on higher-mileage N20s.No price yet

N55 engine

435i / xDrive (2014–2016) · N55 bulletins

ProblemWhen it shows upWhat to knowRepair prices
Valve cover and gasket leakabout 60,000–100,000 milesBurning-oil smell and oil on the spark plug wells. The plastic cover can also crack, so it is often replaced together with the gasket.5,6,7N55 valve cover / valve cover gasket (PCV)
Owners paid: indie shop $930–$1,625 · dealer $1,450–$2,076
Oil filter housing gasket leakabout 50,000–130,000 milesOil drips onto the belt and tensioner. Fix it before the belt is damaged.5,6,7,8N55 oil filter housing gasket (OFHG)
Owners paid: indie shop $648–$763
Electric water pump and thermostatusually before 100,000 miles; reported failures range from about 30,000 to over 120,000Fails suddenly, often with no warning, then overheats.5,6,7N52 / N54 / N55 electric water pump + thermostat
Plastic charge pipecan crack at any age, even at stock boost; about 40,000–90,000 miles (60,000–150,000 km) per EngineScopeSudden loss of boost and a whoosh under load.5,7N55 charge pipe (intercooler to throttle) replacement
Oil pan gasketusually past 100,000 milesExpensive labor because the subframe must be lowered.5N55 oil pan gasket
Owners paid: indie shop $1,588–$1,900
VANOS solenoidsaround 120,000 milesRough idle and cam timing faults.5VANOS solenoids (intake / exhaust)

B46/B48 engine

430i / xDrive (2017–2020) · B46/B48 bulletins

ProblemWhen it shows upWhat to knowRepair prices
Coolant leak at the oil filter housingmost reports about 60,000–80,000 milesBMW SIB 11 10 25 (Dec 2025): the housing seal can press on the coolant bushing so it deforms and leaks. The fix is a new gasket set and a redesigned bushing. It covers B46/B48 in G01, G02, G20, G22, G23, G26, G29, G30, G45 and G60.9,10,11B58 / B48 oil filter housing (coolant leak)
Owners paid: indie shop $1,800–$3,300 · dealer $2,825–$3,950
Brittle coolant hoses and couplingsage and heat relatedPlastic connectors near hot parts crack and can burst.11,10No price yet
Turbo oil return line leak (early cars)early productionCaused by a mis-assembled gasket, fixed under warranty on early engines.11No price yet
Fuel tank vent (purge) valveany mileageEvap check-engine light. BMW NA extended the warranty on this valve to 15 yr/150,000 mi on many B46/B48/B58 cars (SIB 01 02 24 and later; listed on our job page).12B58 / B48 fuel tank vent valve (purge valve)

B58 engine

440i / xDrive (2017–2020) · B58 bulletins

ProblemWhen it shows upWhat to knowRepair prices
Coolant loss: oil filter housing, vent hose, water pump, expansion tankcommonly from about 60,000–80,000 miles; water pumps typically last about 75,000–100,000Often a slow "ghost" leak you smell but can't see. A pressure test finds it. Common sources are the plastic oil filter housing and its coolant vent hose, the water pump and the expansion tank.13,10,14B58 / B48 oil filter housing (coolant leak)
Owners paid: indie shop $1,800–$3,300 · dealer $2,825–$3,950
Valve cover gasket and PCVvalve cover gaskets about 60,000–100,000 milesOil on the spark plugs, burning-oil smell, low-oil warning. In November 2023 BMW NA mailed owners a 15 yr/150,000 mi warranty extension for the crankcase pressure control (PCV) valve (details and letter on our job page).15,13B58 valve cover / PCV failure
Owners paid: dealer $3,049–$4,450
Fuel tank vent (purge) valveany mileageEvap check-engine light. BMW NA extended the warranty on this valve to 15 yr/150,000 mi on many B46/B48/B58 cars (SIB 01 02 24 and later; listed on our job page).12B58 / B48 fuel tank vent valve (purge valve)

Known F32 issues beyond the engine

Same engines as the F22/F30. The 428i (N20), 435i (N55), 430i (B48) and 440i (B58) share the engine-specific issues covered in the engine sections below.16

Warranty extensions and service campaigns 21

Warranty extensions (20)

Showing 15 of 20.

Service campaigns (1)

  • SIB 84 02 26 Telematics unit failure Telematics unit failure on BMW G01/G02/G05/G06 and other models (2020); BMW repairs affected cars free under a service campaign. Service campaign · Jul 2026

Filed by BMW with NHTSA. Extensions usually follow the car to later owners and can reimburse earlier repairs; a BMW dealer can confirm by VIN.

NHTSA safety recalls 13

  • Recall 25V871: head air bag 228I, 320I, 328I, 335I, 428I, 435I, M235I, 2014–2015. The head air bag inflator may fail at the weld joint, which can cause gas to leak from the inflator or result in an inflator rupture.
  • Recall 24V608: water pump, plug connector 228I, 328I, 428I, 528I, X1, X3, X4, X5, Z4, 2012–2018. BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 201
  • Recall 24V527: driver's front air bag 320I, 328D, 328I, 335I, 428I, 435I, 528I, 535D, 535I, 550I, 640I, 650I, ACTIVE HYBRID 5, X3, X5, 2013–2015. Please see the recall report for the complete list of models.
  • Recall 24V288: head air bag 228I, 320I, 328D, 328I, 335I, 428I, 435I, M235I, M3, M4, 2014–2015. The head air bag inflator may fail at the weld joint, which can cause gas to leak from the inflator or result in an inflator rupture.
  • Recall 19V352: knee bolster 230I, 330I, 430I, 440I, M2, M240I, M4, 2019–2020. The driver and passenger knee air bag assemblies may have been improperly folded and assembled.
  • Recall 18V533: inflator module 430I, 440I, 2019. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling one each of 2019 BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe, 440i xDrive Gran Coupe and 430i xDrive Convertible vehicles.
  • Recall 18V465: engine 230I, 330E, 330I, 340I, 430I, 440I, 530E, 530I, 540D, 540I, 640I, 740I, M240I, X1, X2, 2018–2019. The crankshaft sensor may be equipped with incorrect firmware, preventing the sensor from properly processing input from the crankshaft reluctor ring, possibly resulting in a vehicle stall.
  • Recall 17V507: front 430I, 440I, M4, 2018. The Emergency Locking Retractors (ELR) within the front seat belt assemblies may have been produced with incompatible vehicle-sensitive locking mechanism housings.
  • Recall 17V115: air bags 430I, 440I, M4, 2017. The affected vehicles have seat-mounted side air bag inflator initiators that may fail to ignite during a crash.
  • Recall 16V914: air bags 430I, 440I, 528I, 535D, 535I, 550I, 640I, 650I, I3, I8, M4, M5, M6, X1 SAV, 2016–2017. The affected vehicles have seat- mounted side air bag inflator initiators that may fail to ignite during a crash.
  • Recall 15V189: fuel pump 228I, 320I, 328I, 335I, 428I, 435I, ACTIVE HYBRID 3, M235I, 2014–2015. BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014 228i Coupe, M235i Coupe, 320i, 320xi, 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi, ActiveHybrid 3, 328xi Sports Wagon, 428i Coupe, 428xi Coupe, 435i Coupe, 435xi Coupe, 428i Convertible, 428xi Convertible, 435i Convertible, 328xi Gran Turismo, 335xi G
  • Recall 15V148: air bags 428I, 435I, 2015. Due to a programming error, the driver's front air bag deployment timing may be incorrect.

Showing the 12 newest of 13.

Matched from NHTSA's public recall file by model and model year. A recall may cover only some cars from a year, and it may already have been done on yours. Check by VIN →

Test drive and inspection checklist

  1. Run the VIN for open recalls. Open safety recalls are free at any BMW dealer. Check on NHTSA's site or our recall page before you buy.17
  2. Scan for stored fault codes with a BMW-capable tool. A generic OBD reader misses most BMW modules. Specialist guides recommend a BMW-level scan (ISTA or similar) to catch faults that have been cleared from the dash but still stored.18,19
  3. Start it from cold. Ask the seller not to warm the car up first. Chain rattle, VANOS rattle, lifter tick and rough idle show most clearly in the first seconds after a cold start.18,20,21
  4. Ask a BMW dealer about warranty extensions and campaigns. Several BMW warranty extensions follow the car, not the owner, and some reimburse earlier repairs. A dealer can check the VIN. The list for this chassis is below.
  5. Get a pre-purchase inspection from a BMW specialist. A few hundred dollars for an independent BMW specialist is the usual advice, especially for M cars and high-mileage turbo engines.22,18
  6. Cold start on a 428i. Listen for timing chain whine or rattle (see the N20 section).23

Engine items to listen and look for are in the known problems section.

Service-history red flags

  • Oil changes only at the long computer interval. Several guides advise changing oil more often than the onboard service indicator (CBS) suggests, especially with lots of city driving.21,24
  • Gaps in the records around known failure mileages. If the engine section below lists a job that usually comes due at the car's mileage, ask for the invoice. A missing record isn't proof it wasn't done, but it is a negotiating point.
  • Tuned or "deleted" cars. Tunes, emissions deletes and removed parts complicate warranty claims and inspections and raise wear on turbo cars. Ask, and look for aftermarket intakes, downpipes and charge pipes.
  • N20: ask for records of Timing chain guides and oil pump drive chain; Oil leaks and electric water pump.
  • N55: ask for records of Valve cover and gasket leak; Oil filter housing gasket leak; Electric water pump and thermostat; Plastic charge pipe; Oil pan gasket; VANOS solenoids.
  • B46/B48: ask for records of Coolant leak at the oil filter housing; Brittle coolant hoses and couplings; Turbo oil return line leak (early cars); Fuel tank vent (purge) valve.
  • B58: ask for records of Coolant loss: oil filter housing, vent hose, water pump, expansion tank; Valve cover gasket and PCV; Fuel tank vent (purge) valve.

F32 specs

BMW's US figures we have on file run from 240 hp (428i Coupe) to 320 hp (440i Coupe), with 0-60 mph as quick as 4.6 s.

A manual gearbox was offered in model years 2014–2020 (EPA listings). Full F32 specs: every US engine, transmission and drive by year →

Factory paint and option codes

Paint colors BMW of North America listed for the F32 in the ordering and pricing guides we read:

CodeColorModel years
300Alpine White2017
416Carbon Black Metallic2017
475Black Sapphire Metallic2017
668Jet Black2017
A75Melbourne Red Metallic2017
A83Glacier Silver Metallic2017
A89Imperial Blue Metallic2017
A92Orion Silver Metallic2017
A96Mineral White Metallic2017
B38Midnight Blue Metallic2017
B39Mineral Grey Metallic2017
B45Estoril Blue Metallic2017
B53Sparkling Brown Metallic2017
B65Jatoba Brown Metallic2017
X02Citrin Black Metallic2017
X08Champagne Quartz Metallic2017
X10Tanzanite Blue Metallic2017
X11Frozen Bronze Metallic2017
X12Smoked topaz metallic2017

106 option codes are listed for the F32 in the same guides. Search them.

Only model years covered by the guides we could obtain are shown.

Coding

The coding apps' own lists show 191 settings that owners can change on the F32 with a phone and an OBD adapter, in areas such as Welcome Lights, Seat heating/cooling, Convenient opening/closing, Display options iDrive system, Tailgate, Audio. 168 come from BimmerCode's list and 23 more appear only in Carly's list.

Full F32 coding list with tool, difficulty and caveats →

Ownership costs

Routine maintenance: oil service prices by engine size, published BMW Value Service prices (brakes, spark plugs) from 16 US dealers, and the F32 maintenance schedule. Most F32 models: 4- and 6-cylinder $119.99 tier; M4 "Other".

Repairs we price that apply to the F32

Repair and owner-reported prices
N20 timing chain replacement
Owners paid: indie shop $2,375–$2,832 · dealer $3,550–$5,000
B58 / B48 oil filter housing (coolant leak)
Owners paid: indie shop $1,800–$3,300 · dealer $2,825–$3,950
N55 oil filter housing gasket (OFHG)
Owners paid: indie shop $648–$763
N55 valve cover / valve cover gasket (PCV)
Owners paid: indie shop $930–$1,625 · dealer $1,450–$2,076
B58 valve cover / PCV failure
Owners paid: dealer $3,049–$4,450
N52 / N54 / N55 electric water pump + thermostat
N55 oil pan gasket
Owners paid: indie shop $1,588–$1,900
VANOS solenoids (intake / exhaust)
B58 / B48 fuel tank vent valve (purge valve)
N55 ignition coils (all six)
N55 charge pipe (intercooler to throttle) replacement
B58 coolant expansion tank (G05 X5 40i, high- or low-temp)
B58 heat management module (thermostat) replacement
B58 oil pump replacement
Owners paid: indie shop $2,865–$3,600
B58 water pump (coolant pump)
Front control arms / thrust arms (F30/F32 3 & 4 Series)
ZF 8-speed automatic transmission fluid and pan/filter service

"Owners paid" is the middle 50% of sourced owner prices across chassis with the same engine. Each job page reprices for your ZIP.

By model year

YearModels and enginesNHTSA recallsWarranty extensionsRepairs we price
2014428i / xDrive N20
435i / xDrive N55		61510
Priciest: N20 timing chain replacement, owners paid up to $5,000 (dealer, middle 50%)
2015428i / xDrive N20
435i / xDrive N55		61510
Priciest: N20 timing chain replacement, owners paid up to $5,000 (dealer, middle 50%)
2016428i / xDrive N20
435i / xDrive N55		21410
Priciest: N20 timing chain replacement, owners paid up to $5,000 (dealer, middle 50%)
2017430i / xDrive B46/B48
440i / xDrive B58		3139
Priciest: B58 valve cover / PCV failure, owners paid up to $4,450 (dealer, middle 50%)
2018430i / xDrive B46/B48
440i / xDrive B58		3129
Priciest: B58 valve cover / PCV failure, owners paid up to $4,450 (dealer, middle 50%)
2019430i / xDrive B46/B48
440i / xDrive B58		389
Priciest: B58 valve cover / PCV failure, owners paid up to $4,450 (dealer, middle 50%)
2020430i / xDrive B46/B48
440i / xDrive B58		199
Priciest: B58 valve cover / PCV failure, owners paid up to $4,450 (dealer, middle 50%)

Recalls and warranty extensions are counted when their published model-year range includes that year. Each one may cover only some cars, so check by VIN. Repairs counted are the ones whose engine was offered that year.

More for the F32

F32 repair costs and recalls F32 common problems F32 maintenance schedule Used BMW VIN check

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