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Average cost of N47 timing chain replacement

91K views 77 replies 39 participants last post by  Balykissangel 
#1 ·
Afternoon all,

I've currently got a 2010 BMW 320d N47 which has quite a loud timing chain rattle at idle, looking to get this replaced in order to prevent a full engine rebuild. I've had various places quote me and have been quoted anywhere form £600 for a full timing chain kit replacement with a two year warranty (great price, I know) up to £1,500 with a 6 month warranty. I'm looking at getting this done reasonably soon, car is currently off the road anyway, but what on average are/have people been paying for these to be done?
 
#7 ·
I've currently got a 2010 BMW 320d N47 which has quite a loud timing chain rattle at idle, looking to get this replaced in order to prevent a full engine rebuild. I've had various places quote me and have been quoted anywhere form £600 for a full timing chain kit replacement with a two year warranty (great price, I know) up to £1,500 with a 6 month warranty. I'm looking at getting this done reasonably soon, car is currently off the road anyway, but what on average are/have people been paying for these to be done?
[/QUOTE]
Hi, did you had it done... I know it's an old post but I'm interested if it's worth the hassle.
 
#9 ·
£600 for timing chain replacement sounds too good to be true to me. I would be asking what make kit is going on it first. I fit named stuff like BGA,fai,hepa etc and you are looking at around £200-250 for parts alone. Then add in various bits and pieces like rocker gasket,injector seals and fluids and it doesn’t leave a great deal left to cover the labour.
I have done a fair few for £400 but that’s doing as a bit of a hobby for friends,if I was a business it would be considerably more to make it worthwhile
 
#10 ·
bmw specialist which i use charges like £950 for the job,,from his facebook page
If your not already aware of this your 16/18/20/23d Bmw or mini is prone to premature timing chain failure which not included in any routine maintenance plan.
We recommend 60k miles
🙂

N47 timing chain replacement
2wd £950 inc
4wd £1150 inc ..
 
#45 ·
bmw specialist which i use charges like £950 for the job,,from his facebook page
If your not already aware of this your 16/18/20/23d Bmw or mini is prone to premature timing chain failure which not included in any routine maintenance plan.
We recommend 60k miles
🙂

N47 timing chain replacement
2wd £950 inc
4wd £1150 inc ..
can you provide his details to me please
 
#11 ·
This forum has been great because I've just been quoted £2.2k by a local BMW specialist for this work which I now realise is very very overpriced.

I have a 2014 F30 320d and I now get a slight rattle at cold idle. Its just gone 100,000 miles and has been very well maintained by myself so I'm still unsure if it's worth being this preemptive with the work.

Anyone else with the same mileage/ age and uncertainty?
 
#12 ·
If there is any timing chain noise you are better off getting it sorted before it fails as it will work out cheaper.
It’s so hard to say about mileage as I have known them to be stretched at 50k and others have gone way over 100k. General consensus is replace chain at 100k. Being a 2014 you could have n47 or b47 as it’s on change over. Having said that if it’s got noise it doesn’t matter what variant is fitted.
Whatever happens don’t pay 2.2k for it to be done.

where are you located?
 
#18 ·
Isn't it quite a big job that you'd need a workshop for?

FYI, I've had my 2nd quote now which is for £1463. Still a bit more than I'd be expecting. Any idea which part of the quote seems overpriced?
Thanks for your help on this! View attachment 276839
no not really I have had them out on my drive,done chain work in the garage then stuck engine back in. Working on my own on the drive I can at a push have it done in a day but tend to spread it over 2 days and work at a steady pace. The n47 is fairly straightforward,had an n55 out couple of months back. That was a bit more problematic.

On your quote there is sump and timing case gaskets,you don’t need them as it’s rtv joints. There should also be injector seals as you need to change them. Finally the shaft seal should come in the timing kit,every kit I have had the seal has been with it.
But yes biggest cost is the £763+vat Labour, the ones I have done for friends of friends cost £600 total or £400 for friends unless clutch and DMF needed doing at same time.

x drive models take a bit longer due to front diff and drive shafts.
 
#51 ·
Hi buddy what would you charge to do a timing chain for me. I’m a dad of 2 and self employed trying to make ends meet and garages are insane prices but my son has medical needs so I need the car badly. I also do graphic design and video editing if that could help you at all. I would design and edit for you for life if you could fix the car somehow :(

thanks in advance

sam
 
#24 ·
We replace 6-12 timing chains weekly on the 2.0d N47 engines, and have done for the past 5 years plus.

Cost for replacement before the chain snaps is £960 plus vat for all 3 chains, 4 guides, 2 tensioners, cam and pump sprockets, oil sprayer, crankshaft oil seal, injector seals, genuine Bmw rocker cover gasket, associated gaskets, oil and filter, new coolant, air con regas.

If the chain has already snapped, any extra damage/parts required are priced on discovery.

Add an Extra £100 if x drive (4wd)
Extra £100 if 3.0 N57 (3 litre diesel)

Www.Facebook.com/AdcBmw
 
#26 ·
£1700 even seems quite cheap for a broken chain as everywhere I spoke to was looking around the £2.5/3k mark (not including clutch).

For everyone reading my previous posts about getting the chain changed before any break, I have now got this replaced by Midland BMW Specialist just east of Coventry for £850. I was pretty impressed by the garage and Ant seemed to really know his stuff so I'd recommend for anyone around the area! Note that mine is an auto so there was no clutch replacement cost.
 
#29 ·
Hi All,

Long time lurker, first time poster. This forum has been invaluable for info, so thank you to everyone!

I've just booked my 64 plate 520D (B47) with 45K miles on the clock in with BM Mini Tech for chains and a gearbox service. And scarily they've told me they have at least one timing chain job per day between now and the end of March. If anything that gives me both some comfort and fear in equal measure.

Comfort because they're obviously trusted to do the job and do it well. And fear, well, I don't think I need to explain!

I'll happily report back once the job is done.
 
#30 ·
Hi All,

Long time lurker, first time poster. This forum has been invaluable for info, so thank you to everyone!

I've just booked my 64 plate 520D (B47) with 45K miles on the clock in with BM Mini Tech for chains and a gearbox service. And scarily they've told me they have at least one timing chain job per day between now and the end of March. If anything that gives me both some comfort and fear in equal measure.

Comfort because they're obviously trusted to do the job and do it well. And fear, well, I don't think I need to explain!

I'll happily report back once the job is done.
Really intrigued on why you are doing it so early with such low mileage, take it this is making a horrible rattling noise or is it just purely for peace of mind?
 
#37 ·
As promised, just following up on my experience with BM Mini Tech and the timing chains on my B47.

Firstly, the folks at BM Mini Tech are a delight to work with, extremely friendly and knowledgable! The top chain chain had a fair amount of slack causing the rattle when cold. During the job they found that BMW had only amended half of the parts that were normally at fault in the N47's. I can't say whether this was solved over time, but as mentioned above, my car was one of the early ones in the swap over from N to B series engines.

I also had the gearbox serviced at the same time, and as with the chains, they only use genuine OEM parts.

Having driven 200 miles home, the car is noticeably quieter, smoother and snappier when burying the pedal into the carpet. Overall, a very pleasant experience.
 
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