Used BMW 8 Series 2019-present reliability
Category: Coupé
Stylish and swift, the BMW 8 Series is a top-notch, old-school grand tourer, and it's good value bought used.
What should I look for in a used BMW 8 Series coupe?
The BMW 8 Series is a big car, and while you get parking sensors as standard, you should still check the alloy wheels for kerb grazes. Smaller ones are less likely to attract damage, but irrespective of wheel size, a sizeable chunk of metal missing from the wheel rim might suggest a high-speed kerb impact that could also have affected the suspension system.
What are the most common problems with a used BMW 8 Series coupe?
Electrics
You’ll also find a great deal of electronic toys inside the 8 Series, so spend some time familiarising yourself with all the buttons’ functions and check that they all do what they’re supposed to.
Recalls have been issued for the following. Check with your local BMW dealer that all remedial work has been carried out.
Leaking glycol coolant could create in combination with soot and oil sediments in the EGR module ignitable deposits.
The EGR cooler may leak presenting a fire risk.
The ball head connecting the brake pedal and the master brake cylinder the ball head might not be locked properly into the ball cage. If the driver accidentally pulls up the brake pedal the brake switch would be activated permanently. This will cause: The brake lamps to be illuminated even while driving A Check Control Message would not alert the driver. An engine start or gear selection would be possible without brake actuation. If the driver's door were opened after switching off the engine the gear would not switch automatically to "P" as designed.
Curtain airbags may have propellant which may have a humidity level higher than specification and in the event of a collision may not deploy correctly increasing the risk of injury.
If the retaining ring inside the steering gear has not been fitted correctly the sealing cap would not be fixed axially and might start moving. If the sealing cap has moved the ball return channel would not be fixed anymore and might move out of position possibly resulting in a ball jam accompanied by an extensively increased steering force and possibly lock.
The engine counterbalance shaft bearing bushing into the crankcase may be out of specification
The battery cables on the 48V starter generator may not have been sufficiently secured during the production process.
The rear drive shafts may not fulfil the durability requirements.
In very rare cases welding beads were not always completely removed in the cleaning process during battery production.
A possibility of impurities contained in the HV batteries may cause short circuits.
Is a used BMW 8 Series coupe reliable?
The BMW 8 Series didn't feature in our most recent reliability survey, but in the most recent one it did feature in it finished in fourth place out of 15 cars in the sports, coupés and convertibles class with an excellent overall score of 96.9%.
BMW as a brand finished in 12th place out of 32 manufacturers with a respectable score of 93%. Check out the full list of all the brands here.
