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Emergency

Before you buy a used BMW Serie 2 Active / Gran Tourer (F45/F46).

2014–2021 · Petrol / Diesel / Plug-in hybrid · 4 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

BMW Serie 2 Active / Gran Tourer (F45/F46), real photo of this generation
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

216i / 218i (B38) · 225xe

216i / 218i (B38) (Petrol) · 225xe (Plug-in hybrid)

220i (B48) · 216d / 218d / 220d (B37/B47)

220i (B48) (Petrol) · 216d / 218d / 220d (B37/B47) (Diesel)

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the BMW Serie 2 Active / Gran Tourer (F45/F46)
EngineDocumented faultsRecalls
216i / 218i (B38)Petrol12
220i (B48)Petrol11
216d / 218d / 220d (B37/B47)Diesel11
225xePlug-in hybrid11 with conditions2

According to the data we have, all its engines have the same number of documented faults.

By fuel type, the ones with the fewest documented faults are: Diesel, Plug-in hybrid.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official BMW dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
Recall: driver airbagPassive safety

Engines: 216i / 218i (B38) (Petrol) · 225xe (Plug-in hybrid)

How to check it: Check VIN; inspect and replace as required.

View full entry
RSW22 starter motor that fails to crank or short-circuits (BMW 2020–2026)Electrical and electronic systems

How to check it: Ask a BMW garage to check with the VIN whether any of those campaigns is outstanding, especially if the car has already failed to start.

View full entry

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 2 checked

Cooling / EGR

  • Look out for: Coolant loss with a low-level warning, coolant or oil residue at the rear of the engine; on diesels, internal coolant loss with no visible leak (EGR cooler).

    Ask them to check: Check the coolant level, look for leaks under the water pump and at the oil filter housing, and on diesels confirm by VIN whether the EGR cooler campaign was done.

Engine

  • Look out for: On early engines with a manual gearbox, crankshaft thrust-bearing damage that can end in serious failure; over the years, loss of power and higher consumption from carbon in the intake, valves and injectors.

    Ask them to check: On engines before April 2015 with a manual gearbox, ask BMW whether the bearing upgrade was done and listen for crankshaft noises; use quality fuel and inspect the intake if power drops.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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