MT Auto Parts Blog | Expert Tips for BMW enthusiasts on BMW Parts, Accessories, Engines and More

Image: BMW B48A20E Complete Engine with just 60K miles, for £3,299.00, mtautoparts.com   Look at BMW's model range and something quickly becomes apparent. The 318i, 320i, and 330i all share the same B48 engine code, the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder, the same displacement, the same basic architecture. Yet the 318i produces around 156hp, the 320i around 184hp, and the 330i around 258hp. How does the same engine produce three entirely different power figures? The answer matters practically, especially when buying a used BMW engine as a replacement. It Starts With the Turbocharger The biggest variable in BMW's turbocharged engine family is boost pressure: how hard the turbocharger forces air into the engine. More air means more fuel can be burned per cycle, which means more power. On the B48 family, higher-output variants run higher boost pressures, achieved partly through different turbocharger specifications and partly through different mapping in the engine management software....

Photo by Tim Meyer on Unsplash A wet footwell in a BMW is one of those problems that tends to get worse the longer it is left. Water sitting on the carpet soaks through to the underlay, creates a damp smell that is very difficult to shift, and, most seriously, can reach the footwell module (FRM), the small but critical control unit mounted under the driver's side dashboard. Once water gets to the FRM, what started as a leak becomes an electrical fault. Here is where to start looking. Blocked or Disconnected Sunroof Drain Tubes This is the most common cause of a wet BMW footwell, and it affects cars with a sunroof or panoramic roof. BMW sunroofs are designed with drain channels at each corner that carry water away from the roof seal and out under the car. When these tubes block with leaf debris, algae, or sediment, which happens gradually and without warning, water backs up and overflows internally rather than draining away. It typically ends up in the footwell on whichever corner t...

Image: BMW I3 Series Complete LCI LED Headlight, left passenger side, for sale at MT Auto Parts A light mist that appears overnight, then clears once the headlights have been on for a few minutes is one thing. A persistent, heavy condensation that sits inside the lens and does not shift is quite another. Both look similar from outside the car but have different causes. And only one of them actually requires a BMW headlight replacement . Here is how to tell which you are dealing with and what to do about it. Normal Condensation vs a Genuine Fault BMW headlights are not completely sealed units. They contain a small breather vent, sometimes described as a pressure equalisation tube, that allows air to move in and out as the unit heats up and cools down. This vent is intentional and necessary. Without it, repeated pressure changes would eventually compromise the housing. The trade-off is that the vent allows moist air in, which can produce a light condensation film on the inside of the len...

Image: BMW B47C20B Complete Engine with just 50K miles for sale at MT Auto Parts for £3,199.99 It's one of the most common questions when sourcing a used BMW engine : does the donor vehicle's model have to match yours exactly, or can you use an engine from a different car in the same family? The answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no, and getting it right makes the difference between a straightforward replacement and a job that turns into a very expensive complication. The Engine Code Is What Matters, Not the Model Badge BMW has used the same engine across multiple models throughout its history, and this is where the opportunity lies when buying a second-hand BMW engine. The B47 2.0-litre diesel, for example, is found in the F30 3 Series, the F25 X3, the F15 X5 20d, the G30 5 Series, and a number of other platforms. If you are replacing a failed B47 in an F30, you can source a B47 from a written-off X3 or 5 Series and use the same engine, because the engine itself is t...

Photo by Krish Parmar on Unsplash There are few design elements in the car industry with a history as long or as contested as the BMW kidney grille . It has been narrow and elegant, wide and corporate, shrunk to almost nothing on a racing car, and ballooned to the point where it dominated an entire front end. It has sparked some of the most heated arguments in automotive design circles, generated more online commentary than almost anything BMW has done in decades, and yet, through all of it, remained instantly recognisable as BMW. Here is how it started, and how it got here. 1933: The BMW 303 and the First Double Kidney The BMW front grille as we recognise it today was born in 1933, on the 303, the brand's first six-cylinder model, launched at the Berlin Motor Show. Designer Fritz Fiedler divided the radiator grille into two vertical shapes with a chrome centre bar, rounded at the top and bottom. The BMW emblem sat between the upper arches. It was a practical design in part, the sp...