BMW N20 maintenance intervals
What BMW's own US maintenance booklets schedule for the 228i, 328i, 428i, 528i, X1 / X3 / X4 xDrive28i and Z4 sDrive28i, plus SixLine's labelled estimates for everything else — in miles and kilometres.
BMW's maintenance booklets never name an engine: they list services by model column and count them in engine oil services ("every 6th engine oil service, approx. 60,000 mi"). This page reads those booklets for the cars that carry the N20 and prints their figures in the first two tables. Where BMW gives no number, a separate table shows SixLine's own estimates, labelled as such.
- Engine
- 2.0 L (1,997 cc) inline-four, single twin-scroll turbo, direct injection
- Built
- 2011–2017 (Wikipedia gives 2017 in the text and 2018 in the infobox)
- Booklet years covered
- MY2012–2017
- Spark plugs
- 2nd service: ≈ 30,000 mi / ≈ 48,000 km; 4th or 6th service: ≈ 60,000 mi / ≈ 96,000 km
The N20 appears in the MY2012–2017 booklets here. The MY2017 booklet lists only the X3 and X4 xDrive28i as cars that still carried it in the US; the 2, 3 and 4 Series 28i versions ended with MY2016. The booklets name models, not engines, so the model years of each car are our reading.
Intervals BMW prints for N20 cars
| Item | Booklet interval | Distance | Booklet years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil and oil filter (derived, see below) | every oil service | ≈ 15,000 mi ≈ 24,000 km | MY2012–2013 |
| Engine oil and oil filter (derived, see below) | every oil service | ≈ 10,000 mi ≈ 16,000 km | MY2014–2017 |
| Ventilation microfilter | every 2 years | — | MY2012–2013 |
| Ventilation microfilter | 2nd service | ≈ 20,000 mi ≈ 32,000 km | MY2014–2017 |
| Brake fluid | every 2 years | — | MY2012–2013 |
| Engine air filter element | 3rd service | ≈ 45,000 mi ≈ 72,000 km | MY2012–2013 |
| Engine air filter element | 5th service | ≈ 50,000 mi ≈ 80,000 km | MY2014–2017 |
| Spark plugs | 2nd or 4th service, depending on model and year | ≈ 30,000 mi ≈ 48,000 km ≈ 60,000 mi ≈ 96,000 km | MY2012–2013 |
| Spark plugs | 6th service | ≈ 60,000 mi ≈ 96,000 km | MY2014–2017 |
| Oxygen sensors (150,000 mi for California-warranty and SULEV cars) | 120,000 mi | 120,000 mi ≈ 193,000 km | MY2012–2016 |
An oil service is the booklet's unit, but no booklet prints a mileage for the oil change itself (BMW calls it Condition Based Service). The distance shown for one oil service is therefore derived, our own division of what the booklets do print: from MY2017 the 2nd service is "approx. 20,000 mi", so one service ≈ 10,000 mi ≈ 16,000 km; in MY2014–2016 spark plugs are due "at every 6th Engine Oil Service (approximately 60,000 miles)", so one service ≈ 10,000 mi ≈ 16,000 km; in MY2010–2013 spark plugs are due at "60,000 miles or at every 4th Engine Oil Service" ("45,000 miles or at every 3rd" for the turbo cars; MY2013: "4th … approximately 60,000 miles"), so one service ≈ 15,000 mi ≈ 24,000 km. The MY2014 booklets print their connected services "for vehicles built as of July 2013". The oil change itself is not fixed: CBS counts it down on the car, and BMW also codes some cars with a shorter or longer oil interval (option codes 8K…). BMW of North America's bulletin SI B01 06 13 (October 2013) states the engine-oil "Due in" date uses a 12-month interval on BMW vehicles produced on or after July 1, 2013 (24 months before that; E71 and E88 excepted), and the vehicle check a 48-month interval.
How the intervals change by model year
| Booklet | One oil service (derived) | Air filter | Spark plugs | Cabin filter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MY2012 | ≈ 15,000 mi | 3rd | 2nd / 4th | 2 years |
| MY2013 | ≈ 15,000 mi | 3rd | 4th | 2 years |
| MY2014 | ≈ 10,000 mi | 5th | 6th | 2nd |
| MY2015 | ≈ 10,000 mi | 5th | 6th | 2nd |
| MY2016 | ≈ 10,000 mi | 5th | 6th | 2nd |
| MY2017 | ≈ 10,000 mi | 5th | 6th | 2nd |
Air-filter timing depends on the model column, so different cars on this engine can sit at different services in the same year.
SixLine's estimates for everything else
BMW leaves these items to CBS or gives no number: brake pads and brake discs run through CBS, brake fluid and the gearbox oils are printed in some booklet years only (see the table above) and not in the others, and the cooling system is described as long-term rated. So SixLine starts from the preventive estimates below. They are SixLine's own numbers, not BMW's, and every interval can be edited in the app. For a US car covered by a booklet, the BMW figures in the table above replace the estimate for those items.
| Item | Distance | Time | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil service | 10,000 km ≈ 6,200 mi | 12 months | All |
| Air filter | 30,000 km ≈ 19,000 mi | 36 months | All |
| Cabin filter | 20,000 km ≈ 12,000 mi | 24 months | All |
| Accessory belt | 100,000 km ≈ 62,000 mi | 60 months | All |
| Brake fluid | — | 24 months | All |
| Front brake pads | 40,000 km ≈ 25,000 mi | — | All |
| Rear brake pads | 60,000 km ≈ 37,000 mi | — | All |
| Front brake discs | 80,000 km ≈ 50,000 mi | — | All |
| Rear brake discs | 100,000 km ≈ 62,000 mi | — | All |
| Spark plugs | 60,000 km ≈ 37,000 mi | 72 months | All |
| Timing chain condition check | 100,000 km ≈ 62,000 mi | 96 months | All |
| Manual transmission oil | 100,000 km ≈ 62,000 mi | 96 months | manual gearbox |
| Automatic transmission fluid (ATF) | 100,000 km ≈ 62,000 mi | 96 months | automatic |
| Front differential fluid | 100,000 km ≈ 62,000 mi | 96 months | xDrive |
| Rear differential fluid | 100,000 km ≈ 62,000 mi | 96 months | All |
| Transfer case oil | 100,000 km ≈ 62,000 mi | 96 months | xDrive |
| Vehicle check | — | 24 months | All |
| Remote key battery | — | 24 months | All |
| Oxygen sensors | 240,000 km ≈ 150,000 mi | — | All |
| Coolant | 100,000 km ≈ 62,000 mi | 60 months | All |
| Battery check | — | 48 months | All |
Get your N20 schedule on your phone
SixLine sets up a schedule like this for your N20 and drivetrain, counts each item down by distance and by date, and reminds you before it is due. Every interval can be edited. Free for one car, with no account.
Download on theApp StoreSources
- MY2012 booklet (1, 3, 5, 6 Series, Z4), PDF p. 14–17 (No F30 3 Series sedan, M3 or M5 booklet was found for MY2012.); MY2012 booklet (X3/X5/X6), PDF p. 12–15
- MY2013 booklet (X1, X3, X5, X6), PDF p. 12–15 (The cover names the X1 but its models-covered list does not; no MY2013 1/3/5/6/Z4 booklet was found.)
- MY2014 booklet (3, 5, 7 Series), PDF p. 13–17; MY2014 booklet (2/4/6 Series + Z4), PDF p. 15–17; MY2014 booklet (X1), PDF p. 11–13; MY2014 booklet (X3/X5/X6), PDF p. 13–15
- MY2015 booklet (3, 5, 7 Series), PDF p. 14–16; MY2015 booklet (2/4/6 Series + Z4), PDF p. 13–15; MY2015 booklet (X1), PDF p. 11–12; MY2015 booklet (X3/X4/X5/X6), PDF p. 12–13
- MY2016 booklet (3, 5, 7 Series), PDF p. 15–16; MY2016 booklet (2/4/6 Series + Z4), PDF p. 14–15; MY2016 booklet (X1/X3/X4/X5/X6), PDF p. 14–16
- MY2017 booklet, printed p. 7–8
- Engine facts: Wikipedia (fetched 2026-11-10).