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BMW S85 engine: specs and known issues

The BMW S85 is a naturally aspirated V10 petrol engine with a 5.0-liter displacement, produced 2005–2010, per Wikipedia. We do not have repair prices for it yet.

Specs and history from Wikipedia (revisions listed below)

S85 at a glance

Production2005–2010[1]
Configuration90° V10[1]
Displacement4999 cc (305.1 cu in)[1]
Fuel typePetrol[1]
ValvetrainDOHC w/ VVT[1]
BlockAluminium[1]
Cylinder headAluminium[1]
Bore × stroke92 mm (3.62 in) × 75.2 mm (2.96 in)[1]

Cars with the S85

Cars and chassis codes named in Wikipedia's article on this engine. It can include related or successor models, so treat it as a lead and check your exact car. Open a linked model to see its repair costs.

Model pages for the S85

Chassis pages whose cars, per Wikipedia, used this engine.

E60 M5E63 M6

Known issues

From the engine's Wikipedia article, section named in each item. Links are the references attached to those sentences (archived copies where the original page is gone); where none is shown, the Wikipedia section is the source.

Reliability

A well-known problem with the S85 is premature rod bearing wear, which can occur around 80,000 km or roughly 50,000 miles. The root cause is attributed to the engine’s high-revving nature, tight tolerances and a lack of clearance between the rod bearings and the rod journals.

Source: Wikipedia: BMW S85 (section "Reliability")

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Common questions

When was the BMW S85 engine produced?

2005–2010, per Wikipedia.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: BMW S85 (revision 1366874281, read 2026-10-23)

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