Engine oil — diesel
CBS: starting value 30,000 km / 24 months
Diesel starting value, recalculated by CBS from fuel consumption. Due 24 months after the last change at the latest.
Source [3]E87 · 2007–2011
BMW 120d E87 · 177 PS (2007–2011)
The 120d uses the same N47 block as the 118d, tuned to 177 PS. Maintenance prescriptions are the same; the differences are mainly in the front brakes and the driveline.
Choose an engine
Identify the car and prepare its maintenanceTechnical specifications
- Fuel
- Diesel
- Power
- 177 PS / 130 kW
- Displacement
- 1 995 cm³
- Torque
- 350 Nm
- Cylinders
- 4
- Engine code
- N47
- Period covered
- 2007–2011
- Documented market
- Europe
Transmission
- Manual · 6 speeds · 2007
- Automatic · 6 speeds · 2007
Figures apply to the cited configuration and market; equipment and transmissions may vary by production date.
Specification source : [7] BMW Group
Manufacturer figures — manual gearbox
- 0–100 km/h acceleration
- 7.6 s
- Combined consumption — period European cycle
- 4.9 l/100 km
Figures published at launch for the cited manual configuration. Consumption is a test-cycle measurement, not a real-world guarantee; automatic versions may differ. Source [7]
What distinguishes this version
The same 1,995 cc N47 as the 118d, in its upper output: 130 kW at 4,000 rpm and 350 Nm at 2,000 rpm, particulate filter as standard. Five-door manual: 7.6 s to 100 km/h and 4.9 l/100 km according to BMW.
Engine oil: quantity and approval
Oil change with filter: 5.2 l according to TIS data for the N47/N47S D20. BMW’s 2007 press table lists 5.5 l of engine oil; that is not the change quantity. With a particulate filter, BMW requires Longlife-04 oil: its additives form less ash and keep the filter from clogging.
What the CBS tracks
Oil: starting value 30,000 km, 24 months at most. Front and rear pads separately, brake fluid 24 months, vehicle check 60,000 km or 48 months. Microfilter at every oil service; air filter and main fuel filter at every third. The particulate filter is no longer on the CBS display: a Check Control message warns if it reaches a critical state.
Timing drive
Chain-driven, with a tensioner piston, and the timing case cover sits at the rear of the engine, on the gearbox side. No chain item appears in the CBS list: it is a repair, not scheduled maintenance.
The N47 timing chain reputation
The N47 in this 120d has a reputation for timing chain trouble: owners report many cases of metallic scraping and, sometimes, chain failure. In August 2013, BMW told AUTO BILD that the scraping noise of some 1.6 and 2.0-litre N47 engines built from 2007 to 2011 came from unfavourable tolerances and a manufacturing fault in the crankshaft sprocket; BMW called it an acoustic issue with no consequential damage expected. The issue has reached the courts in Germany: in a case about an N47-engined BMW X1 18d, the Darmstadt regional court (2015, upheld on appeal in 2017) ruled that chain noise without loss of function was a comfort issue, not a defect; the court’s expert noted that no link between the noise and chain failure had been established. In practice: a metallic scraping or whine from the gearbox end of the engine deserves a diagnosis straight away. Because the chain sits at the rear of the engine, replacing it is a major job: when buying used, ask whether it has already been replaced and keep the oil-service invoices.
Prepare the next service
Say “120d” when ordering brake parts: its front discs (300 × 24 mm) are larger than the 118d’s. Count oil services since the last fuel filter.
AutoKarnet advice
Maintenance and records
Front and rear brake pads
Wear calculated per axle
Two separate countdowns fed by the wear sensors. With new pads, replace the wear sensor as well before resetting the display.
Source [2]Cabin microfilter
At every engine oil service
Since March 2007 the microfilter is replaced at each oil service (cars with air conditioning) and no longer has its own CBS countdown.
Source [9]Engine air filter
Every 3rd engine oil service
Intake silencer element. Shorten the interval in dusty regions.
Source [9]Diesel fuel filter
Every 3rd engine oil service
Main fuel filter. BMW allows a shorter interval where diesel quality is poor.
Source [9]Diesel particulate filter
No CBS display since 03/2007
On E87 cars with the N47 engine, the particulate filter was removed from the CBS display in March 2007. A critical state triggers a Check Control message: have it read out rather than waiting for the next service.
Source [8]Brake fluid
Calendar-based
24 months
Counted from the vehicle’s on-board date, even at low mileage. That date stops when the battery is disconnected: correct it afterwards.
Source [4]Vehicle check
Whichever comes first
60 000 km
48 months
A CBS item separate from the oil service; the diesel distance is longer than for petrol engines.
Source [4]Questions about this version (5)
What sets it apart from a 118d?
The same N47 block in its upper output (130 kW, 350 Nm) and a longer final drive on the manual: 2.56 against 3.07 on the 118d.
Does it share the 118d’s front brakes?
No: vented 300 × 24 mm discs on the 120d, 292 × 22 mm on the 118d. At the rear both have vented 300 × 20 mm discs.
Source : [7]
How much coolant?
7.2 l including the heater, 7.5 l with the automatic gearbox, per BMW’s 2007 table.
Source : [7]
When is the vehicle check due?
60,000 km or 48 months, whichever comes first: the diesel distance is longer than for petrol engines.
Source : [4]
Documentary sources
- [1] BMW AG TIS — CBS E87, bulletin 00 01 04 (070)
BMW AG (TIS, copie archivée) · EN · Worldwide · Archive · p. 1 · update 11/2006 · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [2] BMW AG TIS — calcul huile, microfiltre et freins
BMW AG (TIS, copie archivée) · EN · Worldwide · Archive · p. 3 · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [3] BMW AG TIS — CBS, valeurs de départ EURO
BMW AG (TIS, copie archivée) · EN · Europe · Archive · p. 4 · starting values, not fixed mileage intervals · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [4] BMW TIS — CBS: spark plugs, vehicle check, brake fluid
BMW AG — TIS (archive) · EN · Europe · SBT CBS · p. 5 · EURO · update 11/2006 · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [5] BMW TIS — BMW Quality Longlife-04
BMW AG — TIS (archive) · EN · Europe · SI 11 03 04 (156) · revision 09/2005 · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [6] BMW TIS — 1 Series E87, vehicle and engine index
BMW AG — TIS (archive) · EN · Europe · Vehicle list (model / engine / body) · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [7] BMW Media Information 1/2007 — The new BMW 1 Series
BMW Group · EN · Germany · PDF pp. 4–5 (five-door engines), p. 34–35 (five-door specifications, German market) · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [8] BMW TIS — Modifications to “Condition Based Service”
BMW AG — TIS (archive) · EN · Worldwide · SBT 00 04 06 (148) · 03/2007 · pp. 1–2 (E87 03/07; DPF display: E87/E81 N47 OL+UL 03/07) · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [9] BMW TIS — Oil service, diesel from 03/2007
BMW AG — TIS (archive) · EN · Europe · RA 00 00 610 · from 03/2007 · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [10] BMW TIS — Oil Supply N47 / N47S D20
BMW AG — TIS (archive) · EN · Europe · TD 11 40 · oil change volume with oil filter · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [11] BMW TIS — Chain tensioner piston (N47/N47S)
BMW AG — TIS (archive) · EN · Europe · RA 11 31 · N47/N47S · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [12] BMW TIS — Timing case cover at rear (N47/N47S)
BMW AG — TIS (archive) · EN · Europe · RA 11 14 · N47/N47S · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [13] LG Darmstadt, 30.01.2015, 27 O 100/13 (OLG Frankfurt a. M., 21.04.2017, 24 U 26/15) — BMW X1 sDrive18d N47, Steuerkette
autokaufrecht.info (résumé de jugement) · DE · Germany · Gutachten; Entscheidungsgründe · Accessed 08/10/2026
- [14] BMW: Steuerkette schleift bei Vierzylinder-Dieseln
AUTO BILD · DE · Germany · Statement by BMW to AUTO BILD on N47 diesels built 2007–2011 · Accessed 08/10/2026