Incorrect. The S54 E46 M3 had a connecting rod bearing materials fault not a clearance fault like on the S85 and S65 Motors. The S85 and S65 motors, some have 150-200000 kms on them and are fine and some have 3000-5000km on them with engine failure. So replace your connecting rod bearings with the BE Bearings product ASAP for peace of mind and for proper clearance and oil flow. I've done a few cars here in Bahrain and most of them had abnormal wear for the low mileages they were at. Some info on BE Bearings taken from their website: Background:
BMW M5 (2005-2010), BMW M3 (2008-2013) can suffer early bearing failure due to inadequate rod bearing clearance.
Insufficient clearance means insufficient oil flow, excessive bearing surface heat, and premature wear.
These symptoms can lead to early bearing failure and a very expensive engine rebuild.
Problem can be addressed during engine rebuild, but it's expensive.
Some people switched to thinner oils -- as a stopgap measure.
Other stopgap measures include anti-friction teflon coated factory bearings, WPC anti-friction treated factory bearings, and custom bearings with same clearance as stock.
"Coated" factory bearings decreased clearance. This is not a good idea.
WPC treated bearings slightly increase clearance, but are a stopgap.
Custom bearings keeping factory clearance doesn't fix the problem, but allows you to track lead and copper in Blackstone oil analysis.
Newer factory bearings (2010.5 and later) are made from tin-aluminum, not lead-copper. Tin-aluminum bearings are 4-times harder on the surface than lead-copper bearings. This extra hardness shows signs of doing more damage to motors as there seems to be more bearing failures with 2010.5 and later vehicles. Tin-aluminum bearings also don't show the same signs of premature wear in Blackstone oil analysis due to lack of lead and copper.
A better solution was needed.
Better Design
Designed to address and fix the rod bearing clearance issue.
Designed for use with factory 10W60 weight oils.
Increases oil flow.
Improves lubrication for "Start-Stop" vehicles over factory bearings.
Designed in consultation with leading industry experts from NASCAR, Indy Car, and former BMW M-Division engine designer.
Designed and manufactured by Clevite, factory BMW bearing supplier.
Traditional lead-copper bearing design; less wear on crankshaft journals, traceable with Blackstone oil analysis.
Each bearing is measured and size-binned. Allows for custom bearing selection when necessary.
