Nikasil or not - How to tell?

Easy, read this:

Hi, Sorry, I forgot to mention the car is in NYC and I'm in the South. :-) I'll have to have someone else check the underside of the block. I figured there would be some way to find it from the VIN.

Thanks, Deven

Nope, you have to look at the block.

Although the history of fuel quality varies I ran a Nikasil 4.0 M60 in the UK to 185k without problems and it was still going strong at least 6 months after I sold it...

As the article says the problem is historic - any motor running well with a good idle now is unlikely to be a victim - but still a bargaining point.

If you have a trusted friend who can confirm that the car has a steady idle, good service history and pulls like a train, go for it.

BTW what was the first change BMW forced in US fuel?

Fuel refined in the UK didn't cause problems with Nikasil. It was some brands of imported petrol that did it. So if you stuck with mainstream brands the engine would be fine.

Well, it *did* have one when it left the factory. So unless it has been replaced it still does. The only way to be 100% sure is to check the part number cast into the block.

Well, you could have a BMW dealership search to see if the block has been changed on that VIN under warranty. If they find that it has, you are good to go. If not, it still may have been changed but not under warranty.