I bought this VDO unit (German made) for quality at 3 times the price over the Chinese knock-off but it failed after only 20,000km (3 years) on my E90 320i N46. Motor shaft became sticky and hard to turn as if internal bearing failed. Not sure whether it was from a bad bunch or all other VDO motors (Germany) would be the same poor quality. My previous 318Ti with N46 had no problems for 250,000km, so I expected some decent longevity from the German made VDO. I had no choice but to buy another VDO (now Continental, Germany) hoping it would last longer this time.
VDO quality valvetronic motor,don’t waste money on cheap copies of this motor! It has to deal with engine temperature constantly & under bonnet conditions which this motor does effortlessly!