2021 BMW 540i xDrive Service and Repair Manual

This factory service and repair manual for the 2021 BMW 540i xDrive follows a year whose engine listing changed: the 3.0L inline-six is now a mild hybrid unit, still turbocharged, still double-overhead-cam and still burning gasoline. One body carries it, a four-door sedan, in a single Base trim. Specifications, tightening figures, wiring diagrams and diagnostic procedures are all written against that one combination, so what applies to the engine also applies to the car built around it, without qualification.

Engines covered

• 3.0L inline-six mild hybrid — DOHC, turbocharged, gasoline

Body styles covered

• 4-door sedan

Trims covered

• Base

Known issues on the 2021 540i xDrive. One recall sits on the federal record for this model year, and it is a driveline matter: the connection between the driveshaft and the rear differential can become damaged, after which the rear wheels may lose drive power without warning. The same damage can let the car roll away if the parking brake has not been set, because the shaft no longer holds the driveline. Removal, inspection and installation of the shaft and the rear differential, with the tightening specifications that connection depends on, are covered in the driveline sections here.