Quote:
Originally Posted by ard
Yeah, maybe I am a bit...shrug. 
Lets see...
On air filter. the entire market of 'aftermarket high flow air filters' is a total scam. First, on a turbo motor the air filter is NOT A CAUSE OF FLOW RATE LOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Adding an oiled K&N air filter simply introduces contamination to the MAF and more particles into the engine and hence into the oil. (yes, stuff that gets into the motor winds up contaminating the oil! Reduces bearing life. Go figure)
Trans fluid- go to TheCTSC.com..great source for ATF stuff. They sell a kit that includes 6 liters, hence you can do it with 6 liters. (Since fluid is retained in the trans, you cannot get a full drain hence labeled capacity is misleading. I purchased the OEM ZF pan (not the OE BMW part).
My comment about brand names.... heres the thing: I am 100% for upgrading parts, but they should in fact BE upgrades and not 'name-grades'  If the brembo pad is higher quality, great. If it is simply a centric pad with the brembo name slapped on, why bother? Same goes for all the parts. The challenge really is how do ANY of us determine what is hype and name and unsupported claims, versus what really IS an upgrade?
A classic are these 'upgraded coils'... they are basically aftermarket copies with nice boxes and a serving of hype. Car owners get to thinking "Ima gonna do the plugs this weekend...maybe I should upgrade the coils cause bavauto served them up to me when I searched". $300 later someone is driving on coils that are likely inferior to OE for no reason.
Enjoy the modding! |
Touché ard, touché...
That's why I came here. For an education from people with more experience in X5's than myself. I've worked on a lot of cars and motorcycles and have had a different experience than you in some respects but obviously a modern luxury SUV is different than a 1970's motorcycle. K&N's work performance wonders on old carbureted bikes. And have a significant air flow increase (hence re-jetting carbs). But honestly, I had no idea this thing had a turbocharged intake... neato.
So it looks like that was a premature costly mistake.. If what you say is true, I am going to get OE intake filters here soon.
I purchased the ZF trans pan and 12 liters of ZF fluid.
My current brake pads are horrible with dust.
Almost anything is going to be an upgrade. The ceramic Brembo pads may not be the PERFECT choice but they will certainly be an improvement. Your statement couldn't be any truer,
"The challenge really is how do ANY of us determine what is hype and name and unsupported claims, versus what really IS an upgrade?"
Have to put some faith into company history and their product experience i suppose. I figured the pads couldn't be any worse...
As far as coils, I'm not getting that crazy with it. My plan is to do a few small things to dress/fun her up a bit and other than that it's just gratuitous maintenance.
Quick recap on work done/planned.
Engine oil changes
Trans filter and flush
Front & rear differential & transfer case fluid change
Air intake filters
Cabin air filters
Coolant change
Brake pads
Good waxin' and leather conditioning
Am I missing anything??