Quote:
Originally Posted by mbzgurl
I'm not familiar with BMW at all. But, I'm learning, not particularly keen on a BMW. I prefer a Mercedes, less problems, unless you can convince me otherwise. If I do the timing chain/valve stem guides, how long is that going to last before there is another problem? I know nothing about the car, except obviously, someone wasn't too on top of it.
|
That estimate is not unreasonable on guide replacement. As far as fixing that problem and not having anything else come up... I wouldn't bet on it. If the guides (and by relation, oil changes) have been neglected, chances are other things have been too. Cooling system, suspension, front driveshaft splines, etc are all common failure points of the early E53 X5's.
Mercedes and BMW are not dissimilar in their cost of ownership and I wouldn't put ones reliability above the other, but familiarity is a great "warm and fuzzy" when it comes to auto ownership. If you are more comfortable/knowledgeable with the tri star, it might be the way to go. You'll have to make that call.
