Quote:
Originally Posted by DimAciD
03' x5 4.4i
i have replaced expansion tank like a year ago @200,000 kms, had a crack where two part are glued together (top and bottom)
changed water pump about same time (bearing fail)
Now i got same problem, it looks like it comes out of cap, sprays all over the engine cover
i got issues with heat... takes a very long time to warm up, gonna take it to dealer to have it scanned for all possible things (you bring it for one thing but they always check for more lol ) It is -32C these past few days, poor thing barely starts
Bimmer got few issues but parts a not so expensive as most people think bimmerspecialis(dot)com is good place, autopartsway(dot)ca is great also
The very common issue with 4.4 engine involving coolant is actually o-rings on coolant return pipes... items 5 and 7 on picture RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.4i COOLING SYSTEM PIPE
BMW technician told me, they change em every 80000kms i think he said, parts are very cheap but it takes 4 - 5 hours to change em, if you really know what you are doing 
I still love my bimmer (my wifes now, i got an audi )
Dont give up your car, pay someone to look at it to see what needs to be replaced - buy parts online, so much cheaper and luckily x5s are made in states and most of them are sold in north america - there are tons of parts, dont have to go to dealership all the time.
P.S. it is actually doesnt worth changing brakes on x5 by yourself - dealer asked me 460$ for OEM+labour(front pads rotors and sensors)! and i did it myself with aftermarket stuff w/o sensors 350.... now it squicks and i gotta redo lol |
Wow, for $460 brake job on X5 for one complete axle is very reasonable if done correctly, I won't even do it myself for that price. Again wish more indy shop around Seattle charging those kinda price, oh well.
I didn't even ask my indy shop for brake job anymore, when I had an Audi A4 an indy Audi shop wanted $600 for fron brake job (mind you that was a good 7-8 years ago and rotor/pads size on Audi is smaller thus cheaper compare to X5).
BTW, I called around for Valley-pan and valve cover gasket jobs on my X5, a good $2500-$2800 for both (and most BMW specialists shop say not much overlapping work between the two). Wish I lived in Georgia (former Soviet Union) when my X5 breaks down
One side note, when I say "indy" I meant a shop specializing German cars or BMW only kinda shop. I just don't like the idea of giving my car as guinea pig for the techs.