Hello everyone - I jumped into the deep end of the X5 pool over the weekend and bought an 01 X5 with the 4.4. Nice Topaz Blue paint with the tan interior, sport package, cold climate package - looks nice. It has about 147,000 on the clock and I got what I think was a good deal. The PO said he had the transmission repaired (no reverse), the timing chain and the front end replaced, new battery and new cluster. So I felt good about buying it without a PPI thinking that I'd probably need to do a few things to it anyway. I can hear y'all cussing me about now for this.....

The car drove great on the way home this past Sunday (about a two hour drive). Plenty of power, tight steering and no funny noises or rattles. The next morning (Monday) there were no puddles underneath - so I thought all was well.

Tuesday morning I spotted a small puddle under the passenger side toward the front. It looked like clean engine oil - had the same viscosity but maybe a little thinner. Thought maybe it was from a recent oil change where the tech was sloppy and it was still running off the aluminum splash guard under the engine. But the oil on the stick and in the filter is much darker.

Later on Tuesday the "check coolant level" warning came on. So when I got home I checked the expansion tank and the red bobber was sittin real low in the tank. I filled it up with some green antifreeze I had left over from another vehicle - to hold me until I can flush the system.

This morning the same type of puddle was underneath on the passenger side toward the front - dripping out of the inspection hole on the aluminum splash guard - again it looked like fresh oil. The coolant was again low - at least the red bobber was a little low in the tank. So i put more in.

Tonight, I climbed underneath to check things out and I can see green antifreeze dripping off the splash guard. So It must be a coolant leak somewhere.

There is a little engine rattle once it warms up - almost sounds like an exhaust leak. It idles a little rough too but no loss of power.

I'm wondering what would be leaking sending coolant onto the splash pan under the engine? No white smoke out the exhaust and no foam in the oil. Any suggestions on what to look for would be greatly appreciated.

Other needs that I know of include either finding a OEM bull bar for the front - PO had one but removed it leaving some nasty holes or finding a used bumper cover and have it sprayed. Maybe there is a way to fix the holes? I got two in the painted area and two in the black. Maybe someone on here did a facelift and has one to sell???

Love the car despite it's leaks and looking forward to working on it and contributing what I can to the community.

Thanks everyone.

PS - It's been rainy and cold so no pictures yet. Plus I'm embarrassed of the way it looks with the bumper (needs a cover for one headlight washer as well). I will post some pics once the weather breaks here in Kentucky. Thanks again.