My car hates me...

[David D]

Originally Posted by upallnight

Those are not the DIYer on this board. When you are paying a Mechanic anywhere between 100 to 200 dollars an hour, the repair bill starts to add up pretty quickly. A $8.00 part such as the OFHG can cost close to $500 to replace if you bring the X in.

I AM a DIYer, but when it's cheaper to use the warranty, it doesn't make sense (or cents!) to DIY unless you're into masochism or that sort of thing . Besides, I get a loaner vehicle while the car is in the shop.

Originally Posted by upallnight

Too many noobs who never owned a BMW prior and don't DIY shouldn't be buying a used 10+ year old BMW. That great deal they got on a BMW is only a deal to the seller who sold a BMW to a Noob.

Take for example this guy.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ml#post1026647

Thought he got a great deal on his BMW and only posted once. Probably flipped it when the mechanics told him that the trans needed to be replaced.




Kinda doubt that, unless they are making a 6 figure salary, but if they are making a 6 figure salary why are they buying a 10+ year old car with no warranty?

NO 6 figure salary here! And, I'm far from being a "noob". I've owned a few cars in my day and wrenched on all of them. Amongst others, I have owned several VW's, a couple of Hondas, a Land Rover Disco, 3 Porsches (I still own my '86 911), and the 3 aforementioned BMWs. When I first bought the X, it was pretty reliable. I had one of the half shafts replaced and a leak or two the first couple of years, and that was it.

I wouldn't mind the occasional visit to the shop, but I've had it there every couple of months here lately for something. When I bought the X5, it had 51k miles on it. I've owned it since July 2011. It now has just over 100k on the clock and yeah, I kinda expect stuff to go wrong, but geez, some of the crap that has failed, even a few years ago, is kinda ridiculous.

I'm not knocking anyone here. I am an enthusiast and appreciate a well engineered car. I could care less of what someone thinks about my choice of vehicles. I care more about what I think about them. Heck, I'd love an old Volvo 240 wagon with a Mustang drive train and good suspension setup. Ultimate sleeper! But I digress...

Anyway, back to the problem at hand... I went out and tried this today: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-fix-pics.html

No joy It looks like the actual actuator is broken internally, so between that and the cost of a rear door handle carrier, I'm still cheaper going to the dealer and paying $250.

[BMWX5CHI]

Originally Posted by David D

I AM a DIYer, but when it's cheaper to use the warranty, it doesn't make sense (or cents!) to DIY unless you're into masochism or that sort of thing . Besides, I get a loaner vehicle while the car is in the shop.



NO 6 figure salary here! And, I'm far from being a "noob". I've owned a few cars in my day and wrenched on all of them. Amongst others, I have owned several VW's, a couple of Hondas, a Land Rover Disco, 3 Porsches (I still own my '86 911), and the 3 aforementioned BMWs. When I first bought the X, it was pretty reliable. I had one of the half shafts replaced and a leak or two the first couple of years, and that was it.

I wouldn't mind the occasional visit to the shop, but I've had it there every couple of months here lately for something. When I bought the X5, it had 51k miles on it. I've owned it since July 2011. It now has just over 100k on the clock and yeah, I kinda expect stuff to go wrong, but geez, some of the crap that has failed, even a few years ago, is kinda ridiculous.

I'm not knocking anyone here. I am an enthusiast and appreciate a well engineered car. I could care less of what someone thinks about my choice of vehicles. I care more about what I think about them. Heck, I'd love an old Volvo 240 wagon with a Mustang drive train and good suspension setup. Ultimate sleeper! But I digress...

Anyway, back to the problem at hand... I went out and tried this today: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-fix-pics.html

No joy It looks like the actual actuator is broken internally, so between that and the cost of a rear door handle carrier, I'm still cheaper going to the dealer and paying $250.

Is your X your DD ?

[David D]

Originally Posted by BMWX5CHI

Is your X your DD ?

Yup

[TiAgX5]

Always good to have a back-up vehicle when DIYing a DD BMW.

I have an '05 Accord for when the X is being worked on (or ice, snow, salt on roads).

[Joshdub]

I second having a second car. Between the two of us we have the X5, S5, and E30. If anything breaks the E30 has always been a reliable backup (it's even served well for a friend of mine while his only car was out for a couple months due to a break in/attempted theft). When shit hits the fan I can take my time to order and fix it myself. Saves so much money we can easily afford to have three nice/fun cars.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

..................................Not that many years ago labor cost was not as big a factor, not because price of labor was less, but because things were simpler and there was more room to work so less labor hours were warranted for work. Very seldom do I tackle a DIY project than I don't spend a considerable amount of time removing other stuff to get to what I want to replace.

On most cars or truck to disconnect the battery to work on something like an alternator is just a 2 minutes job, but on our X you need to empty the trunk, remove the trunk floor, remove the spare tire, remove or loosen the compressor from it mount in order to get to the battery to disconnect the negative cable. So a simple 2 minutes job is now a 20 minutes job, add back the time it takes to reassemble everything back together at the end and you end up with close to 40 minutes.

[David D]

Originally Posted by Joshdub

I second having a second car. Between the two of us we have the X5, S5, and E30. If anything breaks the E30 has always been a reliable backup (it's even served well for a friend of mine while his only car was out for a couple months due to a break in/attempted theft). When shit hits the fan I can take my time to order and fix it myself. Saves so much money we can easily afford to have three nice/fun cars.

If I had an E30, it'd be my primary vehicle and the X5 would be my backup! Seriously, I used to have an E30 325is several years ago and wish I'd never gotten rid of it. I'm seriously thinking about finding another. They're great cars. Fun to drive, easy to work on. I miss mine.

[Joshdub]

It used to be my DD. But it was getting a lot of attention in the campus parking lot, and I wanted to get something awd again so then I eventually ended up with the X5. Great for commuting/snowboarding/dog hauling, probably won't get stolen, and I don't come out to the car with offers to buy it stuck to the windshield.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by upallnight

On most cars or truck to disconnect the battery to work on something like an alternator is just a 2 minutes job, but on our X you need to empty the trunk, remove the trunk floor, remove the spare tire, remove or loosen the compressor from it mount in order to get to the battery to disconnect the negative cable. So a simple 2 minutes job is now a 20 minutes job, add back the time it takes to reassemble everything back together at the end and you end up with close to 40 minutes.

I took care of that a few years ago with a quick disconnect but I know what you mean, that was frustrating.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by David D

If I had an E30, it'd be my primary vehicle and the X5 would be my backup! Seriously, I used to have an E30 325is several years ago and wish I'd never gotten rid of it. I'm seriously thinking about finding another. They're great cars. Fun to drive, easy to work on. I miss mine.

Be careful... E30's are a helluva drug... I have 3.

I agree they are great cars. If you are serious about looking for one, sooner would be better than later. Their prices are starting to skyrocket and are now subject to the "e30 tax." Meaning they are the new hipster car to stance and drift unfortunately. But with the extra demand comes higher prices.

Originally Posted by bcredliner

I took care of that a few years ago with a quick disconnect but I know what you mean, that was frustrating.

Is there a thread I could find through search on here for that? Seems like that would be incredibly handy.