My car hates me...

[X53Jay4.8is]

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.

Can't you just disconnect the alternator power cable from the fire wall in order to change the alternator?

[squidzilla]

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.

There is a quick disconnect option? Do you mind elaborating a bit? I would prefer that over the usual 40 minute headache that I go through.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by X53Jay4.8is

Can't you just disconnect the power cable from the fire wall in order to change the alternator?

Never did it that way since most of the write ups calls for disconnect at the BATTERY.

Disconnecting a live wire with all the grounds near the firewall and the firewall itself is not something I would recommend, not unless you want to weld your wrench or socket to to whatever it happens to touch.

[admranger]

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.

That sounds handy, as others have mentioned. Details please!

[bcredliner]

This is what I did. My reason was more for racing but I do lots of things that I need to cut the power off and it is absolutely a great time saver and convenience. I think I found it on Ebay though not positive.

[squidzilla]

Hey OP,

I was thinking that maybe it is a good thing that you are getting good use of the warranty. Maybe a blessing in disguise. Maybe once you finish up the warranty you will have years of smooth sailing.

[David D]

Originally Posted by squidzilla

Hey OP,

I was thinking that maybe it is a good thing that you are getting good use of the warranty. Maybe a blessing in disguise. Maybe once you finish up the warranty you will have years of smooth sailing.

I hope you're right! It's been a few days and I've had a chance to calm back down and get things back into perspective. The car makes me smile every time I drive it (especially when everything is working ). I'm hoping that I've just had a run of bad luck the past few months and things will be smooth sailing for awhile.

I absolutely LOVE my X5. With the possible exception of a Porsche Cayenne, no other vehicle satisfies so many different wants/needs. The X5 is the perfect blend of performance and utility. I love the handling, utility (cargo space, AND I have the factory tow package), and luxury. The only thing better would be a 4.8is...

I've started my dealer "fix it" list, so when I do get it down there, I'll have them tackle everything that they can. Hopefully, this will be the last time I have to take it in for awhile. The car will be paid off and the warranty gone in a little over a year, so it'll be paid for. I'll have to definitely roll up my sleeves from there on out, but that is OK as I've decided to take the money that I was going to spend on another vehicle and build a garage next Summer. This is a win-win for me as I have been needing a garage for many years and the money that I would've spent on a replacement for the X5 will build the garage that I can use to work on the X5.

[squidzilla]

Originally Posted by David D

I hope you're right! It's been a few days and I've had a chance to calm back down and get things back into perspective. The car makes me smile every time I drive it (especially when everything is working ). I'm hoping that I've just had a run of bad luck the past few months and things will be smooth sailing for awhile.

I absolutely LOVE my X5. With the possible exception of a Porsche Cayenne, no other vehicle satisfies so many different wants/needs. The X5 is the perfect blend of performance and utility. I love the handling, utility (cargo space, AND I have the factory tow package), and luxury. The only thing better would be a 4.8is...

I've started my dealer "fix it" list, so when I do get it down there, I'll have them tackle everything that they can. Hopefully, this will be the last time I have to take it in for awhile. The car will be paid off and the warranty gone in a little over a year, so it'll be paid for. I'll have to definitely roll up my sleeves from there on out, but that is OK as I've decided to take the money that I was going to spend on another vehicle and build a garage next Summer. This is a win-win for me as I have been needing a garage for many years and the money that I would've spent on a replacement for the X5 will build the garage that I can use to work on the X5.

One thing that you can do a month before the warranty runs out is have a new pre purchase inspection done to look for signs of things that are going out. You will need to get this done somewhere other than the dealer since BMW NA calls it warranty hunting. Then bring it to the dealer SA and tell them and have it fixed. I learned that bmw sa get a small cut or bonus for all of the work you have done.

[David D]

^^^ That's a great idea. Thank you!

[sunny5280]

Originally Posted by squidzilla

One thing that you can do a month before the warranty runs out is have a new pre purchase inspection done to look for signs of things that are going out. You will need to get this done somewhere other than the dealer since BMW NA calls it warranty hunting. Then bring it to the dealer SA and tell them and have it fixed. I learned that bmw sa get a small cut or bonus for all of the work you have done.

Yep, that's exactly what it is. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.