New member - 4.8is Le Mans

[4.8iS Le Mans_NZ]

Hi All,
Thought I'd better introduce myself, and my latest acquisition - a 2004 RHD 4.8is, in Le Mans blue with Creambeige leather.
This was the 501st RHD built, rolling out of Spartanburg on August 26, 2004, and delivered to its first owner here in NZ in October of that year.
I'm the fourth owner and the car has now covered 166,000 kms (103k miles) from new.
The previous owner replaced the original wheels with the later E70 M-design (which I actually prefer) and a full set of brand new Toyo Proxes.
It's my first foray into SAV territory - all of my prior BMW's have been sedans, coupes or touring wagons.
This X5 has a good service history, both with BMW main dealers and reputable specialist workshops, but it does have a few issues:
- Panorama sunroof rear panel stuck and in need of the DIY repair, which I'm planning to do myself.
- Transmission surging in low gears and slow to engage reverse - suspect low fluid level, so will try the fluid and filter change.
- Blue smoke after extended idle, which has only become evident after changing the oil last week. New oil was Castrol Edge 5W-30, so I may try changing to 5W-40 high mileage Mobil 1 and see if the smoke screen clears.
- Headlamps need polishing and re-coating.
- All paintwork and glass needs a professional cut & polish.
- Leather requires deep clean and restoration in some areas (drivers bolster, etc).
I'll include a couple of pictures - apologies for the poor quality images, but haven't had time yet to get some decent shots.
I'm looking forward to the 4.8is experience and also (hopefully with a little help from this great community) getting the car fully sorted again.
Cheers.

[tmv]

Congrats on a nice looking iS.
Your steering wheel is on the wrong side

[mam4.6]

Welcome! Have fun!!

[wpoll]

Welcome! Rare car in NZ, as most X5 Beemers here are the 3.0d variant. Except for the grey imports - lots of 4.4i examples around these days.

Must do the same to my leather soon - especially the driver's bolster.

[4.8iS Le Mans_NZ]

Thanks for the welcoming words, guys.
I considered buying the diesel model, but they were on average $10k more expensive than the V8 examples, for a similar year & mileage.
I then decided the V8 would be a lot more fun than the 3.0 petrol, so started looking at these. Soon after, I decided if I was going to have a V8, why not have the 'daddy'?
Although the 4.8is is very rare in this country - as wpoll says - I couldn't believe it: there were four of them up for sale at the same time! This car was the cheapest of the bunch on offer, being a private seller and with a few known issues, as discussed earlier, but it drove well and had the colour combo I wanted, so that was it...the deal was done!

[jopecasa]

Welcome!

Love the LMB and Sports Cream combo!

[StephenVA]

LeMans Blue is the Best color possible.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by jopecasa

Love the LMB and Sports Cream combo!

Ditto... and the RB's + cold weather package make it just about perfect combo. I still prefer Imola, but LMB is a close second.

[mam4.6]

Originally Posted by StephenVA

LeMans Blue is the Best color possible.

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Ditto... and the RB's + cold weather package make it just about perfect combo. I still prefer Imola, but LMB is a close second.

Mehhhh, disputable... ROFL!!!

[4.8iS Le Mans_NZ]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Ditto... and the RB's + cold weather package make it just about perfect combo. I still prefer Imola, but LMB is a close second.

Imola with Cream Beige would have been outstanding, but I don't think there are any in this country - maybe only one Imola car exists here, and I think it has the black interior.
I see from your build thread that you used a mix of different grade engine oils to cure the smoking issue. So, should I drain out just half of the 5W-30 and pour in 4 litres of say, 10W-60 (Castrol Edge) rather than completely refilling with 8 litres of new 5W-40 oil?
It doesn't get very cold in winter where I live - never less than 35F (2 deg C) and that only happens on a half-dozen days.