Another New Member

[jnclem]

I thought I had better do the introduction thing since I have been posting questions and reading a lot already. I bought a 2002 Estroil Blue 4.6is with 113,000 miles on it a couple of weeks ago. This is my first BMW car, but we own 3 BMW motorcycles.

I've been driving Japanese vehicles for many, many years, so everything is different on this one. I love the way it drives. It is phenomenal. We live in a mountainous part of Colorado, and this thing is fantastic on the road.

I did replace the original radiator (hoses, thermostat, etc.) as a preventative measure. It had recently had a lot of the usual things done - overflow tank, water pump, valve cover gaskets, and some others. The car has been babied, and is fabulous condition inside and out.

I'm hoping we have a very long and happy relationship. However, it did leave me stranded on the road the very first time I took it 100 miles from home. The alternator bushings started to go, making a lot of noise and bringing the trip to a halt. Not a good way to start out. I have never in 45 years of driving, had a car break down to the extent that I couldn't get it home without a tow truck. So, I'm giving it another chance, since that was the original alternator. But she had better be on good behavior for a good long while!

One concern I have is that it has the staggered wheel set up. It came with some brand new, very nice, continental all season tires, but I still don't think it will be up to a winter where I live. If we keep it, that's still an if, we will be looking for a set of used 17 or 18" wheels to install with some good winter tires sometime late next fall. I will probably be asking for ideas about that.

There are some other small issues, like figuring out how to get the CD cartraige out that doesn't move, how to pull the center console tray out and put something useful in there. I've already noticed that there are threads on all these things, so I will be digging.

Thanks for all the help I've already received, and for such an informative forum.

[mgbmwx5]

Welcome to the club!

[Skeletor]

You've picked up quite the machine. They're great in the snow, but you'll have to look for a set of 18" rims to mount snow tires on since the 4.6is + 4.8is have bigger brakes than the 3.0 and 4.4.

I was equally disappointed when my alternator went out in my 5 speed when I realized that a bump start wasn't going to bring it back to life. I found that if you want to drive a BMW, you either have to be a good mechanic, or have a big wallet.

It looks like you've taken care of some of the most common issues so you should be off to a good start on the journey with your new X5. Congrats and lets see some pics of the whip.

[OptimusPriM5]

Current Estoril owner here looking for some good Estoril porn...Welcome to the madness!

[jnclem]

I don't have many photos yet, but here is a look.

Hmmm..., well maybe not. My old photobucket app kicked the bucket, so I just got google photo, and obviously don't know how to use it yet. I'll figure it out later and get something posted.

[dannyzabolotny]

Welcome! The major issues with the 4.6 are the timing chain guides, the transmission, and the transfer case/front driveshaft. So watch out for those and maybe set aside a rainy day fund in case something major breaks. BMWs are great when they work, but when they break they break hard.

[smokeyyank]

Originally Posted by jnclem

I thought I had better do the introduction thing since I have been posting questions and reading a lot already. I bought a 2002 Estroil Blue 4.6is with 113,000 miles on it a couple of weeks ago. This is my first BMW car, but we own 3 BMW motorcycles.

I've been driving Japanese vehicles for many, many years, so everything is different on this one. I love the way it drives. It is phenomenal. We live in a mountainous part of Colorado, and this thing is fantastic on the road.

I did replace the original radiator (hoses, thermostat, etc.) as a preventative measure. It had recently had a lot of the usual things done - overflow tank, water pump, valve cover gaskets, and some others. The car has been babied, and is fabulous condition inside and out.

I'm hoping we have a very long and happy relationship. However, it did leave me stranded on the road the very first time I took it 100 miles from home. The alternator bushings started to go, making a lot of noise and bringing the trip to a halt. Not a good way to start out. I have never in 45 years of driving, had a car break down to the extent that I couldn't get it home without a tow truck. So, I'm giving it another chance, since that was the original alternator. But she had better be on good behavior for a good long while!

One concern I have is that it has the staggered wheel set up. It came with some brand new, very nice, continental all season tires, but I still don't think it will be up to a winter where I live. If we keep it, that's still an if, we will be looking for a set of used 17 or 18" wheels to install with some good winter tires sometime late next fall. I will probably be asking for ideas about that.

There are some other small issues, like figuring out how to get the CD cartraige out that doesn't move, how to pull the center console tray out and put something useful in there. I've already noticed that there are threads on all these things, so I will be digging.

Thanks for all the help I've already received, and for such an informative forum.

That's a bummer, the fam and I are heading to Junction next weekend and I want to bring the X but the fear of "failure" is something in the back of my mind. I'm hoping I've dealt with enough of the known "issues" that it shouldn't be a problem, but I'd be lying if I said I was 100% confident this thing will make it there and back without any problems. What Danny said though is pretty spot on. The X is awesome but it does have it's downfalls. My big concern right now is my tranny , has thrown a P0741 a few times and is just funky at times. I'm just hoping I can get another 10k miles out if it before I tear into the timing guides and tranny.