When will you sell your X5?

[X5only]

The X5 parts are getting expensive vis-a-vis the value of the vehicle. I always buy my parts from FCP Euro due to their lifetime replacement warranty. I need to replace the front suspension control arms but this time around it will cost me around $20 to ship back the old parts to FCPEuro after getting the new parts for free (you get your money back after buying the new replacement parts) . Other than working on the car myself, this is one way the X5 gets to stay with me happily and at no risk of being gotten rid of.

[Henn28]

Originally Posted by X5only

The X5 parts are getting expensive vis-a-vis the value of the vehicle. I always buy my parts from FCP Euro due to their lifetime replacement warranty. I need to replace the front suspension control arms but this time around it will cost me around $20 to ship back the old parts to FCPEuro after getting the new parts for free (you get your money back after buying the new replacement parts) . Other than working on the car myself, this is one way the X5 gets to stay with me happily and at no risk of being gotten rid of.

Agreed. Front springs, as I’m learning are good example. I’m doing a full refresh and have a damaged right front spring, but as best I can tell it’s now a BMW only part, unless I go with the full spring conversion pieces at Strutmasters or $90 Chinese knock-offs. I’m going with Bilstein Touring struts, so I’m kind of locked into an expensive BMW part this time. Thankfully this has been a pretty rare occurrence so far.

[X5chemist]

Hope mine stays on the road for at least 100,000 miles more. Odds are that some poor driver will take it out in Austin. It's the reason the third brake light says BMW X5. Anything to get attention to back off. So far, 15,000+ miles on it since purchase and racking up a lot more after a coolant system refresh.

[zonefive]

I looked at my financial records and I've spent ~$70k on maintenance on my 2001 since it came out of warranty in 2005 --- $35k in the last 30,000 miles. That included 4 transmissions and an engine rebuild plus a used engine when the rebuild failed.

I fortunately don't really care about the money, I have more than I ever could spend, so hopefully the car will eventually get to be reliable again. It's currently in the shop for engine vibration issues, fuel gauge issues, remote locking issues, and an oil leak that has started only 2,000 miles after a completely resealed replacement engine was installed.

Keeping these cars isn't limited by a lack of money, it is limited by a lack of replacement parts (I would have put a brand-new motor and tranny into the car if BMW still sold them) and competent mechanics.

[Happy]

Originally Posted by zonefive

4 transmissions and an engine rebuild plus a used engine when the rebuild failed.

Dayum!!

Originally Posted by zonefive

limited by a lack of replacement parts (I would have put a brand-new motor and tranny into the car if BMW still sold them) and competent mechanics.

Two key points here; proper replacement parts are a must, and I have been extremely blessed with not only competent, but highly qualified mechanics.

These examples are the reason OLe’GiRL is what she is today!



E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

[X5only]

Originally Posted by zonefive

<snip>
I fortunately don't really care about the money, I have more than I ever could spend, so hopefully the car will eventually get to be reliable again.

It's currently in the shop for engine vibration issues, fuel gauge issues, remote locking issues, and an oil leak that has started only 2,000 miles after a completely resealed replacement engine was installed.
</snip>

I think those two facts above depend on each other. The second one will always happen because of the first one. I bet your mechanic reading the above will keep your second point happening and continue singing all the way to his bank account.

[zonefive]

Originally Posted by X5only

I think those two facts above depend on each other. The second one will always happen because of the first one. I bet your mechanic reading the above will keep your second point happening and continue singing all the way to his bank account.

I just switched mechanics to a brand-new one. I think I've seen every BMW mechanic in San Diego. They've all made mistakes, some bigger than others. Unless the BMW mechs are a secret mafia with a shared database of wealthy guys who are willing to blow money all over the place, the issue is that really good ones are very hard to find. BTW I look like I'm poor. No one would ever guess I have $$$ to spend.

Backstory on the engine -- no one could figure out where the coolant was going. The mech I've used for years said it was a hose and the radiator. Nope, $$ down the drain after they were replaced and the loss continued. Next mechanic in Orange County.... diagnosed bad head gasket. Did $8,000 of work with new head, new chains and guides. 200 miles later an oil leak.... oops there is a crack/hole in the block which he didn't notice. Conclusion was that it was not repairable, only option then is a used motor. Credit for prior work done plus another $3,000 for new (used) motor with all new accessories and seals. 2,000 miles later, there is a small leak coming from somewhere because I've seen oil drops on the skidplate. So now on to a new mechanic just north of San Diego where the car is now to try and figure it out.

5 transmission backstory.... 10,000 miles ago -- transmission failed just prior to 200k. No new transmissions available from BMW. Bought new remanufactured transmission from these guys: https://streetsmarttransmission.com/...IaAu2SEALw_wcB

First reman tranny failed in the first 15 miles (severe slipping). Replacement by warranty -- starts leaking in first 200 miles. Got my money back for that one. 2 strikes and you're out for that outfit. Got a used transmission from a junkyard. Installed and was bad right away. Junkyard took it back, replaced with another which works well and is in the car right now.

Hopefully the new (used) one will be good for a while -- I replaced the torque converter which detonated in the original transmission and ruined it.


Years ago I was talking to my son (who was 12 at the time) and we were discussing how long I could keep the X5. He said "You can keep it forever.... they're modular. Just keep replacing things as they break." I thought, right, pretty good observation.

Pretty smart yeah but the big issue is that some of these "modules" are really hard to fix when they break (engine rebuilders are impossible to find even in a large city like San Diego), and BMW isn't selling new "modules" like transmissions and engines anymore. So used parts are the only option. And smaller "modules" (parts) will start to slowly disappear as the years go on.

This isn't limited to BMW. Mercedes and suppliers simply do not make replacement parts for older cars in many instances like for the V12 wiring harnesses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO0L...nnel=CarWizard

So eventually all these cars will disappear because all the used parts we will be forced to use will wear out. It's too bad, but we live in a disposable culture.

[carbob]

Some really interesting comments. I think a theme is developing, the scarcity of parts may be the major decision factor. As cars get more electronically complex with lots of circuit boards and hundreds of chips, any that are unique to that vehicle will only be available so long. I don’t know if mechanical parts will be as much a problem although some critical parts could be. Currently I’m not sure we can find new nav computers or DME modules for our vehicles, and resellers with reman units may get hard to find as well. I think this may be the Achilles heal of vehicles of our vintage, and you can only wonder if the timeline for obsolescence will shorten proportionally with later model cars. This is a sustainability issue that EV’s won’t solve with less carbon footprint, as US manufacturers push for 16MM vehicles a year and third world countries have exponential sales growth.

[Auto Parts Guy]

I'm at about 14 cents per mile with mine including the purchase price. I always had in mind that an engine or transmission failure would be the end of the but I'm not sure about that to be honest. Not sure what I would replace it with. I thought I wanted a 2002-2007 Toyota Sequoia but I'm not so sure.

I do wish she got better mpgs. 16.2 average kinda sucks.

[Themoog]

I've had my 4.4 for 10 years now. It's had timing chain guides done, transmission rebuild and all the suspension components refreshed in my time.
Just had a new ac compressor done too.
Yes it's 21 years old but it's used every day as a general work horse but I keep it in good condition.
I keep looking at Cayennes (had on) and Ml63's to replace it but just can't seem to part with it.
I also rarely see another on the road and if I do they stand out from the crowd.
So the answer to your question from me would be to sell only if something becomes available that is better than what I have already which I have not found yet.