Reliability after 85K?

[Kendall]

Originally Posted by Randman

I am new to the forum and have 85K on an '01 3.0 automatic. Other than keeping up with the factory maintenance schedule, is there anything else I need to be doing to ensure reliability for several more years? Anything to watch out for? Thank you for your help.

Typical maintenance needed on most BMW's of that mileage:

-Check to see if belts were changed, ie. a/c and serpentine, if not, change asap.

-Check for coolant leaks or adnormal behavior in temp. or overheating ie. check water pump, thermostat, thermostat housing, radiator, hoses, and especially fan clutch.

-Check to see if differential fluid has ever been replaced, if not replace asap. (this service is not part of Insp. 2, it is considered optional)

-Good time to replace the lifetime tranny fluid. original transmissions tend to go after 80-120k miles on original fluid.

-Check suspension system for play, clunking sounds, looseness... thrust arms (ball joint, thrust arm and bushing typically sold as one piece) tend to cause 60mph shimmy or vibration when braking at that mileage.. check or replace sway bar link, lower control arm, and further down the road, steering parts such as tie rods etc. if you're unlucky a steering box may need replacing..

[Tomaz]

Originally Posted by Kendall

-Good time to replace the lifetime tranny fluid.

I'm still undecided on this one. It generally makes sense to me to change the fluid. My dealer says "absolutely not". My BMW tuner says "absolutely". And I recall "The Cleaner" saying that he has seen failures after a transmission fluid change.

[mlcoleman80]

103k and getting a little worried...just replaced the h2o pump along with: a/c idler pulley, front and rear diff fluid, o2 sensor, fuel filter and transfer case fluid....runs and looks brand new

[oQuockYo]

2001 3.0 bmw x5

95k miles So far 3 window REgulators.

Final Stage is dead too didn't fix yet.
besides that car drives excellent.

[wtwoten]

Originally Posted by oQuockYo

2001 3.0 bmw x5

95k miles So far 3 window REgulators.

Final Stage is dead too didn't fix yet.
besides that car drives excellent.

how long have you owned your car? i had to replace the fsr and a window regulator after a few weeks of ownership.

[X5Flyboy]

Originally Posted by kresener

I've got 114k miles on my '01 3.0 automatic. Original water pump etc. Probably ought to change it....

No major problems yet!

use the Stewart aftermarket water pump for the 3.0 - stainless steel vanes vs OEM plastic - your present water pump is one of the rare ones to last this long - personally, the risk of losing the engine if it fails scares me - did mine at 61k miles and will do it again at 120K (at 88k now) - but everybody has a different comfort level

[Texas X5]

Just replaced water pump at 106,000, other than that just normal items like brakes, belts and following the service schedule.

[mlcoleman80]

i found the after-market final stage resistor on ebay for 50 bucks. i did the repair in about 30 mins. note...you do not have to remove the glove box to do this.