Just got a 2005 4.4...have questions.

[xrob]

Hey all,

I originally joined X5 World back in 2005 when we were looking for a new vehicle. My wife ended up with an X3 as she thought the X5 was a bit too big for her. My 2001 325 wagon was creeping up there in miles (140k) and the repair bills were adding up, so I went back to the X5. After looking around, I finally decided on a 2005 4.4L with 28k miles. I bought it at a dealer, so it came with the CPO extended warranty. Good times!

Although it has a ton of options, I am looking to add a few things and wanted to get some help if possible. Thanks in advance to all who answer.

1 - some kind of cargo mat. I am a musician and always loaded gear into my wagon, so the X will suffer the same treatment. My new X has no cargo mat (carpet or otherwise), so I am looking for recommendations. I've looked at the weathertech liner, some other liner on ebay, and a plain carpet mat. Any advice?

2 - Along with this, I believe I am going to buy the rubberized strip that goes on the back bumper. Morristown BMW has it on ebay for $33 plus $6 shipping. This seems like a good deal. Does Morristown offer better deals on the forum?

3 - iPod adapter. My X has satellite, dsp, cd and navi. The dealer told me that in order to install an ipod adapter, I would lose both the satellite AND the cd changer. Not good. I had an icelink plus in my 325 and removed it before I sold it. Apparently, it's possible to install it into the X, but I am not entirely sure. I could live with a simple AUX jack if it wouldn't kill any of the other sources, but I don't know if this will work. My experience with the icelink was that I preferred controlling the ipod itself and wasn't that stuck on the text displaying on the screen. Thoughts?

4 - Wheels - I just checked and even though I have a 4.4 with sport package, the wheels (and tires) are all the same size, not staggered. I thought perhaps the original owner changed them up, but the window sticker (which was conveniently included with the manuals) confirms 18x8.5 rims and the tires are all 255/55/18. They are the star style (not sure of the number), and I'm not in love with them. I'm thinking about upgrading to 19s or maybe 20s (saw the thread for the 22" 168s and they're a little too big for me, but I like that style) and wanted to get some insight as to whether or not I would go staggered and what sizes would work. I'm thinking I will wait until the tires are worn enough and then buy the new wheels and tires all at once. Are the non-OEM rims decent?

5 - Extended maintenance agreement - while the CPO does come with the extended warranty, I was also thinking about adding the extended maintenance as that was what eventually killed me in the 325 I was driving. I saw that the cheapest place is online (twinkidneygrill.com...$1595), and that seems like a good deal. Does anyone know when the prices would potentially go up on this contract? Is there another place I should consider?

Sorry to be all over the place, but I figured I might as well get it all out of my system at once. Thanks for the read!

Rob H

[Quicksilver]

Welcome to X5world

Here's my suggestion. Go to the home page a cruise the topics and that should take care of some of your questions. You might also use the search option. There are a ton of posts regarding extended warranties, tires, wheels, Trust me on the search thing it works like a charm.

[zerochief]

:xoutpost:

3 - iPod adapter. My X has satellite, dsp, cd and navi. The dealer told me that in order to install an ipod adapter, I would lose both the satellite AND the cd changer. Not good. I had an icelink plus in my 325 and removed it before I sold it. Apparently, it's possible to install it into the X, but I am not entirely sure. I could live with a simple AUX jack if it wouldn't kill any of the other sources, but I don't know if this will work. My experience with the icelink was that I preferred controlling the ipod itself and wasn't that stuck on the text displaying on the screen. Thoughts?

Talk with Tom G at EAS regarding this issue in the electronics forum here on x5world http://europeanautosource.com/