Want to keep the X5 solid, tell me what you think, please!

[GmX5]

So, I've had my 01 4.4 for ~1 month and want to keep it solid and do preventive care, so i need some input.

Before i bought the car i had it thoroughly had it checked out by a mechanic. I'm in college and wanted to make sure i was getting a legit car, plus it had 91k miles on it and i've heard some neg. things about BMW in general...u know. From the used car lot i got a car fax which showed that the car was always serviced at BMW dealerships. This was comforting so i pursued the buy further (obviously ). Since it had always been to dealerships i thought it would be a good idea to request the maintenance records from BMW. At this point i think the used car lot was getting a little annoyed by me, but they were still nice. The BMW service records show that the owners (1st and only) took the car in at 90k and got a list of things that the dealer recommended getting fixed.

---pcv valve hoses, valve cover gaskets, auxillary fan, front bushings, brakes.

A local indie, who the used car dealer and many locals use and respect, said that the valve cover gaskets were fine. and a local alignment shop said the bushings were fine. it turns out, that the pcv valve hoses were spraying oil and it was dripping down the valve covers giving the appearance of oil from the covers.

The valve hoses, brakes, and auxillary fan all got fixed, so im wondering if i am somewhat worry free for a bit since it was inspected at 90k..? Would this be BMW's 90k inspection? Oh yeah, the people who owned the car passed on repairing the BMW and traded it in at the mercedes dealership!

Thanks for reading this long post! This community is awesome and comforting for a new BMW owner!!!

[Quicksilver]

:xoutpost:

Keep up the good work.....

[supersteve]

Sounds like you should be good for a while. Check your brakes though.

If it's any comfort my Wife's 2001 4.4 X5 has 140,000 miles on it. No reason to get rid of it yet.

[alpac]

You seem to have got a good used car. Beside normal maintenance and among the things that "may" need to be done in the next 10/30k if they have not been done yet are:

- Water pump
- CV boots. Keep an eye on these CV joints for any cracks to avoid having to change the joints like I had to.
- Valve cover gaskets
- Oil separator
- Steering pump
- Steering rack
- Window regulators

This is based on my own experience as well a many others. I was lucky enough to have all of the above done under extended warranty. I have now 101k and no more warranty and the car has been trouble free for the last 8 months.
If you are handy you can do your brakes and many other things yourself. It will save you ton of money. There are a lot of very good DIY's on this forum.

[GmX5]

Have you gone through a tranny yet? Thanks for the comfort!!

[supersteve]

Originally Posted by GmX5

Have you gone through a tranny yet? Thanks for the comfort!!

nope