Powerflex factory destroyed

[m5james]

It's newer...give it time

[FSETH]

ncsucarjock, if you are happy with the way the X drives, I would stay with OEM bushings. Also, switching to a V8 e53 from a V8 e39 is a lateral move, if not backwards as far as reliability is concerned imo. Save the money you would have spent on the bushings and start a maintenance fund.

[X5girl]

Originally Posted by ncsucarjock

oh yeah, glutton for punishment with the 4.4i. Luckily still CPO. Hoping the entire cooling system blows up before June and BMW's forced to replace it. Same with that mega-expensive alternator (and just why does it need to be water cooled? really? grrr)

Anyhow, been emailing phoenix motorsport, looks like I can get most of the bushings in poly, and will probably order them next week.

At least I like the X5 more than the E39, and the E53 has been infinitely more reliable.

That just shows how you cannot tar all cars with the same brush! I also have a 2003 540 E39 and it is far more reliable than the X5. There is always something niggly wrong with it, literally weekly. Last week the door catch seizure fault, before that, the rear seat belt catch not clicking in.

You cannot really compare the 2 cars, thats why I have both. The 540 is a better car but the X5 is more useful. Very much a case of horses for courses.

Not many drivers have the Powerflex bushes on the X5 as they are a UK company with a US outpost, , my car was used for the development of the bushes so mine was the first worldwide to have them and as soon as they were done, the factory burnt down.

They are not cheap, especially with the exchange rate, but IMHO, worth the extra.

X5Girl, xxx

[ncsucarjock]

My E39 was the worst car I have ever owned. Period. And I've owned almost 30 by now. When it was running, and everything was functioning, it was an excellent driver. But that was *so* rare as to be almost non-existent. It never left me stranded, but it was simply vastly too expensive to keep around.

The X5, for me, has been practically bulletproof. I've had a couple issues, but they're all normal (power steering lines, door actuator), and have occurred over enough miles so as for me to not be bitter when something does pop up.

To FSETH. I've got a maintenance fund. The X53 is probably a lateral move from an E39. But, it's a much better car, at least for me, in a lot of ways. Towing being a primary reason. And trust me, I would *NOT* be doing bushings if I didn't have to. The front end is all wobbly and inconsistent, and I can see the bushings deteriorating. I've also noticed the ride becoming more harsh in the rear, and know that the rear subframe bushings are going, just as they did in the E39. I drive 36,000 miles a year. I'd rather do this one, rather than have to do this in another 18 months. So...though the PF bushings are more expensive, though they might increase stiffness a little, for me, the downtime saved, and the resulting lack of maintenance in the future (I plan on driving this till 200k, at the minimum, regardless of what she throws at me) is the biggest reason for going to PF bushings.

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by ncsucarjock

To FSETH. I've got a maintenance fund. The X53 is probably a lateral move from an E39. But, it's a much better car, at least for me, in a lot of ways. Towing being a primary reason. And trust me, I would *NOT* be doing bushings if I didn't have to. The front end is all wobbly and inconsistent, and I can see the bushings deteriorating. I've also noticed the ride becoming more harsh in the rear, and know that the rear subframe bushings are going, just as they did in the E39. I drive 36,000 miles a year. I'd rather do this one, rather than have to do this in another 18 months. So...though the PF bushings are more expensive, though they might increase stiffness a little, for me, the downtime saved, and the resulting lack of maintenance in the future (I plan on driving this till 200k, at the minimum, regardless of what she throws at me) is the biggest reason for going to PF bushings.

I edited my post. I meant to say lateral or backward move as far as reliability is concerrned. I love the X, but one thing it is not, is reliable. We bought our 2002 4.4i with 65k miles on the clock. We now have 110k miles and are approaching $10,000 in repairs. Most of which were done under warranty thank God. We are not hard on the X either and I maintain it very well. The bushings on the back end seem fine at this point. No thunks, thumps or strange noises. The front thrust rod bushings have been replaced twice due to failure. The last time my indy went with aftermarket, reinforced ones. The owner of the shop also has an X5 and says they have had really good luck with them, so we will see.

As far as the poly bushings are concerned, there are plenty of horror stories regarding premature failure of these bushings on road cars due to road conditions. They just don't seem to be designed to take the abuse the rubber ones can. Unless you only drive on the smoothest of roads, I would stay stock, or aftermarket that are reinforced OEM style.

[X5girl]

Just as a little addition to my previous post on my fall-to-bits X5, today the coolant header tank split spewing coolant all over the place. So thats it off the road now till Tuesday.

Back to the trusted E39 then this weekend.

X5Girl, xxx