What to Look for on High Mileage X5

[ftgambit]

ok forgot to mention one repair you should do, there are 4 O2 sensors I believe, 2 uppers and two lowers meaning 2 in the engine compartment area and two on the exhaust below, get them all replaced it will help keep your gas mileage and engine running smooth, I only had one go bad on me all this time and it was covered under the CPO warranty at the time, Im thinking of doing them now even though the car is running fine, as preventive measure, best of luck they are alot cheaper than the O2 sensors on the 7series or X5 4.0 models,

[sfcl]

Originally Posted by ftgambit

I POSTED A VERY DETAILED RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTION PLEASE READ IT AND LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS, THANK YOU

Well, I admit that I'm always surprised when I see so much comments about BMW unreliability... Maybe Im lucky with my 120 000 miles 3.0I although it is not the first BMW I own.
I'm not blind however and I wouldn't say that they are bulletproof, some parts are badly designed and/or their quality is obviously poor like the CCV or the windows regulator, however, all in all, although I got some problems of course, it is not worst than any of my previous vehicles (and I got quite many!) and most of the time quite better regarding reliability. So what problems I got in 120 000 miles?
- Windows regulator as well. Ok on these ones, they are crap.
- CCV: Same comment, really bad design although it went well until 118K (I'm living in a hot climate though)
- Radio: Out at 118K too.
- Front suspension rods and bushing: Changed them about every 50K, just because they got some play. Changed the CV boots (front) 2 times, 2 of them as preventative maintenance.
- Transmission: Apart a small no reverse problem recently that I solved by cleaning the connectors (I replaced the TCC too although I'm convinced that it wasn't bad). Never flushed. Having seen so many comments about problems occuring after a drain, I simply put in back the old original fluid as per BMW recommendation. Although where i'm living there are only small and curvy roads, ie an hard use of the transmission, and that it has never been updated (soft), I never got a single problem with it apart that and it still shifts perfectly, this is a fact. I'm quite realistic however and I'm preparing myself to replace it one day or another, but what's really wrong with an electronic transmission with more than 120K, considering that most of the other transmissions that I had before began to shudder ot got uneven running at less than that?
- Engine: Absolutely reliable. Just an issue with a cracked airboot. Of course, vaccum lines have to be changed as a preventative maintenance every 50K or so, however rubber is rubber IMO, whatever the brand of the car...

I really don't think that BMWs are to blame. Even BMW attitude and recommendation and support don't seem wrong in my opinion. On the other hand, the dealers....... That's simply a fact, most of the problems you get on these vehicles and most of the parts that are replaced are only the consequence of the dealers delirium!! It was the dealer who advised me (after having checked the car with the factory software) to replace the throttle body and maybe the DISA valve while it was just only a problem of cracked intake boot... More than 300 USD thrown away without any reason... (I got a Peake scanner just after that, so I can check what the dealer is telling me and never regret my choice!)
It was the dealer who advised to replace the transmission while it just got a connector problem. 8K Euros (9.5K USD) better in my pocket!
It was the dealer who said that the engine had to be removed from the car to solve an oil leak while it was just a cracked hose between the CCV and the oil dipstick housing. How many bucks saved??... And so on.

BMWs are not bad IMO, the dealers on the other hand... They seem just not trained enough to be able to get a good diagnosis... I'm really wondering what this lack of knowledge means in terms of money in the whole world? I'm just trying to imagine how many transmissions, engines, labour works are paid by customers without any obvious reason...

[1stE53]

I purchased a 2003 X5 I6. Love the engine!!! I know I don't have a lot of experience with it, only 3500 miles and two months in. I also was a little frightened about the amount of repairs and issues some users on these posts have had. I changed my thought process, I look at this as an amazing looking and performing vehicle that is fun to drive; and since I love to do my own work on cars it is also a great hobby. Time spent on X5 = time not getting into trouble . So far I have replaced normal wear and tear items such as filters brakes and spark plugs. So easy to do. I would love the V8 but they are more technical and the I6 is near bullet proof. Put the amount of X5s on the road (BMW's second most sold model) vs the problems people are having, I'm pretty sure it isn't any more or less than any other model.

[zumbalak]

ftgambit has provided nice details.

Those repairs would cost how much? That is the key.
Another 4-5K?
The price of a 2004 4.4i would be around 16K right now, and spend another 5K to run it without breaking down?

Is it really an economically sound idea?
That is what the OP should consider before making his/her purchase.

[VOLAVET]

Thanks for all the good info. I am pensive about buying a high mileage car, so these are all good posts to think about. I certainly dont want a money pit. I typically only buy from original owners, so that takes out a lot of the guess work of what was replaced or needs to be replaced. It also seems like the 3.0 is the better choice for long term reliability and not as many tranny issues.

[wallyx5]

Nice write up. Both the 3.0 and the 4.4 have different issues. I would recommend the 4.4 because of the added power and the mpg are pretty close to the same. Buy a high milage X5, and learn to fix it yourself and the ownership will be cheap. Mine has been very reliable.

Originally Posted by ftgambit

Ok let see where to begin,

I have a 2001 X5 3.0i w/sport package and cold weather package,Premium Package, pretty much every single option available in 2001 I bought it in 2003 as a lease return to dealer with 43000 miles on it, CPO covered it for two more years and/or 100K.

I live in CA with no real weather extremes so I can't argue with bashers who have owned an X5 in MINN or Maine, or some other GODFORSAKEN location on our continent with really cold weather and really hot weather, well now I live in Vegas the past 1year with my X5 and the temp. extremes for work so its not by choice and its a fun city to live in. I currently have 156K or so miles on my baby, she has some problems which I will detail for you but overall doing alot myself and few computer related repairs at a really good independent mechanic I would buy another one in a heartbeat if I had $60K to drop. which I dont....

THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE alone is worth the purchase better than others I have tried and I have the old version x drive

CV BOOTS are horrible especially in Vegas summers, dry and crack really fast about 2-3 years they go, so if you buy used make sure they do it and you inspect them before and after to make sure they were replaced the good part is the inner boots and rear inner/outer boots almost last forever, so the front outers are probably all you will ever have to worry about but its easy to do the inner boots once they take the wheels off so just have em all done.

ENGINE AIR HOSES:These were the tricky bastards, the hoses themselves are cheap, but getting to them without a lift is a pain in the arss, get those replaced all of them including the DISA VALVE the bladder in that sucker will set you back about $280 or so plus the other hoses so just get them all done at once its a $400-$600 job at any indy shop roughly if any unregulated air get in there the car will stall rough idle etc... save yourself the headache and youll be scotch free for almost 100K miles more, given the fact that SYNTHETIC oil is used on these engines internally they should look as good as the day they were made.

BELTS AND PULLEYS:I did this one myself saved myself about $500 in parts and labor, it was a pain getting the fan clutch off though, so have them replace the following, all 3 pulleys, the power steering,idler pulley and a/c pulley and upgrade them to the hydraulic versions if they dont already have them, I still use the mechanical pulleys since mine is 2001 and have them replace BOTH belts, A/C and Drive belt theres only two in the 3.0 which is the model I would buy over the crappy V8 4.0 versions. and Replace the fanclutch so you dont have to deal with it.

VALVE COVER GASKET: Git er dun, have it replaced as well and the sparkplugs it will be good for a long time and avoid messy oil leaks and burnt oil smell which I am about to do myself next week, gaskets should be soft and flexible they get dry and brittle but Ive never done mine and it has 156K or so, so this sucker has been good to me.

ALTERNATOR: Ohh man this one had me crappin my pants at first, I thought how in the hell did this part fail, well mine is a VALEO brand made in france and apparently thats the good one, the BOSCH ones tend to fail sooner, should have only lasted until about 100K mine lasted to 150K so no complaints there, I had alternator shop rebuild it for me only cost me $140 a new one from dealer or indy part store was between $300 and $500 and I did it myself so I saved 2 hours of labor roughly $200, had to remove the belts I mentioned earlier so I replaced those at the same time BAMM! Have them replace the alternator or be willing to jump in there and do it yourself its kind of fun to work on it. Makes you really feel good about whats happening under the hood when youve worked on things and know where the noises are coming from I can't explain it...

FUEL FILTER: BMW techs are really bad about replacing this part mines never been done and Im sure its over do, nor the indy or dealer has mentioned it probably because you have to remove a bunch of bolts towards the back and a protective cover and its a pain the butt without a lift, so I will probably have to do it myself, but its worth it to have done, and will save you an hour of labor and $80 for the filter and should be good for over 100K miles

OIL: I change the oil every 5K or so even though bmw recommends 10K my engine sounds great so 5K it is, no need to risk it, Im still smarter than all the dummies that change it every 3K and I use FULL Synthetic 5-30 doesnt matter which brand as long as you stay on FULL SYNTHETIC GOT IT!!!!!

INTAKE/EXHAUST CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR: doesnt take long get both of them replaced and it will save you a potential stall while your driving mine went bad at 80K or so no problems since took about 2hrs to change it and I worked real slow!!!

BRAKES: make sure you dont feel any shakes or vibration in the braking, if you do that means your rotors are warped dont settle for new pads, you can't turn or shouldnt turn german rotors because they are already thin, must be replaced so get slotted and some good pads and you should be in braking heaven.

AIR FILTER: spend $40 and buy the K&N Permanent Air filter its worth the boost in power and you can just wash it and clean it, will save you money on gas and replacing it.

SOLENOIDS:Have the tech plug in to the computer and reset all your computer controls for the windows, electronics, power options etc... you will thank me, for some reason they get stuck over time, power drain battery drain issues etc.... by reprogramming all of this it will refresh your old X5 to like new should do the trick, and have them update your engine software.

BATTERY: BMW batteries are expensive and dont last more than 2-3years max, just buy one at SAMS CLUB or COSTCO and save yourself like $100K that should be good.

TRANSMISSION: Okay I read a couple hater talking about how bad the tranny is, well not really, I mean the damn car weighs about 6000lbs so its a beast, heres what needs to be done, stay away from dealer have an indy reputable, replace the tranny filter and pan gasket and replace the connectors outside the tranny they tend to SWEAT over time and just need to be replaced after 100K or so, its not expensive and should be included in the tranny filter change, of course make sure the tranny oil is also replaced not reused, and this is most important, most x5 trannies fail because they are not recoded or reprogrammed correctly by the mechanic, they should plug it in for 1hour to the special BMW computer and recode the settings back to factory, people claim that for some reason after getting the filter changed and tranny oil changed they fail, I think the mechanics are to blame because they are LAZY and dont bother with the reprogramming part of the job. so you jump back in and drive like you did before and the shit hits the fan!!!!
IMO

Those are all the things I have run into with my 2001 x5 3.0i and when I hit the gas the engine still sounds smooth and sweet with KICK! just make sure you get a good deal get all these repairs bid out from a shop if they havent been done within 20K miles or so and find a happy middleground with the seller for price, and you wont be disappointed. Either hell sell to you or find a sucker to buy it as is but hes trying to make a buck to so maybe offer to split the cost towards the final price ????

MY RECOMMENDATION IS STAY AWAY FROM THE V-8 4.0 models, they SUCK!!! Serious, they are always in the shop, the engine vibrates alot more than the inline 6 all the parts are more expensive on the V-8s and I dont care what anyone else tell you contradicting that, you will end up emailing me "YOU WERE RIGHT" and all I can say is "I TOLD YA SO" get the 3.0 its decent power and gas mileage with smooth driving is in the middle 20s for me no joke and I have almost 160Kmiles on her.
:-)

[ftgambit]

Volavet 2011 update, whatever happened did you end up buying a used X5 share some details or experiences. I still have my 2001 going strong with 167K miles on her, Ive had to replace all 4 window regulators at this point, front windows were a total pain damn BMW but the engine still sounds smooth, havent done my valve cover gasket so I smell burn oil all the time, will get to it someday soon

[alromcc]

ftgambit "....Transmission: Apart a small no reverse problem recently that I solved by cleaning the connectors (I replaced the TCC too although I'm convinced that it wasn't bad)...."

Hi ftgambit! I am experiencing same no reverse problem at present .
Hoping your solution could solve mine, please advise if the connector you cleaned was part#16 below?
What is TCC, and where can i find it?
Thanks.

[alromcc]

Originally Posted by ftgambit

Volavet 2011 update, whatever happened did you end up buying a used X5 share some details or experiences. I still have my 2001 going strong with 167K miles on her, Ive had to replace all 4 window regulators at this point, front windows were a total pain damn BMW but the engine still sounds smooth, havent done my valve cover gasket so I smell burn oil all the time, will get to it someday soon

I have done replacing my valve cover gaskets a week ago.
In comparison to other engines, I think that BMW is wrong to paint the underside of valve cover, or applied paint on inside surface of engine.
The original paint deteriorated and made a big mess.
I had the cover sand blasted and painted on outer surface only.

[1stE53]

Originally Posted by alromcc

I have done replacing my valve cover gaskets a week ago.
In comparison to other engines, I think that BMW is wrong to paint the underside of valve cover, or applied paint on inside surface of engine.
The original paint deteriorated and made a big mess.
I had the cover sand blasted and painted on outer surface only.

With as much moisture these engines get during cold weather, you probably should have re-painted the inside as well. You may deal with a whole lot more than deteriorated paint once all that water gets a hold of that valve cover.