Picking up a 06 4.4i later next week, few question.

[LightWerkz]

Hey everyone, my name is Caesar and I currently own an E46 M3. Its stricly for hpde/competition use so ive decided to pick something up for daily use.

Always loved X5's and didnt want to pass up the good offers on the CPO 05/06 4.4i X5's they have this spring. I already have all the performance I want on the M3, so Ive decided to stick with the 4.4i, and not bother searching for the 4.8is. Unless of course I can find a local one thats CPO, but I know BMW doesnt offer the .9% financing rate on them. Thats really my justification!

Id like to get the front bumper from the 4.8is, as well as the rear upper and lower spoilers. Are the OEM pieces the best way to go? What other bumper choices are there for the front? I assume these are straight bolt on, and require no extra modifications on my 4.4i? I had the part #'s found on realoem.com but it seems to be down right now. Anyone know where to get the best pricing on these besides Tischer BMW or similar?

Do the wheels from the brand new 4.8's fit the e53 4.4? Just curious, and I dont know the sizes and offsets off hand. The 4.4i I am picking up comes with the sport package 19", but they arent anything too crazy, Id like something more aggressive.

My last question is, are there any headlight choices out there besides the projector53 lights? Do they even fit on the 2006's? Thanks in advance, im looking for a set thats easy to open up so I can retrofit them with some better components

Thanks for any input, and hope to be a part of the community soon!

[X5 Meister]

1. Welcome
2. Congrats in advance
3. Bumper. Go with OE BMW for proper fit and best look, IMHO. Do a thread search for fitting information. Many have done it with great results. Also consider wheel flares.
4. Tischer is great for prices, especially if you are out of state. Though check with a local dealer if they can be competitive and the place you are buying the car from.
5. Yes 4.8is wheels will fit 4.4i. Check out:
X5world - wheels.htm
6. Consider selling your 19"'s on this forum, many people would be interested.
7. Personally I wouldn't touch the headlights. I think the 2005+ OE headlights are perfect as is and the best BMW made for the X5.

[stan.g]

sorry for posting in your tread man don't want to flood the forum with the same questions. maybe we can share mods
i also have BMW x5 4.4i 06 winter package. Had it for a year now glad i got it and not the rover hse. Now i want to hook it up. Same question about wheels guys. Some people say if u put wide tires u will have big problems in some period of time like 2-6 month with frontend(ball joints, bushing, inner etc..) I want to get 20' wheels from 4.8is( i have 18" right now 255/55/18) and 4.8is exhaust on my 4.4i. can any tell me if someone did it before and how its working out so far. Also any cool mods and hook ups will be appreciated.

PS sorry for bad English

[X5 Meister]

Do a search, there is literally a ton of info covering all your questions.

[LightWerkz]

Thanks Meister

Do you feel that most X owners are fearful after their warranty is up?

With the 4.4 06 CPO im looking at, I would have warranty for another 3 years, for my daily, this would be ideal as I dont want to be troubled for any reason. As the same time I do all the work on my m3, and dont mind doing DIY's here and there. I ran out of warranty about a year ago on the e46 m3 and never looked back. I havent had any issues that needed to be address under warranty, but it seems lots of e46 or perhaps bmw customers in general are kind of hesistant to keep the car when the warranty runs out.

I found a 2004 CPO 4.8 down in atlanta, and it will have warranty for another year. At the same time I pay a premium to borrow the money, figure 7% compared to .9% that BMW is giving me for their CPO 06 4.4i, so I basically waste money, and my warranty runs out 2 years faster. But I have what ultimately want, without looking back. Its a compromise Im not sure im willing to take, since I am ultimately purchasing the x5 out of the need for practicality and comfort, and lastly reliability, not exactly performance. Just dont want to be in trouble a year after my warranty runs out and have some large bills to pay for services.

As mentioned, I have everything I need out of my m3 performance wise, I just would hate to keep on adding things to the 4.4i to make it more like the 4.8i. Ive been modding cars since I got into them, its a never ending cycle

It seems the 4.8is is rare to be found with CPO, but I did find a few, too bad they are across the country.

your thoughts?

[anerbe]

I went from a track prepped m3 (also daily driver) to a 06 4.4i, with a brief lapse of judgement inbetween.

How modified is your M3? Is it road legal? If so, I would get the 4.4 for more of a relaxing ride. Although I'm sure you're technically inclined, having 2 cars out of warranty could potentially be a huge hassle.

I typically get my driving fix for a week or 2 after an HPDE, and would prefer to relax on my daily drive, not be jarred from cracks in the road. I had PSS9's for this reason - raised, softened the suspension and loosened the front/rear sways when returning on the road.

however, if the M3 never sees a road, unless you go to track events every week or 2, you may want to entertain the 4.8. however, the 4.4 is quite a bit of fun as is.

[LightWerkz]

Its road legal, but highly modified. It only sees the roads on the way to the track.

With the 4.4i, it would be under warranty for another 3 years!

I think ive decided on the 4.4i....

[X5 Meister]

Like I said there is a ton of info out there with lots of opinions, some of it mine, and so I don't want to re-write it all, but I'll say this because more often than not it's the take away message... warranty/no warranty, older/newer, low mileage/high mileage are all important things to consider and weigh differently, but what seems to be key is that there will be things that break and you will have repairs to make the issue is whether you'll do the work yourself (and have time for the headache) or have the dealer/indy do the work (and have the money to get it repaired). Your statement about most X owners being fearful after warranty expires is a good one, and I think it is rooted in what I said above. The car will break (maybe small, maybe big) especially given all the electronics on it, but anything big or small will certainly cost time to repair and quite possibly a lot of money. Keep that in mind.

Originally Posted by LightWerkz

Thanks Meister

Do you feel that most X owners are fearful after their warranty is up?

With the 4.4 06 CPO im looking at, I would have warranty for another 3 years, for my daily, this would be ideal as I dont want to be troubled for any reason. As the same time I do all the work on my m3, and dont mind doing DIY's here and there. I ran out of warranty about a year ago on the e46 m3 and never looked back. I havent had any issues that needed to be address under warranty, but it seems lots of e46 or perhaps bmw customers in general are kind of hesistant to keep the car when the warranty runs out.

I found a 2004 CPO 4.8 down in atlanta, and it will have warranty for another year. At the same time I pay a premium to borrow the money, figure 7% compared to .9% that BMW is giving me for their CPO 06 4.4i, so I basically waste money, and my warranty runs out 2 years faster. But I have what ultimately want, without looking back. Its a compromise Im not sure im willing to take, since I am ultimately purchasing the x5 out of the need for practicality and comfort, and lastly reliability, not exactly performance. Just dont want to be in trouble a year after my warranty runs out and have some large bills to pay for services.

As mentioned, I have everything I need out of my m3 performance wise, I just would hate to keep on adding things to the 4.4i to make it more like the 4.8i. Ive been modding cars since I got into them, its a never ending cycle

It seems the 4.8is is rare to be found with CPO, but I did find a few, too bad they are across the country.

your thoughts?

[stan.g]

i found people did on older BMW even on 3.0. But my question is simple can i put all exhaust system from 4.8 original pipes on 4.4 06 and where to get it if i can. No need to rewrite just give me a link plz. Because i cant find it anywhere. also i would like to know how easy it is and if it giving problems to any1 in a future.

[rastaFarai]

Originally Posted by stan.g

i found people did on older BMW even on 3.0. But my question is simple can i put all exhaust system from 4.8 original pipes on 4.4 06 and where to get it if i can. No need to rewrite just give me a link plz. Because i cant find it anywhere. also i would like to know how easy it is and if it giving problems to any1 in a future.

Hate to say it, but your question is specific. If anyone has written it, i would find it doing a search. So i could only advise the same.

It's possible, and i don't see why it would give you problems.. but i'm not as technically inclined as others. I know ppl have sold their exhausts to others.. how much of a hassle is another story.

To the original poster - headlights on the e53 - what would you want to change? There are no options on 04-06 other than the Euro headlights. You can replace bulbs etc - the halos can be replaced with some whiter brighter xenon match or yellow or blue or red i guess.. But again - you can definitely get creative.. i think a few ppl already are (TwinsPoppa).

As far as the 4.8 wheels - you mentioned the new ones, i think you meant hte e70 wheels on an e53 X5 right? it is very possible - i have a set actually on mine. All you need is hubcentric rings. The style on the e70 4.8 is style #214. The style on the e53 4.8 is style # 168. The style on 4.6 e53 is style # 87, a favorite of the forum here.. and very nice wheels.

You'll enjoy your 4.4, and it seems like the better decision for what you want. I f i had an m3, i would have an issue owning the 4.4 - plus you can always do some performance mods if you really wanted to.

Good luck - post pictures when you buy.. what color / interior are you looking at?