Do you ever just want to be rid of your X5?

[AZX54.4]

Originally Posted by romeokc10

Hmmmm.....okay, so enlighten us as to how a BMW is a much nicer and superior dynamic vehicle than a Lexus, Acura, or Infiniti. Your logic is totally flawed, even if they are "superior" as you stated, that doesn't mean it should be a pain in the ass to maintain and pain in the ass on your wallet. It's a BMW truck for crying out loud, a family hauler, it shouldn't be fragile, now if we were talking about a Ferrari or a Lamborghini I would agree with you.

He is probably saying that nothing else handles or drives like a BMW. Which is a statement that I would agree with.

[minghi]

Originally Posted by AZX54.4

He is probably saying that nothing else handles or drives like a BMW. Which is a statement that I would agree with.

[romeokc10]

Originally Posted by AZX54.4

He is probably saying that nothing else handles or drives like a BMW. Which is a statement that I would agree with.

I'm sure that's what he meant also, but again that doesn't justify the problems people seem have with these vehicles. I used to work at a BMW dealership in the late 90's and it was mind boggling some of the defects owners were reporting to us. I'm sure most people are like me, when you think of BMW or M/B the first thing that comes to mind is reliability.

[StanF18]

Originally Posted by romeokc10

I'm sure that's what he meant also, but again that doesn't justify the problems people seem have with these vehicles. I used to work at a BMW dealership in the late 90's and it was mind boggling some of the defects owners were reporting to us. I'm sure most people are like me, when you think of BMW or M/B the first thing that comes to mind is reliability.

It's not a question of "justified" or not. It's whatever the market will bear. It's all about economic equilibrium, my friend. As long as folks like us are willing to go out and purchase a BMW (which I am STILL willing to do ), we accept a certain "hit" on the reliability and durability in exchange for superior driving dynamics and sporty feel. As long as supply meets demand at a price point that is acceptable to both BMW and their consumers.....well, there you have it.
I'm not saying BMW should not improve their quality control or durability testing, but nothing is free, my friend. It may come down to a "diminishing returns" scenario for both buyer and seller, where the marginal increase in reliability comes with an unacceptable price tag.

In any event it's all relative. Yes, our X5s are nowhere near Honda or Toyota, but take a look at Range Rovers and some Mercedes models, and you will suddenly feel like BMW has STELLAR reliability.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by romeokc10

I'm sure most people are like me, when you think of BMW or M/B the first thing that comes to mind is reliability.

That would be an error. BMW does not spend as much of their limited development money on reliability issues as they could, they spend it on technology and performance. They fine tune the driving experience (handling, acceleration, braking, vehicle dynamics) but that means that something has to give, and what seems to me to suffer most is the integration of third party supplier components such as the audio system, nav system, window regulators, transmissions, etc.

I have many friends who, knowing of my long string of BMW vehicles, ask me if they should buy one. Many have the same assumption you have, that price correlates to reliability. I always correct them on that, and suggest they drive the vehicle first. If they rave about the driving experience, then they are a candidate to buy one, knowing full well that they are trading off reliability, etc. If they don't rave about the driving experience, I suggest that they would be better off in a Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Ford, etc. All of those will be more reliable.

I love my BMWs, but I buy them new, and sell them when the warranty is up. Works for me. May not work for everyone. Anyone buying a used BMW should know what they are getting into before they do it. It can work out very well, but eyes wide open works better than unrealistic expectations IMO.

[AZX54.4]

Originally Posted by romeokc10

I'm sure that's what he meant also, but again that doesn't justify the problems people seem have with these vehicles. I used to work at a BMW dealership in the late 90's and it was mind boggling some of the defects owners were reporting to us. I'm sure most people are like me, when you think of BMW or M/B the first thing that comes to mind is reliability.

I definitely agree with that statement as well. I am left perplexed at some of the things that have failed on my X5 at such low milage. It makes no sense to me and does at times make me reconsider and look for a new car. All I can really do is think as positive as possible and hope for the best that that I have fixed everything on my car. Haha.

[neockder]

Thank you! Now I don't have to say it..

Originally Posted by c4racer

OK - brakes, batteries, drivebelts are all maint items that ALL cars need.

Leaking valvecover is a PITA, but that can also happen with any vehicle - tho for some reason the gaskets used on these german engines don't make it much past 80K miles - and that goes for all 3 major german automakers btw. Front axles I assume is due to split CV boots - also a common failure on many 4WD vehicles although again seems the Germans don't use the best rubber there either.

Anyway - BMW's are not like Acuras. The payoff for a much nicer vehicle with superior driving dynamics is a bit more upkeep. Volvos seem to be hit and miss with reliability.

If you want Honda / Acura / Lexus level of reliability and trouble free driving - you just are not going to be happy with a BMW. But there is a big difference in driving dynamics and overall quality between BMW and the Japanese luxury brands. So you need to decide for yourself if the hassle and additional expense of a BMW is worth it to you. For me it is, but then again the expense isn't that great since I do nearly all the work on them myself.

[faz]

I walked away from even the thought of buying an X5 multiple times, mainly after visiting X5 forums like this. Are you kidding me? problems like these at these early miles?

finally, though, I had to buy an SUV and it came down between lexus RX and X5. Picking the X5 for its driving dynamics was a no brainer.

For the first few weeks of my ownership, various sensors/things went wrong and all were covered under the orig warranty.

It has been running flawlessly ever since and I am extremely happy with my choice.

Yes, I do not recommend a BMW to friends who drive hondas and toyotas, and I tell them that they will not enjoy the x5 if they feel this should behave like their reliable cars.

People make many mistakes when comparing this car to others. Trust me, a ford explorer would need a lot less maintenance than this one does. But look at how it drives and the feedback it provides, compared to an X5. (think suspension parts, how delicate they need to be to provide that type of performance/feedback/accuracy.) Look at the size of engine and the performance/engine-size or performance/mpg that it provides.

With every electrical option/gizmo, something can and will go wrong. one can't compare it with another car that doesn't even have that gizmo.


Plus, if you bought your x5 used, see what percentage of its new car price you paid for it. A $20k X5 is not the same as a $20k Pilot. You can't have the same life expectancy from a $20k car that was going $55k new, vs. a $20k car that went for $29k new.


I used to hate BMWs with a passion, for all the reasons that everyone knows about: no longevity in the parts (especially electrical stuff), things that break down which will NEVER break down in a japanese car (door handle, etc.), all compueterized/electrical crap that goes wrong, etc. But now I kinda like what BMW does... it spends its money/enegry on driving satisfaction, and focuses on the market that prefers that over longevity and reliability.

If longevity/reliability of parts are more important to you (due to cost, time, whatever) than the drive, BMW is definitely not for you. That is why used BMWs are going for a lot less (percentage wise, compared to their new car pricing) than other brands.

[cavx5]

i own a 2005 x5 4.4. bought it cpo in august 2008 with 14k miles, it now has 27k..i have had some problems...fuel pump replaced, water pump replaced, tranny reflashed twice. tranny still not fixed getting the famous bucking sensation from 2nd to 1st..bad pano roof rattle...all was fixed under cpo but these required several dealer visits...i dont care what they say but a car that costs as much as our x's whether new or used and all the engineering that goes into them thay should not have all these issues..imo it is poor parts procurement and design issues...and the argument that they require more maintainance because thye are performance vehicles does not sit well with me. that would be a point if it were a ferrari or lambo but not a sport activity vehicle which is supposed to have been designed to handle a littlle more wear and tear than a regular car...sorry for the rant but when i hear well its a bmw yada yada yada it drives me insane...thanks rob

[DimAciD]

Originally Posted by cavx5

i dont care what they say but a car that costs as much as our x's whether new or used and all the engineering that goes into them thay should not have all these issues..imo it is poor parts procurement and design issues...and the argument that they require more maintainance because thye are performance vehicles does not sit well with me. that would be a point if it were a ferrari or lambo but not a sport activity vehicle which is supposed to have been designed to handle a littlle more wear and tear than a regular car...sorry for the rant but when i hear well its a bmw yada yada yada it drives me insane...thanks rob

i agree with that!
it is pathetic that vehicle that originaly cost over 60k should be falling appart afer 3 -4 years.
i personally think the big problem is that it is put together in u.s.a....
i;ve heard from bmw technicians that x3s are alot more reliable because they are(were) made in germany not in states.
maybe its a lack or training or lack of patience or lack care for what they do but...

btw i fixed my wiper - was lame proble, one of bolts got loose and arm was catching on it, had to put longer bolt
turn signal was very easy, took 10 minutes to do , 4bolts