Quick Preventative Maintenance Question

[hypnotiqdmg]

ChilliWilli, not sure if it was BigGar's or not, second time I've heard his name though. He sounds like a true enthusiast. Either way I'll definitely be more on the anal side. It's my first V8 and I'm hoping with a lot of preventative it will be as bulletproof as my now retired passed down to little brother E36.

C4 thanks for the advice, hopefully mine will take the same path as yours and prove to be as reliable.


FSeth you almost scared me into regret. The E36 was my first BMW and definitely a good introduction to the family. I just passed it down two weeks ago with 190k, still to this day a great car!

[FSETH]

I am not trying to scare you. You bought a really nice, extremely low mileage car. It is practically new, but I just wanted you to know that with regards to repair costs and long-term ownership, the e53 is in a totally different league than the e36. The warranty thing is completely up to you. It is a gamble that there really isn't a right answer to (before hand anyway). You can always put that $3,500 into the bank and draw from it when needed if you don't want to drop it on a warranty. Things can add up fast. If you go to a dealer, expect the following repair costs; Alternator replacement $1,200+/-, rediator (still same crappy material as the e36) $800+/-, thermostat $500+/-, valve cover gaskets $600+/-, water pump w/valley pan gaskets $1,400+/-, window regulators $370+/-, etc. It all adds up.

[hypnotiqdmg]

Hey your radiator exploded in your E36 as well. That was a fun day I don't want to remember.

Yeah I definitely weighed in on all of the aforementioned, I think any M class vehicle is going to come with a hefty repair tag though. I am thankful for the forum as some of those items thanks to the DIY's make it look pretty simple as long as I don't mind getting my hands dirty.

I wanted to ask but figured with a search I could probably find the answer, thank you for saving me time as now I have a hefty list of things to look out for. I suppose CV boots can be added too, it seems every other post on here is about one going out.

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by hypnotiqdmg

Hey your radiator exploded in your E36 as well. That was a fun day I don't want to remember.

Yeah I definitely weighed in on all of the aforementioned, I think any M class vehicle is going to come with a hefty repair tag though. I am thankful for the forum as some of those items thanks to the DIY's make it look pretty simple as long as I don't mind getting my hands dirty.

I wanted to ask but figured with a search I could probably find the answer, thank you for saving me time as now I have a hefty list of things to look out for. I suppose CV boots can be added too, it seems every other post on here is about one going out.

If you can do some of the lower and mid-level repairs yourself, the warranty is obviously less valuable. You seem to know most, but common issues are CV boots, thrust rod bushings, window regulators, valve cover gaskets, entire cooling system (as with many BMW's), final stage resistors (as with many BMW's), and oil seperator valves (in colder weather). The V8's seem to have more oil leaks than the 6 cylinders as well. I think I have had the vast majority of seals changed at this point.

Good luck with your decision and new purchase though. It looks great and I am sure it drives even better.

[chefwong]

While Fseth is quoting what appears to be dealership rates......at the mileage, I'd skip the extended warranty. With that said, since post warranty, I too have had work done in the tune of 6-7K out of warranty... It's not unusual or to be expected IMO. Having warranty is like insurance. How long and what coverage is it for ?

I'm creeping up 45 days remaining on my extended warranty...
It has paid for itself 2fold in the tune of 6-7K worth of repairs at the very bare minimum, FWIW.

[AZX54.4]

I understand your thought process in terms of getting an extended warranty or not. I bought an 05 4.4 in june of 09 with 40,000 miles on it. I opted not to get an extended warranty because the car came with a 3 month warranty from the dealership I bought it from. While under that warranty it had around $4,000 of repairs done (ac evaporator, cooling system blew up and something else I cant remember). In this year 1/2 I have had a little over $4,000 worth of work done on the X (cv boots, both front window regulators, door handle carriers, all belts and pulleys, power steering hoses/tank, both front air struts, all front end bushings and some other misc repairs.)

If I had gotten a warranty it would have payed off by now. I would recommend that you get a good aftermarket warranty for your X if you plan on keeping it. You're X will not be maintenance free because it has such low milage. It is still a 5 year old car. Plastics wear out and sometimes cars that have very low milage on them have issues from not being driven enough. For example, things like cv boots could wear out regardless of milage. They are rubber and rubber degrades over time.

At the end of the day, my recommendation is to get a good aftermarket warranty if you are planning on keeping this X for a long time. It is worth the piece of mind in my opinion. Things like the cv boots, door handle carriers and window regulators will go out. Those are just known things on our X5's. In terms of bigger ticket items going out on our cars, it seems to be very individual. I have two X5's the older one is an 02 and has 120,000 miles on it. Nothing major has gone out on it. Just the normal maintenance items (cv boots, door carriers, window regulators). The 05 V8 has had several big ticket items on it.

If you do choose to get an aftermarket warranty make sure to look at the fine print. Make sure that items like the pano sunroof, cv boots, door carriers and window regulators are covered. Good luck with your decision. It really comes down to how long you plan on keeping the car in my opinion.

[chefwong]

The small maint items are cheap though.
Unless the warranty was covering 5 years at some insane mileage....I'd go for it.

The big ticket items is nowhere near the wear/tear of the mileage of where he's at.

[AZX54.4]

That depends on what your calling small maintenance items. Items such as cv boots, window regs, door handle carriers could be considered small items but if you are not doing them yourself, they add up real quick. Sure, the car will have less wear on it due to the low milage but it is not a new car. Plastics age regardless of milage. Our front air struts don't just fail because of milage. They fail because the rubber air bag begins to dry rot and is no longer a perfect seal.

It comes down to peace of mind. If you feel confident in the condition of your X and are willing to pay for possible fixes then go with out a warranty. If you want to be on the safe side and are planning on keeping the X for a long time and use it as a daily driver I recommend getting a warranty. It seems like evidence will support that our X's with the V8 tend to require a little more maintenance and if it has the air struts those will most likely go out some time in the cars life. Keep in mind that this car was not driven very often and now it is going to be driven with frequency. Sometimes older cars with low miles start to have things that need replacing when they start being driven with frequency. Congratulation with your purchase! You found a beautiful X. I hope this information helps in your decision process.

[JCL]

I would go one step further than AZX54.4. It isn't just that very low mileage vehicles can start to have issues after being parked, it is that being parked in many cases is harder on a vehicle than being used regularly. Things like seat scuffs, brake pads, scratches, etc, will likely be in great shape at that low mileage, but anything that depends on having a seal not leaking or hardened up is a candidate for an early failure. Cars like to be exercised, and a monthly start up in the driveway doesn't qualify.

To the OP, do you have full maintenance records? Do you know if the brake fluid was flushed every 24 months?

[chefwong]

Bearing it's a '05, is the warranty a bumper to bumper or just major mechanical....
Just curious bearing it's age, is the aftermarket offering a bumper to bumper or strictly major mechanical ...