What would you do? - Page 4

skeetjunkie · #31 02-17-2011, 09:02 AM

I drive the same '04 model (78K miles) and like it very much. I plan to own it north of 200K miles. DIY on routine stuff like oil, air/cabin filters, spark plugs is easy and will save you tons of labor costs. Finding a knowledgable and honest indy for diagnosis and major work is essential for higher mileage vehicle.

Forget the owner's manual, computerized service indicator dash lights, lifetime fluids/parts and what the dealer's SA sez. Get a free copy of Mike Miller's Old School Maintenance doc which outlines a protocol for keeping BMWs running in good shape over 100K (Mike is the tech writer for Roundel publication from the owner's club BMW CCA).

At 84K the following should have been done at some point - check svc records:

1. serpentine drive belt (every 60K)
2. ATF fluid and FILTER (every 60K)
3. AWD transfer case fluid (every 30K)
4. spark plugs (I know the book says 100K - but Mike says better performance & efficiency every 60K)
5. fuel filter (every 60K)
6. power steering fluid (30K) - most neglected maintenance

Check CV joints for rubber boot cracks/tears - repair immediately. I do oil/filter every 5K using Mobil 1.

Search the forums for the more common higher mileage ailments. Two critical and expensive issues are cooling system components and automatic transmission. There are plenty of owners who have no troubles with either one past 100K - which is terrific and hopefully you'll be one of them - just letting you know that they can be trouble spots.

The M54 6 cylinder engine in that vehicle is a great workhorse but the cooling system is its Achilles heel typically between 75K and 125K. Water pumps and thermostats only last so long. The radiator and/or expansion tank can develop cracks/leaks along seams, resulting in coolant loss -> engine overheating -> cracked or warped head ($$$). How do I know - happened on my '00 528i at 95K. Miller suggests a complete preventative replacement of radiator, exp tank, thermostat, water pump and all related hoses between 75K - 100K if you want to keep the car for awhile. Otherwise you can wait for component failure and then repair - just make sure you pull over immediately at the first sign of engine overheating and get a tow! I haven't pulled that trigger yet on my X5, so now I check the coolant level and look for small leaks around rad/tank components every two weeks.

Auto tranny has more written about on this forum than you can shake a stick at. When it goes - it goes.

Enjoy the ride!
Chef Kevin

Sponsored Links

JustDoIt6453 · #32 02-18-2011, 06:18 PM

SkeetJunkie, great advice! We both appreciate it! When I was in college by 2001 Civic had the whole coolant system breakdown and ALMOST had a warped or cracked head, so I have experience with that.

UPDATE: waiting on someone to get financing for our Denali. The E53 could be ours by early next week.

1stE53 · #33 02-18-2011, 06:35 PM

Best of luck!!

NextGen · #34 02-19-2011, 03:11 AM

I am not convinced you are a good fit for a BMW. We have seen this before. A prospective new owner is all excited and everyone on the forum is telling you to buy but something is not quite right. For me, it is your comment about saving a little money on gas. I can almost guarantee you that the money you save on gas will be spent on repairs. Even if you do the work yourself you will have to buy BMW parts. I live in Phoenix and the dealers here are so expensive that I buy most of my parts online.

The X5 is not like a Toyota or Honda. It will need repair. It will cost money. If you skip, you will pay more in the long run. If money is an issue for you then I highly recommend that you do not get the X. I can see it now, 3 months from now you will post, "I hate my X5 as it always needs something fixed on it!".

sedate_driver · #35 02-19-2011, 04:09 AM

I have to share NextGen's concerns. I don't want to dissuade you from what is clearly a desirable purchase but it is best to go in with eyes wide open. As I mentioned before, these are premium vehicles that command premium repair costs. While I don't think BMWs are unreliable the engineers didn't have ease of maintenance or reliability first and foremost in their minds. They were after performance and often use leading edge technology and components without a long, proven track record. A case in point is the seemingly high failure rates of their high pressure fuel pump in their twin turbo engines.

I don't think it's my place to tell you what to do and I'm sure you've already thought through some of these things but I think you'll derive greater enjoyment out of the vehicle if you have realistic expectations to its cost of ownership and its performance.

Boston X5 4.4 · #36 02-19-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NextGen

The X5 is not like a Toyota or Honda. It will need repair. It will cost money. If you skip, you will pay more in the long run. If money is an issue for you then I highly recommend that you do not get the X. I can see it now, 3 months from now you will post, "I hate my X5 as it always needs something fixed on it!".

I agree. You are buying a 7 yr old car that will at some point require (expensive) maintenance. You could be fine and have relatively trouble free driving but stuff breaks as cars get older and it costs more to fix on the X.

As long as you acknowledge this and have some $$ stashed aways for repairs, or are tech. minded and have time/interest to do it yourself, then go for it.

....just remember that there is a reason that you are getting the X at ~1/4 of the original MSRP.

GL

JustDoIt6453 · #37 02-25-2011, 01:02 AM

UPDATE:

So it is official we will come into the possession of the 2004 X5 3.0i on Saturday assuming it passes the inspection (not look over) tomorrow morning! Pictures and details will be up shortly after that.

Thank you everyone for your input and great information.

And NextGen, you will never see me complain about "everything" being fixed. I will be here trying to figure out how to fix whatever does break, when it breaks.

JCL · #38 02-25-2011, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1stE53

You will easily get better mileage with the premium. I experimented with a 2006 Altima (i will never put reg in my current cars since everything here has ethanol except prem) filled with reg 89 and got 24 to 26mpg hwy 70 mph for 5 days. then filled with 91 did the same commute for 5 days and got between 29 and 32 mpg.

You will not necessarily get better mileage with a BMW on premium. I did extensive testing with four BMW vehicles, one of which was a 3.0 X5 like the OP is looking at. I don't think Nissan results necessarily count in terms of BMW results.

The main issue is that gasoline varies widely across North America. There are huge regional differences in quality. So, BMW specifies 91 so as to provide a certain safety margin. If you have crap fuel locally, you very well may need 91 to get maximum performance from the engine, ie what it was designed for. On the other hand, if you have reasonable (average) fuel, 89 may be fine. The test is whether the engine needs to retard ignition timing to prevent knocking. If it doesn't, you won't see any power loss or mileage decrease. The butt dyno isn't very reliable, but multiple tanks and measuring fuel consumption from fill to fill are accurate.

My best mileage ever on my X5, and on my Z4, were on 89. It is safe to say that the timing was not being retarded, as mileage would have suffered. There was no decrease in drivability.

Our 325 was tested when we got it, and then it never saw 91 again for the rest of the five years we had it. The Z4 was often used on trips to locations where I didn't know the local fuel quality, so I used 91 half the time. The X5 only got 91 about 10% of the time. OTOH, my 535 gets 91 or 94.

Lots of previous posts on the subject for those that want to search.

JCL · #39 02-25-2011, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustDoIt6453

UPDATE:

So it is official we will come into the possession of the 2004 X5 3.0i on Saturday assuming it passes the inspection (not look over) tomorrow morning! Pictures and details will be up shortly after that.

Thank you everyone for your input and great information.

And NextGen, you will never see me complain about "everything" being fixed. I will be here trying to figure out how to fix whatever does break, when it breaks.

Congratulations! There are lots of good posters here with advice for when you need it. Welcome to the club.