What is the mileage of your X5?

[kalaharix5]

132000 and still looks and runs great.....

[Peregrin-O]

Originally Posted by puddinboo

did you have to do any major work to engine?

Not exactly. I've replaced the DISA valve/part, water pump, and last winter I was getting the mayonnaise-looking gunk on the inside of the oil cap and around there but after I replaced the oil filter housing gasket that connects to the engine it went away. I don't think the transmission fluid has been changed either... Aside from the normal oil changes, belts, suspension parts, etc.. I haven't had any MAJOR issues [fingers crossed]

[puddinboo]

Originally Posted by Peregrin-O

Not exactly. I've replaced the DISA valve/part, water pump, and last winter I was getting the mayonnaise-looking gunk on the inside of the oil cap and around there but after I replaced the oil filter housing gasket that connects to the engine it went away. I don't think the transmission fluid has been changed either... Aside from the normal oil changes, belts, suspension parts, etc.. I haven't had any MAJOR issues [fingers crossed]

how hard was it to change the oil filter housing gasket?

[NorCalDave]

2005 4.4. 159k nothing major so far.
Front CV boots. Working on rear control arm bushings now. Trans acting weird but ok. I have been towing a boat since I bought it at 30k. I wonder how long the trans will last. No way I am changing the fluid now.

[525iT_Feen]

06 4.8iS
62k (bought it with 59k a month ago lol)

Replaced front right axle with original GKN, Replaced thrust arms with originals, Replaced ALL fluids and performed mechatronic service to transmission, did some coding, changed all the filters, and plugs. Has a little VC seepage but besides that it feels like it rolled off the dealer lot.

[srmmmm]

Originally Posted by NorCalDave

2005 4.4. 159k nothing major so far.
Front CV boots. Working on rear control arm bushings now. Trans acting weird but ok. I have been towing a boat since I bought it at 30k. I wonder how long the trans will last. No way I am changing the fluid now.

I wouldn't touch the fluid. I've got 276,400 miles on mine and have been towing since 53,000. A friend with a two year old 750il rode in my X5 last month and said the transmission shifted every bit as cleanly as his!

If I were to do anything, it would only be to replace the filter and clean the pan. I'd return the original fluid into the unit and just top it off properly with the recommended lifetime product. No need to disturb those friction surfaces.

2002 X5 3.0 276,400 miles
325i 117,000 miles

[benji]

'04 3.0i with 92k miles

[bcredliner]

To change or not to change the trans fluid, that is the question. There are strong feelings on both sides. BMW says the fluid is good for the lifetime though it doesn't define a lifetime. The trans mfg. says to change it every 100,00 miles. In the transmission section of the Bentley version of the BMW manual it says that a fluid change many correct some transmission issues. There is logic on both sides of the equation. I don't see how to choose a side from the information available. I choose to change the transmission fluid and filter every 50,000 miles as a preventative procedure.

[Drpellypo]

I've just had mine changed at 95k. Indy tells me it came out really clean. One of the cleanest trans fluid he has ever seen, so there is a possibility it's been done before, but I don't think it has been. Certainly no record. Mine is 2004 4.4. Interesting to note that when I got it a year ago, I also drove my friends 4.8is, and I felt his shifted down the gears so much quicker than mine and at 30-40mph it would almost always be just over 1k revs. Mine never did that. I always felt there was something wrong but loads of people told me that it was normal, and just due to the tuning and greater BHP of the 4.8. However, when I got the fluid changed a few weeks ago, it completely changed the transmission and it started changing down way quicker. It seems the old fluid was a bit low (perhaps) and the box was holding onto the gears for a bit longer.

It's also worth noting that I had an Audi A6 with a CVT box prior to owning the BMW and those boxes are horribly, horribly unreliable. Mine had only one owner before me and he changed his fluid at 50k, then again at 100k, then again at 150k, despite Audi saying it didn't need to be changed. I took over this car at 155k and took it to just shy of 200,000 miles and had zero problems with the gearbox. It was as smooth as silk and the only time I ever had an issue, it turned out to be a turbo needing cleaning and not the box.

So I am a definite fan of changing the fluid regularly, despite what BMW (and the internet!) tells you. Remember that BMW don't care about you after 100k. You are dead to them unless you take your car in for massive expensive repairs. That's why, in my opinion, they tell you the fluid is lifetime, to get people with older cars to pay the £££££ to have their boxes replaced, rather than a relatively cheap service job.

[bmmr11]

146,000 on the clock, I've owned her since 2012. I've done left and right front CV shafts, radiator, rear bypass heater hose, coolant tank, bleeder line to tank, alternator, left and right rear window regulators, driver outer door handle carriage and recently had transfer case rebuilt with stripped out output shaft replacement. Next will be front bushings, valve cover gaskets, plugs and drive belt pulleys. Hopefully be done for a while to enjoy the ride a little longer