Help. Bought a 2002 X5 4.4L Anything I should know or do to it?

[diyanich]

I was shopping for an extended warranty and what I found out,keep in mind that we are in Canada,that we get pretty few options,10 years old and with that mileage would cost more expensive.Another thing,the one I was almost buying required every 5000kms or 4 month oil change,done by a dealer of some sort,here we go,no? $300 CAD at least on this per year.Also they cover pretty much nothing,only lubricated parts,transmission and few more.I know that even rebuilding the tranny would be more expensive than the insurance premium,but far not everyone gets into a major tranny failure IMO.
And here I think what I would've done if I were the OP.
1.Check the ATF color and level.
2.Pressure test the cooling system,might flush the coolant.
3.Flush the break fluid.
4.Obviously an engine oil and filter.
5.Air filter and cabin filter.
6.Check out the suspension and probably an alignment(only if tires are oddly worn)
Agree?

[diyanich]

BTW,for those who are smart or so,the search engine here kind of sucks,you need to know exactly word to word what to look for,and some times you get into no results.

[sterfrydude]

I just purchased my 2002 with 80k miles. Took it to my shop and he did the cooling system (hoses, tank, water pump), spark plugs, vc gaskets, valley pan, cv boots and some misc other seals and rings. Plus an oil change and new lic plate light :-). Im hoping she's good to go for a while now.

Cost me around $1200 in total so I am pretty pleased. It's high but I think I got a decent deal on the car too.

The key is finding a good mechanic that isn't trying to get you the most expensive parts all the time and needless repairs.

[RickM5X3]

In addition to things to do, there's at least one that imo you should NOT do; don't muck with the electronics. No wierd retrofits or aftermarket stuff with dubious or unproven applications for the X5. Don't attack your X5 electronics and it might not attack you.

[diyanich]

Originally Posted by RickM5X3

In addition to things to do, there's at least one that imo you should NOT do; don't muck with the electronics. No wierd retrofits or aftermarket stuff with dubious or unproven applications for the X5. Don't attack your X5 electronics and it might not attack you.

[thedweeb]

Pray.........Everynight before you go to sleep. On a serious note as already said these things are great to drive, but when they go wrong, can put a big dent in your pocket. At the millage you have I dont think you will get a warranty company to cover it without massive excesses. My advise would be to keep some cash aside for those rainy days.
I dont know much about your engine so carn't help you there,but things to keep an eye on are bushes both front and back,C/V joints/boots, and the dreaded transmission.
Dweeb
Remember only the negative sides to owning an X5 are ever posted so dont panic too much.

[steelheader]

change the main timing chain tensioner 50 bucks iam sure mine was weak and caused the guides to fail at 189000 miles ,i could hear it at start up a rattle like a bad rod or no oil at the bottom end that wasnt the case ,You can take the new timing chain guide the u shaped one and shake it brand new its loose so i imagine when the tensioner gets weak the guide would slap in there ? window regulators go bad ,ebay cheap fix,. common car stuff just do it all ur self if You can!!!!

[diyanich]

I think that less you poke engine without any particular reason,better it is.If it starts making noise,so it's time to get it diagnosed,I doubt that tensioners may fail easily if engine wasn't ran at redline all the time.

Originally Posted by steelheader

change the main timing chain tensioner 50 bucks iam sure mine was weak and caused the guides to fail at 189000 miles ,i could hear it at start up a rattle like a bad rod or no oil at the bottom end that wasnt the case ,You can take the new timing chain guide the u shaped one and shake it brand new its loose so i imagine when the tensioner gets weak the guide would slap in there ? window regulators go bad ,ebay cheap fix,. common car stuff just do it all ur self if You can!!!!

[mike_dmt]

Dweeb hit the nail on the head too, pretty much only the problems get posted or asked about.

Way less often does someone come on a forum and say" My vehicle has performed flawlessly for the last 18 months, need advice ASAP!" Lol...

[romeokc10]

You might want to start Tebowing/praying, trust me you're gonna need it...lol!!http://