...and so I begin my X5 journey

[bbqlube]

Cheers everybody, wanted to introduce myself and thank everyone for the incredible site here to peruse. Huge amount of information which has been helping me.

So, I just purcheased a 2003 X5 3.0 with 34,000 miles on it. This will be the wife&son car mainly, and though it is a 9 year old car, it is an upgrade! Back to German cars finally, oh how I missed them. Sheesh.

It took over a year to find: I wanted a 1-owner car with low miles, all records, and the sport package. It's cosmetically perfect (owned by a Beverly Hills woman), but had a few mechanical areas that needed attention right after I bought it. (more on that later)

First impressions:

Drivetrain
The 3.0 is sufficient for power, though I long for the punch of the 4.8/4.6. In "sport" setting, gear changes feel more natural than the "normal" setting. We live in the hills, and when heading uphill, I have to put my foot in it more than I expected. I can really feel the weight of the car. All in all, very pleased.

Handling
No complaints at all. Throwing it through corners, It feels very, very comfortable. Seems like throttle-on or throttle-off feels equally steady. I'm looking forward to the winter to feel it in rain. The left front brake make a small clunk during fast braking at low speeds. Rotor? I'll investigate soon. Besides that, the brakes are awesome. Love the responsiveness. So german.

Exterior
The halogen lights are incredible, though the sharp transition from lighted to not has taken some getting used to. I keep on using the high-beams when the road transitions upwards. I think i'll readjust the aim. Doors are a bit hard to open for my 9-year old. Learning curve there.

Interior
Perfect, though getting the seat memory dialed-in has been a chore. The how-to's on this have been great. Thanks. My one complaint, and I knew it when I bought the car, the freakin' stereo is shit! This car did not have the premium stereo package. I can't believe how bad this stereo sounds. Not to mention the lame reception for both AM amd FM. Due to the economy, this will have to wait for remedy. Darn. Waiting for my Hide Food to arrive, to properly feed the leather.


Ok, now down to the nuts and bolts: the small list of mechanical issues:

1. The car needs a rear-upper control arm (drivers side). It is just beginning to show the need. Seems like these always fail on that side according to the forums.

2. I'm going to replace both belts: serpentine and other.

3. The radiator fan liquid-clutch looks like it has been leaking a small amount of oil. Needs to be replaced.

4. Air conditioner has been putting me through the ringer: Working fine at purchase, then stopped blowing cold (no unexpected heat coming through the vents). Lo and behold, the compressor was not running. I assumed low coolant was not allowing the compressor to turn on. Took it to my local shop on a drop by visit, they evacuated the system, and attempted to recharge the freon. They were low on freon, and ran out. This meant they needed to do another evacuation. I had to wait till later becase I was late for an appointment. Before I left they did a quick electrical diagnostic: The temp gauge for the cooling system was reading a freezing ambient air temp (it was 95 F that day!). The dash temp readout was normal. So I need to research if the air conditioning will operate at below freezing temps, and replace the faulty gauge regardless. Went back for the second evaucation of the system, the system charged normally and worked for a few minutes. Then the interior fans stopped being dependable: One speed through the entire range of settings, until the very lowest setting with a small change in fan speed. The max cooling setting stopped changing the fan speed, etc. I assume it is a faulty FSR. Ordered one, and waiting for it to arrive.

5. Had the expansion tank throw a leak through a crack. Engine temps normal. Lost about a 1/2 gallon coolant. I replaced the tank with a OEM tank and bracket. Not to hard. Hoses looked ok, took a chance and left them in the car. (May pay for that later!)

6. Changed the oil, used Mobile 1, and original filter was pretty clean.

7. Changed the air filter with a washable K&N.

8. Smal,l yet expected, oil leak from the valve cover gasket. Looking at the new gasket set now, probably do the job this weekend.


Now, a small question: do you folks use the DSC only during bad weather, always, never?

Thanks to everyone who posts the tech tips and DIY stuff. I'll add my share I hope.

[TwinTurboGTR]

Sounds like you got a pretty nice X, just concerning about the amount of problems already???

Its unusual that the suspension components to be worn out like that already, unless if it is just dry rot and age.

The viscous fan leaking some oil is also puzzling, but weirder things have been known to happen.

Otherwise all other things seem to be good. Valve cover gaskets can dry out. While you are in there, might as well do the profile gaskets for the Throttle Body and the CCV valve and intake manifold gaskets.

DSC is a program that is constantly on. Pushing the button sets the mode into sleep mode. While DSC isn;t functioning, ABS is still working. Pressing the button for more than 25 seconds or so completely shuts the program off. I personally leave mine on at all times unless I become stuck in deep snow. Then I turn the entire program off.

Hope we get to have a look of her soon!!!

Happy motoring.

[nebilex]

Welcome and congrats on the find... 34k miles, now that's what I call low miles on used car. Enjoy the car, looks like u've already started the maintenance work. I would check the tires as well just to make sure the wall is not all cracked up in case it's still the original.

[Bayerische E53]

Congrats on the new car! Post some pictures when you have some time!

Don't turn the TC off; it's worth more trouble than what it's worth. Plus, if you're driving hard enough on the street that the TC is "intruding on your driving," you're probably driving like a prick in which case you SHOULD have TC. Plus, it's always nice to have the TC on call in case of an emergency.

Originally Posted by TwinTurboGTR

DSC is a program that is constantly on. Pushing the button sets the mode into sleep mode. While DSC isn;t functioning, ABS is still working. Pressing the button for more than 25 seconds or so completely shuts the program off. I personally leave mine on at all times unless I become stuck in deep snow. Then I turn the entire program off.

What I've been able to dig up from some research is that the X5 has DSC AND DTC (and, obviously, ABS). I've read that, unlike in other BMWs, you cannot switch the entire system (DSC & DTC) off (IIRC, I actually read that in the owner's manual). Indeed, to the best of my knowledge, you cannot disable the ABS in any BMW. As far as I know, the DSC button only has one option in the X5 - DSC on or DSC off; it does not do anything with the DTC (individual wheel braking). This is unlike the BMWs (e.g. through the mid-2000s whose DSC button ccould be used to disable DSC AND DTC. I'm not sure about newer BMWs.

I've tried and tried and tried to get everything shut off when I was at the racetrack without luck. When I was at Watkins Glen last year we had a rain-out day. Basically, the marshalls wouldn't let any cars on slicks out on the track. My racecar did not have rain tires and I did not want to miss a day so I teched the X5 and ran laps with it with the DSC disabled. I ended up frying my rotors and pads due to the DTC working like crazy even though I had turned DSC off.

Try as I might, I couldn't get DTC turned off. That said, I never kept the button pressed for 25 seconds. Anyways, this is the first time I've ever heard that the whole system can be turned off. Do you have a reference for this?

[TerminatorX5]

welcome to the forum, congrats on the ride... list of problems seems to go along the age of the car, not the mileage, but i guess, it is whichever comes first, right?... lol...

pictures?

as far as holding button for 25 seconds - that is an interesting statement... wonder if it works...

[amacman]

Welcome
I like your signature -
"Sitting silent and looking wise,
cannot be compared to drinking
wine and making a racket"
(8th century Japanese Poet)

[bbqlube]

Thanks for the replies guys,

I'll keep the assist on for now, and I had the same thought about age vs. miles when looking at failure rates of parts.

I'll keep the post going as I delve into the work as it occurs. I finally got my Bently Repair manual, and plan on slowly working my way through it as "light" reading. I love the idea that the oil change interval corresponds to fuel consumption. Elegant somehow.

Oh, and "pictures, I got yer stinkin' pictures right here":

[TerminatorX5]

is it a seateject button next to gear selector?

[bbqlube]

Originally Posted by TwinTurboGTR

The viscous fan leaking some oil is also puzzling, but weirder things have been known to happen.

Otherwise all other things seem to be good. Valve cover gaskets can dry out. While you are in there, might as well do the profile gaskets for the Throttle Body and the CCV valve and intake manifold gaskets.

Good call. I'll order up the gaskets and finish all of them at once. Yah that fan clutch going bad seems weird. I don't know, maybe sitting in traffic on Rodeo Blvd. for 9 years was punishing enough for the cooling system to start to give up.

Thanks

[TwinTurboGTR]

Originally Posted by TerminatorX5

is it a seateject button next to gear selector?

Its a BMW. Its the self destruction button!!! lol