is my new X5 leaking oil!?!?

[TheRipster]

first, here's a background.... i bought this 2004 X5 exactly 2 weeks from today. prior to purchasing it, i brought it to my independent BMW mechanic who i've been going to for years with my e39. he said that the oil filter housing was bad and was leaking. he then quoted me $1400 to fix it, due to a lot of labor.

so i brought it back to the dealer, told them about it, and they said there's no way it's leaking oil, because they went through the whole car and checked everything.

they put it up on the lift in front of me, and lo & behold, there was oil all over the place underneath the engine. so we looked at it for a few minutes, and they kept saying that it must be spilled oil from the oil change. the whole time, i'm looking at a couple of loose bolts that look like they're about to fall out of the oil pan. i point them out, and then they say, OH! that's where it's coming from.... but there's no way we missed that. your mechanic must have loosened up some bolts when he did the inspection

other than that, for a 10 year old car, it is in great shape. so after they tightened the bolts, before i paid for the car, they gave me a written guarantee against the oil leak for 7 days. my dumbass forgot to check the pavement where i park at home to see if it has been leaking oil until today... 2 weeks later.

am i screwed here?

PS - i can't tell if that is just residual oil from where the oil WAS leaking, because it looks like maybe water condensation from the AC compressor may have ran through the old oil, and dripped on the concrete. i dunno... it just doesn't look like a normal oil leak. maybe i'm just in denial

[bcredliner]

Suggest going to car wash where you or they spray the undercarriage. Get the undercarriage free of oil from the pan leak.Clean the spots on the garage and the next time it has been driven enough to bring the oil up to temperature, 15 or more miles depending on the outside temp, park it and see if it oil spots more centralized or if it does at all. Since it may be leaking check the oil level frequently until you are sure the issue has been resolved. If it spots see if you can tell where it is coming from and post an update

[TheRipster]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Suggest going to car wash where you or they spray the undercarriage. Get the undercarriage free of oil from the pan leak.Clean the spots on the garage and the next time it has been driven enough to bring the oil up to temperature, 15 or more miles depending on the outside temp, park it and see if it oil spots more centralized or if it does at all. Since it may be leaking check the oil level frequently until you are sure the issue has been resolved. If it spots see if you can tell where it is coming from and post an update

i actually just got back from a car wash with the undercarriage spray great suggestion

hopefully this bad boy isn't leaking!

[upallnight]

To Quote Qsilver7

"This is where vehicle ID in a permanent signature or in your car info plays an important roll for members that are reading the thread but may not be making any comments.

There is a difference between the 1st gen & facelift e53 X5. And some replies in this thread are specific to one or the other set-up...but its not revealed due to lack of vehicle's identification. If this applies to you then really consider adding your vehicles model/model year/build date in a permanent signature.

A signature with your car's info is not just for you...but it helps others, too...they can see if your reply is based on a particular set-up based on vehicle model year...or build date during the production run...and determine if something you've written applies to them or not.

Help the forum be all it can be by adding vehicle model/model year/build date so that others searching through old threads etc...can identify if what has been written applies to them."

If you have the 3.0I engine, you need to remove the alternator in order to access the bolts that holds the filter housing to the engine block. How many miles is on you X? I did the repair myself, the gasket is only $6.00. But I also replace some of the idler wheel and the fan belt at the same time. If you needed to replacxe the alternator, that would be a good time to replace the seal even if it is not leaking since it is only six more bolts to remove and the gasket/seal is only $6.00. There's a youtube video on replacing the oil gasket/seal on an e46 M54 engine.

Since the gasket is only $6.00 and the job can be done in 4 hours by a DIYer working on the driveway that a lot of money for mechanic time.

[TheRipster]

i have 76k on the x5... hmm... good idea about the alternator. how do i know how many amps my alternator produces? because i was actually considering upgrading it

[Bulk]

"Is my new X5 leaking oil?"...... most likely

[jgold47]

Originally Posted by Bulk

"Is my new X5 leaking oil?"...... most likely

Yeah really. My first thought was 'why wouldn't it be?'

[romeokc10]

Originally Posted by Bulk

"Is my new X5 leaking oil?"...... most likely

LOL!! You said it brother, also there's no such thing as a new E53 X5...lol! As I like to say, "these things leak oil like the Exxon Valdez!" If you don't know what the Exxon Valdez is, Google it.