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#1
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Maintenance thoughts...
Now I have a few symptoms... The brakes pulsate when stopping from highway speeds, and there is a slight vibration in the wheel at highway speeds. The front pads are fine, replaced ~3 years ago, but the rotors have probably been on the car for 65k miles. Thrust arms have been on the car for the same amount of time. Should I associate all these movements to rotors, or should I look at both my control arms? The rear end compresses quite a lot with 3 college kids in the back. It also slams over bumps more now. I'm thinking to replace just the rear shocks with Billy HD's and leaving the front original due to cost concerns. The rear camber is also pretty negative...what control arm/ball joint would be the blame for this? Fluid wise...never had a transmission fluid flush. I'm going to leave that alone. What about the differentials? 75W-90 is the common one for RWD non-LSD BMW's. Do the X5's get the same? I'm thinking of doing the subframe bushings too (finally!), but I may not next summer. I'm looking for easy items I can knock out in a few hours in the summer. I've got another car that needs some serious work so I can't dedicate all summer to the X5. By the way, I have some serious faith in the X5 for taking it from NJ to St. Louis with no tool box. All I have is 3.5 qts. of oil with me. It hasn't let me down after 1.5 months yet. Gas has been cheap too; my last fill-up was at $3.34/gal for Premium!
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#2
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Just peek in and look at the rotors. Shouldn't be too hard to rule them out.
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#3
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Hey bro, college in St. Louis? what do you play? hope its a blast out there! See my items in bold above, should help you out!
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2018 Ram 2500 6.7L Cummins 68RFE 19k miles -Bright White/Black - Big Horn Sport - Crew Cab Short Bed 2013 X5 35D (CEO's) - Born on 5/17/2013 - 82k miles - Alpine White/Cinnamon Brown/Premium Pkg, Sport Activity/Premium Pkg and Sound/20" Style 214/Running Boards |
#4
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#5
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The thrust arm bushings were replaced 5 year ago. The ball joints probably are original and that is the main cause of my shimmy. The rotors are also on their second set of pads, so improper bedding in may also be a cause. What about the tension rod (ie. the upper control arm that is in front of the thrust arm)? Does that one wear and cause a lot of play? I'm thinking of going with the MTC polyurethane bushing for $20 a piece, cheaper and easier to install than Powerflex or OEM. The ball joint looks to be an easy fix too as it just unbolts out rather than be integrated in the arm itself.
I don't like working on the rear suspension due to the need of all the special tools. I may do the rear upper control arm first since that seems easier than the ball joint and integral link. I skipped those on my M5 as I didn't have he tools for it. I'm down for renting tools to do the job. I also ran out of time between my summer job, repainting the garage and fixing the M5. And I go to St. Louis University. I'm a rower.
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#6
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I would focus on RBs mention that is due for a suspension rebuild and I would do so at one time to save time and alignment money. Sounds like the rotors were not changed with the pads. Obviously, the thinner the rotor the more likely it is to warp. It is also harder to get the pads to seat properly if that was the case. I would check the rotors for ridges on the outer edge and for 'burned' areas, though, as mentioned, it is not likely the cause in your case. The front and rear suspensions have similar rebuild schedules though the rear tends to last a longer. I would do it all at once including the subframe bushings--they are not always bad but the only way to know is to drop the frame to check. At that point, if you have the proper tool, might as well replace them. Unless you are interested in a firmer ride I suggest OEM or OE shocks. You will know what to expect as far as ride and you are maintaining the BMW design intentions. If you are concerned new transmission fluid might instigate transmission problems you could drop the pan, change the filter, saving the old saving the old stuff to put back in if it doesn't smell burned. Regarding transfer case and differentials, I also go with aftermarket lubricants. Right or wrong I feel there is better stuff out there that cost less the OEM.
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X5 4.6 2002 Black Sap, Black interior. 2013 X5M Melbourne Red, Bamboo interior Dallas |
#7
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I would look into replacing all the bushings. I had vibration issues not too long ago. Replaced the bushings and it was good as new. Even if they are not the problem, with the mileage that you have, it is probably a good idea to replace them now.
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#8
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The ball joint and integral link in the rear is easy with the special tool, all you do is unbolt two bolts and drop the swing arm lower with a pry bar, everything else stays bolted on the car. At your mileage doing the control arm in the rear will probably help, but still may not get enough adjustment for rear camber without doing that ball joint too. I noticed the MTC bushings for 20 apiece, I'm surprised at the two piece bushing design which does look easy to install but at the same time knowing MTC's reputation as cheap replacement parts I hope they are designed stoutly enough, I know the bushings install dry and you probably just need to grease the "pin" if anything. I guess what to lose at 40 bucks, if they are crap you can always drop the one bolt/nut and take them off and replace with Meyle HD, OEM, or Powerflex. The front control arm "wishbone" has an integrated ball joint, and if its original I would replace both, the bushing is integrated on that one as well. I used Febi/Bilstein on mine, but it seems ECS now stocks Meyle, which I've also had good success with: BMW E53 X5 M54 3.0L Suspension Control Arm ES#2649612 Front Lower Control Arm - Left - 31126760275 And like you said, the original ball joints on the thrust arm side are easy to R&R, just unbolt the joint from the spindle and whack that fucker out when you are replacing the thrust arm bushings, I used Febi's on mine and was happy: BMW E53 X5 M54 3.0L Suspension Control Arm ES#252748 Front Ball Joint - Priced Each - 31126756491
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2018 Ram 2500 6.7L Cummins 68RFE 19k miles -Bright White/Black - Big Horn Sport - Crew Cab Short Bed 2013 X5 35D (CEO's) - Born on 5/17/2013 - 82k miles - Alpine White/Cinnamon Brown/Premium Pkg, Sport Activity/Premium Pkg and Sound/20" Style 214/Running Boards |
#9
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I like the MTC bushing as it reminds me of the Powerflex E39 ones I did on the M5. The X5 Powerflex bushings are one piece and need to be pressed in, as well as the new M5 ones which are irrelevant. I just don't like that new design. I am also worried about the polyurethane quality of the MTC parts, but they should be stiffer than stock until they start to disintegrate due to not allowing any lateral flex.
But I guess I'm looking forward to a lot of car maintenance to my new car and the X5. Looks like big suspension overhauls for both.
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