Preventative time... Suggestions??

[JCL]

Originally Posted by mam4.6

Synthetic Pentosin 5W30 This is what my Indy recommended, and what I've been using since I have my X. Good? Bad?

Depends which Pentosin 5w30 it is.

Pentosin High Performance 5w30 is OK. It is a 2004 API SL spec, per Pentosin; there are more modern and higher performance SM and SN specs available from other suppliers.

Pentosin HP II and Super Performance III are LL04 oils, not recommended for use in North America due to our fuels, as they don't stand up well (per BMW). Probably fine as long as you change it much more frequently and don't mind it breaking down more quickly.

[LVP]

Originally Posted by mam4.6

Hey fellows, I'm "finally" back, with all my work done. Had it done for a while, but didn't have to to post up results. I'm overall satisfied with the results, a bit dissapointed that I still have just a bit start up rattle, maybe just a second, but I was shooting for none at all. Anyway, look over the attached 2-page PDF, and and let me know what you think of the prices, etc... Total of finished work came to $7700, and some. Awaiting professional insight!! Aw, shucks, my pdf is to big, might just have to type it all out tomorrow... Oh, got it to work...

You'll get the best price doing it all at once. Try to do all those jobs individually and you'd get killed. Shop rate is good - my guy is $100/h. Bet the peace of mind, let alone the ride is now amazing I've done a decent amount of what you've tackled there - left to do is chain guides and potentially valve seals. I did tackle the tranny, but only a pan off, drain, new filter and refill. I didn't flush. I'll repeat in 25,000km and assess/reset again. Tough pill to swallow, but I wouldn't trade the ride of the X5 for anything new in the same price range (used X5 + repairs).

[mam4.6]

Originally Posted by JCL

Depends which Pentosin 5w30 it is.

I'll have to check again when I get home this eve...

Originally Posted by LVP

Bet the peace of mind, let alone the ride is now amazing Tough pill to swallow, but I wouldn't trade the ride of the X5 for anything new in the same price range (used X5 + repairs).

Yep, I definitely sleep better at night, knowing there's a ton of things I don't have to worry about. But that tranny does bother me, I'm thinkin of savin for a bit, and getting it rebuilt. That's where I'm at, I drove another vehicle while the X was down for repairs, and when I got back, I actually laughed out loud, I had forgotten how good it feels to drive a BMW!! I'm hoping to eventually buy a BMW sedan (M5?) for a daily driver, and have my X5 to play with. Supercharger, maybe?! I'm a hog when in comes to horses under the hood!!!

[srmmmm]

[QUOTE=mam4.6;1004817] But that tranny does bother me, I'm thinkin of savin for a bit, and getting it rebuilt.

That's my plan too. Considering it would have cost about $300 per flush - done every 60,000 miles, I'd be at $1500 invested so far, and still have a transmission with worn friction surfaces. Granted, not as much wear as I probably have right now, but I don't think there'd be a break even point for someone like me who tends to run the wheels off a vehicle (Mazda MPV-276,000 miles, Pontiac Bonneville Diesel-265,000 miles). When the time comes, I'll spend the $2500 to get a remanufactured unit with a fresh 3 year warranty.

2002 X5 3.0 259,850 miles
2004 325i 115,000 miles

[mam4.6]

Originally Posted by JCL

Depends which Pentosin 5w30 it is.

Synthetic Pentosin High Performance 5w30 is what i use...

[JCL]

Originally Posted by mam4.6

Synthetic Pentosin High Performance 5w30 is what I use...

That's OK. It is an API SL spec from 2004, so 10 years old now. It is better than the older oil spec that was the original for the E53 when it was built. Not as good as an API SM or SN, and many would agree that motor oils have been improved in the past decade, but perfectly acceptable.

[Ricky Bobby]

So Jeff, my Shell Rotella T6 which meets API SM spec is pretty good then? Totally off topic,

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

So Jeff, my Shell Rotella T6 which meets API SM spec is pretty good then? Totally off topic,

From an API classification perspective, yes. But that is just part of the story. You are using an oil that is optimized for heavy duty diesel engines. It has some characteristics engineered in just for that application. Among them, low ash, low phosphorus, acid control, and so on. Those properties help manage soot, help your diesel particulate filter to last longer, and help when you get fuel dilution. The thing is, your gasoline engine doesn't have any of those issues. So you are paying for protection that is less relevant for a gasoline engine, and concurrently trading off other benefits that you could get by using an oil optimized for a gasoline engine. I would expect the Rotella to have a higher level of detergents. You may or may not want that, depending on the internal condition of your engine.

We return now to regular programming.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by JCL

From an API classification perspective, yes. But that is just part of the story. You are using an oil that is optimized for heavy duty diesel engines. It has some characteristics engineered in just for that application. Among them, low ash, low phosphorus, acid control, and so on. Those properties help manage soot, help your diesel particulate filter to last longer, and help when you get fuel dilution. The thing is, your gasoline engine doesn't have any of those issues. So you are paying for protection that is less relevant for a gasoline engine, and concurrently trading off other benefits that you could get by using an oil optimized for a gasoline engine. I would expect the Rotella to have a higher level of detergents. You may or may not want that, depending on the internal condition of your engine.

We return now to regular programming.

Well done!

[mam4.6]

Bringing this thread back up since I'm referencing the lower control arms ( rear position) that got replaced a little over 2 years, when I did quite a bit of maintenance... the ball joint on the DS lower control arm is shot, if I grab the wheel at 3 and 6, there's just a bit of back and forth, and I can see it's at the ball joint...

I'm a little of 2 years and @ 35k miles since the suspension refresh. the other bits still look good, should I just replace the driver's side arm, arms on both sides, or everything again? seems a bit premature to replace everything again...

While I was down there, I was looking at the CV axles, and noticed that if there is no tension on the shaft against the driveline, theres is some play in the cv joint. Is this normal, or does it need replaced? I'm suspicious that that's where my vibration is coming from under acceleration...

See video below..

CV joint play