girl friend edition X5.....

[lord4play]

Well my X5 has dealt another blow.
seems my X5 doesn't want me to take vacations or be happy.

Last vacation on my way home the driveshaft went out 400 miles from home in the middle of nowhere then once it got out the shop $1400 later i made it 30 mins then the cooling reservoir tank split open. ever since then if i am idling and slowly moving then turn sharp it would die. but start up easy never could get it to die on me when i was trying to recreate it.

well this time left for vacation on the 3rd of july 18 hours into my 21 hour drive battery light came on and the temp started to rise.... pulled over right away noticed the belt shredded after a walk of an hour i got a new belt then realised the tensioner and idler pulley had melted. sadly the place i got the belt was closed so I set out on a walk in the other direction after 3 1/2 hours I made it back to my X5 which was in a parking lot. By then it was dark out and the only light i had was a small flashlight and a small very basic set of tools (couple screwdrivers and a small socket set)

at 11:30pm I had finally finished installing the new pulleys and belt ALL vacation money spent and most spare and some of my gas money spent on parts
all together the pulleys belts and hoses.


well I decided I was going to replace the gasket and plug once I got here on vacation I have the gasket and the plugs as well as everything for a tuneup.
today I decided to do the tuneup. as I pulled the engine cover off to clean up the oil and grease off the motor to do the tuneup and replace the gasket. well I noticed a bit of oil in the little pocket near the sparkplugs I'm hoping it was a spill from before I bought it.
I also noticed the first sparkplug boot was just resting in there wasn't connected.


So after the tuneup and oil filter housing gasket more then likely it will me all the gaskets on the top end of the motor and the vanos I also have a vacuum leak that I am trying to find.

I know I only seem to complain about my X5 problems but I do read as much as I can from all you gentleman I appreciate all the info I can get from you guys due to my current internet availability I am having troubles getting the info from the xoutpost.



if anyone has in interesting info please please reply I am one of those interesting individuals that can fix anything with minimal info and tools. But I would prefer info from the experts yes you guys.


thanks again guys.
Jake

[romeokc10]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck, but you can rest assured you're not alone. This is why I never take my X on a road trip with the wife and kids, I can't trust it, I'll take it on the road if I'm by myself though.

[four.8is]

I'd have no problem taking my family on a road trip in the x5..

[x5Alpine]

My 02 4.6is has almost 140k miles and have driven it all over the west coast and it has never left me stranded. I trust it far more than the Tacoma or jeep Cherokee I had.

[upallnight]

We always rent a car when we go on vacation. The better gas mileage from the rental car combine with the use of the cheapest gas make it a wash compare with using the X. The thought of not having to worry about a break down is priceless.

[Qsilver7]

If you have a smart phone...download a flashlight app....they can come in handy for when extra light is needed...and most people have their phones with them all the time.

[Motorsport1207]

Sorry to hear about the down of bad luck. I have 2 - X5, my first is a 2001 X5 4.4 with around 189,000 miles and I have used it for many vacation trips to NY, Canada, I once did a two week road trio totaling 4500 miles. I now have a 4.8 and currently addressing all the common problems.


2006 X5 4.8i Imola Red
Euro Xenon
Eisenmann Sport
1999 M3 Cosmos
Dinan CAI & Exhaust
2003 330 XI
1989 325ic
87 Benz SDL

[srmmmm]

Sorry to hear about the troubles but it sounds like some maintenance items just caught up with you at the same time, especially the belt, expansion tank, and VCG. Your vacuum leak is probably the intake boot or one of the hose fittings that come off it. Better check your CCV and cooling system hoses at the same time. The driveshaft is a different matter though and the only thing that really bit me unexpectedly too. But I don't hesitate to hook up the boat and head out 5, 7, or 10 hours for extended weekend lake trips.

2002 X5 3.0 258,476 miles
2004 325i 114,000 miles

[Rockit]

Do a lot of searching here about your year- and engine and find all the common problems and fix them. Your X5 is not the most dependable BMW made...probably the lest but you have to really go through the car and check and replace everything that fails before you have problems.

Everything you listed are common with mileage. the 3.0l are better with reliability if that's what you have but they have there share of problems. Most owners before you don't do what service they need and sell it when they have a problem and it costs thousands.

If you list the year make and model and mileage in another post guys here will tell you what to look at and check or change.

Both V-8 and 6cyl 75k and up.
Coolant expansion tank go bad.
All front end parts wear out completely
Water pumps
Alternators
Door handles freeze in winter and have to be changed.
Dash and radio pixels go bad
CCV Valve or PCV..rubber diaphragm

V-8
Timing chains guides fail...3k repair
Valve guide seals go...3k repair
Mechanical Vanos seals fail 3k repair

V-6
Wheel sensors go bad
Vanos seal goes bad

just a few to give you an idea depending on year.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by Rockit

V-6
Wheel sensors go bad
Vanos seal goes bad

just a few to give you an idea depending on year.

I'm sure you meant I6...you may want to edit your post and make a correction.