New to BMW's with Question

[tcoop]

I just purchased an 04 X5 4.4i. (My first BMW )


It has about 155,000 miles. After buying it we found that the brakes shutter when slowing down from higher speeds, so I have some bushing that I need to replace. Most everything else seams to be working.

I only received one key, do I have to purchase a key through the dealer or is it possible to get a key off eBay and have it cut and programed at a locksmith? I do want the remote lock and unlock features to work. What are my options?

[Jungerishere]

Congrats. Looks nice.

No ebay keys, they don't work. You need to purchase replacement key from dealer. Shop around as dealer prices vary from dealer to dealer. Anywhere from $140 to $250 <= LOL...

[tcoop]

Thanks, I thought that might be the case.

[romeokc10]

With that mileage the timing chain guides need to be replaced, do you know if they have been replaced?

[bestvaluestore]

Looks well but check it for hidden surprises.

[oldskewel]

I recently bought my 2001 3.0 with now 170k miles, so I'm just a little ahead of you.

brake shudder - I believe the most common problems on these cars is the "thrust arm" (or front suspension arm) bushing. PN 31-12-6-769-715. These bushings can be replaced separately from the whole arm. There's a replaceable ball joint there too.
Next most common suspect would be the lower/rear control arm ("wishbone")'s ball joints. Those are not replaceable separately, and you'd need a whole new arm if those are bad: 31-12-6-760-275, 31-12-6-760-276
To check, jack the front of the car and HIT the tire and feel/look/listen for give/looseness in each joint. Doing this, it was easy for me to isolate the failed ball joints on both wishbones.

keys - I was in the same boat as you. Just had the one diamond key, not wanting to spend 10% of the car's purchase price on spare keys. Due to EWS immobilizer system, you basically do need to go to the dealer to get keys that will start the engine. Aftermarket EWS options cost about the same as far as I found, so the dealer is a viable option here.

I bought mine at www.thebmwminipartstore.com You need to email proof of ownership and it's just like going to your local dealer, except they ship directly to you and it's cheaper. About $120 for a diamond key, $40 for non-remote keys.

The used diamond keys you can buy on eBay can be easily re-programmed by you to operate the keyless entry and alarm, but it is not cost effective to get new blanks cut and new EWS chips installed. So basically, you're buying a remote fob, not a full remote key.

So what I did (and what I'd recommend to people wanting to save some $$ on new keys) was to buy 3x non-remote keys from thebmwminipartstore.com and buy 3x used diamond keys on ebay, program them, cut off the key part wit my Dremel, and use them as key-chain key fobs. Cost around $55 each that way ($40 for the key, $15 for the fob). So I got 3x for the same price my local dealer would charge for one diamond key.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by romeokc10

With that mileage the timing chain guides need to be replaced, do you know if they have been replaced?

He has an 2004 X5 4.4 which would be the N62 V8 engine...this is a totally different animal versus the M62TU V8...and has it's own set of issues (like intermediate levers) instead of timing chain guide issues.

So don't scare him with timing chain guides...it doesn't apply in this case.

e53 X5 N62 V8 engine

[Riggodeaux]

tcoop, read the thread on control arm bushings, which I recently refreshed with some questions. Eyeball them - they do wear quickly, yours' might be due for its third set. Meyle HDs or the solid urethane replacements [I forget the brand name, see the thread!] seem to be the preferred solution.

[tcoop]

I read through that last week. I'm getting ready to order the parts I need (waiting on tax returns). Then a just need a free week end. I am lucky enough to have access to a shop with all the tools so it should go smoothly.