why didn't bmw service mention the leaks?

[wsmeyer]

Originally Posted by Ron07x5

The x5 is.fundamentally good. I didn't.have time.to get.a.independent inspection. I did assume.the service.records.would point.at.most any problem. The service history docs are good.to have. The transmission leak was.easy to fix and boy does one need.to service.the trans at.100k if.not.sooner. I didn't know about the oil cooler gasket.issue with these cars or.I.would have.looked.for.that. I will plan to.replace.it once.I.am prepared and fully educated.to.do.the work.

I am.surprised.a.world.class.inspection doesn't.always list issues like oil.drips.
So my conclusion is bmw.service.would.let.a.transmission leak to.dry and.fail?

As far as the oil cooler gasket... IF you have an oil cooler it's about a 3 hour job. If you don't have an oil cooler, it's called an alternator bracket gasket and it takes about 12 hours.

If you have an oil cooler you'll be able to see it through the lower grill on the drivers side.

[Ron07x5]

Originally Posted by wsmeyer

As far as the oil cooler gasket... IF you have an oil cooler it's about a 3 hour job. If you don't have an oil cooler, it's called an alternator bracket gasket and it takes about 12 hours.

If you have an oil cooler you'll be able to see it through the lower grill on the drivers side.

Thanks so much. Don't all 4.8s have an oil cooler? I see.the small lower.grill below.the drivers side fog light is a open grate and.has a radiator like.cooler.behind it. so why does.the fact.I have oil cooler.make.the gasket.much easier to replace? Do you know where a.good posting.is.on the steps.to.do the job?

[wsmeyer]

Originally Posted by Ron07x5

Thanks so much. Don't all 4.8s have an oil cooler? I see.the small lower.grill below.the drivers side fog light is a open grate and.has a radiator like.cooler.behind it. so why does.the fact.I have oil cooler.make.the gasket.much easier to replace? Do you know where a.good posting.is.on the steps.to.do the job?

I had the same leak and put off fixing it for the better part of a year because all the DIY's you run across are for an alternator mounting bracket gasket. Those poor guys that don't have an oil cooler have the same engine block so BMW made the alternator bracket to include a blanking plate to cover the oil cooler line holes with the same gasket. To make it worse, one of the bolts on the bracket is behind the engine mount so you have to lift the engine and remove the motor mount to access it.

For those of use with oil coolers, the gasket is between the oil thermostat and the engine block. The thermostat itself is attached to the block with 2x e-torx bolts. The lower is slightly obstructed and a u-joint is too long but you can get to it with an e-torx socket and a wobble extension. I replaced both bolts with SS socket head cap screws from Orchard Supply that made re-assembly much easier with a ball head hex socket.

Just off the top of my head you'll have to remove:
- air snorkels
- fan assembly
- serpentine belt
- bracket holding power steering line in front of engine and move out of way
- alternator
- follow oil lines with your hand down to thermostat housing, remove the center bolt and the oil lines will come off
- two e-torx bolts holding housing to block

The biggest PITA is that there is no way to see the thermostat housing and you have to do it all by feel.

[wsmeyer]

here's a picture of the gasket and thermostat housing:

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

And the oil cooler lines have o-rings where they attach so you'll want two of #9 in this pic:

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

[ard]

Originally Posted by Ron07x5

The x5 is.fundamentally good. I didn't.have time.to get.a.independent inspection.

Sure. Didnt you have the time to fly in to buy it?

People get emotionally and transactionally hung up on how to do and manage a PPI. Oddly the fear of spending $250 on an inspection and having to turn the car down drives people to NOT do an inspection.

Originally Posted by Ron07x5

So my conclusion is bmw.service.would.let.a.transmission leak to.dry and.fail?

Absolutely. Every day BMW dealers fail to do their 'jobs' and cost owners money.

[Ron07x5]

Originally Posted by wsmeyer

here's a picture of the gasket and thermostat housing:

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

And the oil cooler lines have o-rings where they attach so you'll want two of #9 in this pic:

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

Thanks I will be inspecting for detail this weekend. I have a camera probe and maybe I can actually see the thing. With your input hopefully I can get all the right tools and.parts ready before the surgery. Such a job is much easier if one has the right steps and tools. The drip is pretty small right now.and I hope it doesn't turn into a gusher before I have time.to fix it like 3 weekends from now. Should I replace the oil cooler thermostat or not?

On a different subject I certainly.didn't.do the inspection I could have .... I was too committed flying one way to see it scheduling a yosemite get.together with my son in California. How it has turned out I would.do it again .... the cooler leak is.the only not nice issue really and.Thanks to having.the oil cooler and.help here it.seems I will overcome. Just a.opportunity to earn dyi points with my very nice wife .... zowie .... May you all suffer like this ;-)

[Lubehead]

Aside from the PPI, why not just ask to see the car on a lift before you buy it. If the OP is capable of replacing the cooler, surely he would recognize a leak and use it as a negotiating point ( or information that results in walking away) before you even have a PPI done.

It amazes me the number of buyers who don't ask to see the underside of the car as well as the car itself.

[Ron07x5]

Let me make this clear .... I WAS STUPID ... I WAS GAMBLING.

I flew in looked at the car for 3 minutes and drove to a AAA to do the title transfer signing. I gambled and got what I got. I really couldn't schedule airfare and rooms in Yosemite, and have the seller hold it for weeks.

if the car very obiviousy had a problem as I drove it and looked at it under the hood the option was to rent a car to Yosemite and arrange airfare back to Austin. I do have the semi-free airfare miles on my credit card to burn.

Here is what I would tell someone ... if you want to be sure it has no problems you will need to find the deal very near to you and then you will need to try and arrange an inspection with the seller. Likely you may need to pay for inspections several times on several cars for said inspection if you seek no significant issues! These cars leak a big leak is a problem to avoid. Having to pay BMW service to fix anything significant is expensive.

OK now the good news and part of the reason I was willing to gamble .... I personally with my tools and brains ... can fix the leaks ... and actually can do a lot. What I am happy I do not have is broken parts like valve train or worse ... of course it wouldn't run for **** with broken parts. MY plan is to do all the service on this car, except in the rare case I can't do it, and then give it likely to a highly rated INDY nearby do the work. This way I should be able to have an X5 which does not cost much going forward and I also will know what it's mechanical state is! FYI not impressed by BMWs world class stuff. BMWs interest seems to primarily be to get the money, not to reduce the cost of ownership. To reduce the cost of ownership I will do a full inspection do full fluid services, and look for anything that should be replaced before it causes more costly damage.

[lanbrown]

You keep saying BMW this and BMW that. You do realize that BMW had no part in this transaction, right? Even if you bought it at a BMW dealer, BMW made no money on it. The car has no warranty, it was AS IS. So it is not like the BMW dealer inspected it and put a BMW warranty on it; in that case BMW did make money.

So, for all of us here, can you show us where BMW made money on this? The BMW dealer might have made money on the inspection though. That was the extent of their involvement. For all you know, you didn't get a copy of the actual inspection report.

If you want to gamble; you have Las Vegas if you want to head west. Out east you have Atlantic City. Closer to you, you have Shreveport or Eagle Pass or even just across the border in Oklahoma. There are plenty of Native American casinos around as well.

[Ron07x5]

Buying a car without a warranty is a gamble.
Buying a user car without a warranty is a bigger gamble.
Life has it's gambles.
WE marry and that is a gamble.
We take a job it is a gamble.
We buy cars they are gambles.

So yep I gambled and actually it is turning out fine .... some drips and normal service items to do. Given my labor is free it isn't very expensive.

I would love to hear how many hear have bought a car a thousand miles away and paid for an inspection on it before they had bought it.