E70 Options, Packages, Issues

[TiminIndy]

From a reliability perspective, is there any consensus as to which is better between the N52 and the N55 TT?

[Thecastle]

The naturally aspariated 3.0 is considered bmws most reliable engine by my service advisor and by what I read.. The n55 single turbo isn't bad, but it still has cooing system failures. The v8s are terrible with lots of very expensive failure points in both the turbo and non turbo. The m57 diesels have a lot of emissions failures and problems with vacuum hoses, carbon, vibration damper etc. if cost was my only concern stick with one of the gasoline 6s. The diesel next for cost, and last is the v8s

Just my experience. I recently purchased a loaded 2008 X5 4.8i, adapative drive, multi contour seats, nav, premium sound, etc. I paid 15,000 for it in October with 89k miles. After spending 1000s in two months on maintence and repairs, frankly I wish I had bought something newer with less miles instead of spending the same amount on an older car..... basically it's gonna cost you the same to buy old and fix it, or newer. There is a reason these 60-80k cars are under 20k in less than 5 years.

I've had to replace the alternator (also belts and tensioner as preventive) ccv (smoking). I've also replaced all fluids (oil, diffs, xfer case, transmission, coolant), spark plugs, air filters, plastic rain tray, front control arms, sway bar end links, maf sensor (for performance), etc.

Plus I added the BMW hitch. That maintence, repairs and hitch cost me 4500 in parts and labor, the spark plugs, rain tray, filters, suspension, oil, I did my self. I could have bought a newer 20k car for the same amount the didn't need as much maintence.

[the_ulf]

self-levelling rear suspension is standard with the 3rd row. it's added weight and something else to go wrong. it hasn't on mine (yet) and i'm knocking at 170tkm. it's possibly an option without 3rd row, might be worth checking whether the vehicle you're testing has springs or bellows in the back. but even without air suspension you won't fit a full size spare in the back. only room for a space saver, which isn't all that much better than run flats. if you really want to do away with those, you might as well keep a repair kit (goo) with you unless your vehicle has TPMS, in which case you really don't want to use that stuff.

all LCI models, AFAIK, are turbos and they come with their own host of problems. FWIW i'd say they're better, at least more powerful. my 4.8 still runs well and i've yet to run into the valve stem seal issue. whichever you decide on, it would only be prudent to be prepared for the repairs that eventually become inevitable. there's loads of write-ups here and on other forums about owners' experiences with N52/N62 or N55/N57/N63 engines. might be worth trawling the web for problems with the engines, rather than looking solely for X5 issues.

CCC vs CIC is definitely worth a consideration, seeing how CIC has a better screen, better reversing camera, faster CPU, A2DP and in general a much neater front end. it can be retrofitted into pre-LCI but that's really not cheap at all.

[ard]

Tim- not sure I saw this, but I think what you want- seat wise- is the Comfort Seat version. Option code is 456. Some people REALLY hate the base sport seats.

Agree on the tan- the light sand/almost white was very disappointing. I had ordered a 2009 Diesel with the Sand, and when it showed up with the light carpets I refused it. (Ordered a 2010 which I went on the lemon...then got a 2012 that now has 84k and pretty bullet proof)

[TiminIndy]

I decided to hold off on upgrading to an E70 for now - will probably do it in 6-12 months (preference is still a 2011 x35i). I'm wondering if the following poor design issues from the E53 have been corrected:

* crappy door carrier design
* CCV issues in cold weather (even with the cold weather CCV kit)
* crappy tail light design that leads to arcing

[ard]

Originally Posted by TiminIndy

I decided to hold off on upgrading to an E70 for now - will probably do it in 6-12 months (preference is still a 2011 x35i). I'm wondering if the following poor design issues from the E53 have been corrected:

* crappy door carrier design
* CCV issues in cold weather (even with the cold weather CCV kit)
* crappy tail light design that leads to arcing

I can 100% tell you that in 6-12 months the 2011 will have identical design features as compared to the 2011 today.

[TiminIndy]

Originally Posted by ard

I can 100% tell you that in 6-12 months the 2011 will have identical design features as compared to the 2011 today.

I'm not waiting 6-12 months because I thought the design of the 2011 model would change, but of course, you already knew that.