X5 50i M-Sport - Long Term Reliability? - Page 2

Mongojoe · #1 01-09-2017, 09:58 PM

Does anyone know if the N63 "Customer Care Package" service is a true fix, or is it just a temporary solution that buys 10K miles or so before failing again?

the_ulf · #2 01-10-2017, 03:52 PM

mine is rock solid. most N62s i've seen so far have been, save for every single damn seal & gasket on them. other than that absolutely no complaints. maybe i just have ended up with one of them freaky mid-week models that simply work. dunno.

Entropy · #3 01-10-2017, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_ulf

mine is rock solid. most N62s i've seen so far have been, save for every single damn seal & gasket on them. other than that absolutely no complaints. maybe i just have ended up with one of them freaky mid-week models that simply work. dunno.

There will always be a few lucky ones out of the lot, but overall, the N62 is terrible for long-term reliability. The actual metal/mechanical parts in BMW engines are rock solid, but it's all of the other rubber and plastic components that are inferior... even compared to KIAs and Hyundais.

BustedKnuckles · #4 01-10-2017, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_ulf

mine is rock solid. most N62s i've seen so far have been, save for every single damn seal & gasket on them. other than that absolutely no complaints. maybe i just have ended up with one of them freaky mid-week models that simply work. dunno.

Well, I'm not talking about the short or long block. I suppose the "core" of the engine is pretty industry standard as far as longevity. I'm talking about everything else. All of the leaks is what kills me. If the engine requires constant maintenance to fix "that leak" or "this leak" then that's sort of a deal breaker when it comes to "reliability" to me.

Sure, the engine may not need to be rebuilt until 200,000-ish miles. but the difference is at that point you have $30,000 in fixing leaks and other common issues. Whereas a toyota, ford, audi, or number of other brand V8's would have half or less than that in fixing problems.

That's what I'm talking about. But just as others have stated, That's what makes this a sweet deal for DIY'ers like ourselves. I love my car, and the power of the V8. Just saying it's kind of a shite V8 as far as other brand V8's go...

Just Looking · #5 01-10-2017, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_ulf

mine is rock solid. most N62s i've seen so far have been, save for every single damn seal & gasket on them. other than that absolutely no complaints. maybe i just have ended up with one of them freaky mid-week models that simply work. dunno.

Never say never but so far, my e70 4.8i has been good to me. I recently took it for a 4,000 mile trip and the N62 engine delivered without a hitch. Before the trip, I did a coolant flush and replaced the serpentine belt & tensioner as preventive maintenance. I thought the belt would be in poor conditions after spending 9 years in the extremely hostile engine compartment. Nope. The plastic still looked like new, with no visible wear & tear at all. I am hoping the gaskets would hold up as well as the belt. Wishful thinking maybe, but who knows!

Reading all these posts about spending thousands and thousands of dollars to fix some cheap gaskets is indeed scary.

95wildtt · #6 01-10-2017, 07:54 PM

Love my N62, wouldn't have any other X5.

Entropy · #7 01-10-2017, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 95wildtt

Love my N62, wouldn't have any other X5.

Well I don't think anyone can disagree with the N62 in terms of performance, sound, torque, smoothness, etc... but it is a maintenance nightmare compared to other equivalent engines.

the_ulf · #8 01-10-2017, 04:29 PM

it is most certainly a high-maintenance vehicle. there can be no doubt about that and i'm certainly not going to argue with some of the rather catastrophic failures others have written up about on this forum. but it's also worth considering that absolutely no owner ever has signed up to any of these forums just to give a daily account on how their vehicle performed perfectly well without any issues whatsoever today, yesterday, the day before or the day before that etc etc etc. so although you're getting a good idea about the things that can go wrong, the things that will go wrong and how to go about fixing them, if you're so inclined, you're also getting a somewhat skewed idea of their reliability as a whole. and as confirmed: it's not the engines themselves, it's everything attached to them plus a number of other items of vehicle equipment. also don't forget that your E30s never had automatic tailgates, comfort access, adaptive headlights, active steering, self levelling air suspension and all that. all those things make for a very comfortable car to own and drive but it also adds a lot of things that break. that's not down to poor engineering. other cars break too and i'd go as far as to say that overall the E70 isn't significantly worse to work on than most other BMWs i've fixed. ever tried changing engine mounts on an E34? ever had EWS gremlins in your E38 leaving you stranded after turning the engine off, like at a petrol station? ever had your E36 fuel gauge doing its little ballet routine once the sensor packs up? the trouble with nice cars is that they generally cost a lot of money to keep them nice. just ask any supercar owner. people call design solutions in their vehicles into question. who around here has ever bought a car purely based on how accessible maintenance items are? automotive engineer are usually tasked with the unenviable job of fitting everything that the vehicle is expected to carry into the confines as dictated by the designers. a lot of the guys are trying to make the best of a bad situation because cars sell based on looks more than ease of service. having said all that, the (near) future is electric for now and there'll be fewer moving parts to take care of. hopefully it'll spell the end to shoddy oil seals and gaskets as well as hideously expensive sensors whose sole purpose it is to make an inherently flawed engine (all reciprocating combustion engines) a little less shitty. until then it probably helps to read up on forums like this one here and be prepared for the eventualities of owning an expensive high maintenance car. i'll definitely take the good with the bad.

BustedKnuckles · #9 01-10-2017, 04:38 PM

Very true,

I gripe about the engine but the car as a whole has been great. No other issues since I've owned it. I love driving it. Hell, I love looking at it... It's a fantastic car and your statement about forums being a scary place for new owners because usually all they discuss is problems and how to fix them is an unfair assessment of the vehicle as a whole. Sure, you may have to drop some coin to fix a leak here and there. But for me, it's been well worth it.

Thecastle · #10 01-11-2017, 06:59 AM

I have a 2008 X5 4.8i. It has bad valve stem seals, leaks oil (Lucas seems to have fixed it), just replaced the alternator, CCV, front lower control arms, leaks from front diff, noisy power steering pump, heat died and replaced heater control valve, coolant temperature sensor, now I have the dreaded parking brake failure. I've also done a coolant flush, power steering change, transmission fluid and filter, front and rear diff oil change, transfer case change, oil change, spark plug change, air filters and cabin filters, MAF sensor, etc, alternator belt and tensioner, all in 3 months.

But I can smoke like Batman! Oh yeah the car has 93k miles, dosent smoke except on extended idle when you goose the gas. The CCV and Lucas oil leak stop helped a ton. It is beautiful inside has adapative drive, adaptive steering, nav, heated and cooled comfort seats, quad zone climate, etc. but yeah it's a high maintence vehicle. But that is why leasing would make more sense..... the most expensive BMW is a cheap BMW.