N62 Tune up - Tips, Tricks, and Info

[VA_Kat]

Hey, guys....I'm new to the BMW world, learning lots by reading and talking to others. I've got a great option to buy a 2009 x5 drive48i for under $10k, however it has 177k miles on it. I did a car fax check on it, it has been regularly maintained by the dealer but the current owner does not know all the maintenance/repairs that may have been done to it. Based upon the mileage, is it safe to say that any kind of major oil leakage that you, busted knuckles mentioned, has already been resolved? Current owner says no oil on floor in his garage. Anything else that I should be concerned about?

Thank you!

Kat

[BustedKnuckles]

Originally Posted by Thecastle

I'm looking for advice bustedknuckles I just replaced my 105C thermostat with a "95C" thermostat to improve engine longevity.

I'm planning on taking the X5 to Banff next September about 2400 miles 1 way from Houston. I plan to tow my travel trailer, so I'll be putting considerable stress on my 2008 N62 X5 with 96K miles.

I was thinking of doing a cooling system refresh before the trip to ensure reliability while I still have cool weather in houston. What parts should I consider replacing? My X5 does not look to have its original water pump or upper radiator hose, so some parts have been replaced.

I've personally replaced the thermostat, heater control valve and radiator cap (still 2 bar). I've ordered a new expansion tank....

Do you think I should preventatively replace anything else before this road trip?

It sounds like you are already in pretty good shape. The valley pan and coolant transfer pipe don't really fall under "preventative maintenance" but rather "replace when need-be". If you were really ambitious though you could do those. Both are well known weak points in the cooling system. So its just a matter of time before you have to replace them anyways.

If your water pump was replaced at some point you should be good there. You have the coolant expansion tank & cap, thermostat and heater control valve covered. All of the coolant hoses aren't a big concern as long as they aren't cracked or overly-hardened, so give them an inspection and leave them alone if there are no issues. The coolant hose o-rings are the real culprits when it comes to hoses leaking. They are cheap and easy to replace if you wanted to do them. Just a matter of unhooking all the hoses, swapping out the O-rings, then refilling and bleeding the system. Pretty easy. Maybe put some fresh coolant in if its due for a refresh.

Other than that, I think you are in good shape.

[BustedKnuckles]

Originally Posted by VA_Kat

Hey, guys....I'm new to the BMW world, learning lots by reading and talking to others. I've got a great option to buy a 2009 x5 drive48i for under $10k, however it has 177k miles on it. I did a car fax check on it, it has been regularly maintained by the dealer but the current owner does not know all the maintenance/repairs that may have been done to it. Based upon the mileage, is it safe to say that any kind of major oil leakage that you, busted knuckles mentioned, has already been resolved? Current owner says no oil on floor in his garage. Anything else that I should be concerned about?

Thank you!

Kat

Hey Kat, I just replied to your PM. Good luck with selecting a new vehicle!

[VA_Kat]

Thank you for your detailed response. The concerns you raised were some of the same concerns I had, that they most likely had these issues resolved before at a lower mileage but were about to come around again.

However, I am surprised that you consider that price high cause I've been watching the pricing. Maybe my area? Idk but I'm going to pass on this one cause I can't get detailed maintenance records for sure. It is a beauty though! sigh....

Thank you again, love your thoroughness in your responses!

Kat

[BustedKnuckles]

Originally Posted by VA_Kat

Thank you for your detailed response. The concerns you raised were some of the same concerns I had, that they most likely had these issues resolved before at a lower mileage but were about to come around again.

However, I am surprised that you consider that price high cause I've been watching the pricing. Maybe my area? Idk but I'm going to pass on this one cause I can't get detailed maintenance records for sure. It is a beauty though! sigh....

Thank you again, love your thoroughness in your responses!

Kat

It's a good thing you passed on that car. Doing a quick search revealed a plethora of X5's just like the one you described at the same price point but with substantially lower miles. It may be the area you are in, but there are much better deals out there. I would even consider shipping one to yourself. If shipping costs $1,200 but you are getting an X5 with 70,000 fewer miles... That's well worth it to me...

That's exactly what I did. I found EXACTLY what I wanted in southern California. In good shape and priced to sell. Paid $1,200 to ship it to Ohio and I don't regret it for a minute. Although my X has had a few more issues that what I would prefer, I was expecting most of them because of the mileage it was at. Still love it though.

[byM5]

Originally Posted by VA_Kat

Thank you for your detailed response. The concerns you raised were some of the same concerns I had, that they most likely had these issues resolved before at a lower mileage but were about to come around again.

However, I am surprised that you consider that price high cause I've been watching the pricing. Maybe my area? Idk but I'm going to pass on this one cause I can't get detailed maintenance records for sure. It is a beauty though! sigh....

Thank you again, love your thoroughness in your responses!

Kat

Try expanding search to go north or south of DC Metro. I went to Jerzey and got mine. It had/has some clean up issues, but I didn't pay a whole lot either. I'm a diyer and diying is my hobby. It keeps me out of trouble.

Here is a list of things done.
1. cracked rear wheel. Welded by shop. Still looking for a replacement
2. Auto tranny flush. preventative
3. broken engine partition. normal BMW cheap plastic failure
4. coolant hoses. chasing drip that leaks only when sitting a few days.
5. NBT retrofit gotta have it!!
6. new floor mats
7. broken sunshade tab. JB weld special
8. NYC hacked headlight wiring because owner was too cheap to change headlight ballast. repaired wiring. installed new ballast. Guess Park Ave BMW is quite expensive.
9. cargo mat. because i like clean carpet in my trunk!

[thefys]

Thanks for this post. The detail you went into is flat-out awesome !

[LightlyToasted]

From the original article on how to remove a stuck valve cover (sorry - quoting isn't working for me...): "Get a long ratchet extension (I used a 3/8 drive 2 foot extension, ¼ drive may be more ideal as it is thinner) or similar sturdy rod and carefully slide it in between the VC and cylinder head. Place it firmly against the side of the spark plug tubes and with a hammer, give it a firm whack. Giving each spark plug tube a whack or two released them from the VC and made it possible for me to remove the valve cover leaving behind the spark plug tubes in the cylinder head."

I'm going to be doing VCGs soon, and am preparing for them to be stuck like everyone else's. I can't visualize where you had the ratchet extension going so that it is against a spark plug tube. Do you mean that it is between the valve cover and head, mostly parallel with the long axis of the head? Or did you stick it inside a spark plug tube where the spark plug is?

[Mflara420]

Does anyone knows what's the appropriate gap for spark plugs? 2010 x5 4.8

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[MW3Designs]

Reading the tips and tricks, I see you did this repair from the top of the engine blind. Did you remove the alternator to get in there? I also have adaptive drive, how much harder does it make for access?