Near 'end-of-warranty' inspections?

[Sarge]

I have a 2007 X5 4.8i with the sport package, tow package and third row seats (among other things).

It has 46k on it now, and the warranty expires on 12/30/10.

I'm contemplating taking it in to an independent shop to have it looked over, everything from CV boots to engine compression and leakdown before the end of the year (the dealer is 100 miles away, so I don't want to go unless there's good reason).

In the past year, I've had the 'sport swaybar' replaced and the transmission reprogrammed/updated to fix shift issues on hills.

At this point, my concerns are:

1. A light rattle from the front suspension on washboard roads (dealer can't replicate it, no dirt roads near them).

2. The transmission shifts a bit hard when towing for longer distances at highway speeds (ex: shifting from 4 to 5 in manual mode). It doesn't do the hard shift unless it's been towing a while (18' Boston Whaler center console, about 3800lbs with fuel, gear and trailer).

3. The engine sounds like it has an exhaust manifold leak when you start it up on cold mornings. Dealer says 'they all do this'. I say it sounds like an old milk truck, not like a high end SUV.

Any thoughts on the above, as well as any other trouble spots or recalls to look out for would be greatly appreciated. I'm a bit leery of keeping this thing past the warranty period, what with the dealer being 100 miles away, and the horror stories I hear of people being stranded by loony ECUs and such...

Thanks in advance for your input.

- Sarge

[aeggroup]

Originally Posted by Sarge

3. The engine sounds like it has an exhaust manifold leak when you start it up on cold mornings. Dealer says 'they all do this'. I say it sounds like an old milk truck, not like a high end SUV.

The same.. only for 2 first minutes on cold mornings and then normal sound. I think your dealer is right ....

[ard]

Originally Posted by Sarge

2. The transmission shifts a bit hard when towing for longer distances at highway speeds (ex: shifting from 4 to 5 in manual mode). It doesn't do the hard shift unless it's been towing a while (18' Boston Whaler center console, about 3800lbs with fuel, gear and trailer).

Have you ever serviced your transmission? Fluid change?

BMW has taken an [indefensible] position that transmissions need no service, no matter how they are use, where they are used or how hard they are used.

ESPECIALLY if you are towing, I'd invest in an ATF change every 30-40k miles. Do one, notice the change in shifting, and you'll be a believer.... or not.

A

[eurogreek1]

Do you know which transmission update you did for your hill problem. I have taken it in several times and they keep telling me they've fix the problem but it still continues. Going up hills is brutal. It just won't shift! The X even jerks at times on normal driving.

[Sarge]

Originally Posted by eurogreek1

Do you know which transmission update you did for your hill problem. I have taken it in several times and they keep telling me they've fix the problem but it still continues. Going up hills is brutal. It just won't shift! The X even jerks at times on normal driving.

I don't recall what the 'code' is for the upgrade. I read all about it on another thread or two in here, so if you search you should find the 'code' they use to refer to it.

It takes them hours to do the upgrade, and in my case they had to redo it because something went wrong during the 'scan/upgrade', so it took them quite a long time to complete the process. It's possible your dealer didn't do it right, or didn't notice that the process didn't complete properly.

Look up the thread on here and if you can, take it to a different dealer and have them redo it. Otherwise, keep complaining and/or show them the issue if you can duplicate it.

I'm going to change my transmission fluid before next summer, to see if that alleviates any of the 'hard shifting' issues when towing. It's also possible that the transmission software 'chooses' to execute harder shifts when it senses higher temps or stress on the transmission, since smooth shifts actually cause more wear on the transmission (counterintuitive, but true).

Also, I absolutely loathe the electronic gear selector in this car, and don't like slushboxes in general, so I virtually always drive in 'manual' mode (90% of the time). That being said, I can confirm that the transmission software upgrade did result in better 'choices' by the transmission on big hills. (like Teton Pass, which has up to 10% grade, and 2,000' of vertical).

Good luck with it.

[Sarge]

Originally Posted by ard

Have you ever serviced your transmission? Fluid change?

BMW has taken an [indefensible] position that transmissions need no service, no matter how they are use, where they are used or how hard they are used.

ESPECIALLY if you are towing, I'd invest in an ATF change every 30-40k miles. Do one, notice the change in shifting, and you'll be a believer.... or not.

A

I asked about it last week when I took it in for service, and they told me "it's lifetime fluid". Yeah, so's the oil in my engine, the coolant, and the brake fluid, right?

Upon hearing that, I decided I'd do some research (i.e here, now) and have it changed before towing again next summer. Other than longer towing trips (like taking my boat over Teton pass, 100 miles to Idaho falls to put it in storage for the winter) it doesn't exhibit any trouble.

I'm assuming the transmission 'chooses' to shift harder if it senses additional heat/stress, since somewhat 'harder' shifts are actually more efficient and result in less actual wear and tear on the slushbox internals.

I haven't read any posts by others who tow noting what I'm experiencing, so it's just conjecture on my part. We'll see if new fluid makes any difference when I go get the boat out of storage next spring.