Newer model X5's made to throw away?

[amderrick]

I currently have a 2005 X5. My mechanic, who only works on imports claims that the newer model X5's are basically being made to "throw away"... He says that he sees way too many in the shop before their time.

What do you all hav to say to that?

My husband and I were hoping to replace our X5 with a newer model when the time comes. Need your help on this one.

[SCardamon]

Uhh, well mine is definately not throw away. This model does have its issues and I would say more than its previous models and possibly more than other BMW models in the line but they are all warranty covered for the most part with the exception of the battery issue which is covered but a PITA to address.

I like my ride quite a bit and plan to hold on to it for some time.

[motordavid]

From just an anecdotal reading, via the small pool of X owners on this Board, and B'fest, it would seem to me that the older E53 models have suffered fewer problems compared to the E70. I suspect some of that is due to there being less 'gizmos' and electronic systems on the older E53 vs the newer E70s. BMW's reluctance to offer any manual transmissions on their X series, in the US, is not helpful either. Auto trans related problems are significant; manual trans problems are minute.

Our '01, and your '05 have run very well. If I was in mkt for new suv type car, the E70 might be on my list, but not at the top, but that is just a personal feeling about the QPR of the new models. Otoh, if you buy new, you have the 4 year safety net, and have time to see how your new car performs over time, and can always toss it before the expiration date. GL, mD

[xoutpostking]

Originally Posted by amderrick

I currently have a 2005 X5. My mechanic, who only works on imports claims that the newer model X5's are basically being made to "throw away"... He says that he sees way too many in the shop before their time.

What do you all hav to say to that?

My husband and I were hoping to replace our X5 with a newer model when the time comes. Need your help on this one.

First of all you are looking at the opinion of just ONE person, secondly I would like to say that my 35i has been mostly problem free. A few small things here and there the past 2 years but that's expected. You cannot have a trouble free car, even Toyota don't make those.

[ard]

^^ Agreed. First, this mechanic has a skewed view given that he only sees cars with issues. Also, he loses all credibility when he says "throw away"... the E70 may be expensive to maintain or have a high failure rate, but it is NOT 'throw away'. (I do not think it is going to be clearly less reliable or more expensive than the e53, in the ling run- but time will tell.) If a mechanic told me this, I'd have a very negative opinion of him (or her).

The 4 year warranty is a great tool during which many issues get 'shaken out'.. using issues that arise in this period as a predictor of long term cost is not necessairly accurate.

[amderrick]

I agree w most if what you all are saying and the comment did leave a sour taste in my mouth, however it still deserves consideration.
I appreciate all of your responses.
What issues have you all encountered? I'm curious if the same problems occur for all.

Thanks again,
Amdrea

[theurbanbuddha]

Seems to be all based on experiences I guess...I have an E53 that has caused me lots of issues since I've owned it (all paid by Coverage One thankfully). I am upgrading to an e70 and have been told by my own shop AND the BMW service shop that they do way less warranty work on e70 compared to e53. Maybe it's just the age difference of the vehilces, who knows.

What I do know is that I'm excited to upgrade no matter what people tell me. It's like a movie, some people tell me a movie sucks before I see it, and sometimes I walk out of the theatre pleasantly surprised!

[4MoJoe]

Hmm, I'm only 9 months into my E70 but only had a light bulb issues and an oil change under warranty.

I can say that in the 4.5 years I owned my 2004 E53 that there was about $15,000 in repairs and nearly all of that covered by my 3rd party warranty save for the $100 deductible (bought the car when it was 3 years old). That car's last 2 years were particularly painful with how much time it was in the shop. Had I not had that warranty I'd have driven it off a cliff.

We've had such good experience with our 3 Series BMW's and ready to replace the 2006 now and will go with another 3 series without question. I hope my confidence is as high 6 years down the road with the E70.

[fast4d]

we drove our 2002 X5 4.4 for 155k miles before trading it in.

had to replace all the usual suspects. valley pan, alt, wp, rad, etc.etc.

[drod]

that's funny... i had an 08 X5 3.0 for a few years before trading her for a newer model...



never had a real problem with her and i was heavy footed and put in a ton of miles in such a short time..



the only problem was with the NAV dvd unit which stuck a few times and was replaced under warranty with no questions asked...



my neighbor has an 06 Nissan Maxima and has had nothing but problems with it since getting it new... turns out there is a known tranny issue with that particular year model. Not sure if he's taking it to court but it now sits in the lot unused because it is too expensive to repair...



my friend's 2010 Acura MDX has lot's of NAV issues as well... said the thing wouldn't stay focussed and would drift across the highway or off road while enroute to its destination... weird...



he calibrated it a number of times but was never able to fix it... Dealer also couldn't replicate the problem so they ignored it as well..



no one is immune... as someone said earlier, the more technologically advanced the car is the more likely it is to have technical issues...



as long as it is covered under warranty i'm fine with it... when it expires and i can't get coverage elswhere then i will consider trading up again...



life goes on....