Buying an E70

[MONAX]

Hello!
I am a proud owner of a 2002 X5 (E53) with 70K original miles. I am currently selling it and want to upgrade to an E70. My budget is right at $30K for the E70, judging from what's out there I have seen a few 2007 E70 with low mileage that are good candidates. But before I pull any triggers, I wanted to check in with the experts and get your opinions on what I should be looking for on 2007 E70s that go and test drive. What are the "prone to failure" areas of the E70s (I know my list of the prone to fail for the E53) and any recommendations/advice is always welcomed.

Thank you for your help.
MONAX

[motordavid]

As you probably know, it was first year MY style, and that is often cause for some concern, or hard investigating. Using the handy Search Tab, plugging in 2007 E70, pulls up a few pages of threads on your topic. Worth a read, esp the Thread started by Muckster...

Those threads are probably more informative than waiting for a couple of anecdotal responses here, imo.

A PPI is rec'd, and the warranty will be long expired, unless it has a bit of CPO jive left.
GL, mD

Xoutpost.com - Search Results

[wwu123]

While my 2007 E70 had a number of repairs under warranty or CPO, I'm not sure any of them were common issues. One thing I would check is if the 12V battery has been replaced or not, because the original would be coming to the end of its useful life. I had to replace that at the dealer for $600, or about 10X the cost of replacing the battery in every other car I've ever owned. But I did it at the dealer because it was about $250 to order that type of battery online, and probably at least another $100 at the dealer for re-coding after disconnecting myself.

[bigbabyE53]

wwu123 is correct, failing batterys do run common in e70s. Make sure its been replaced with a proper BMW AGM battery (black battery). The tail lights are also common to fail (just like its older brother). Depending if you r looking at the N62TU or N52, each have their own problems. Oil leaks from the vaccum pump, oil pressure sensor, upper timing case cover gaskets are common on the N62TU (but what bmw V8 doesnt leak oil). The N52 has had water pump and thermostat failures along with vanos solenoid valves failing, especially if you do a lot of short distance/stop and go driving. But all of these problems are covered under CPO warranty, minus the battery. I also just replaced catalytic converters on an E70. Im sure its rare. Owner complained about a metallic noise when letting off the accelerator so listen for that too.