E70 X5 Rear Differential failure

[shingo43]

Originally Posted by MMMGP

Wow! Diffs, drive-shafts, bricked modules, valve stem seals, stretched timing chains, vanos bolt recalls, etc.

It's clear BMW is not the company it once was. Glad I have an extended warranty and maintenance package on my 2012 35i until 2018. Was going to keep this car for the long run, but I'm seriously rethinking that now.

I get you, apparently most car companies pay more attention to fancy electronics, exterior, interiors than reliabilities since they are more appealing to customers.

It's a car after all, powertrain is the most important part!

[Doug Huffman]

Timing chains elongate as they wear, they do not stretch. The wear at each joint times the number of joints is the additional length due to wear.

The first steel yield strength from elastic to plastic that I glanced at was 36+ ksi, or more than 36,000 pounds per square inch of stressed section. That's the sum of the smallest cross sections of the links between the pin eyes.

[MMMGP]

Stretch may not be the correct term, but it sure beats premature elongation!

[Stewthebassman]

Hi Folks,
I have a 2011 X5 Diesel that I LOVE. Bought it in 2014 with 44,000kms, and am at 145,000kms now. I tow a horse trailer, and last week I began to hear a faint scraping noise that turned into a full on groan/whine. Brought it in Tuesday and indeed, it's the diff. Will pick it up today so I'll give a full report on the failure. It is still on CPO, thank goodness, the parts alone were $5,000!

I thought it might be the towing but it sounds like the failure is a random thing, regardless.

That's it for now!

[JGard]

I'm curious on these failures, had any of you ever replaced the diff oil? Or did you all follow the "lifetime" fluid schedule BMW likes to suggest?

With 77k miles on my X right now, I'm ready to drain and refill front and rear diffs as well as the transfer case very soon.

[ard]

Originally Posted by Stewthebassman

Hi Folks,
I have a 2011 X5 Diesel that I LOVE. Bought it in 2014 with 44,000kms, and am at 145,000kms now. I tow a horse trailer, and last week I began to hear a faint scraping noise that turned into a full on groan/whine. Brought it in Tuesday and indeed, it's the diff. Will pick it up today so I'll give a full report on the failure. It is still on CPO, thank goodness, the parts alone were $5,000!

I thought it might be the towing but it sounds like the failure is a random thing, regardless.

That's it for now!

Can I ask how often you tow (% of miles perhaps) and the approx weight of the trailer?

Glad the SA didnt hassle you about any coverage- best repairs are free repairs....

[Stewthebassman]

I tow a horse trailer, 3500 lbs. Last summer was ponies, so not more than 500 lbs extra.

It was every weekend last summer, but short hauls, not more than 20 miles a weekend. I did a couple of random trips in the winter, and two round trips worth 1,000 kms so far this spring. So of my total mileage...maybe a couple of thousand kms, out of 100,000 kms....not much I guess. The rest is commuting mileage, 115kms a day.

No, I never thought to change the diff oil. I guess I will now!!!

The previous owner had put 43,000 kms on the truck, local mileage. She had had a problem with a propellor shaft or something, all fixed under warranty again.

Kind of wished I'd bought an F-150 sometimes but the X5 is so much better for our lifestyle. And I LOVE driving it.

[Aquamania]

Originally Posted by MMMGP

Wow! Diffs, drive-shafts, bricked modules, valve stem seals, stretched timing chains, vanos bolt recalls, etc.

It's clear BMW is not the company it once was. Glad I have an extended warranty and maintenance package on my 2012 35i until 2018. Was going to keep this car for the long run, but I'm seriously rethinking that now.

I am with you on this one. Mine has just had a few small issues (oil leaks) since I have had her. I have another 24,000 miles on my warranty and I am seriously considering getting something domestic.

[Stewthebassman]

If my X5 weren't covered by a really good warranty I wouldn't own it. Kind of terrified for when it is off warranty completely. I asked my Sales pal (a BMW veteran) about purchasing something post CPO warranty and he just shook his head no. (I'm in Canada eh).

[heatmizr]

My take is, warranties in general take in more money than they pay out. Otherwise they wouldn't exist. I'll see what happens after my CPO runs out, but basically if it breaks I will try to fix myself or bite the bullet to have it fixed.
I know there are lots of X5's out there that are humming along just fine. Our other two BMWs have been virtually trouble-free for a combined 22 yrs and 200k miles. Heh, maybe this X5 will balance it out to my detriment, but I am not going to waste my days worrying about it.