4.8is Tough Love
 

Hey guys,
Please excuse my absence as a member but I am committed to taking care of my baby as it deserves and I have come to you for advice. Hope this message finds you well.

I've rarely posted on here but not because I don't care, mainly because well, life is busy and the last two years have been uber crazy where I've always relied on my X5 for daily driving and very reliable cross country relocation!

I have always owned bimmers(first car was a e30 at 17yrs old, love at first sight) but had a TBSS in-between until my ex got custody of it. Needless to say, I found a gorgeous 4.8is in Portland,OR about 2.5 years ago and made the move to buy it. Its treated me very well and I drove it all the way to Miami,FL almost immediately after buying it. Made the journey fine aside from warped rotors and "self-level suspension inactive"

I recently moved (again) 2 years later to Nashville and towed a 6x12 trailer all the way here. Still under extended warranty, my radiator expansion tank had a minor leak and when I arrived, got it replaced.

Currently, I love my x5 but it does have a handful of minor/major problems that need attending and was hoping to get some input on it before doing a pocket flush at the dealer for unwarranted fixes. In no order of importance but just what comes to mind first.

Firstly, the panoramic rear piece opens but remains fixed open while the rest opens and closes. If I do open it, I have to take a flathead and slide the locked armeds backdown side by side in order to close it. Is this a common problem? I have read about the auto reset you can do by holding it down and letting it go through the motions but remains stuck. When i do shut it, the gap between the large front piece and the rear has a minor gap that doesn't leak(luckily due to drain rail) but I hear minor hissing on the highway at high speeds. Thoughts?

Secondly, the steering rack has acquired a noise when turning left and right, a steady "herrrrrrrrrrrr"-ing sound. This is very new and will check fluids as soon as i can, I wish I could reenact the sound it makes on the forum. Possibly low power steering fluids/not well lubricated?

Thirdly, the airbag suspension has been replaced under warranty on the rear and front right has been replaced as well. But when going over uneven speed bump or at low speeds, pushing the brake, I hear a hard thud and often hear like it sounds loose or painfully broken axel(its obviously not broken but somebody knows exactly what I'm talking about) Is this caused by shot bushings?
- A side note on this is in traffic, coming to a stop, i notice that when braking and finally stopping completely, it almost sways back and forth slightly almost as if a subtle teeter or seesaw affect until fully stopped. Is this also the front bushings?

The rest is just cosmetic or common failure like my driver side exterior door handle(these doors are built like tanks and are heeeavy) after much use, it finally broke and will be changing door handle soon. Saw some videos on replacement.

Also, my side mirrors open and close but won't remain closed- i read on there that this is the micro switch and will be investigating and inspecting soon-

I really love the X and it has great perks to a sport SUV. I was fortunate enough to buy one from a single owner who babied it for 10 years and kept it super clean. I feel like I have slacked off in keeping up with its maintenance and it just hit 107,000 miles so certain things that are know to arise have...risen. So being a working class man who doesn't necessarily have the deep pockets for european factory parts, I am reaching out to find solutions to suit my case before spending unnecessary funds on things that won't fix my problems.

Heres a couple of photos of when I bought it new.

Gorgeous ride!

Yeah, these trucks (and most all BMW's) are high maintenance. Thank God for forums like this where people help each other out.

Let's start with the pano roof. Yeah, it is infamous for just what you described.

When I first got the 3.0 with the pano roof a few years ago, I had already heard the stories and so opened it just a few times to see if it was working. Then left it alone for years.

Fast forward to last week and I just had my falling ceiling recovered. I had a slight leak so I decided to try to synchronise the roof. Thats when it decided to get stuck on tilt just like yours.

There are a number of options, you can replace the entire pano cassette, or repair it as I have seen repair kits being advertised.

Or you can disable the rear glass while the front retains full tilt and retract function. A gentleman from Australia flooded all the BMW forums some years back with this fix, and I just did it.

2nd, yes, low fluid can definitely make that noise. It's the first thing to check, especially since I have not seen an X5 without a leaky power steering system.

Thirdly, the X eats front tension bushings that can cause that. In the rear it is usually the upper control arms that give way first, that also have the side effect of giving you too much negative rear camber that cannot be adjusted out.

On that door, the handle rarely breaks, it is usually the handle carrier. If you have window rattle when moving up and down, replace the clips at the same time while you have the panel out. And always keep the windows up when closing the door. This prevents window from swaying and putting undue stress on the mechanism.

Good luck, hope the wallet flush isnt so thorough...but if you slacked off badly enough on maintenance, it may get bloody.

Most likely the sub frame bushing for the rear sub frame are shot.

At 107K and the age of the vehicle its time for a front suspension refresh. Your Hrrrring sound on the steering is probably the pump. You could try to flush the pump and rack and install new fluid with new reservoir/filter. Fix the door handle. Panoramic roof could be an expensive fix but its a discretionary feature. Folding mirror are also discretionary. On the cautionary side I would also do a complete cooling system overhaul. Replacing the expansion tank is not good enough.it does appear that you have a long list of items to tend and rest assured there is more to come.

Thank you for this info! I will look into this and i figured it was front bushings.

I'll also do some research on disabling rear tilt and rocking just the front tilt roof.

The driver door window mechanism is clicking sometimes when raising window, this is a very good note you have given me and the handle carrier* is whats broken, you are right.

I will definitely replace the clips.

Definitely agree on front suspension refresh.

Any opinions on going factory control arms? Theres no point in just getting bushing cause they are a bitch to pop out and replace.

Is there aftermarket front suspension refresh brands anybody recommends?

I DO have some negative camber in the rear cause more wear on the inside rear tires..

Excess negative camber in the rear usually starts with the upper arm bushings. In my case (2 cars) the upper arm bushings were not yet torn but had taken a set inward from the car's weight, causing the excess camber.

With the clunking, upallnight's sugestion on the rear subframe bushings is definitely one to look into, another known maintenance item on higher mileage X's.

Lemforder is a BMW OEM for the suspension and GTG. Meyle HD is also decent.

I like the lemforder suspension bushings. They make them for BMW as the original equipment and you can find them reasonably priced on Autohausaz, ECS, etc. BMW also runs a ballistic series/ heavy duty/severe environment bushing for the front thrust arms. I installed a set of these when I did my suspension refresh and upgrades. So far so good. I do not venture into the aftermarket engine or suspension parts.

That's it. I h8 you fnckers.

Now I have to order all new bushings front and rear. And it's not even bad. :banghead: