...damn clutch is a pain in the arse, you have to push so far!!

The shimmy while braking is because of warped rotors.

I have noticed than when in sport mode and coming to a stop, sometimes the downshift is pretty rough; and if you give it throttle (ie. rolling stop), it feels like something hit you etc. Mind you this is a 2001 3.0i and only happens in Sport Mode. Any thoughts?

Access to the air filter on my 3.0D is the worst I have found on any car.X5 begs for 19-22" wheels but ride is harsh!!!(I have the 20"s and I can feel every bump!!!!!!!The 19"s are acceptable..

Maybe...I had new front pads and new rotors installed by Stlr, just under the wire, Maint-wise, a month ago: it is "better", but I still get an occas. wild shimmy when I stab the brakes at higher speeds.

Could be front susp. situ, but the Stlr "assured me" that control arms, etc., were fine.

I've had that high speed braking shimmy for 3 or the 4 yrs I've owned the car.
BR,md

I have a K&N filter for my 3.0d but havent even found where to put it. I know people dont agree with K&N and thats a different story but how hard is it to replace my filter with this K&N.. Obviously not easy from what I can see.

Adrian,your air-filter is built in on the right side of the engine.Its conical shaped(your KN ref.should be E-2657!).If this isnt the ref,take it back and get your money!Its not worth the money!People only notice a gain in performance because their old filter was very dirty!Also the excessive oil in the KN will damage your MAF!!!!!If you are going to fit it ,remove the oil...!
Its a difficult install ,even for us who do it frequently,so I suggest you install it at the dealer who will have all the necessary tools.Many dealers have been caught out in charging for air-filter renewal without doing so!!!!Its difficult for the customer to check if its been changed!

See the picture attached for the location of air-filter.If you really want to try and install it yourself,send me a PM......

I am very lucky to have a great dealership here in town (next one is over 230 miles away) - together (& with this website) we have taken care of everything (alot for free or parts only) - granted I paid for a full Dinan S2 upgrade, but I got it for less than I thought it would be - so they have made some money off of me (profit is not a 4-letter word), but they also helped me bring my used 2001 X5 to almost cherry and we have dealt with a bunch of little problems basically for free - the exhaust sounds are awesome! not to mention the get-up-n-gone!

Enzo would be rolling over in his grave if he could read that! What exactly is a Ferrari Diablo?? :bustingup

Back to topic...

For my '05 4.4i, I find the same thing as you guys...difficulty stopping smoothly, the transmission slamming into first gear while rolling at a slow speed, and some strange noises coming from the back.

The other day I was out with my wife and I rolled through a right turn slowly merging into traffic. I could feel the transmission loading up trying to get 1st gear and then suddenly WHAM it felt like we got rear ended when it dropped into first gear. My wife and I were both looking around like WTF just happened?? Interestingly, I drove a 325xi loaner while my X5 was in the shop a few weeks ago and noticed NONE of the steptronic problems that I have had with the X5.

Disappointed with BMW Quality
 

Traded my Z4 3.0, with SMG in for an 04 4.4i. I loved the Z4 and never had a problem (the SMG was awesome and fun). I have owned the X5 for 11 months and the car has been in the shop for nearly 20 days in total to work on the following issues:

- transimission always searching for the correct gear, it is very choppy and occasionally completely misses and then engages when rpm's are high - tranny has been reprogrammed 3 times and it is smoother and more refined, especially in sport mode, but still occassionally slips - this is very concerning as it could slip while tryng to turn in the middle of an intersection! - for those of you with the choppy up and down shifting, I strongly encourage you to get the latest software upgrade, it is helpful - the work order indicates that they completed a PUMA case?? and they recoded the KOMBI unit and T dynamic stability control unit - this did improve but not totally fix the condition
- major oil leak at 5,000km - had the oil filter cover replaced and oil no longer leaks
- pano sunroof faulty so they are replacing the whole mechanism - sunroof cartridge
- clunky steering - replacing steering rack for the second time as the first repair did not seem to fix the problem
- rear seat heater faulty and repaired
- rear wiper does not work well - seems to skim the glass and not really wipe it
- centre console woulkd not close - faulty latch - easily repaired

I acknowledge that the x5 is a complex machine and machines do break and wear out and many of the quality issues are relatively minor and have been repaired - (great deal of inconvenience to me) My dealer has been very good and frankly they are as frustrated as i am with the issues my vehicle has had - given the above, I do lenjoy driving the X5 and it is the best vehicle i have ever used in winter conditions.

As mentioned, I am disappointed with the quality given the price we pay for our "ultimate driving machines" and if BMW cannot correct my x's transmission issues I will move into another brand.