SC bought in Houston reply
 

Hi, I checked it out back in October '08. Seller was a middle eastern person and the owner of a used car lot, I felt his behavior was fishy on presenting the vehicle. I have nothing against middle eastern people but only wary with used car dealers, just giving a description of the individual, maybe this was the person you dealt with.

The X5 power was not impressive for having a SC and the Bear brakes were not impressive either. I have a '03 4.6 and felt that mine has more power and better OEM brakes than this X5. The SC shuddered under full throttle, made a lot of questionable noises which did not convey a great driving experience and the brakes needed more pedal effort than I thought necessary. I thought people hearing the SC driving by under full throttle might think the X5 was about to explode.

He never said good bye as I left the dealership, I thought he was busy and went to his office, he had his feet up on the desk and was reading the paper. He never followed up with a phone call with the questions I had so either he did not have answers or did not want to answer them. Enough reasons to pass on the vehicle.

The acceleration was not what I thought a SC would produce on the X5 compared to mine, maybe it needs a different exhaust to be in tune with a SC. Maybe the brakes also needed adjustment or that's the way Bear brakes work. The X5 looked good and needed a good detailing which is what you did, looks great! I hope everything works out for you new purchase, maybe I was too careful and picky and you got a great deal.

The truck had a bit of a boost leak. Literally tons of air seeping past a clamp on the supercharger outlet. Hence the drop in power (and running rich/stumbling/shuddering). It was fixed right before I left with the truck. During the test drive after fixing the leak, I had him hanging onto the oshit handle. He said it felt like a different truck. :D

Baer Brakes? They say Brembo on them. They are a floating rotor setup and the LF will require new springs between the hat and rotor (slight noise upon braking at low speed), but not immediately.

It might have had a thing or two wrong with it, but most six year old cars do.


It's in good hands now though. ;)

edit: (My Mitsubishi forced me to become a shadetree mechanic... I had no choice!! haha :))

Brembo not Baer brakes is correct
 

Hi, my mistake , Brembo not Baer brakes was what I meant. Was the difference in power obvious after the fix of the SC, night and day? Sounds like you got a great deal, I think if you research the idea of a different exhaust it would greatly increase the power. Keeping the tips would make it under the radar and new exhaust would take advantage of the SC. I kinda of envy you because the X5 is very nice with all the goodies it came with, again great job on the detailing.

Just curious what you scored this for? Funny story with the ohsh%$t handle.

Trying to convince the dear husband that I need to have my '05 X5 supercharged and have looked at the Dinan S3 package. Any advice or warnings? Is the extra power truly worth the $20K I will pay to have this done? Any help is appreciated.

My advise...buy the new twin turbo X5 or X6.

Apologies for the late reply...

$27K

I would have no outstanding regular maintenance issues present before taking the plunge. I have not driven a naturally aspirated X5's, so I am not sure if the power justifies the dollars. That is subjective from person to person. Do I love it? Absolutely. The rub is that Dinan supercharging (as I understand) is only available on pre-facelift models.

So,

:thumbup:

You'll be in something newer, better, maybe faster (I have yet to race one!), and that awesome warranty. The speed difference between the S/C 4.6is and the X5M would be so slight that I would absolutely go for the new hotness.

X5 ///M if one can swing it or 2011 50i Twin Turbo X5 :thumbup:

$20k for a supercharger is ridiculous, especially when the same Vortech V2SQ can be purchased for around a few thousand online. ESS makes a kit up to 2003 for the X5 in the $7500 range, but I don't see why they have haven't stepped up to the facelifted ones.

I have to agree w/ some other posters though on just getting the X5M instead.

Well, I have already tried to convince the husband that I need the X5M and that did not go over to well. As for the supercharger and my price configuration I guess I was not clear on what comes for that price. Here is a breakdown:

Supercharger System; High Flow Intake Manifold; High Flow Air Mass Meter; High Flow Throttle Body; Free Flow Exhaust; Strut Tower Brace; Signature Floor Mats; Serial Numbered Dinan S3-X5 4.4i Plaque; Dinan Deck Lid Badge actual price is $14295 and then 32.5 hours of labor. Figured it would be about $20k.

Biggest problem is I love my body style and I love my X5 built to my specifications. I am totally open to all other options and would like to thank you guys for you input. I will definitely start looking at those other options. I am just trying to get a little more out of my X5 because I have so much fun pushing the boys around when they get in front of me on BMW cruises. :D