SO many problems as some people say? (hard to believe they do, please help)
 

As title reads, really. I went on What Car? - New and Used Car Reviews, Car Deals, News & Advice to read some reviews as I am planning on buying a 2005 X5 3.0d Sport and now I am really worried. There are many people there who write horror stories about how their auto gear box failed (metal fatigue problems apparently), how turbos are also unreliable (and they say that when they blow you also have to change the intercooler, the cats, the back silencers and all the pipe-work) and often have oil leaks. I know people with a problem are more likely to get on a forum and write about their bad experiences, but what do you guys say about this?

Please let me know as I am a phonecall away from buying the car and would hate to get a heap of problems, especially now that my wife is about to have a baby.

Many thanks!

Well, I've belonged to 4 different car enthusiast forums including an Acura site. And would you believe, 90% of them have problems with their Acuras!? Some serious. The thing with forums, is that people come looking for help with problems or troubleshooting - that sort of thing. As a result, it APPEARS that there are scads of problems being reported, when in fact, there are thousands more owners out there who don't frequent a site like ours and have no problems. That's my take anyway.

I thought so. Many thanks! Just reading these reports felt as if the X5 was a devil car and was responsible for everything that has gone wrong.... EVER!

;)

So I should go ahead and buy it?

I wouldn't buy the first one you see. Drive as many as you can to get a feel of what they are like that way you have a better chance of buying a good one. As always, low miles is better than high miles and a full documented service record is essential.

I am buying straight from the dealership as an approved used, so it will have all the documentation, warranty and servicing from the dealers. This is one thing that I am willing to pay a bit extra for. The -only- car I drove has 67k on the clock, but I thought diesels can handle this quite easily.

I am not that technical, what would constitute 'a good one'? I apologise for all these questions. As you might understand, I am under a lot of stress with a new baby coming and all...

Thanks once again!

Some people look after their cars some don't. A car that's been driven carefully on good roads all its life will be in better condition that one that's been driven hard and fast on rough roads. You sound like you are in a hurry to buy, which is unfortunate as patience is the best approach to buying used. As X5s were offered with a huge range of options, you'll also find that virtually no two are the same and some options may be more important to you than others.

I understand. When I test drove the car today (for about 15 minutes on the motorway) it felt OK. I know this is not a definite guide, but...

Thanks again!

With the turbo diesel it is a good idea to open the driver's window when you test drive it. You should be able to hear a little bit of turbo whine, but it should not be excessive. With the windows closed you will not hear it. If it sounds too noisy get the dealer to specifically verify the turbos condition before you buy. It is hard to define too noisy but if you are concerned try driving other 3.0ds for a comparison.

Also with the 3.0d they upgraded the engine sometime in 04 and it is well worth having the newer engine, so check this if you can. Newer engine is 150KW and 480NM (in 06 last E53's went to 160KW and 500NM). Even though the vehicle you are looking at is 05, you should check via the VIN number for the actual year of manufacture and ensure that it has the newer engine.

It would have to be manufactured in '03 to have the 135kW/390Nm 3.0d engine. You would hope that all the '03-build vehicles would have been sold by '05!!

Yes I am sure you are right... but he may also get lucky and find that it is the 160KW M57TU D30. I am not sure exactly when that change came about, but I think it was late 05.