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I guess you only had bad luck with that car. In 3 years and 30k miles (have 98k now) I changed the coolant tank, one cv boot and the intake sensor. The water pump, belts and the thermostat were my choice, preventive maintenance. The car had one window regulator changed by the previous owner and to my surprise I still run the Michelin tires that I got the car with. I was offered 7k in a trade for my 2001. If anything major breaks (engine failure or transmission) I'll just disassemble the car and sell it parts. I won't even bother to spend $4-6k for a car that is worth only a couple of thousands more. A car is ONLY a car. If it does the job then is OK. If not, I get rid of it and move to another one that fits my budget. In your shoes I'd get rid of it. I bet you cannot even enjoy driving it watching the cluster to see what's next.

2005 X5, purchased in Feb 07 with 35k miles under CPO/extended Maint till Oct 2010/100k. So far (@80kmiles) the following has been replaced all under warranty except for windshield

- entire sunroof assembly
- oil separator (twice)
- rear license plate light panel
- steering wheel (de-laminating)
- passenger side fold down mirror
- re-program mirrors (were folding/unfolding randomly)

Still on the OEM Michelins but needs a new set of tires, but 40k miles for a set wasn't bad IMO. We love the car but i'm worried what electrical/engine issues will develop once its out of warranty. Probably going to sell it.

Good thread

X5 has been the least reliable car I have ever owned. After X5 I decided not to recommend any X5 and for that matter any BMW to anyone.

I have one of those 2004.5 X5s 4.4i (facelifted)
During the warranty period the following have been done
Transmission clunking when coming to a stop and at the first initial move. Reporgrammed, worked for a year, same issue came back.
Passanger window regulator gave up and was changed
Issue with the speakers (subs) fixed
Heater had some issues, they did change some parts (forgot exact issue)
Stereo had an issue with the CD player, was fixed
Steering wheel tilt/telescope had issues, was fixed
Steering wheel making funky noises when turning right, was lubed and stuff fixed
The stereo display gone funky, and was not displaying all characters, broken digits etc, was fixed
(As far as I remember these were the main issues within first 4 years of ownership)

After warranty expired;
Steering hoses gave up, leaking etc, were changed
The front strust etc (as usual) have been changed
Battery was changed (maintenance issue only, but awesome battery lasted 5 years)
The rear brake assembly was changed due to multiple corrosions
Transmission had a major issue, mecathronics module had to be changed (covered under BMW goodwill, if not cost was close to $4000)
Check Engine Light came on, DTM pump failed, was changed
Stereo decided to have issues, but not in the mood to get it fixed
Seat memory module gave up working, not in the mood to spend money to fix it
Sunroof started acting funky, was fixed with the reset (thanks to a post on the forum)
Steering wheel tilt up down etc is working one dimensionally (this issue was fixed under warranty but now the car is out of warranty the problem decided to come back)
There are a few issues that exist, but forgot as I don't care much, do not want to keep pouring money to this car to keep it running as it was intended to at only 70K miles.

2005 3.0D X5 - still less than 43k miles.

In Warranty failures -
Door mirrors + control module both sides replaced - not working.
Power steering hoses replaced - leaking.
Oil pressure sensor replaced - intermittent operation.
Pano Roof sticking - adjusted.
Rear doors re-aligned - incorrectly fitted.
Internal a/c fans replaced - bearing failure (one is doing it again now).
Rear hatch locking mechanism replaced - failing to close and drew power killing the battery.
Headlight units fogging - replaced and the new ones are now doing it too.
Audio system fault - incorrectly fitted pin in loom, repaired.
In car OEM phone system failed to shut down resulting in dead battery - reprogrammed.

Out of OEM Warranty failures -
Auto transmission failure (Torque converter) - rebuilt as BMW offered no goodwill, covered by Warranty Direct - still faulty with overlap clutch/mechatronic module possibly also faulty now. Being investigated.
Central locking system lost all the keys. Fixed care of this site. :thumbup:

Likely to need replacement near term -
Brake rotors all round, corroded. Will have to change the pads too.

I can concur with some other owners that this is the most unreliable car I have ever owned and that BMW GB (similar to BMW NA) are the least caring folks I have ever had to work with. The Dealers aren't far behind and in most of my experiences, technically incomptetent, so I don't use them any more. I absolutely love the car, it's looks, driving position, build quality and the way it drives, but it lets me down at every possible opportunity which is a real shame, and parts are way too expensive. Would I have another one? Not a chance. Next major repair being required - it's gone. Pure and simple.

I have an 01' X5. 4.4 with 275,000 miles and counting. It has the original motor and trans. I replaced the original water pump at 260,000 I just replaced the radiator 3 weeks ago, and now I have to repair the driver side cv boot this week. I love my X5 and am very happy with it. I only run synthetic oil from BMW in it and change the oil every 15,000 miles. When I change the oil I'm only at about 1/2 quart low not bad for an engine with 275,000 miles

I've got a 3.0 and would never buy a 4.4

Having worked at a dealership and seeing the "Trifecta of Death" happen to so many people, I just don't want to take the risk.

Trifecta of Death:
1. Valve Seals
2. Intermidiate shaft levers
3. Transmission

Each one of the repairs above is $5,000+ and the 3.0i's don't have any of those problems (typically).

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiCkEy (Post 720047)

3.0i bought in 2000 (an 01 model). Now running without any warranty with 77K miles. Following were replaced in warranty (both factory and extended - Warranty Direct)

1. Those little shade clips in the windows - 2001
2. Window regulators - 2002
3. 2 pixels were missing, dealer replaced the whole cluster - not bad! - 2002
4. Brake Pads and Rotors (Self as part of regular maintenance - 2002 and 2007)
5. Peeling door handles - 2003
6. CVBoots and water pump (I think) - 2004/05
7. Coolant expansion tank and belts - 2009

Regular maintenance such as oil change, transmission & brake flush, coolant flush, spark plugs etc done by me (2006-)

This list is not bad. I hope I don't jinx it now :)

EDIT: Forgot to add, every little thing in the X works as it did when new.

Wait, your dealer did a maintenance on the trans? I was under the impression that the ATF was Lifetime, whose lifetime is still debatable.

Anyone have a STEERING ANGLE SENSOR go bad?
It evidently makes the 4x4 dash light come on, is a common problem, and a $500 (indie?) fix, it also disables the ABS (?)
06 3.0 55,000 miles
My "only" other problems with the car also supposedly common and not covered by CPO, were the drivers side DOOR CARRIER (handle, $400) and a TAIL LIGHT ($350)
COMMON PROBLEMS THAT BMW KNOWS ABOUT THAT AREN'T EVEN COVERED BY CPO....
WHAT A CROCK BMW NA.... SHAME ON YOU...

Quote:

Originally Posted by boostd92 (Post 921335)

The pre face-lift cars don't have the first two problems, and seem to have very little of the third problem. I think the only sensible recommendation for anyone considering a used X5 is either buy a pre face-lift car, or buy an aftermarket warranty that is as long as one expects to keep the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Repoman (Post 720045)

You left out cv boots, front and rear control arms/bushings, intermediate levers on your model I believe, vacuum leaks, alternator and probably another half dozen that both of us missed. You are correct to assume that the longer you drive it the more of a chance something will go wrong. The X is an extremely problematic vehicle. Of course I base that opinion on my ownership of one and various readings on this forum. This forum had got more DIY posts than any forum I have ever seen and for good reason . . . which I might add is the only reason I still own the X. These good people have helped me through my struggles of ownership with their generosity on this forum.

As for the Lexus comparison, you are completely right. There is no comparison. Lexus/Toyota's priority is quality/reliability in addition to luxury. Of course I base that opinion on ownership as well. It seems to me that BMW's priority is strictly about how the vehicle looks and handles and not much of anything else.

I realize that lots of Toyotas are under recall but to me that only reinforces my opinion that they care about a quality vehicle, despite that others might disagree. Conversly, I believe that my X should have had several recalls for parts that have proven to be "prone to failure." But instead BMW just charges us more money to buy more of their unchanged "prone to failure" parts.

Of course my BMW looks good and handles well but it also rides rough and also goes through tires too. My Lexus looks good too and also handles well but it also rides well and I can get 40-50K miles out of a set of performance tires . . . and of course I don't have to work on it every other weekend like the X. Oh did I mention my Lexus has almost 3 times the mileage than my X has.

Lot's of people on this forum love the X despite all of it faults and I respect their opinions. However most of them might be in a different situation than you and I with no more warranty and don't feel the pain as much as we do.

No...the 2002 4.4 does not have the intermediate lever problem.

While I admit, we strongly considered the Lexus RX330 as an alternative to our 2002 X5, I'm very glad we ended up with an X5. While these vehicle seem to have similar utility, the X5 is capable of towing a car on a trailer. The Lexus can tow a jet ski on a trailer. The Lexus is basically a reskinned Camry with AWD, (same platform). The driving feel is totally different. A V8 X5 is a couple of seconds faster to 60 than the Lexus. The Lexus is mushy and soft to drive. The X5 is the closest thing to a sports car you can get in an SUV. All the above are subjective factors of course.

Where the Lexus wins is reliablity and gas mileage...both by a long shot. I can't see how anyone could prefer the driving feel of the Lexus; but women and senior citizens seem to love them. And they purchase them in vast quantities. As I am very mechanically inclined, I can live with the issues of my pre-facelift X5, (had I chosen a post face lift car, I don't know how I'd deal with the major potential issues). After driving our X5 more than 5,000 miles in the last month, it is an amazing road trip car.