Just got a 2001 X5, love it!!
 

Hi, I have bought a 2001 X5. It is silver with a black interior. I have had several BMW's in the past and my children and husband all drive BMW's but this is the first X5. It is a 3.0 with 169,000 miles. What would you recommend that I check first? I really am very happy with it. My son went with me to purchase it and he didn't want to give it back to me. His car is the 335i across from my car in the picture.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/o...h_IMG_0476.jpg

welcome to the club!!!

Welcome to the X world ...you'll love Xoutpost !

Welcome and congrats on the X , it looks really clean.

Congrats, hope you're still excited 6 months from now, these things are maintenance pigs. I would first try to find out when the cooling system was replaced, you have to do all of the hoses at once, you can't get away with replacing one hose at a time. Things to watch for but nothing you can do about until they break, window regulator clips, door handle carriers, GM module, front suspension ball joints, thrust rod bushings, oil leaks out the wazoo, not as bad the V-8 though and too many electrical problems to list here...lol!:rofl: So stay on top of it and enjoy the ride, oh and as the TV commercial says, "you coulda had a V-8", way more fun to drive...lol!:thumbup:

Welcome aboard!

Welcome! Nice looking X judging from the pic.

The fact that your family has a history of BMW's, you're probably aware that they need a bit more attention than the average car.

That being said, there are a few things to check: Again, the cooling system on these are notorious.

The front suspension parts seem to wear quickly, and once one starts to go, the others quickly follow unless caught soon. Any weird clunks or clanks should get looked at immediately.

Front CV's also seem to wear quick. Try to avoid turning the steering wheel all the way to the steering lock (when the wheel stops turning) as much as possible.

Aside from that, I would just enjoy it, and know that there will always be a spot of maintenance ahead.

Thanks for the welcome and advice. I am really looking forward to enjoying my car. I don't think we have a BMW that we haven't replaced all of the cooling system. I think that will be the first thing I check on. I have sons and so I usually have a steady stream of assistance.

:xoutpost2:
Nice looking X5. Maintenance history on it? I suggest Vanos Seals replaced.

Welcome to the forum.
That is the identical car to mine. Silver with a black interior, 3.0I engine and the Sport Package.

If you don't have one in the family (can't see why not with all the BMW owners in your family) get a scanner that is made for the BMW. I have made several repairs to my BMW base on the ability to read the trouble code and saved hundred of dollars by not bringing it to the dealer or an indy.

I use BMW Scanner 1.4 when I'm at home, but I keep a bluetooth scanner in the car that works with an App called Torque on my cellphone.

I was able to repair my X while out Christmas shopping last year when it suddenly developed a misfire. Connected the scanner to the truck and it told me that cylinder No.2 had a misfire. Swapped the coil pack with cylinder No.1 and the new error code came back that cylinder No.1 was misfiring. Call a local auto part store near where I had the X and asked them if they had a coil pack for a BMW. Was surprise that they carried the coil pack and less then 30 minutes later the X was fixed and I was able to drive the family home.