bewbzout

My fav online parts diagram for BMW is realoem.com
Use the last 7 of your vehicle vin number and you can pull up nearly any part for your X. The prices listed are sometimes a bit off but once you have the BMW part number put it into google.

Lots of educated opinions on what brands of parts to use where and you may be surprised to find some are not too bad at BMW parts counter ( especially when they will match larger online retailers).

That 3.0 motor is one of BMWs best workhorses and was used in the X and 5 series. When you need motor specific info check the model (M54) and you can find lots of info all over various boards for it.

If you are inclined todo your own work Bentley manual is a good after market book but the forum here is packed with info.

Welcome!

welcome aboard

Thank you for the replies. I will check out that website but for euro parts I like fcp euro. Are they as big over here as they are on the volvo forums? Also you mentioned Bentley manual, is that the brand of manual like chilton? Thanks

Funny you mention Volvo forums. That's where I also learned of FCP only about two years ago. I had never heard of them. They have just as good of a selection for BMW as they do Volvo.

Just a clarification FYI:

The two online part databases linked below (consider saving them to your favorites/bookmarks...are not so much about buying parts from...but looking up the actual 11 digit BMW part nbr that is SPECIFIC to your vehicle based on its VIN.

BMWs will sometimes have mid production changes...or "ended" part nbrs that are replaced by new ones. When you buy parts just based on your model...some vendors may not be up on any changes or may even lump your model in with a previous generation model (with same name) or with a model that has a different engine or tranny etc...but the part you may actually need could be specific only to a certain build date range:

1. RealOEM.com * Online BMW Parts Catalog
2. http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/

The two sites above aren't only good for looking up parts...but also helpful in deconstructing when you're working on the vehicle. Many times you can find out where that hidden screws/clips/bols/etc are that's preventing you from undoing something...as well as helpful in putting things back together if you've forgotten what you did.


You can also run part cross references to see if other BMW models use the same part...which is really helpful if looking for something used. And the bmwfans.info site has a really good "old part nbr" reference...which again can be helpful when searching for a used part that went through multiple part nbr changes. You can create a list of all the old "ended" part nbrs that you may run across in the used market. You can quickly determine if the part will work for you or is going to be a waste of money. :)

Welcome!

Welcome!

First off - did you receive a list of all the servicing done so far?

This could give you how well it was maintained. And what has already been replaced.

When I bought mine in June, '05 (build date 12/00), I used this site to get an idea of what the typical problems were. Your '06 should be fairly error free as it's the last model year.

One thing I have to watch is the water pump. Seem the impeller is plastic and usually fails between 60-80K miles. Fortunately for you, your 3.0 has an aftermarket lifetime warranty water pump made by Stewart with a stainless steel impeller.

Best of luck with your X5. At almost 14 yrs of age, mine is still rust free and looks great.

^^This is slightly incorrect. Impeller is composite on the OE water pump, not like the plastic impellers of the 90's. Some on this forum have reported over 200k miles on the OE pump.

But yes, when replacing, I highly recommend springing the extra bucks for the lifetime warrantied EMP Stewart pump