Vehicle maintenance advice?
 

Hello Everyone!

I just purchased a 2007 X5 4.8l sport package with 77K miles.
I'm big into car maintenance and wanted to get everyone's input on things to look out for and recommendations on things to replace/check right now.

A few things I've already done...

~ Liqui Moly 5W-30 "Top Tec 4605" oil change as soon as I got it and another change 300 miles later. (trying to flush out old oil)
~ Purchased OEM coolant and will be replacing it in a week or so (I looked at Motul coolant but wanted to get input on it first)
~ K&N drop-in air filters
~ Brembo brake pads (thought about CarboTech pads but also wanted input first.)
~ LUX Angel Eyes
~ WeissLicht LED fog lights
~ WeissLicht LED turn signals
~ LED brake lights, license plate lights, and reverse lights. Everything is CANBUS but still hyper flashes. My car looks like a god damn laser light show for the first few seconds after startup...:bustingup

I was also wanting to replace the trans fluid but the dealership wanted over $30 a liter!:confused: and they told me I needed 8 liters. Any alternatives? I am wanting to put the best of everything in my X5 but didn't know if there was stuff just as good or better at a better price.

It has the dark brown leather interior. The seats themselves are in immaculate shape and I hope to keep them that way. I tried two different leather conditioning products but wasn't happy with the results. Hard to buff out hazy finish with one (Griot's) and the other just didn't seem to penetrate and moisturize well (Lexol) :wtf:. I ordered 4x bottles of Allen Edmunds "leather lotion" I've used it before on shoes and have always heard they make amazing leather care products. Anyone else have recommendations?

Oh yeah, and here's a crappy pic of it dirty in the driveway I just took real quick.:bustingup Better ones to come..

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/...psufg8qhwe.jpg

I was hoping to get input on the things I have already done and suggestions on what else may be a good idea and things to look out for.
Thanks in advance everyone!!:imnew:
~Nathan

So I messed around with the search function on the forum more. I found some info on the trans fluid topic. I just ordered 6 liters of ZF lifeguard fluid from BavAuto.

Bavauto is a great source.

Never liked Lexol- always seemed greasy. Have had good luck with Griots products.. Spendy but work well.

At 77k, some of the maintenance items are a ways away. Trans is early but changing now won't hurt you any.

I can't specifically speak to the 4.8, but the 4.4 would begin to show some leaks about now. Take a hard look at valve cover gaskets and such.

Are you the same bustedknuckles that used to be on TDS 6.0 forum?

Good luck with the new machine!

If you like the feel of the OEM pads but want lower dust levels check out the Textar ePad

Dont waste your efforts on flushing oil. Just change it in 7500 miles. Done

Stock air filters likely FAR better than K&N crap...hype and $$$.

Your search must have shown you there is a trans pan filter you are missing.... I bought 12L, drained and filled...drove to temp...then drain and final fill. You end up with ~25% old fluid as opposed to 50/50 (approx). (Unlike engine oil, this will go another 50-75k before the next service, hence the desire to flush old fluid)

Transfer case?



Why exactly "brembo" pads? Seems like we are moving into the modding phase with these cars where people feel compelled to smear around names on their cars....

Finally the lights arent 'maintenance'... whatever floats your boat.


Oh, just reread- you already did a bunch of that stuff...oh well.

Enjoy the new toy!

because E70s are now at a price range that makes them appeal to that kind of owner...?

I found the elitist!! :D. Just giving you a hard time... as far as the lights are concerned, just trying to dress her up a bit and wanted input on my selection since its the first time I've purchased their products and the first time I've owned an E70 X5. Sorry for not including that in the title, didn't know that warranted being pointed out.

Is a dry paper air filter really better than an oiled cotton one!? I figured the difference in protection was probably negligible but there may be a little increase in air flow with the K&N.

I would actually like to change the trans filter and thank you for reminding me of it. I will order one today. BUT, I keep reading and am getting told different things about the trans capacity. the dealership told me it took 9.5 liters but 8 would be sufficient due to torque converter and etc. BavAuto says 6 liters is sufficient. if you are telling me 12L for a fill, drain, and re-fill then it sounds like 6L it is. I'll order the filter and 6 more liters tonight to do exactly what you did.

I'm taking it into the dealership for the Transfer case. I read on here that they have to reset the computer after doing so. I don't want to mess with that so I will shell out the extra $$$ to have the stealership do it.

The Brembo pads I got from BavAuto. They are OE size replacements, Not a big brake kit or anything... I just wanted low dust and longer life, the difference in "feel" to me is irrelevant.

As far as "smearing around names on my car" I don't give two turtle shits about people knowing what brand parts I have on my car. I'm not buying these brands to impress people but rather simply have high quality parts. No window stickers and I'm not bragging about it. Just wanting input here... I didn't know putting higher end/quality parts on your car was looked down on. strange... :rolleyes:

Thanks again everyone!

Also,

I purchased Redline fluid for the front and rear diff's. A new serpentine belt, and new cabin air filters.

Mackskibum,

Thanks for being a nice guy and helping me out.

I am not the BustedKnuckles from the TDS forum, I'm on a few other forums but not that one. E46Fanatics, theGSResources, WeldingWeb, etc...

Congrats. I have an '08 with 80K miles. FYI if you are looking to get it up to snuff, unless the picture is bad, that front left wheel looks like it has curb rash on it. You can get those re-coated for a decent price (think my dealer charges like $100/wheel). It's like having a nice suit, you can't have bad shoes ha.

Thanks for the info!!

All 4 wheels have some road rash in varying severity. Aparently the PO wasnt good with curb's... :bustingup

I had no idea the dealership would offer that type of service and especially for so cheap! If that's truly the case I will get all 4 re-finished within the next month or so. Thanks again bud!

OP you should also find you a good indy shop to go to. They will save you money in the long run. The dealer never sees my car unless it is a warranty item... like both air bags now. Nice ride!!

Yeah, maybe I am a bit...shrug. :cool:

Lets see...

On air filter. the entire market of 'aftermarket high flow air filters' is a total scam. First, on a turbo motor the air filter is NOT A CAUSE OF FLOW RATE LOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Adding an oiled K&N air filter simply introduces contamination to the MAF and more particles into the engine and hence into the oil. (yes, stuff that gets into the motor winds up contaminating the oil! Reduces bearing life. Go figure)

Trans fluid- go to TheCTSC.com..great source for ATF stuff. They sell a kit that includes 6 liters, hence you can do it with 6 liters. (Since fluid is retained in the trans, you cannot get a full drain hence labeled capacity is misleading. I purchased the OEM ZF pan (not the OE BMW part).

My comment about brand names.... heres the thing: I am 100% for upgrading parts, but they should in fact BE upgrades and not 'name-grades' :thumbup: If the brembo pad is higher quality, great. If it is simply a centric pad with the brembo name slapped on, why bother? Same goes for all the parts. The challenge really is how do ANY of us determine what is hype and name and unsupported claims, versus what really IS an upgrade?

A classic are these 'upgraded coils'... they are basically aftermarket copies with nice boxes and a serving of hype. Car owners get to thinking "Ima gonna do the plugs this weekend...maybe I should upgrade the coils cause bavauto served them up to me when I searched". $300 later someone is driving on coils that are likely inferior to OE for no reason.

Enjoy the modding!

You'll need to do a brake fluid flush to give yourself a reference point for future flushes. One brand to use is the Pentosin DOT 4 LV. Just make sure you don't let any air in the system by not keeping the brake fluid high enough.

Touché ard, touché...

That's why I came here. For an education from people with more experience in X5's than myself. I've worked on a lot of cars and motorcycles and have had a different experience than you in some respects but obviously a modern luxury SUV is different than a 1970's motorcycle. K&N's work performance wonders on old carbureted bikes. And have a significant air flow increase (hence re-jetting carbs). But honestly, I had no idea this thing had a turbocharged intake... neato.

So it looks like that was a premature costly mistake.. If what you say is true, I am going to get OE intake filters here soon.

I purchased the ZF trans pan and 12 liters of ZF fluid.

My current brake pads are horrible with dust.http://www.xoutpost.com/images/smilies/wow.gif Almost anything is going to be an upgrade. The ceramic Brembo pads may not be the PERFECT choice but they will certainly be an improvement. Your statement couldn't be any truer,

"The challenge really is how do ANY of us determine what is hype and name and unsupported claims, versus what really IS an upgrade?"

Have to put some faith into company history and their product experience i suppose. I figured the pads couldn't be any worse...:dunno:

As far as coils, I'm not getting that crazy with it. My plan is to do a few small things to dress/fun her up a bit and other than that it's just gratuitous maintenance.:D

Quick recap on work done/planned.

Engine oil changes
Trans filter and flush
Front & rear differential & transfer case fluid change
Air intake filters
Cabin air filters
Coolant change
Brake pads
Good waxin' and leather conditioning

Am I missing anything??

Stock air filters likely FAR better than K&N crap...hype and $$$.

:thumbup:

I like Klasse Klasse USA - Car Sealants products

I have used AEM and aFe dry air filters with success. I would burn in front of them a K&N filter that someone gave to me.

I use Carbotech Bobcat 1521 pads on my M5 and the X5 currently with Centric rotors Stoptech on the M5, incidentally. I like them.

I use Mobil 1 ESP 5W30 in my diesel X5. I use Mobil 1 in everything.

For the X5, ZF fluid in the transmission, OE fluids in the transfer case and differentials, Pentosin or OE brake fluid, Royal Purple and Motul brake fluid in the M5 .

I've used Leatherique leather products for years and Zaino on the exterior along with various Sonax, Wolfgang, Wurth and P21S products.

Just some examples you can research.

AFE PRO Dry Air Filters
 

I like the AFE Pro Dry S Filters. Had K&N but sold and put these in.

Yes, they are. e70 X5's are in that price range where they show up in buy here pay here lots. Folks who buy at those dealers are subprime and really dont have the money to drive this vehicle. But yet want to look like they can drive an expensive car. Their friends are like its too plain bro!

They are generally in their 20s and dress them up with purple HIDs, rims, etc. Only the lighting mods are paid for by credit card, the rims and tires are rented. Yes you can rent rims by the week.

The 1st time something goes wrong the new "owner" can't get afford to get the car repaired. So the X5 is repoed as the owner can only afford repairs or payments not both. So the slow downward spiral for some X5s begins where they're modded to crap and not maintained and abandoned has begun. They can be an excellent deal if you pay cash and can fix them yourself.

Same thing happens in pickups. How many folks buy their 5 year old pickup and spend thousands lifting them, then can't afford to maintain and drive them, so they end up for sale used. Sadly none of their mods add any resale value and they're further behind.

Folks who buy at those dealers are subprime and really dont have the money to drive this vehicle. But yet want to look like they can drive an expensive car. Their friends are like its too plain bro!

What put's you so high and mighty you can call other people "SUBPRIME"?!?!?!

lol, interesting choice of words.
i've also seen plenty tasteless mods carried out by people with more money than sense. it's not a hard and fast rule. but you can always see that once a "luxury" vehicle drops below $20k on the used market, the relative amount of ebay-special mods goes up.

:thumbup:

It's not my term, it's an auto dealer and finical industry term.

Subprime is a finical industry term for folks with a credit score below 640-650. It's what you are considered to be if you can't get a conventional low interest loan. The buy here pay here lots specialize in catering to subprime borrowers, often with terms like they are required to pay and have low jack installed so the dealer can recover the car in the event of non payment....

Those folks are double penalized, old car, high interest rates usually north of 15%, and lots of repairs when they can ill afford the interest and repairs.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subprime_lending