Advice on buying E70: which year, model?
 

Hi guys,

I currently own 2 BMWs:
- 1998 528i E39 with 5sp MT and 170K miles, great car.
- 2006 X5 M54 6sp MT with 125K miles, also a great car.

Wife wants a "newer" X5, so it is likely an E70.
But from talking to my BMW gurus, who own BMW repair shop, they told me the last good year was a 2006 X5 with M54!

The same gurus told me that for E70, the problems are:

1. Electric Waterpump: this one I can handle, maybe replacing every 60K-80K so I am not stranded.

2. 3.5i Turbo with direct injection has issues with the injectors. They told me to stay away from

So, it looks like if I ever buy an E70 (with anywhere between 50K-90K miles), I am stuck with 2010 or earlier model with 3.0-liter engine.

Any advice, thoughts on E70: which year model to buy with the least headache?

not sure the E70s even came with the M54 engine. i always thought they were all N52s and then N55s. every engine is a compromise. the N52s have the lowest number of things that go wrong on the engine itself, as far as i know. i'm quite fond of my N62, although a lot of people had some bad experiences. the diesels suffer from a lot of emissions related issues. the turbo 6s and 8s have their own set of problems and absoluetly all of them will see issues with each and every oil seal around the engine, from the valve cover gasket/s all the way down to the oil pan gasket. be prepared for having to change a lot of them. also, the earlier ones saw a lot of transmission related issues. it all depends on how adept you are with your hands and whether or not you've easy access to a hoist. literally the worst part about them is the lack of space around the engine. almost every job can quickly turn into a major arse ache.

I enjoy my n62 also. It had some seals that required changing. And also need valve seals currently.
But i love it. You got to get adaptive suspension!!
My e46 is not as stable as my X!

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If you can handle the waterpump in the N55, then I say get the 2011-2013 35i. There are some oil filter gasket and oil filter pan gasket that can cause leaks in the engine as well. I don't know what the injector issue is with the N55.

I gotta say, I LOVE my 2010 E70 N52 3.0l. Its been a terribly amazing SAV. I have a base model with Load Level (3RD Row) AND Adaptive Drive. It has the ever dependable N52 that is pretty rock solid IMHO. I will go to the N54/55 kicking, punching and screaming every step of the way. Normal BMW Leaks (oil pan, valve cover, oilcooler/filter housing, transmission pan) and maintenance but as for performance and overall ownership.....it's good. I've had it almost a year and put near 30k miles on it and the normal suspension bits and sunroof stuff but overall its solid.

I look at it this way. I wanted the newer Nav/Idrive and even though it is a base flat out (No Premium Package, Cold Weather, Active Steering, nothing) I have the updated Idrive with streaming bluetooth that was added by the previous driver, 3 rows of seating w/airbags, tow hitch, heated leather seats F&R, 4-zone and adaptive drive. 80k miles, 1 owner and $12k. No Biggie, wrote a check.

There are plenty of them around and they are cheap enough. The only problem I have found is that they have become way too attainable in recent years. When I was looking to replace my previously totaled 08 I saw an abundance of them that were ragged, I mean beat to shit. People without the means and you know what I mean. The first ones to go out an throw hideous 30" chrome wheels, tint the windows and put those plastic sticky vent things on the fenders are buying them because of the emblem and not having the means to take care of them. Sad.

From what I've gathered '07 No (Lots of options/equipment but a first year car), '08 ehhhh okay(I've found that these have some of the best options/equipment) but '09 would be better and then '10 was the last year before the LCI and the option packages were odd....(Mine for instance) just odd. Sorry for the long winded rant but that was my perspective on the first gen E70. Have fun shopping.

One more thing. You'll find mixed reviews on the running boards out there. I Love them but lots of people gripe about them.

Have an 08 3.0... Love this thing. Am sitting at 115k miles right now. Car is rock solid. Not to mention, it is so easy to make it look like an LCI (if that matters to you). I simply added a $500 Nav replacement unit in the car and I feel like I'm back in 2017.

You probably wont regret the purchase on an X5 with the N52-- just be sure to get a good PPI.


Not my car pictured below, but I have the same thing. The E70 is versatile!

https://thumb.ibb.co/iKRHow/098fe0d3...c2cee94c0c.jpg

- I think 2010 was the last year the N52 was installed in the E70.
The problem is: wife wants a "newer" car such as 2014-2017 etc.
- Newer X5s have direct injection and carbon build-up issues, which I don't want to deal with.

It looks like the good old days of BMW "reliability and DIY" are slowly going away (hey, I have been driving BMWs since 1990s).

Personally I've never heard of any significant issues with injectors / hpfp's on the newer n55 35i engine. The older twin turbo n54 which I don't believe was ever offered in the e70 had some reliability issues. A lot of folks confuse the N54/N55 engines which are not the same beast. In fact I would call the N55 one of BMWs more reliable engines of the recent past. Some carbon build up is an issue on any modern direct injected engine, but frankly for most won't rear its head very often and is pretty cheap to clean.

Personally if reliability is your goal, I would go with the newest E70 you can find preferably with 35i engine. Also I'd go with a newer car that didn't have the slow as molasses CCC navigation system which also dosen't have any map updates after 2015.

As for the diesels... Their emissions reliability is bad but has gotten better in recent years. My diesel I have tuned and deleted the EGR which is the biggest source of issues, but still have the DPF and SCR in place.

Personally I like the V8 and had a E70 n62 4.8i and now drive a S63 M. Both are good engines, I think give how overweight the e70 is that the non-turbo 6 would be a slug in this car. Especially in two lane passing maneuvers or towing. I upgraded from the 4.8i to the M as I found the 4.8i to not be relaxed while towing. Basically I had to keep it in 4th-5th gear (6spd auto), to keep it at 70mph with it floored on anything but a flat road. The turbocharged engines tow much more effortlessly and in 6th gear with better fuel economy. Yes, my M does significantly better in fuel economy than my 4.8i did while towing

Regarding the carbon build-up issues ... regardless of the year - all BMW twin turbo engines have this issue. Walnut blasting has been apart of their maintenance routine from the first inception. I believe BMW recommended at 30k miles for the n54 ... not sure about the n55. From what I've gathered owners typically go about 60k mile + before doing it, going by lessening performance more than mileage.

As far as reliability ... the years you're looking for should be better than not regarding the n55 power plant.

Why is she looking for "newer" ... just to have a "newer" car? Would a low mileage loaded 2010 3.0 work? You kinda get the best of both worlds ... a loaded X5 with less miles than you would with a new model at the same price point or less, with a presumed lower cost of ownership - taxes - insurance ... I don't really see an argument against this unless it's just - "but this one is newer"

Love my 2009, adaptive drive, added xm, but wish I had an updated display. The old brown and beige nonsense really dates the car. The N52n has some valve cover leakage and I've been too busy to knock it out, aND yes, it is a bit underpowered for such a heavy vehicle. I love Brigette though.