Tell me about 01-04 BWM X5s

[halik]

Girlfriend is looking to get a car for her 2 mile commute (hah), the X5 looks like a reasonable choice around here. Any common issues with the car? Looking around craigslist I see a ton of examples in the mid 100ks in milage, so something with ~60-70K miles should have a ton of life left.

She's pretty indifferent between the I6 and V8, probably steer towards the 6 for gas milage reasons.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Two words: Money Pit

 

[manimal]

they tend to eat regulators like most bimmers from that era. I saw one last year with HORRIBLE electrical problems. Really a crap shoot.

Get a PPI from a reputable place for peace of mind.

 

[halik]

Two words: Money Pit

Why? "It's not a honda/nissan" type of response will be ignored...

 

[halik]

they tend to eat regulators like most bimmers from that era. I saw one last year with HORRIBLE electrical problems. Really a crap shoot.

Get a PPI from a reputable place for peace of mind.

Yeah I have read about those, apparently there's some nylon bit that tends to get brittle and crack. That and avoid air suspension if possible, just because of the part expense.

 

[NutBucket]

Seems like air suspension in any car will eventually turn into a money pit. Sound about right?

 

[shabby]

Two words: Money Pit

Do you own one? Someone in the family has the 01 x5, other than regular maintenance nothing costly ever broke down.

 

[manimal]

Yeah I have read about those, apparently there's some nylon bit that tends to get brittle and crack. That and avoid air suspension if possible, just because of the part expense.

ya despise all air suspension about as much as I hate doing regulators on bmws. The gd gaskets are tight, the access to the retainers destroys my hands every time. Good times.



not a whole lot different from an x5 than say range rover.

 

[halik]

ya despise all air suspension about as much as I hate doing regulators on bmws. The gd gaskets are tight, the access to the retainers destroys my hands every time. Good times.



not a whole lot different from an x5 than say range rover.

Range Rovers is far worse - lucas electronics is a total nightmare and they have a tendency to drop sleeves when they overheat. That and the cheapest aftermarket diag runs ~1500 bucks and you need it to deal with the monolithic body engine control module. I couldn't figure out how to get it to open the tail gate on mine; something about door lock sensors being connected serially...

 

[manimal]

Range Rovers is far worse - lucas electronics is a total nightmare and they have a tendency to drop sleeves when they overheat. That and the cheapest aftermarket diag runs ~1500 bucks and you need it to deal with the monolithic body engine control module. I couldn't figure out how to get it to open the tail gate on mine; something about door lock sensors being connected serially...

Ya rovers electrics are much worse. Funny thing is the engine and air suspension design is almost the same. the 2002 and newer 4.4 in L322 is the bmw m62


Older P38s are fairly reliable if you retrofit the air suspension.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Why? "It's not a honda/nissan" type of response will be ignored...

Only my past experience owning 2 used BMWs. Once they get 70k+ miles on them things will start breaking and they will start costing you money and there are no cheap parts on that car. Friend of mine has an early 2k x5 with the V8 engine and it hasn't been exactly trouble free.

Not sure about that particular vehicle but the cars we owned they recommend replacing the brake pads and rotors with every brake job which is about $500+ an axle every time and that beast will go through brakes.

 

[halik]

Only my past experience owning 2 used BMWs. Once they get 70k+ miles on them things will start breaking and they will start costing you money and there are no cheap parts on that car. Friend of mine has an early 2k x5 with the V8 engine and it hasn't been exactly trouble free.

Not sure about that particular vehicle but the cars we owned they recommend replacing the brake pads and rotors with every brake job which is about $500+ an axle every time and that beast will go through brakes.

Ah, there's your problem. You bought (presumably) cheap old bmw and then paid dealer stupid money for service. I see front rotors for 90 bucks a pair, pads are 45 bucks.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Everything about your experience will have to do with the previous owner(s).

I would insist on a never-leased vehicle, with no more than 2 owners, with ALL service history well documented.

If you don't plan on working on it yourself then go ahead and find a good bmw mechanic in the area. They're fairly reliable cars, but little even little things can be complicated to repair. Just like the PO, your mechanic can make or break the car.

Past that, they're fine. The electronics, engine, trans, etc is all a very proven platform as it's basically just a 5 series. Personally I would want the v8 just for the power, but the i6 is also a good engine and adequate to pull out in traffic etc.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Ah, there's your problem. You bought (presumably) cheap old bmw and then paid dealer stupid money for service. I see front rotors for 90 bucks a pair, pads are 45 bucks.

So buy the car then. The fuck do I care? :whiste:

Actually, we almost never took either car to the dealer. We went to a guy who only repairs BMW, VW, and Porsches. He was one of the best in the area in fact.

Could have bought a used 740i with low miles on it a few years ago and he recommended we pass it because of known problems with those cars.

I work with a guy who just had the engine replaced in his 740i. I'm sure that was cheap.

 

[repoman0]

Yeah, if it's anything like the E46 from that era, huge money pit if you pay the dealer to do your work - reasonable if you can do your own work. I haven't found parts to be particularly expensive for my E46 and I love to work on it. Only things I've fixed have been preventative with the exception of P/S pump, which I knew was an issue when I bought it and was easy to replace.

The I6 version will have the M54 3.0l I believe which is bulletproof for 300k miles+ and gets me great mileage even on regular if I don't drive super hard. May be a bit different in the X5 due to extra weight and aerodynamics

 

[Insomniator]

My GFs parents have an 05 with 100k (bought new) on it. Its heavy, slow, cumbersome... not that easy to drive though I've never driven any other SUVs that size before so maybe this is better than most. I don't know the specifics but they have spent a lot of money to keep it running over the years and right now it sounds like the power steering pump is failing... sounds terrible.

Its a nice big tank... certainly feel safe in it!

 

[rsutoratosu]

I looked at it a while back but it also depends on what engine you pick. Biggest problems I found that probably cost the most

http://www.atlanticmotorcar.com/case-studies/bmw-n62-4-4-engine-oil-pump-problem-and-update/

http://www.bmpdesign.com/technical/cooling/files/BMW_V8_Coolant_Leak_on_N62_Engines.php


http://repairpal.com/oil-leaks-from-engine-area-208

 

[halik]

I looked at it a while back but it also depends on what engine you pick. Biggest problems I found that probably cost the most

http://www.atlanticmotorcar.com/case-studies/bmw-n62-4-4-engine-oil-pump-problem-and-update/

http://www.bmpdesign.com/technical/cooling/files/BMW_V8_Coolant_Leak_on_N62_Engines.php


http://repairpal.com/oil-leaks-from-engine-area-208

Yeah we took the V8 off the list - the valley pan gasket job looks like a bitch (coolant jobs are messy), not to mention it's not cheap with the updated cover.

The 3.0 valve cover gasket is trivial diy:
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-for...lug-valve-cover-gasket-replacement-3-0-a.html

 

[T2urtle]

The only great thing about ANY BMW to me is that there is so many on the road and some much DIY support you can almost fix anything. The bad thing is, it seems to have a lot of issues here and there. You just drive it like the normal toyota/honda. Its not a turn key car.

They DIY I6 valve cover job is very straight forward, similiar to any 4 cylinder out there.

i've recently been looking into a 04-06 Acura MDX, i think they are on the same level.

 

[halik]

Picked up '06 X5 3.0 for a great price, will follow up