newbie from leicestershire

[the shreksta]

hi everyone

im just about to complete the sale of my 450bhp impreza and with the funds i am seriously considering an x5

im a little worried about a few things though if somebody could point me in the right direction

ive read of auto-box failures, if this happens what sort of cost am i looking at to get it fixed and where is the best place to go?

also the air suspension ive heard car be very costly to fix, is there a spring conversion that can be done? if not what sort of price is it to fix this?

the version i would like is a 4.6 v8 facelift, are these generally reliable? i cover around 5k a year and i will not be off-roading in it, i know these engines have a timing chain,does it need replacing or is it a life-long chain? if the v8 is no good i would settle for a 3.0td

are there any specialists that can do all the work mentioned? i will not be using the main-dealers

cheers everyone

matt

[X5Sport]

4.6 V8 doesn't exist after the facelift, they became the 4.8.

Gearbox will be of the order of £2k to fix with a 12-month warranty.

Air suspension can cost the same to fix if the control system fails.  There is a hard Spring conversion, and a couple of threads on here about it.

There are specialists about and it will depend upon where you live as to where your nearest might be.  With the newest being almost 10 years old, you are going to get the usual age related issues with electrics, door handles, suspension bushes, blocked drains in the roof, Battery age.  None unexpected but some can be a pain.

Have a look at the Buyers Guide as that will help you to decide which way you want to go..

On and

[chris.t]

[the shreksta]

[quote="X5Sport"]
4.6 V8 doesn't exist after the facelift, they became the 4.8.

Gearbox will be of the order of £2k to fix with a 12-month warranty.

Air suspension can cost the same to fix if the control system fails.  There is a hard Spring conversion, and a couple of threads on here about it.

There are specialists about and it will depend upon where you live as to where your nearest might be.

Have a look at the Buyers Guide as that will help you to decide which way you want to go..

On and
[/quote]

hi thanks for the reply

are the v8 engines pretty reliable? ive found a company called birch 4x4 up north who do recon boxes for £1200 odd, im gonna take a guess that the box failures are down to poor maintenance

[X5Sport]

Maintenance no, bad design.  Some of the materials selected just aren't good enough for the expected loads.  Mk2 (in the E70) has nothing like the fail rate.

Oil changes can actually destroy a box ironically.

[the shreksta]

[quote="X5Sport"]
Maintenance no, bad design.  Some of the materials selected just aren't good enough for the expected loads.  Mk2 (in the E70) has nothing like the fail rate.

Oil changes can actually destroy a box ironically.
[/quote]

well its a choice between the x5 or a range rover vogue..................and ive read some horror stories about them so i think i will take my chance with the x5

cheers matey

[chris.t]

I thought the auto boxes were sealed for life, the X5 should be more reliable than the range rover but you can never tell

[X5Sport]

Sealed for life = 60k miles.  It's BMWs definition of 'life'.

[chris.t]

[quote="X5Sport"]
Sealed for life = 60k miles.  It's BMWs definition of 'life'.
[/quote]

you learn something new everyday, probably just another way BMW will try and fleece us

[the shreksta]

anybody have an info on the v8? is it generally a reliable unit?

ive read about the chain tensioner giving issues,is this a big job?

thanks for all the info guys

[chris.t]

If you haven't done so already have a look in the E53 forum there is a comprehensive buyers guide you should get loads of info on the v8 there

[Horizon]

[quote="chris.t"]
If you haven't done so already have a look in the E53 forum there is a comprehensive buyers guide you should get loads of info on the v8 there
[/quote]

http://xdrivers.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,25.0.html