e70 x5 advice

[stranger12]

Hi All,

I am and perhaps was a proud owner of e60 5 series which I fell in love with until it started to give me problems.

ECU went, rear ball joint, front track rod and the list goes on . The ECU being the hardest to fix as I spent almost 3-4 month trying to fix it ( I do all of the car works).
The car will start and run fine for hours and as soon as switch off, it will not switch on and nothing was pointing to ecu but I found it.

Now the battery is draining overnight randomly. It is not IBS sensor and cannot be asked to spent few month diagnosing it . Also the exhaust manifold is cracked so can smell it inside the cabin.

cutting above short, I am not happy with it and how painful it has been to maintain it.

I want to get an X5. How are they generally ? is electronics reliable ?

Would you go with a 2012 model with 90k on clock or 2009 model with 50k on the clock with around same price tag?

I know in 2013 they had a facelift to f series so most likely I will be getting the E70. What I have noticed is the E70 2009 and 10 don't have the steering paddle shifter and heated seat.

I have seen in from 2012 onward. This is based on the auto trader photos.

Can someone tell me where I can find exact information on what options were available ?

do all of them have head up display ?

many thanks

[X5Sport]

The E70 was facelifted in 2010 and got the updated CIC iDrive plus 8sp gearbox.  The F15 is a completely different car not a facelift but is the 3rd generation X5.

Flappy paddle shifters were a cost option on most E70s.  If you can, definitely go for a post 2010 build LCI rather than a 2009.  Heated seats were also a cost option depending upon trim.  Most BMWs come 'bare' and need more money spent at order to get what many other manufacturers include!  My 2011MY X6 has £14k of options, most of which were free on my new Mk3 Superb!

As with most modern cars, the electronics are of concern but not a major issue (yet).  You will need to check everything very carefully as you will have learned from being an E60 owner.  Higher mileage cars will have the same suspension/bush/mounting wear as you have seen before.

A number of owners have changed run flat for non-RFT and also non '*' marked tyres.  Although not common, there is a growing number of incidents of worn/damaged diffs and transfer boxes that may have resulted from use of wrong tyres or wide wear variations between axles when only one pair has been changed.  'Blocky' tread patterned tyres more akin to off-roading also may trigger issues.  It's not guaranteed to cause trouble, but listen for any grumbling from the transmission when testing.  The 8sp box is definitely the one to have.

[Jontyp]

Just FWIW my car is a 2010 E70, pre facelift but has CIC I-drive etc. but 6-sp gearbox (which is ok but probably not as good as the 8-sp). Must have been just on the change over, built Feb 2010.

[X5Sport]

If it is a 30d then they kept the 6sp a little longer.  40d got it first.

[warsi]

Hi stranger12,

Very valid & concise summary reply from X5Sport. I recently bought an LCI 40D MSport and I believe LCI cars come with more spec as standard compared to pre LCI, new gearbox on its own is a good enough reason to go for an LCI. During my search I only considered LCI E70s.

--

[Jontyp]

[quote="X5Sport"]
If it is a 30d then they kept the 6sp a little longer.  40d got it first.
[/quote]
Yep, t'is indeed a 30d. I would have gone for an LCI car (or a 40d I suppose) but the budget wouldn't stretch that far.

[libra007]

Should've joined the forum before buying, I just bought a pre Lci Msport with relatively decent options


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