Help! One Week into X5 Ownership. What Should I Do Next?...

[chubbs]

Thanks everyone! You've encapsulated my horny dilemma in the last 4 posts. Well done!

I'm damned if I change the gearbox oil and I'm damned if I don't. Every time I read an encouraging post, I think, "Yes, I'll risk it." and every time I read a warning post I think, "Best not touch it!".

My wife is in the 'no' camp - informing me that I always go one step too far and ruin things, but I am firmly of the opinion that I don't flippin' know what to do.

Aaaaaaargh!

Can someone please suggest something else for me to tinker with, to take my mind off the gearbox? Can I lube anything up?

(ps - I'm taking the advice of Horizon & co and going out for a nice long drive to the coast today)

[andym3]

All the technicians & mechanics on here would advise you to change the oil! Not changing the oil in your gearbox is like not changing the oil in your engine! With old oil there is no protection on your moving components!

[themoog]

I would defo do a trans service. Do it yourself to make sure its done properly. Drain, remove sump, replace filter, refit sump and fill up with fluid. Drive for a day or two then drain it again and put more new fluid in- this is so the TC gets fresh fluid- and thats it. Mine was juddering and skipping drive in 5th at 40-50 mph. The fluid was jet black but no bits in it. I got 11 litres of Comma MVatf plus and filter for £109. Oh and a manual filling pump from ebay for a fiver. Im going to do the wifes X5 soon as hers has done 70k and probably never changed. Mine had done 140k and never serviced...
Its easy to do. I just put two paving slabs in front of each wheel and drove up onto them and that gave me plenty of room.

[Steamyrotter]

Check for play on the suspension bushes..

To do the rear you need to deflate the air bags first.

dodgy bushes will affect handling and also tyre wear.
Can be an easy job, or could be a pain..
The right tools (or access to them) will pay dividends.


And in this weather, just go out and enjoy it.

[chubbs]

A million thanks to the last three posters (as well as all the others). You people are really helping me.

[jdwright590]

If yours is a facelift car then it definitely has the ZF gearbox - knocking it into Sport/Manual mode locks out 6th gear (I guess for performance reasons)...hope that helps 

I've had my X5 for nearly 2 years and I've not yet done a lot of the stuff on your list! However did have it serviced the other day and ended paid the price a bit :/

Having the gearbox serviced is definitely something I intend to do soon, my car is a 2005 3.0d with 95k on the clock and I'm getting a little paranoid! Make sure it doesn't prevent you from enjoying the car though - it makes me smile every time I get in it, and not sure there's anything else at this price level that comes close for me!

[X5Sport]

[quote="jdwright590"]
If yours is a facelift car then it definitely has the ZF gearbox - knocking it into Sport/Manual mode locks out 5th gear (I guess for performance reasons)...hope that helps 
[/quote]

Putting it in Sport doesn't lock out any gears.  It means it will use 1st gear more at pull away ('D' defaults to 2nd most of the time), holds each gear for longer - up to the red line, and not engage 6th below approx 100mph unless you manually select it.

If your gearbox is doing anything different then it's not working correctly.

[jdwright590]

[quote="X5Sport"]
[quote="jdwright590"]
If yours is a facelift car then it definitely has the ZF gearbox - knocking it into Sport/Manual mode locks out 5th gear (I guess for performance reasons)...hope that helps 
[/quote]

Putting it in Sport doesn't lock out any gears.  It means it will use 1st gear more at pull away ('D' defaults to 2nd most of the time), holds each gear for longer - up to the red line, and not engage 6th below approx 100mph unless you manually select it.

If your gearbox is doing anything different then it's not working correctly.
[/quote]

Apologies, I've probably used the wrong lingo! But yeah that's more or less what I was aiming for - 6th hasn't appeared for me in Sport mode, I guess because I haven't tried using it at those speeds  ::)

[X5Sport]

It also retracts the sunroof anti-draft spoiler at about the same speed.....on a track of course. ::)

[chubbs]

Now I'm totally confused about how many gears I have. When I go into 'manual' mode I only see 5 gears. Does that mean I only have 5 gears?

[Horizon]

Yes.

[RenoHuskerDu]

[quote="Steamyrotter"]
Check for play on the suspension bushes..

To do the rear you need to deflate the air bags first.

dodgy bushes will affect handling and also tyre wear.
Can be an easy job, or could be a pain..
The right tools (or access to them) will pay dividends.
[/quote]

What he said. I just had all of mine done and the handling got much better. Worn bushes will also wear out your nice new tyres much faster.

ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY service the transmission. Put in the correct ATF and splurge for synthetic version.  A few hundred quid now beats thousands later.

[RenoHuskerDu]

[quote="chubbs"]
Thanks everyone! You've encapsulated my horny dilemma in the last 4 posts. Well done!
[/quote]

Did you really mean to say 'horny' dilemma? You have a wife, right? 
Or did you mean thorny dilemma?

[chubbs]

[quote="RenoHuskerDu"]
[quote="chubbs"]
Thanks everyone! You've encapsulated my horny dilemma in the last 4 posts. Well done!
[/quote]

Did you really mean to say 'horny' dilemma? You have a wife, right? 
Or did you mean thorny dilemma?
[/quote]

Hahhaaa it's you again!

CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY - "To be on the horns of a dilemma› to be ​unable to ​decide which of two things to do because either could have ​bad ​results". Hence I had a horny dilemma ...and I still do. I think I'm going to discuss it with my local box specialist.

As for having a wife - now that's off topic and may not be the same type of horny dilemma anyway.

[chubbs]

[quote="RenoHuskerDu"]
[quote="Steamyrotter"]
Check for play on the suspension bushes..

To do the rear you need to deflate the air bags first.

dodgy bushes will affect handling and also tyre wear.
Can be an easy job, or could be a pain..
The right tools (or access to them) will pay dividends.
[/quote]

Many thanks. Good information from both of you. I know absolutely nothing about this air suspension thingie - will need to investigate.

What he said. I just had all of mine done and the handling got much better. Worn bushes will also wear out your nice new tyres much faster.

ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY service the transmission. Put in the correct ATF and splurge for synthetic version.  A few hundred quid now beats thousands later.
[/quote]