New BMW E53 owner :)

[gsj87]

Hi all,

Just purchased my first BMW (been wanting one for ages!).

A 2005 3.0d X5 (E53), 105k on the clock, full BMW service history, purchased for £6300.



It's just been MOT'd last week and had a service at the same time.

I intend to keep this car for a while so my first question is, which main/problem areas should I get checked out first? I'd rather be proactive in keeping this car in good condition, as opposed to waiting for something to go wrong (like I did with my last couple of cars, bad idea!). I've been browsing the forum and people say to get the gearbox oil/service done, is there anything else?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[X5Sport]

The Buyers Guide will tell you pretty much everything you need to know.

If you haven't already got a decent after market warranty then give serious consideration to getting one!  When these cars break, they break expensively.

The gearbox has to be your primary area of concern, as you have latched onto, but read the various threads before you do anything.  Whilst many owners have no problems after a gearbox service other get a failed unit very soon afterwards.  There is nothing to say which it will be.

If you have a ZF gearbox specialist nearby then go and talk to them as they should be able to tell you all the pluses and minuses that come with these beasts.

Check all of the electrics work, have look down by the battery (under the spare wheel in the boot) for any signs of water - and to get the age of the battery whilst you are at it.

If you have an hour or so to kill, take the car into a BMW Dealer or Bosch Autologic Agent and get all the fault logs read both for 'present' meaning it's there now, and 'not present' meaning has occurred in the past, errors.  It might identify anything of concern that you need to look at - or give you a clean bill if health. 

[gsj87]

[quote="X5Sport"]
If you haven't already got a decent after market warranty then give serious consideration to getting one!  When these cars break, they break expensively.

The gearbox has to be your primary area of concern, as you have latched onto, but read the various threads before you do anything.  Whilst many owners have no problems after a gearbox service other get a failed unit very soon afterwards.  There is nothing to say which it will be.

If you have a ZF gearbox specialist nearby then go and talk to them as they should be able to tell you all the pluses and minuses that come with these beasts.

Check all of the electrics work, have look down by the battery (under the spare wheel in the boot) for any signs of water - and to get the age of the battery whilst you are at it.

If you have an hour or so to kill, take the car into a BMW Dealer or Bosch Autologic Agent and get all the fault logs read both for 'present' meaning it's there now, and 'not present' meaning has occurred in the past, errors.  It might identify anything of concern that you need to look at - or give you a clean bill if health. 
[/quote]

Brilliant advice, thank you.

Do you recommend any warranty companies? and what would you recommend to set the claim limit to? £1000? £2000? I don't know how much the most expensive repair would be so would need an idea.

It's going for a winter check at my local BMW indy towards the end of the week so I'll ask them to check the codes etc.

[gavp84]

Welcome

I bought my 4.6is the other week and love it.

[X5Sport]

Gearbox = up to £3k, worse if the Mechatronics Unit (brain) also fails as they are £1,500 on their own.

Diffs = maybe £800 each.  Pick the wrong tyre types and they can also break.  Wide tread depth variation front/rear can bite you badly.

Sunroof was around £2,500 to fix and there'll be labour on top.

I had Warranty Direct 'Luxury' cover with Dealer labour covered.  Don't accept their first offer, play coy and they'll make you a better offer a week it so later.  They don't pay for diagnostics, only repairs.  I had two claims with them and no issues.  Read their cancellation policy though as you may get nothing back!

[gsj87]

[quote="X5Sport"]
Gearbox = up to £3k, worse if the Mechatronics Unit (brain) also fails as they are £1,500 on their own.

Diffs = maybe £800 each.  Pick the wrong tyre types and they can also break.  Wide tread depth variation front/rear can bite you badly.

Sunroof was around £2,500 to fix and there'll be labour on top.

I had Warranty Direct 'Luxury' cover with Dealer labour covered.  Don't accept their first offer, play coy and they'll make you a better offer a week it so later.  They don't pay for diagnostics, only repairs.  I had two claims with them and no issues.  Read their cancellation policy though as you may get nothing back!
[/quote]

Up to 3k for the gearbox.. god damn, that's crazy! I think I definitely need an aftermarket warranty then as I've been reading in alot of posts that gearbox problems happen around the 100k mark. Although the gearbox felt great when I took it on a test drive, you never really know with these things.

Regarding the tyre type - how would I know if the correct tyres are on the vehicle? Is there a guide?

[the shreksta]

Welcome along

I too was concerned about the horror stories regarding gearboxes etc but a year later mine is still going great, 112k on the clock now. I decided against a gearbox oil service......if it's not broke don't fix it.

I had to get all new rear brake pipes both sides earlier this year but other than a few minor niggles it's been utterly fantastic. I really really love my x5, one of the best cars I've owned.

I've not got a warranty, I have visions of them worming their way out of paying for stuff.i just put 40 quid a week away in a bank account and I've also got my credit card just incase.

Yours is the same as mine so should  be michelin latitude diamaris I think and a set of 4 from camskill was around 850 quid I think. Great tyres,mine have been on for 9 months and still look pretty new but I don't do mega miles.

Hope this helps

[X5Sport]

As long as you are ready for it then no nasty surprises.  Not everyone has gearbox issues.  Yours might have already happened....and the debate about 'do I, don't I?' will run and run.

I only used Michelin Diamaris on mine, but if you look for tyres with a '*' mark then those are made to fit BMW or are approved for BMW.

I always changed mine as a set because that is how they wore out.  The key bit is probably not so much the tyre itself as the difference in tread depth between front and rear.  If it is large then there is a risk of transmission wind-up.  It should not happen, but it does.  And it also seems to affect the 'staggered' set up (different tyre and wheel sizes front and rear) and not the square set-up (all 4 the same).

More and more cases are appearing on Forums as these cars age and people look (unsurprisingly) at cheaper rubber.  £1,000 a set on a £60k car is easier to swallow than the same on a £6k car!  Somewhere BMW made some odd choices with their transmission designs and it is the later owners getting caught for it.

[IanP]

[quote="the shreksta"]
Welcome along

I had to get all new rear brake pipes both sides earlier this year but other than a few minor niggles it's been utterly fantastic. I really really love my x5, one of the best cars I've owned.

Hope this helps
[/quote]

As the Shreksta mentioned. have the rear steel brake pipes inspected. They are covered with a plastic plate and I dont think are visible for an MOT inspection. Mine were on the verge of failure when I had them done, and the car was younger than your is now.

[graemeX5]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Congrats on your new X5.

As the other have said red the buyers guide and as you say keep on top of maintenance as it pays then you only have one problem to solve at a time.

When I got my car the local Indy went through it and it cost £1500 including lights brakes etc which seems a lot but after that I over 4 years it was one replacement gaitor and routine servicing. So for me it paid off.

So as X5Sport said it's probably getting the system read for any faults.

Also remember the Parkinson's sensors can play up but iirc you cane get ones of eBay fairly cheap and there is a post or two on how to check them.

Hth
Graeme

[X5Sport]

I think he means Parking sensors.  Have to love auto-correct  >:(

[Dannyh172]

Welcome! I'm currently loving my x5! I have had to change the exhaust manifold 2 weeks after buying but other than that it's been good. Also changed the gearbox oil for higher grade oil as mine has done 188k and not been done, but also had no signs of problems, just my piece of mind! Also am aware my rear brake pipes are in need of attention soon so will be getting them done when Xmas is out of the way!


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[X5Sport]

Which gearbox oil did you choose?  These boxes are VERY specific on oil type and may not work properly with other than the factory specified oil inside. 

I certainly remember discussions in the past, particularly for the ZF boxes, where you never use anything other than factory specified, but that advice may have changed if a specialist knows better?

If you already have trouble then I suspect changing for a thicker(?) oil may just delay the inevitable rebuild.  A knackered clutch pack it still knackered no matter what lubricant you add.

[Dannyh172]

It was just a higher grade as recommended by my Indy. The guys are very good and I trust their judgement. I will keep it in mind though if it shows signs of playing up, thanks!


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