Preventative maintenance on E70

[AdamsX5]

Had the car since October 2018 and apart from Glow plug controller no issues touchwood.
Just want to know what you guys suggest for preventative maintenance for these cars?
The reason I ask is I’ve read that in BMWs like the E90 or most of the E series you need to change things like the water pump and thermostat at 70-80k miles. Also the valve cover gasket can go and other items oil pan housing gasket etc. Is there anything specific to this model that would need replacing for prevention now.
I haven’t done the transmission fluid or transfer case fluid yet or the differential. Car has now done 76k miles about 1500 miles since I bought it.
It’s having its MOT next week which hopefully should fly through it touchwood.
I’ve got the expense of disks/brakes coming soon but haven’t done any miles yet to get them changed.
So if anyone can suggest what would be my first priority as this car has had FULL service history and I plan to do
Oil change every 5k miles and fuel filter annually.

[marti]

Transmission fluid is a good call as for anything else dont fix it unless its broken.......have you checked for any recalls?

[Pedro C]

I'm about to get all the fluids changed on mine. Engine, Diff, Gearbox and Transfer case.

I reckon the thermostats will need doing as well as prolly never been changed at 64,000 miles. They can wait though as i'm also going to have to shell out for discs and pads in the next few months.

[AdamsX5]

Seems I may need to wait as it’s failed Mot.
Bellows damaged they quote but ride height seems fine and it sits on incline every day without issues.

[Leslie]

Air bags ? probably cracked and best changed before they knacker the compressor

[AdamsX5]

Got Bmw specialist to look at it . He says bag has collapsed and needs new one. He said may pop anytime and will hear bang. Also said it shouldn’t affect pump or compressor but will need changing. Quoted £100 to have bag changed with used part. New ones are apparently £150?
Another chap said pump on its way out as making noise so suggested have it converted to springs for about £340.

[Graeme]

The pump will make a noise when it works to fill the bag, especially if the bag leaks when the car is standing. Personally I wouldn't use a second hand air bag, I'd fit a new one. I'm not sure how a conversion to springs will work in terms of the fittings required to hold them and altering the suspension set-up of the car which is designed for air bags. You'd need to check if the dampers are the right configuration too. Mine has adaptive drive so the dampers are controlled by sensors to keep the ride level. I believe sport versions or ones with the sport package have adaptive drive. £350 seems remarkably inexpensive bearing the cost of parts and labour in mind for the conversion. I'd be very wary so my advice is fix the air bag and listen to the pump - it should stop fairly quickly once the car is off the ramp and on the ground when the air bags are filled.

[AdamsX5]

To be honest I just want to fix it and then see how it goes as I don’t do much miles/yr. I asked him why it went and he said they just fail sometimes so a second hand will be as good or as I may end up replacing other side soon.
Not sure about springs and how they do it. But if it’s £340 for parts and labour that’s not bad.
Considering they doing a used bag for £100 it’s priced about right.
Need to find out what parts they use?

[XP3NNY]

Hi AdamX5
I feel your pain. I think we both bought our cars around the same time (and are similar to what I remember) and both are facing similar issues. I had controller as well and air springs are going for me too. I ordered those and will be changing them when the weather is better. New Arnott air spring is around £140 from Autodoc and otherwise is DYI job ... you have to have a right jack and axel stands, but it's straight forward.

Do you have any other issues with the car. Is your DPF good? Could you share what are your Ash mass levels?

Cheers
Xpenny

To be honest I just want to fix it and then see how it goes as I don’t do much miles/yr. I asked him why it went and he said they just fail sometimes so a second hand will be as good or as I may end up replacing other side soon.
Not sure about springs and how they do it. But if it’s £340 for parts and labour that’s not bad.
Considering they doing a used bag for £100 it’s priced about right.
Need to find out what parts they use?

[AdamsX5]

The ash levels are about 35g. I’ve bought ISTA and Foxwell 510 for dpf issues. Need to regen very few weeks as I do short trips.
Have car booked for heater recall in June.
Otherwise it runs ok. Having transfer case oil changed next week and having diff inspected too. Specialist said no need to change gearbox oil unless it’s leaking.
Anyway quoted about £70 to change it.

[Leslie]

Get an arnott bag as said not some cheap crap one which will last no time and definitely not a used one which could be 10 years old already , rubber ages ! If the bag goes the compressor runs all the time to pump the leak , its not designed to run all the time and it will wear out in a short while. Id keep the air suspension if it was me

[AdamsX5]

Get an arnott bag as said not some cheap crap one which will last no time and definitely not a used one which could be 10 years old already , rubber ages ! If the bag goes the compressor runs all the time to pump the leak , its not designed to run all the time and it will wear out in a short while. Id keep the air suspension if it was me

Thanks Leslie for advice
Unfortunately I’ve already changed it. How will I know if the bag has failed as this one gave me no idea until mot picked it up. Or if it leaks ?
The thing is the bag was collapsed but not sure if it was leaking. He said it had been like that for some time. Hoping the compressor is not knackered now if it’s been leaking.
If it blows then you can see ride height and get it sorted but are leaks easy to spot??
Anyway it’s done now so hoping it will last but will deffo get a new one next time .. saving £100 may have been false economy. But hey ho,,,,,,

[AdamsX5]

When only after12hrs the car was riding extremely low this morning on both sides. After start it rose up but it seems they put in a faulty bag. Went back and he said a faulty bag may have been installed. So I asked him to order a Arnot one for £130plus vat for £157. Gonna ask to pay diff as I’m not paying for a faulty bag. So should another £107 total £207. Labour £50 for both jobs as it’s his fault.
Anyway transfer case fluid is only £34 and diff £70. So will find a good garage to change them. However they need to reset adaptations-for transfer case via ISTA

[Leslie]

Well that didn't last too long but at least you are getting a new one now which should be good for 5 years or so . I thought the 2 sides were separate so it more likey the pipes at the solenoid have failed to seal again and leaked out after being off.

If they are leaking I'd expect to see it down on one side after sitting overnight,you can spray them with fairy liquid in water and if it bubbles while the wheel is on the ground and loaded it's on the way out. It may have been a cheap one anyway originally on as they can burst with no warning as they appear to be thinner sides on them. Another warning is the compressor running for more than a few secs after start-up.

[AdamsX5]

He told me that it must be the bag. As both sides will go down even if one bag is faulty as it adjusts itself.
Both sides went up when I started car.
So even if new bag it could still not work if there is a leak elsewhere. Funny thing is it was working properly before the change even though it was quashed in middle it still worked.