Buying one 2006 2.0d few quick questions

[Supertronic887]

Hello, I am basically meeting with the seller today or tomorrow abou a car that has done 135k miles it’s a 2006 2.0td x3 it has recently got new flywheel and clutch. It’s got 4 BMW X5 tiger claw alloys on it, is this something I should be worrying about? Car looks decent on the photos. I am planning to bring a creator on the meeting but I am not sure if he’ll allow me to read codes etc. Any suggestions what else I can ask him about the car while I have him there? I doubt he’ll let me just mess with the car

[Alan Gunn]

If a seller wouldn't let me do a fault code scan then i would walk away.
Check out the service history plenty of oil/filter changes would be a good thing.
Tyres all the same tread depth as odd will windup the diff.
Tax around that year was £500+ on some.
There will be somebody along with a better list soon i hope.

[Supertronic887]

To say thank you for the info I appreciate it. 500 road tax is a lot of money.

[X5Sport]

Larger wheels are fine - check the car has the correct tyres and with no more than 2mm tread difference between any wheel. Cheapo tyres are bad news. Sidewalls should have either a '*' or MOE on the side. More important for staggered wheels that 'square' - different sized wheels and tyres front/rear.

Good news is the clutch and flywheel have been done. Some owners just get the clutch done. Far better to have both.

[Supertronic887]

That’s good to see they’ve been done. I will definitely check the tyres. Anyway to spot suspension and ride problem because this is one of the thing that will cost more money.

[X5Sport]

If there are grumbling noises at low speed and jerkiness at walking speed - especially on full lock - then that's a sure sign of transmission issues.

A scan won't pick up everything so you need to check all of the electrics item by item.

Check the oil for 'mayonaisse' too. The engines are pretty bomb-proof but listen for timing chain rattle. It really became an issue on the N47 rather than M47 2.0d engine.

If it's got bluetooth hands free, that may not work with latest gen phones - just to be aware of.

[Supertronic887]

That’s correct about the timing chain on the n57 engines. You’re very knowledgeable on this forum. Bless you.

How do you check oil for mayonnaise? Haha

I am also a bit worried about any possible oil leaks or overheating issues. Is there a way to investigate this on a m47 engine?

[X5Sport]

That one’s easy. Take the oil cap off. Should be no sign of ‘cream’ inside it.

Oil leaks are pretty rare, but check underneath if possible for wet under trays or at the back of the engine.

Overheating is also very rare as what tends to happen is the thermostats (and there might be two [coolant circuit and EGR cooler]) tend to stick ‘open’ meaning the car temp is often a bit low. That drives up fuel consumption as the car struggles to switch from cold mode to hot mode. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone on the Forum report overheating.

[Supertronic887]

Bless you. You seem to know a lot about BMWs

I am reluctant really. And don’t know what to expect from used x3 for less than 2k. But I just want a six seed manual diesel.

I have a 82k miles e39 m52 engine. Owned it since 2004 and it’s the most fantastic car you could ask for. But it needs careful service and a lot of planning. Gearbox service is particularly expensive not to mention most neglected cars out there suffer from every possible issue that exists on the planet. That’s basically why I have been asking all these questions. I thought I can get myself a cheap xdrive without spending too much on car repairs.

[X5Sport]

Most of what I’ve learned is from being a long-time member of this Forum (some wag will probably say too long ). Members in here will always try to help and there is a wealth of information buried in here too.

We’ve got a 2005 E46 that is currently stored, and owned since new too.

Ask away with questions. It’s why a lot of us are here.