Good day, newbie here who is looking to buy my first X5, either a 40d or the M50D. Looking at a 2017 plate with approx 70k on the clock.
Any advise in regard to a buying guide, what to look out for etc. and what model I should go for.
Are these beasts reliable or problematic cars?
Thanks in advance.
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Advice: thinking of buying my first X5
Advice: thinking of buying my first X5
Hello and 
We don’t have many M50D owners on here, and those who have given any information don’t report anything bad.
Key areas are:
N57 engines need to have oil changes much more often than BMW service recommends. Should be done every 12 months or 10,000 miles in order to reduce the chances of timing chain problems. It’s a much bigger problem in the N47 (IL4 2.0L unit, but the 3.0litre IL6 is affected to a lesser extent).
Transmission fluids front to back should be replaced every 50k miles or 8 years. BMW say it’s sealed for life but the transmission manufacturer says otherwise. Given ZF make the transmissions they ought to know. You’re looking at about £1k if it hasn’t been done, and many haven’t.
Tyres. Less of an issue on the F15 compared to the E53 & E70, but advice is still to use good tyres, preferably those with the BMW Approved ‘
’ on the sidewall. Also keep the tread depths at less than 2mm difference between any tyre and any other.
As with all modern cars, go through all the electronics and make sure everything works. Seats, windows, idrive, sunroof, tailgate power open/close. Check for any sign of leaks anywhere in the engine bay or underneath. Checking underneath is a challenge due to all the underbody guards and covers. If fitted with air suspension then check all ride heights are equal. Air suspension, particularly the air springs do leak as they age.
Generally the few F15 members we have seem to get in just fine with their cars so from that I would assume they are pretty reliable. Hopefully one or two of them will come and say hi, and give you their experiences.
We don’t have many M50D owners on here, and those who have given any information don’t report anything bad.
Key areas are:
N57 engines need to have oil changes much more often than BMW service recommends. Should be done every 12 months or 10,000 miles in order to reduce the chances of timing chain problems. It’s a much bigger problem in the N47 (IL4 2.0L unit, but the 3.0litre IL6 is affected to a lesser extent).
Transmission fluids front to back should be replaced every 50k miles or 8 years. BMW say it’s sealed for life but the transmission manufacturer says otherwise. Given ZF make the transmissions they ought to know. You’re looking at about £1k if it hasn’t been done, and many haven’t.
Tyres. Less of an issue on the F15 compared to the E53 & E70, but advice is still to use good tyres, preferably those with the BMW Approved ‘
’ on the sidewall. Also keep the tread depths at less than 2mm difference between any tyre and any other.As with all modern cars, go through all the electronics and make sure everything works. Seats, windows, idrive, sunroof, tailgate power open/close. Check for any sign of leaks anywhere in the engine bay or underneath. Checking underneath is a challenge due to all the underbody guards and covers. If fitted with air suspension then check all ride heights are equal. Air suspension, particularly the air springs do leak as they age.
Generally the few F15 members we have seem to get in just fine with their cars so from that I would assume they are pretty reliable. Hopefully one or two of them will come and say hi, and give you their experiences.
Never anthropomorphise computers. They hate that.
Advice: thinking of buying my first X5
Good info thanks.
Advice: thinking of buying my first X5
MOD EDIT - 1st sentence deleted as it is encouraging illegal activities in the UK. The forum does not condone or encourage illegal activity. The rest of the post is below:
Only buy a car that has been serviced regularly 10k miles otherwise there are many cases of bottom end failure.
Only buy a car that has been serviced regularly 10k miles otherwise there are many cases of bottom end failure.
Advice: thinking of buying my first X5
As others have said good service history, check to make sure everything works, ideally a reasonable mileage, not too low and not to high.
Mine is one of the last 40d's a d has been superb apart from a sensor fault on the adaptive cruise and a new battery, which it turned out it didn't really need as the fault was caused by a software update on the Bmw dash cam, which was fixed by deleting a file and then restarting.
Mine gets and has always had an oil and filter change every year, regardless of mileage, despite what bmw service indicator says!
It tows my caravan extremely well.
Mine is not generally used for short trips, although does the odd one, but I have not and will not remove the DPF or tamper with any of the emission control systems, such as the adblue, they were fitted for a purpose.
Mine is one of the last 40d's a d has been superb apart from a sensor fault on the adaptive cruise and a new battery, which it turned out it didn't really need as the fault was caused by a software update on the Bmw dash cam, which was fixed by deleting a file and then restarting.
Mine gets and has always had an oil and filter change every year, regardless of mileage, despite what bmw service indicator says!
It tows my caravan extremely well.
Mine is not generally used for short trips, although does the odd one, but I have not and will not remove the DPF or tamper with any of the emission control systems, such as the adblue, they were fitted for a purpose.
Advice: thinking of buying my first X5
The purpose is detrimental to the car, many many cars have had turbo failures due to clogged dpfs. It's like the car is trying to exhale through a straw. Can't be good