X5 3.0D facelift wanted!

LFP · Post by **LFP** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 4:23 pm

Hi

I'm new to the forum so hi to everyone here.

Having recently test driven a few diesel X5's I'm now smitten - a very impressive vehicle. I was worried about it feeling a bit truck like but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was quite the opposite. A very pleasing engine and smooth gearbox have made up my mind this is the one for me.

I've seen a fair few recently and note that some wear their mileage better than others. I hope that I might be able to find one here that has been looked after, rather than buying a random one from a dealer.

I'm looking for something specific so here goes;

Any colour (apart from blue or gold)
Facelift diesel
Black leather interior with aluminium look inserts
sat nav
Sub 80k miles with history
Circa Â£10k (not finance dependant, cash is in bank waiting to be spent)
I live in London and will travel anywhere within reason.

I appreciate that I'm effectively asking for the moon on a stick, so please be gentle.

Please let me know if you, or anyone you know, has anything that might be suitable.

dirtymonkey29 · Post by **dirtymonkey29** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 6:15 pm

You might get lucky but for that budget I would think you'll be needing to look for higher mileage cars if you want a facelift, especially this time of year. Take your time and continue to top up your car fund while your searching and you'll find the car for you.

LFP · Post by **LFP** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 8:08 pm

Hi

Thanks for your reply, I think you're completely right. By cutting back on luxuries like food and heating I reckon I can be flexible on the price by 2-3k.

Off to an auction this week, not entirely convinced but think it's worth a look.

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 8:38 pm

Good Luck.......be careful & maybe use buyers guide on here when/before viewing if of benefit.

dirtymonkey29 · Post by **dirtymonkey29** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 9:16 pm

Good luck with the auction and don't buy a lemon or you will be going without heating and food getting back on the road. Sorry if you didn't like my advice but realistically this time of year increases the price of 4x4s and a quick look on auto trader you'll probably find with 10k you'll be looking at cars with 120k in mileage. Don't discount cat d cars, there was a guy on here who got a bargain that way.

dirtymonkey29 · Post by **dirtymonkey29** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:50 pm

How was the auction?

n1k85 · Post by **n1k85** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:20 am

[quote=""dirtymonkey29""] Don't discount cat d cars, there was a guy on here who got a bargain that way.[/quote]

Hopefully that way me you're talking about.

I must admit I keep checking the trader and eBay every day to keep an eye on the prices and even (Facelift) CAT D repaired cars are going for over the Â£9k mark, so you might struggle to pick up a low mileage, fully loaded one for Â£10k . I'm really happy with the price I paid for mine, but I did knock nearly Â£2k off the asking price as it needed a few things doing.

Mine was a bargain price, but it's a CAT D that hasn't yet been repaired. The damage is only light panel damage and is mainly to the rear passenger door. I have since paid Â£50 for a (near mint) 2006 X5 Door in Silver complete with glass which I hopefully will be fitting this weekend.

One of my neighbours (who I have never even spoken to before) with a 2005 Grey X5 SE saw me messing about with the car earlier on my driveway and came over to ask me what I was up to. When I told him how much I paid for the car his jaw dropped, he said he'd paid Â£11,000 more for his than I did for mine less than 6 months ago, and visually mine looks like a much better car.

(I guess it's all relative though as I picked up my X5 for a great price, but I had to practically give away my Fully Loaded E46 Sport Diesel Coupe to sell it)

Hopefully you will get lucky and end up with a great car, try the BCA Auction website below if you haven't already:

http://www.british-car-auctions.co.uk/

There were about 10 X5s on there when I last looked that all had great spec and looked like great cars. The only probelm is there is no guide price on any of them.

Good Luck

n1k85 · Post by **n1k85** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:33 am

Also just to add, Dont worry too much about finding one with Factory SAT NAV.

I've had factory BMW NAV in my 2003 Z4 and in my 2004 E46, and even with the latest updates and maps, its mediocre to say the least.

There have been some huge advances in that technology over the last 5 years and the factory Nav in the E53 etc is certainly nothing to rave above.

Outdated Graphics
Outdated User Interface
Outdated Postcode Entry (unless you use 'modified' maps which can be ropey to say the least, trust me)
No Touch Screen
Very Slow
Hugely Expensive Maps (if you buy genuine ones)

A basic Â£75 TomTom is far superior, and if you also want to retro-fit TV/DVD/Bluetooth/iPod etc to the Nav screen (like I did in my 2004 3 series) you are looking at hundreds of pounds of hardware and wiring.

But these days you can buy a Dynavin/Hualingian unit that does all that and more, has touch screen technology etc etc etc for a few hundred pounds and also looks 'factory fit'. Your average person would never know it was an aftermarket unit.

LFP · Post by **LFP** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:20 am

Hi all

Bizarrely enough, the day before the auction I spotted an autotrader ad that was either new or I'd just missed (was going a bit X5 blind by that stage). Turned out to be a very good spec well looked after motor. Having seen what the smaller dealers (politely phrased) where asking for effectively really tatty cars, I jumped on it. Deal was done and I picked it up yesterday.

Bang on mileage and within a cats whisker of budget. I'm completely smitten with it - really chuffed. It rewarded this enthusiasm by the alarm going off all day. Courtesy of this forum, changed the bonnet switch and bingo! No more death stares from neighbours.

There's a few bits that need sorting but I love tinkering with cars so looking forward to it.....

Thanks for the replies, and a warm welcome.

n1k85 · Post by **n1k85** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:26 am

Congratulations

I got my bargain because it needed a few bits doing here and there, but like you, I love a good bit of tinkering and within a couple of weeks I've sorted 90% of the issues already. eBay is your friend

Get some pics up! (what colour/spec/options?)

Sanj · Post by **Sanj** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:23 am

Welcome LFP - you know the drill! Pics please! Well done on the find - anything else planned for the car? Or needs doing? Btw, how much was that bonnet switch?

dirtymonkey29 · Post by **dirtymonkey29** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 9:41 am

Well done.. So only a week or two without food and heating then... At least the weather is mild eh... Haha. What age/mileage/spec/colour etc

LFP · Post by **LFP** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 6:07 pm

Turns out the hardest thing was working out how to upload a photo!

Fingers crossed that works

It's a 2004 3.0D Sport auto with 80k and a full BMW s/h. Dark metallic grey with privacy glass, black interior with silver inserts. All the usual bits inc heated seats, tyre pressure thing (technical term there), sat nav, panoramic sun roof and basically lots of buttons.

The main thing is that it feels looked after. The drivers seat bolster hasn't collapsed, the steering wheel still has black on it and the body work is nigh on perfect.

There's a couple of things that need attention;

Sat nav - doesn't read discs. I've purchased a new laser unit and look forward to fitting that soon/soldering my hand to the circuit board. Excellent guide on this process on the interweb somewhere.

Cd changer - reads no discs and doesn't eject magazine. Interestingly, the changer unit makes no noise when you press the eject button. Makes me think it's more than the lubrication issue that seems to plague these. I've disconnected it, then reconnected an hour later and no change. I now intend to take it out and open it up, then stare blankly at the internals before giving up. There's a place nearby that claims to refurb these for Â£50.

Alarm fault. Alarm kept going off and google nearly exploded when I searched this one. Turns out every man and his dog has replaced the bonnet switch on their x5 which makes me think bmw should include a spare one in the asking price when you buy the car in the first place. Went to BMW nine elms but they didn't have one in stock so quick drive to their battersea yielded results. Â£10.75 and free tea and coffee while you wait. At nine elms they made me sit down and read the paper before getting the parts chap to come out and talk to me. I nearly ran out screaming. A far cry from the grotty parts desk with the chain smoking tea drinking grumpy staff member that only talks in parts numbers that I'm used to. Literally looks like a big button, pull the plug off the side and lift the unit out. Simples. This seems to have fixed it.

Service - needs inspection 2. When the only remaining green light goes out, it's service time! Also needs a brake fluid change. According to who you ask, insp2 doesn't exist. Regardless, it needs to go to the garage soon. Spoke to BMW, local independent in south west London and bw chip tune to get an idea of costs. Interestingly, not a huge amount in it cost wise. As an aside, I was very impressed with the bw chip tune chaps who made a point of stating that their service was likely to be more comprehensive than a main dealer and that they generally dealt with their customers cars how they would treat their own. Nice to hear.

Split tailgate is a bit iffy. The internal release button infront of the gear lever results in the upper tailgate releasing but the servo carries on working. Stops when you lift the boot lid but obviously something not quite as it should be. Need to look at this a bit closer and not a priority at the moment. Works fine on key remote Tailgate lower needs to be closed firmly, not quite slammed, but won't lock when closed with normal force. This irritates me a disproportionate amount and is hopefully an adjustment rather than anything more.

There's a bit of work to be done but that's how I could afford it.

Lots to start playing around with! Drives like a dream, auto gear box smooth as silk and the mirrors fold in on demand. What more could one want?

I've got a lot of questions but I'll try and find the appropriate place to post them on this forum.

dirtymonkey29 · Post by **dirtymonkey29** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 6:47 pm

BwChiptune is a member on here who is highly regarded, (jason@bwchiptune) your lucky enough to have him on your doorstep, if I was closer he would deffo be my independent specialist although I try and do as much as I possibly can myself. I will be using Jason (bw Chiptune) to remap my car ASAP.

x555 · Post by **x555** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 7:53 pm

Hi and welcome along

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