I want to buy a 2001/02 - 2004 X5 next month and really need some advice please!

[Raj]

Hi Sally.

Welcome and some questions you've raised.

Tbh most have been answered superbly and will help you find the right X5.

I'll just add that it would be better advised (as others have said) to get a facelift for sure. Stretching to an AUC dealer car will be a struggle with your budget but you certainly can add the BMW insured warranty. The vehicle does have to have full BMW service history and they simply state it will not cover any pre-existing issues. I bought my 4.8 from an independant dealer and added the BMW warranty. You can vary the excess and pay in a lump sum or monthly.

If definitely looking to LPG a petrol variant then personally look to a 4.8, reason being they are generally very well maintained and are hugely specced due to the nature of what they are. Consumption won't be much different to the 4.4's, etc.

[AW8]

Lot's of sensible questions being asked & well answered above so hopefully I won't repeat or contradict others......................too much

One thought re LPG. Make sure you have enough local suppliers near home or on regular route(s) as many forecourts don't keep it. Prices can also vary as with other fuels.

Back to hypothetical discussions of buying a car with faults. As prior stated re dealer & trader sales, (not private or sold as seen at auction).......Under the Sale of Goods Act any defect found within 6 months from point of sale shall be deemed to have been present at time of sale & onus is on seller to prove otherwise. Sounds ideal however chances are wise traders get you to sign a document saying you have had full opportunity to test and examine the car and that it is serviceable with all components/items working at point of sale. This makes it hard for you to agrue a fault found to be failing later was defective at point of sale. Your rights or course are just that rights and specificlally your right to take the seller to small claims court in any event you felt confident in winning a claim. That legal process in itself not over complicated, however, in event of any settlement in your favour then any award would be offset so as to allow for age/mileage of the car & perhaps any betterment advantage you may have gained.  If a component  is expected to last 100k & you buy a car with 70k then it could be argued it's unfair for you to get a component free of charge that will cover another 100k when non premature failure would have only given you a likely 30k in normal used use.

In reality some traders will hope seller is uneducated re consumer law & simply tell seller to contact the warranty provider if a product was sold with the car as part of the final price or additionally by the trader.

Some will honour genuine problems but many will refer you to small print or point you at the warranty product pushed your way, (you do not have to take their warranty albeit many wont let car go without same as they are mindful of potential costs if they honour sale of goods act rights of sellers).

2 weeks after sale I went back to my trade seller, (car bought via same & without warranty), re a defective folding mirror. Needless to say the trader wasnt interested & reminded me I had checked everything when I purchased. I let it go & sorted matters by other another method.


As for "no cover" condition for specified period after inception as required by 3rd party warranty providers do bear in mind that they may ask the date a fault 1st ocured or was 1st known to you. If this is before the specified non claimable period and you teli them this then they wont cover any claim for same failure even if you wait out the non claimable period before claiming.

Hypothetically speaking ....If a warranty customer stated that a failure occured later than they knew it actually did & the warranty provider learned of this, (maybe from date specific diagnostic data or significant discrepancy),  then the customer could end up with significant consequntial issues in worst case scenario. It is reasonable to speculate that folk with contrversial claims probaly avoid discussing same on forums

Maybe give rough idea of location. Other members might just be able to look at cars if time permits & if near to them albeit the best could miss something later found to be significant.... Might cost you a couple of beer tokens

As for an AA Inspection they will report on visible or found defects but as stated it wont cover diagnostic and fault codes. Similalry it won't show intermitent faults or a badly worn auto box component same noticeable when driven or visually inspected externally & underside.

Now then - If I see the perfect LPG converted 4.4i facelift I will certainly let you know

[sallyjc]

Hi Raj, Re. BMW Insured Warranty, I received an email this morning from BMW saying that FSH is required but that it can be from an Independent garage/BMW Specialist just as long as BMW approved parts and the correct oil have been used. Not sure I can afford a 4.8 though

Hi AW8, honesty of course is the best policy to avoid any “consequential issues”. And this is what I will do. However I will still run my existing 318 for a month just in case any completely new faults arise. Once I have bought the X5 I will provide some photos. Thanks to everybody who has helped me. The quality of the advice has been incredible!

Best wishes,

Sally

[Raj]

[quote="sallyjc"]
Hi Raj, Re. BMW Insured Warranty, I received an email this morning from BMW saying that FSH is required but that it can be from an Independent garage/BMW Specialist just as long as BMW approved parts and the correct oil have been used. Not sure I can afford a 4.8 though

[/quote]

You'll need old receipts though to prove OE parts were used for servicing, etc otherwise at the first sign they'll try to work out of a claim.

How about something like THIS

Full main dealer history and being the 4.6 fairly well specced really.

[Raj]

Who says you can't have what you'd like: 4.8is

Haggle them down on the price...

[sallyjc]

Hi Raj, thanks for the advice. Perhaps a full BMW service history would be safer if I decide on the BMW Warranty. Thanks for the links. I still have to work out the difference (if any) in insurance costs between the 3L and the V8’s. A job for this afternoon I think in the garden with the laptop!

On the subject of Warranty I would really appreciate some advice regarding the following info I have just received:

a) BMW Insured Warranty, 2001-2006 X5 (any model), under 60k
(i) Comprehensive: £1,071 (basic package, £0 excess).
(ii) Named Component: £880 (basic package, £0 excess).

b) BMW Insured Warranty, 2001-2006 X5 (any model), 60-100k
(iii) Comprehensive: £1,734 (basic package, £0 excess).
(iv) Named Component: £1,410 (basic package, £0 excess).

c) Warranty Direct, 2001-2006 X5 (any model)
(v) 50-62k £510 Independent Garage, £715 Franchised Dealer
(vi) 62-120k £550 Independent Garage, £715 Franchised Dealer

I have read that in most cases BMW Warranty will not quibble over the repair. This sounds good. However I obviously prefer the prices of Warranty Direct. Assuming I am lucky and don’t buy a “shocker”, and I have it serviced exactly to the manufacturer’s requirements and in a way that pleases Warranty Direct (serviced by BMW perhaps?), are there any circumstances in which Warranty Direct could refuse to pay out? Because if not, Warranty Direct may be the better option? Also, could somebody please explain the difference between the “Independent Garage” and “Franchised Dealer” prices. I will of course call Warranty Direct but I like having the answer on the computer so I can read it 3 times!

By the way I can comfortably afford an X5, I just don’t want to pay more than I need to whether it’s for the car or the warranty. Too many bells and whistles, V8 growl, 2 seconds quicker 0-60mph etc are not important to me!

Thanks again.

[Raj]

[quote="sallyjc"]
Hi Raj, thanks for the advice. Perhaps a full BMW service history would be safer if I decide on the BMW Warranty. Thanks for the links. I still have to work out the difference (if any) in insurance costs between the 3L and the V8’s. A job for this afternoon I think in the garden with the laptop!

On the subject of Warranty I would really appreciate some advice regarding the following info I have just received:

a) BMW Insured Warranty, 2001-2006 X5 (any model), under 60k
(i) Comprehensive: £1,071 (basic package, £0 excess).
(ii) Named Component: £880 (basic package, £0 excess).

b) BMW Insured Warranty, 2001-2006 X5 (any model), 60-100k
(iii) Comprehensive: £1,734 (basic package, £0 excess).
(iv) Named Component: £1,410 (basic package, £0 excess).

c) Warranty Direct, 2001-2006 X5 (any model)
(v) 50-62k £510 Independent Garage, £715 Franchised Dealer
(vi) 62-120k £550 Independent Garage, £715 Franchised Dealer

I have read that in most cases BMW Warranty will not quibble over the repair. This sounds good. However I obviously prefer the prices of Warranty Direct. Assuming I am lucky and don’t buy a “shocker”, and I have it serviced exactly to the manufacturer’s requirements and in a way that pleases Warranty Direct (serviced by BMW perhaps?), are there any circumstances in which Warranty Direct could refuse to pay out? Because if not, Warranty Direct may be the better option? Also, could somebody please explain the difference between the “Independent Garage” and “Franchised Dealer” prices. I will of course call Warranty Direct but I like having the answer on the computer so I can read it 3 times!

By the way I can comfortably afford an X5, I just don’t want to pay more than I need to whether it’s for the car or the warranty. Too many bells and whistles, V8 growl, 2 seconds quicker 0-60mph etc are not important to me!

Thanks again.
[/quote]

Regarding the warranty, obviously BMW is better for 'less' quibble rectification and roadside assistance, etc.

HERE are some of the posts when I asked about WD. Interesting and tbh put me off going with them.

The difference in price from WD is that the franchised dealer figure means you can get the warranty work done at BMW dealer as opposed to an independant garage as you're covered for the higher labour rates, etc.

Oh and if not keen on the V8's then a possible candidate for you.

[X5Sport]

Only if WD Approve can you get the work done at a Dealer.  They can refuse to play, and have a habit of quibbling.

[DougieV8]

I was having same consideration last year and purchased a 2002 52 4.4i Sport.

My considerations at time - I had noted little difference in running costs between the 3.0 and 4.4 petrol, the 3.0 diesel was not worth the extra purchase price for the improved mpg and noted turbo issues.
From parkers.co.uk - Sport Auto - 3.0 petrol 21 mpg, 4.4 petrol 20mpg, 3.0 diesel 29mpg.
I was also worried about the 3.0 petrol engine performance in such a big car.

I ran my car for 6 months then got it LPG converted at one of these "do it in a day places" - Shock horror! Ignore what others say about this unless they have experience of an actual conversion. My car was converted professionally by an able team of gentlemen who do this every day - Not just a side line.

I have a 85 litre tank where spare wheel was and can fill this to around 75 litre capacity (space required for expansion) - I get between 280 and 300 miles from this at less than £50 fill (64.9p/litre), the engine starts on petrol before auto switch over at 45 degrees so around £10 petrol required per LPG tank. I do a lot of short journeys so could be better for others - £60 does me around 290 miles - This therefore works out at slightly better running costs than the diesel. I have done around 4000 miles in the last 3 months since conversion - Smooth and trouble free

The big V8 is a very reliable engine and more than capable of pulling the big X5 around.

[sallyjc]

Thanks for the Warranty links. After reading everything it has to be BMW Insured Warranty for me. £99 a month for total peace of mind.

[sallyjc]

Actually I have had another thought. If I do not opt for the BMW recovery option and God forbid I break down (I have never broken down before or had a puncture), if the AA (who I am currently with) carry out an emergency repair, am I endangering my BMW Insured Warranty?

[sallyjc]

Why are there so many X5's on Autotrader with exactly 100k mileage or 99k? Is this because BMW won't offer a warranty over 100k? Or is it just a coincidence that there are so many?

[DougieV8]

Probably just that 100k thing that people have in the head and want to change. More than capable of that again and more!

Mine has got 96k miles at present - make me an offer

[sallyjc]

I see, thanks.

I have also thought of another question (my head is spinning today). If I secure the BMW Insured Warranty and a few months later want the LPG conversion, will BMW still honour the warranty if I need to claim? And will my local dealership continue to service it??

I will email BMW Warranty tomorrow but in the meantime I was wondering if anybody on this website knew the answers.

Thank you again.

[DougieV8]

Not sure about warranty, was wondering the same re lpg?

Heres a nice one ready done -

http://m.gumtree.com/bmw-x5-4-4l-lpg/v? ... bmw-x5-lpg