Afternoon All - Newbie, Getting ready E53 4.8is purchase

[Matt007]

Hi All,

Just got joined up a while ago - was advised to come on over for true X advice as I am looking to buy a X5 4.8is fairly soon.

I have a really short commute to work, so am currently running an excellent and reliable daily car - but, I have been very patient, tried to put it off, but I cannot any longer...I need something cool, with some power for longer trips, weekends, and outings  .

Came very close to getting a 4.6is a few years back, but ended up going for a RR TD6 Vogue, which was a lovely car, but lacking in the performance department.  )

Ideally, I will be looking for a late 4.8is 55/06. I am not 100% ruling out the 4.6is, and they are still a really nice car, but understand the 6 speed in the 4.8 is a little better, as well as other improvments made from 2004 onwards.

So, I was really hoping for some advice so I  can enjoy a 4.8is, and not having a car which ends up stressing me out, or becoming a headache! Here is what I know so far - and plese feel free to correct me!

- Gearbox's ideally need a fluid change before 100k, and boxes can get weak past this
- Engines are strong if serviced, but look for smoke on start up (A little vauge, I know...)
- Pan Roofs are prone to problems
- Check TV is updated to digitial, and update NAV maps
- Service history is essential (Should read: Oil, Insp1, Oil, Insp2)
- Tyres are £300 each
- Expect 12-18 MPG (All good fun, I am sure)
- Interior trim / particuarly steering wheels, can be a little flaky
- Watch for pixels out on the dash
- Air suspension compressor is prone to fault - £400 fix

The only other query I had was;

1) With regard to battery drain. On my RR, I had a really crap battery drain issue. You could hear a switch coming on after the car was switched off and then a buzzing, which, as it turned out, was draining the battery. http://www.rangerovers.net/forum/6-rang ... drain.html - Do the X5's suffer from any flat battery or drain issues if I leave it for a few days without starting?

2) Engine problems. Some say the BMW V8's are not as strong as one would think? I am not inclined to believe this, but have heard some reports of issues with valves and cylinder issues on the 4.8? This may well be the case of those people logging on to rant and promote their issues, rather than the 100's of people out there who have no issue at all, but either way, it would be good to know.

I will stop rambling on for now - thanks for listening.

Any advice or thoughts would be welcome, speak soon all!

Cheers,
Matt

[Lee4.8is]

Hello & welcome  it's looks like you have really done your homework on them, they are a cracking piece of kit & the engine sounds awesome too, fuel is a slight sticking point but when I had mine I was doing a 44 mile a day commute & at 12mpg it wore me down!

Good luck in your search & I am sure the experts will help you with your questions, they are lovely & rare motors & I saw a Le Mans blue one like my old one this afternoon & I still look very fondly on them, a real beast of a car. 

[Whitey]

Hi and welcome , cracking Model and as all ready said engine sound awesome , better than the e70 4.8se I've just sold .

In fact I would say I preferred it over the e70 , mines was imola red very rare colour and stood out .
Battery drain I never had any problems and mine sat still sometimes 4-5 days at a time .
It's still going now it's local to me in the next village that's about prob 4-5 years maybe more ( memory shot lol)

[X5Sport]

Battery should last at least a couple of weeks of standing still (say in an Airport Car Park) and still start with no problem.  You can get issues as the batteries age, or if additional options have been fitted that are non-OEM and might cause a drain.

Hope the search turns up a good car for you.  And feel free to ask questions here.....plenty of 4.8 owners on the Board.

Not me though, always been in the 'oil burner' side of the team.

Richard

[CondorX5]

Welcome from another 4.8is owner.  Most of the comments you have researched apply to all E53's and make good sense.  I don't think the 4.8 engine is "weak" in any way, certainly the newer models 2005/6 do not suffer from the same porous block issues and head cracking issues of the P38 RR on which the X5 was modelled and whose heritage it shares. The biggest caveat with the 4.8 in my opinion is that it was a pricey, performance car when new and was always expensive to maintain and repair, so while the purchase price has crashed to fiesta levels these days the maintenance and fuel costs certainly have not, if anything the maintenance gets pricier as the cars get older!    I have owned mine for 3 years and love it - it was a one owner BMW AUC with only 24K on the clock when I bought it and most of the repairs have been covered by the warranty, which I have kept in place. 

Updating the TV tuner to a hybrid digital is extremely expensive albeit just plug and play. The 2005 /6 models should have hybrid digital, so just check that previous owners have not removed and sold it. Pano roof is a problem on all models, check it works as it is about £2K to replace!
Battery drain not usually an issue, if it happens it is usually the FSR which is easy and cheap to replace.
Tyres not necessarily £300 each, depends on size and type you want- I prefer Vredestein Sessanta on my summer wheels, they are around £200 each. Vredestein Wintracs on the winter set, £140 each.
Nav update is a DVD available from dealer , a lot of people moan about the nav being quite dated, but I still find it very useable. Dealer charges silly prices for DVD, OEM DVDs are available cheaper on ebay.

The 4.8 has lots of electronic options, check each and every one of them work and that the tow hitch is in the boot if you have that option in your intended purchase.  Also check the DSP amp works if you have that option. The pixel issue relates to all E53s and there is someone who repairs and updates these reliably, so not such an issue if a pixel or two are faulty.

The suspension is very complex as is the onboard computer system, check carefully for any faults that come up. Also check history and any other paperwork, I would not buy one of these with the service manuals etc "missing", although you can get some history from BMW if the car has been serviced in the dealer network.

I get around 21-24 mpg,  not sure why others get so little, I used to get the same with my P38 RR which was a 4.6 Vogue. 

Personally I would not go for the 4.6is, it is older than the 4.8is now and many of them have been abused and neglected by latter owners, they have a tyre monitoring system which is expensive to maintain and I think the 4.8 engine is the pick of the two, but that's just my opinion.

Happy hunting and be sure to let us know when you find one- pics are obligatory!

[ChrisLux]

Welcome to the forum Matt

4.8iS is cracking piece of kit , I had use of one for 2wks and loved it (appart the fuel bill!!)

The engines were designed and made by Alpina , and I have the 'junior' version in my B8 .
The original head gaskets were weak on 4.6 but that's rectified on the 4.8 .
The cooling system was always something to be watched on the B8/B10's but on the X5 is
OK . They're prone to oil leaks , but otherwise lovely , smooth and powerful .

Good luck

[Matt007]

Thanks for the replies - really helpful!

Condor - Would you mind sharing a few of the example of repair you have seen with your 4.8 and the typical cost? I may persure a warranty myself - I understand BMW rarely take a 4.8 into stock at main dealers now (but had loads avaliable about a year ago  :blink:), so would need to look for another warranty company I guess.

Good news on the tyre prices maybe being a little more reasonable, and also on battery drain if left for a few days.

Also very useful info on TV tuner - its unlikely I will use it often, but I do like things to be all ship shape rather than having an issue with something!

Insurance quotes are coming back between 800-1000, which is not the end of the world 

Thanks again!
Matt

[Horizon]

Hi and welcome to the forum
If your buying a 4.8, make sure you have enough money left over to replace all the air suspension with coil overs.
The all round air suspension can be a PITA.
Good luck in your search

[blofeld]

I had both front air suspension struts replaced at the beginning of the year-think it was about 1300 in total (Indy) but I have a warranty direct warranty and they coughed up most of it. Worth getting for the peace of mind as as you say dealers are not stocking them anymore. The air is a pain when it goes.

You can get a BMW warranty (I think with mondial ?)  that is available as an aftermarket. https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk you can put your Reg in and get a quote. Quite pricey.

Anyway welcome. Plenty on here who can guide you. One of the best motor forums I have been on

Get the 4.8

I am spending 400 in petrol a month but I wouldn't have a different model X.....

[glmec]

Hi Matt and welcome.

Looks like you are already well up on the big potential issues (air suspension, pan roof, gearbox etc) the mention of checking the electrics is also good advice. Im on my 2nd X5 (4.8 e53) but my previous a 2002 3ltr sport did suffer badly with repeat electrical problems:- front and rear parking sensors, electric window motors, auto reverse wing mirror, pixel faults etc.

I do think sometimes its possible to scare yourself out of one of these but I choose to look at it differently. When the kids started to come along I bought a 1 yr old Renault mpv, suffered it for nearly 2 years lost 7.5k when I chopped it as well as spending a few quid on other non covered probs- it was todd and I hated that bus with a passion. Yours wont really depreciate so just tell yourself its cheap!!!!

My 4.8 has a comprehensive bmw service history- for me this had to be a must, only early 60k on the clock- mileage I would have been prepared to have gone a little higher so that was a bonus together with 10k worth of extras. It also had the bmw warranty which I elected not to maintain, simply because all the above mentioned biggies have been recently done with a new gearbox installed Feb this year under warranty at a cost of 5k so fingers crossed I should be good for a while. The cost of keeping the warranty going was something like £140pm which I save as a contingency to cover the bills as and when they come in.

When you get yours the engine noise, the available power together with what I still think is one of the best looking 4x4 you can buy will have you feeling great. Good luck

Cheers Gav.

[MrMaloo]

I bought a 4.8is in april. Love it! Also dont be put off models with a Pan roof - its a delightful extra especially when sun is out!!!

[CondorX5]

Matt, BMW don't supply invoices for work done under their warranty but I have always asked for pricing, so for example the oil cooler popped its clogs and was replaced at a cost of around £800 incl labour under the warranty,  I have had a new Bluetooth unit, around £300 I think, a new wing mirror motor cost around £700, gearbox oil seal replaced and fluid replaced, around £300,  parking sensors rear, around £300, pano roof repair kit around £300, split gaiters cv joints around £200, new alternator £750 and a few other bits and pieces I can't remember offhand.  Only thing I paid for was an engine mount which had deteriorated. One of the photochromic wing mirror glasses has become foggy, but warranty doe not want to pay for that (£300) and I have left it as is as its quite useable.
Insp 2 was quite pricey at over £400 but does not happen often - first one done recently at around 60000 miles. The warranty also includes BMW Emergency which are tons better than RAC /AA etc so I opted to keep them on when I continued with the extended warranty - its £100 a month in total for the warranty and BMW Emergency.

I guess Warranty Direct are a lot cheaper but they are very hard work if you ever need to claim, although probably the pick of aftermarket warranties.  They look for any and every reason to weasel out of paying a penny, so be prepared for a lot of arguing if you go down that route! 

To be fair, most of the "issues" are problems on ALL the E53 Xes, not just the 4.8. The electrical system is complex and therefore  can be a pain if things go wrong on all the Xes.  The engine is probably the least of the concerns! 

I bought mine from Hexagon in London, paid over the odds I expect, but it was the spec and colour I wanted and its been brilliant. Plus I didn't have to pay the £60K + that it cost when new!  Hexagon had loads of them still, until last year, so may be worth a check to see if they still want to get rid of a few, although I suspect they have been sent to auction by now as they are around 8 years old for the newer ones, so a bit old for the dealer network.

Just do your homework and check that everything works and adds up and the history is present- even phone BMW to get details of prior servicing and work done in dealer network - pay attention to electrics and toys especially, and error messages on OBD like the blessed suspension,which can be a complete expensive pain if it goes wrong,

Take the plunge when you find a good one and you will enjoy every minute - sometimes minor imperfections or known problems like the faulty pixel issue can be accepted as they are cheap to remedy and you can bargain a bit of the price down. Avoid the heavily modded blinged up trash out there though, a lot of these cars have had 5 or more owners, each with less sense than the one before, and there are some dreadful mods which are best avoided!!!   

[Nat]

Hi,

I am going to disagree with everyone. I had a 4.8iS for 3 and a bit years. It was the car that broke my heart. Great to look at , great noise, but as reliable as a broken watch. By a country mile the worst car I have ever had. In the end I hated it. Always wanted one and I spent a long time looking for one. I evebtually found one with the best spek I had ever seen. Prior to that I ran a 2002 E53 4.4 Sport. I regret ever selling that car. I am fastidious about my cars and I can tell you I spent over £20 K over 3 years maintaining it. Furthermore dealers seem to have trouble fixing these cars the first time. My wife was utterly fed up with it. In the end it went to a fellow member on here and all I can say is aside from the engine, everything else had been replaced, so i sincerely hope it is now behaving itself. Honestly I wouldnt bother.

[Matt007]

Thanks so much for the excellent responses.

I am not too scared...yet  , but, 5k for a gearbox replacement does get my worry cogs turning! The boxes claimed to be sealed for life, but I understand a flush and oil change before 80k can do the world of good.

Have not had much joy with warrantys in the past, but understand warranty direct can be good. Other than that, I could get a quote on a BMW warranty, but presume they would do an inspection of the car and inssist on a full BMW SH for issuing a warranty.

With this, I think a good move would be to look for a low mileage example. With no more than 2 owners. I will set myself on BMW's website for a vechile alert - could get lucky? 

There was a private sale, black, 55 plate 1 owner with 33k advertised the other week for 13k - missed that one... )

[X5Sport]

£5k might a BMW price!!  My rebuild in my 2005 3.0d (same box as the 4.8 because of the torque) was £2,200.

I was very unlucky with mine - and like Nat's it was also the worst car I have ever owned for reliability.  There was always something going wrong somewhere - usually minor - and the Dealers were clueless about finding the problem first time (and frequently second or third time).  Of course whilst under warranty that was no issue, but once out of warranty I was very glad to have Warranty Direct cover as the Dealer charges were excessive.  I did take the line though that if they didn't fix it then I didn't pay.

But it handled extremely well and drove superbly when it was working - which was most of the time.

Richard