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BMW X5 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • cefuscefus Member Posts: 45
    take your dvd with you, when you go to the dealer and see if they can get it to play.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You didn't mention the year of your vehicle.

    Visiting Host
  • kris2kris2 Member Posts: 51
    Hi Group,

    I am new to BMW and this group with the purchase of a 2005 3.0 X5. The dealer has not yet given me all the manuals as we closed the deal late saturday night. I am wondering if someone can let me know if there is a lock on the steering wheel adjustment. I try the lever that is supposed to work but it does not tilt or telescope, maybe it is not working or maybe it has been locked with the seat adjustment, I am not sure and wanted to check. I tried looking at the manual online but did not figure it out. I will be seeing the dealer tomorrow but any help meanwhile is much appreciated.

    Thanks in advance
  • quattroporte12quattroporte12 Member Posts: 178
    Please help me!!! Convinced it could go offroad, i took my x5 up and down some steep dirt hills in my area to test out the hill descent, and at the bottom were some HUGE potholes that were impossible to get around. when i went through them, i could feel the bottom hit the ground and a huge THUD. now, whenever i accelerate moderatley (pedal atleast half in) there is definate reverberation felt through the gas pedal and a noise in the in the engine or exhaust or somewhere when i accelerate (i have a 4.4i by the way, 2004) that definatley wasnt there before, it used to run much more smoothly. Please help!! Have i just completeley ruined my car, or has something just come loose?!?!?! I looked at the undercarriage and couldnt see any damage, so now im freaking out because i JUST bought the car. Please, if anyone has any idea what might have happened to my car please help!
    Thanks so much!!
  • mrb5mrb5 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 X5 due for the 100k service. Dealer is talking about $900.00 to get it done, that seems high. Does that sound correct?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The Edmunds Maintenance Guide will tell you what BMW says should be done and what it should cost in your zip code.

    The dealer probably is suggesting that more services be done, and you may decide some of them are worth it - just keep in mind that upselling on scheduled maintenance is a big profit center for the dealer.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You might have bent a wheel or an axle shaft. Needs to go on a lift to see what's what.

    If there are optional skid plates for your car, I'd get 'em if you plan more offroad adventures.

    Visiting Host
  • sherigsherig Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone any knowledge of fires in a 2004 X5? (or other years/models) I had the LCM Module replaced twice within weeks to correct lights not working after strong burning smell. Service report says "Internal short circuit in lamp control module". About 2 weeks after the second replacement - the car caught fire with the engine off and key out as well as lights off. The alarm went off 3 times before the fire started. BMW is sending an investigator to determine cause yet keep inferring the fire may not be related to part. Can you give me any information?
  • lilorphanannielilorphanannie Member Posts: 3
    Hi All -
    The engine oil level on my 2008 X5 4.8 is low and I've read that BMW prefers Castrol. A search in the BMW manual and online showed SAE grade 5W-30 is preferred and/or approved. But when I got to the auto shop the attendants said that 5W-30 may not be thin enough for 08 X5 and suggested 0W-40.

    Which do I go with? There's 7928 miles on the car and I'll be adding another 800 miles or so with a trip to Northern California and I haven't yet taken the car in for service. The BMW sales guy told me the car would indicate when it needed service, but I'm skeptical about this too.

    Any feedback appreciated, thanks!
  • coupedncalcoupedncal Member Posts: 252
    Why not stop by your dealer and they will top off per manufacturer recommendation? You have already paid for free maint. on this car so why not let them worry about it?
  • cgartmancgartman Member Posts: 2
    We just started to hear a low level thumping when we are making left turns. It is coming from the left front and only when making left turns. Thinking it might have to do with the CV joint. Any ideas where I should start looking?
  • lilorphanannielilorphanannie Member Posts: 3
    Huh. Who'd've thunk going back to the dealer?! Dur! :P Thanks!

    But just to satisfy my curiosity still, which one: 5W-30 or 0W-40?
  • coupedncalcoupedncal Member Posts: 252
    I am sure your owners manual has this info. Look it up there and let us know as well. :) I am betting it is 0 weight.
  • lilorphanannielilorphanannie Member Posts: 3
    According to the BMW manual:
    "Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center will be happy to answer detailed questions on BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil or approved synthetic oils.

    You can also call BMW of North America at 1-800-831-1117 or visit their website at www.bmwusa.com to obtain this information."

    AND

    "Viscosity grades
    Viscosity is a measure of an oil's flow rating and is specified in SAE grades. The choice of right SAE grade is based on the climatic conditions in the region in which you normally drive your BMW.

    Approved oils belong to the SAE grades 5W-40 and 5W-30.

    These oils can be used for driving at all outside temperatures."

    What a bit of reading turns up! No mention on 0 grade though.
  • westindianwestindian Member Posts: 25
    Hi There,
    I have a 2005 X5 w/ 27900 miles that will be going out of warranty due to age in Dec. 2008, All service records are present and have been done on schedule. Does anyone know what pricing is for the extended warranty for an extra 2 years and xxxxx miles??

    Your advice is much appreciated,

    Wayne
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    My 2001 X5 was out of warranty in 2005. Back then, if I remember correctly, the warranty was $2,200/yr, and the coverage was not good. So, I did not buy.
  • quattroporte12quattroporte12 Member Posts: 178
    Hi i have an x5 4.4i, 2004.
    I noticed a couple of days ago that the gas comsumption has significantly gotten worse, as i was using up almost a quarter of a tank in a day (around 30-40 miles of driving) and usually i can get like 400-450 from a tank. (and it wasnt like i was flooring it the whole time either) Then, when i went to fill it up yesterday, i was expecting to see a range of about 480 for the car, as i had EMPTIED the tank, including the reserve that doesnt show up on the gas meter. Instead, it said 365. I usually put in plus, and think its dumb to put regular in a bmw (always telling my parents not to) but the price difference was almost 30 cents so i went for the regular. As soon as i began to drive, under acceleration the car would shudder and studder, and the engine was running very roughly, and maybe 10 seconds later the service engine soon light came on and was flashing. I pulled over for maybe 5 minutes, and then kept going and after that nothing has happened so far. I'm really worried about something being wrong because im pretty sure the regular gas didnt have anything to do with it, a mercedes dealer in our area puts regular in their cars and they run fine, just dont perform as well. Does anyone have any idea why that would have happened, and why the gas milage has dropped so badly? Do you think there could be a leak in the gas tank or in a gas line or something?
    Thanks so muchh
  • dromdrom Member Posts: 1
    My wife's 2004 X5 caught fire last week for what I believe to be the exact same reason. The front right turn-signal was stuck on and my wife said that she noticed a burning smell. She parked the car, and went into her office. Within 30 minutes, the underside of the dash was on fire. Fortunately, the fire dept. got to it before the fire spread. Sometime within the last year or so, the front right turn-signal was stuck on and BMW replaced the LCM under warranty. I believe that the same part went bad and now, 15k miles out of warranty, caused the fire. Additionally, the alarm sounded, the hood popped open, and three airbags were deployed. If my insurance company does not cover the damage fully, we are going to go straight to BMW NA for some restitution. Here is a link to another forum featuring X5 owners who had the same problem.
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    I have to admit that I am a high maintenance guy, so is my X5! Due to the prices, I tried regular unleaded 87, the first two week was OK, and then engine started to stall especially when you try to accelerate. Engine light comes on and off. The octan of 87 is too low to ignite in the engine. So, BMW designed this high maintenance engine, we have to feed it expensive food! I checked manual, the engine REQUIRES premium unleaded gas.
  • ajames9230ajames9230 Member Posts: 3
    hove can i reset the service engine light on my 2002 bmwx5
  • ajames9230ajames9230 Member Posts: 3
    HELLP whit reseting the service engine light on a 2002 bmwx5
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    On that car you will need the BMW SII (Service Interval Indicator) tool to reset the light.
  • postermikepostermike Member Posts: 28
    I'd like to hear from any 2007 or 2008 owners out there about any issues you've had with your X5. I'm getting ready to finalize negotiations with Chrysler on my '08 Commander to buy me out through lemon law.

    I've settled on the X5 and the Land Rover LR3. (Please, no replies about how different the vehicles are. My only concerns are luxury and how much I like the vehicle as I live in the city and don't off-road or tow.) I had an '06 X5 that I loved and never had an issue with but, since the LR3 now has an electric steering wheel adjustment, I'm torn between which one I like better. I get a good deal from BMW because of my relationship with them but one of my best friends runs the LR store just a mile from my office and I know I can get a good deal from him too and if I do have problems, it would be closer than the BMW store, which is about 5 miles away.

    I know everything about both vehicles as far as equipment, drive, capabilities, etc, however I haven't heard much about problems with the '08. I'm a 24 month leaser so I'm not really so worried about problems with 2 or 3 year old vehicles, just wondering if anyone out there has had initial problems, like I've had with my Commander since day one.

    Thanks, :)
  • stanton08stanton08 Member Posts: 5
    i just bought a new 2008 X5 recently, and i noticed that the steering wheel
    does not move up whenever enter the car any more. I can still adjust it with
    the switch, but it is very annoying that it stops working after just few drives?

    This seems to happen after a trip to the dealer to put on the leather/din-dan
    protection. Is there any one who has any idea what could go wrong?

    Thanks.
  • bmwx5guybmwx5guy Member Posts: 6
    Yes! This happened to me!

    What I discovered was that someone (probably the dealership) changed a setting on either the seat or steering wheel and now the car is not sure it's you.

    To fix it - I held the button on the seat that I had my setting stored into. In my case it was button "1" (there are two buttons, 1 and 2 - and a memory set button above them all). Once I did that - all was back to normal. I would assume that if you have not stored your settings in the memory - then if you set your steering wheel and then store it - it should start to work again.

    That's my 2 cents!
  • stanton08stanton08 Member Posts: 5
    Thanks a lot for the information!! I first tried to push the '1' memory button
    but nothing changed. Then I tried to save the current positions into '1', but
    still not work. I then tried to move the steering wheel up and down, adjust
    the seat back and forth, etc., then save --- and then it finally works. It seems
    that the memory was quite confused and all messed up. By the way,
    after this was fixed, i then noticed that my blue tooth phone setting was
    all gone!! I re-paired it over again, and finally everything seems to work....

    Thanks again -- it saves me a trip to the dealership.
  • 45514551 Member Posts: 1
    I have a BMW X5 3.0i and I am trying to replace the front axles. Could someone help me identify the size of the front axle nut socket?? Thanks
  • 6degrees6degrees Member Posts: 19
    I think it was due to the join is plastic. Anybody feels that?
  • 6degrees6degrees Member Posts: 19
    You will hear the click sound when you first step onto it. I took a look behind the pedal. The join is plastic. I think that is the problem and should be for all 2006 model. Is anybody botherd by that? Is there a way to eliminate the click sound? Can dealer fix it? Maybe applying some lubricant will take care of it?
  • yagit1yagit1 Member Posts: 11
    Hi! i always have this problem with my 2002 X5-the battery dies whenever i don't use my car-something's draining the battery -im going on vacation again for two weeks and im thinking of unplugging the battery while im away so the battery will not die...what disadvantage will it do to my car and will my car start as soon as i plug the battery back after two weeks...pls help...
  • dcnovadcnova Member Posts: 1
    Bought '09 X5 a few weeks ago, my brand new car left me stranded at airport the next day of the delivery, noticed white smoke come out of hood, had to have the car towed to the dealer's shop. Initially they told me that it's power steering problem will be fixed in a couple of days, then they told me that a technician from BMW NA is coming to evaluate the problem, now they tell me that, the parts have to arrive from Germany. It's been almost 3 weeks now, I can't help but wonder if the dealer/service telling me the real problem, oe did I purchase a lemon :cry:
  • MMsBMWMMsBMW Member Posts: 1
    Hi everyone, I just bought a used BMW X5 4.4i 2000 model SUV and the engine light shows. Before buying it I had it inspected by a proper BMW mechanic and one of the venting pipes at the back end of the engine had a hole - no big deal. After purchasing the X5 I had both of them changed and the engine system reset. The engine light dissapeared which was great but then after driving it for a day or so it showed again. I had it checked and this time the code indicated that there is a fuel and air mixture offset in the engine and that the gaskets need to be replaced and it's a big job. What should I do here, get it checked again or have the bolts tighten on the engine or have the gaskets replaced. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
  • x50825x50825 Member Posts: 1
    I too have an exact problem that you have described to a "T" during the rain for my 2004 X5. I took off the glove compartment to see where water leak was coming from. I could see water dripping from the top but I cannot see where it is coming up because there are too many things in the way to locate the source of the leak.

    I hope you have4 found the solution to the above. If you have, would you be so kind to share your resolution.
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    I found my 2001 X5 draining of the electrical system with car parked is 1.2 to 1.5 Amp, quite large as standby current. Battery dies when it is old or getting weak. I was able to park for 2 weeks during vacation, no problem. But when battery is weak, I needed to jump start the car if I do not drive for 2 days. Changing battery solves the problem. I am on my second battery since last year.

    I also found that each time after I jump start the car, the text display segments on instrument panel started to go out. The jump start may hurt the display control unit. Anyone knows what to do to correct the display problem?
  • xm0399xm0399 Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    I have the same issue when I accidentally refuel my X5 with regular unleaded and the engine running rough. So from that day, I am making sure that when I fill-up, it's the right gas. Also, don't forget to install the gas tank cap before to start the engine.
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    Since I changed my work, I do not drive my 2001 X5 every day (once/3-4 days), the battery died. I replaced the original battery. 2 months later, the new battery died. Then I got my third battery, it then died in 1 month. What appears to me is the following:

    1. The brand new battery is fully charged, and it takes a while to drain all the charge. So the first dying event occurs after 1 month.
    2. Since I do not drive much, even once 3-4 days, the battery can not be charged to full each time after driving.
    3. I measured the battery current drain (with all interior lights off and engine shut off). First minute turning off the engine, it is ~2 Amps. After 1 minute and on, it is 1.2 Amps. At 1.2 A of standby current, it may be too much for the battery.

    My question is that anyone knows is 1.2A current too much as standby current?

    Thanks, //leo
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Over a four day period, you're using up 1.2×96 = 115.2 amp-hours. Normal fully-charged car batteries have a capacity of about 100 amp-hours so, yes, that drain rate does seem excessive.

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    My understanding is that anything over 400 milliamps is going to cause trouble.
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    I checked another bulletin board, X5world, and found some people claim the sleep current should be 0.038 A. The car IS going into the sleep mode, but something else is draining too much current. Some suggests to pull out fuse to see which circuit is causing the excessive drain. I will do so and post the results later.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Do let us know what you find out!

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    My garage was hot for a few days. Today it was cool so the work continued.....

    I pulled out fuse #27 that shuts the interior lights off. I placed a meter between battery cable and the body chassis. After starting the car and let the battery to be charged for 10 minutes, I shut the engine off. I disconnected the battery connection to the body with the Amp meter intact. I then shut all doors. The current went down to 1.05A. After a minute, it went down to 0.52A. After 15 minutes, it went down to between 0.05-0.07A (flutuates) in sleep mode.

    I then retored fuse #27, turn ignition key to 1, 2. then off. Shut all doors. The current behaves the same way.

    Mysteriously, I do not see 1A sleep current anymore. All I did was (accidentally) disconnect and reconnect battery multiple times. All I can conclude is that something is not reliable, this problem may appear again someday.

    //leo
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    This is just a thought, but I suspect there is some kind of circuitry (electronic control module/light control module) that is failing to put the circuitry into sleep mode. The fix might be as "simple" as upgrading software or replacing the unit in question. Disconnecting the battery may have jolted the the control unit back into proper operation but if it happened once it can happen again.

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • brohunbrohun Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2007 X5 3.0. My check engine light came on at near 50k miles. The dealer 1st said it was a loose gas cap! the truck has been at the dealer 8 times with no fix yet. They replaced the gas cap, reprogramed the computer a couple of times and now BMW wants to test the gas tank and possible replace! I'm told that there are several other vehicles at my dealer with the same problem! Has anyone else had this problem?? Is there a fix?? :sick:
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    My 2001 X5 4.4 light would come on momentarily for no reason. Dealer said while filling the gas, I should have radio turned off. It does not sound intuitive! Dealer also changed the gas cap, the light still turns on momentarily.

    While gas price was high a year ago, I started to use regular unleaded 87 gas. The light stays on, until I changed to premium gas 91. I wonder if the light turns on because the octane level was low in the gas?
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    Since two years ago, my 2001 X5 started to loose columns in the dot matrix display. This includes display in the instrumentation panel, and the radio. A few columns are permanently gone and, a few columns would go on and off. Anyone knows how to resolve the problem?
  • hbustoshbustos Member Posts: 3
    I have the same exact issue, were you able to resolve the problem? Love to know what it was
    Regards
    H
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    Here is a reply I got from another website for your reference. I also did some online search, there seemed to be no easy fix.

    http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/x5-e53-forum/61652-dash-board-text-displa- y-has-missing-columns.html#post618511
  • hbustoshbustos Member Posts: 3
    Thank you. Did you jump start your car before this happened?
  • lion2000lion2000 Member Posts: 22
    Good point. Yes, this happened after I jump start the car. BMW manual had the instructions to prevent high voltage surge during jump by turning on lights and fan. This could be one of the consequences.

    One jump also caused my added CD player to fail, another caused my added subwoofer amp to fail. Note that my previous post on the sleep mode 1.2A leakage that started the whole event!

    My other thought is that the battery jump position is in the engine compartment, while the battery is in the rear trunk. The large surge current with the inductance of the wiring can cause the high voltage surge. I think the jump hook up should be to the battery in the rear trunk. A design issue!
  • hbustoshbustos Member Posts: 3
    That's it, but with all the engeneering that BMW has shouldn't the have thought about this potential issue? I heard that there may be a recall for this issue? Does anyone know? .

    Regarding the inductance of the long wire to the back is not it, I thought about that and I did the jump right at the battery.

    Anyway, if someone had the solution please le us know
    Thanks
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