Quote:
Originally Posted by Sigs
Ola,
Recently purchased a 2009 X5 with 49k miles on it. Looked to be dealer maintained (Carfax) and assumed based upon ownership (original owners in NY) it was used as the car for a vacation home in N.C. Called and spoke with the dealership and the statement was their mechanic had 5+ years experience with BMW's (most cars on the lot are BMW) and had brought the car up to date with recalls.
Based on this, I decided to bite the bullet, fly down to drive it back (about 700 miles). No issues driving back but after a week had "low oil level" notification which I figured to be a bad sensor. Gave the car to my best friend who knows Audi's in and out (20+yrs) and he was appalled at the leaks this car had. As he is not well versed in BMWs took it took a local Indie shop known for their excellence and received the following
($1700)
Oil pan gasket leaking heavily. Recommend to remove and reseal oil pan.
($500)
Valve cover leaking - previously sealed with incorrect sealant. Recommend to remove and reseal and possibly replace valve cover.
($900)
Radiator leaking on bottom driver side recommend to replace.
($3600)
Power steering system is contaminated with incorrect fluid. Will need to replace the reservoir, pump, and possibly lines as well as rack if not already damaged. (will incorrect fluid for 1-1.5k miles do this?)
($275)
Rear Stabilizer Links are cracked and rotted. Recommend to replace (No worries Expected)
Based upon the estimate, and the experienced opinion of these techs it looks like the dealership mechanic didn't know what he was doing and used incompatible materials, which is unfortunate to say the least as I would have been better off if they left it as it was.
All in all for the above they want about 7.1k for the above. I am looking at what I can do to mitigate this as I didn't expect to pay another %40 after purchasing the car to get it up to speed but wanted to ask the community for your opinions..
Any help is appreciated, thankfully I still have another vehicle...
Sigs
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EDIT: Just realized you didn't say you had a M, so if your X5 is not an M or 50i then ignore everything below save for the part about the power steering pump if your X5 is equipped with active suspension.
Hmmm, seeing some red flags here...Think its best you get a second opinion.
For starters, valve covers on the s63/n63 engines dont use sealant, they are a complicated design and have a intricate nitrile gasket that runs inside it's edges. So for a shop to say it used the wrong sealent is fishy.....just needs the new gasket. Make sure they replace the high pressure fuel pump gasket too as it's separate and connects to the valve cover. 500 is a fair price, it's alot of work to pull the valve cover on these engines
Oil pan gasket - how bad is the leak? Unless you have a puddle under the truck each night, Your oil usage is most likely from Worn valve seals, a known issue on these engines. Burning a quart every 1200 to 1500 miles is considered normal believe it or not...
Radiator leak - definitely have this one double checked, the M is a complicated machine, there are three separate radiators on the driver's side (aux intercooler, main, and aux engine) not to mention enough hoses to get to moon and back. Most likely a cracked hose then a radiator, especially since so few miles but it's 11 years old...my bet would be dried out rubber vs cracked aluminum.
Power steering pump - have it flushed and filled with correct fluid. Make sure you are at a shop that really knows the e70 M as your power steering pump also feeds the hydraulic active sway bars which requires a special bleed procedure and reset (funny to watch, you truck will sway from side to side while it does the reset/calibration, looks like it's possessed). Then if you still have issues have it replaced, worth the 300 to flush and see how it drives vs 3600 that might not be necessary.