New Member, so much to learn

[treimche]

New here. Picked up this 2012 X5 Xdrive 35i a few weeks ago and already loving it. This is my first BMW so there are a lot of new things versus other vehicles I've owned. I'm cursed with a problem that I can't leave vehicles alone, so I will be fixing all of the annoying issues and probably doing some simple mods to the vehicle as well.

What I know I need to replace/fix:
Sun shade fabric falling off
Front strut insulators causing clunking over small bumps (probably just do the rears too)
There's a weird squeak sound coming from the rear of the vehicle when turning right at slow parking lot speeds so I need to figure this one out still
Replace all of the broken engine bay partition plastics and wiper cowling plastics
Air filter and cabin filters
All 3 wiper blades
Driver's door handle with comfort access is dead
Missing BMW badge on rear hatch and engine cover
Need a second key fob
Fix some small dents and paint chips, fix faded paint on front fenders

Planned modifications/additions:
Aftermarket remote start
Tint front 3 windows
Add OEM BMW trailer wiring
Probably add 1" or 1.2" lowering springs while the suspension is apart
I'd like to code some options for the vehicle but have no idea where to start


Considering second hand parts before buying new, so let me know if you have any of these: drivers door handle with comfort access, drivers outer tail light, OEM BMW trailer wiring, BMW badge for the rear hatch, BMW badge for the engine cover.

[jbash87]

Originally Posted by treimche

New Member, so much to learn

You ain't kidding!

Welcome to the wonderful world of BMW ownership! You'll now be forever ruined because any other car you drive will not be a BMW. Your S2000 will still be fun, don't worry about that

Originally Posted by treimche

I'm cursed with a problem that I can't leave vehicles alone, so I will be fixing all of the annoying issues and probably doing some simple mods to the vehicle as well.

Good. You sound like the proper person to own an aging E-Chassis. They are phenomenal cars but they will offer the occasional headache. And be prepared for the BMW tax. Parts are going to be more expensive than other cars, but don't be tempted to cheap out. Stick to OE or OEM for the important things. For the less important things, e.g. badges and such, you'll find a bunch of half way decent stuff on ebay or even amazon.

For parts use realoem.com to verify part numbers and anything that is consumable check out FCPeuro.com. They offer free replacements for life. I've been using them for oil changes and known maintenance items. Don't even bother with ECS. They are a mess right now.
rockauto is also great, but for anything that is BMW only there are plenty of online dealers that have pretty damn good pricing.

DIY and PM are your best friends for keeping this car on the road for a long long time.

Only use BMW coolant. Don't bother with anything else. As for oil. It doesn't matter. Use the proper synthetic oil weight BMW recommends for your climate, change it regularly (<10k mile intervals, I use 5k because it's easy to remember) and don't worry about what anyone's grandpappy swears by.

Get yourself set up with the Bimmergeeks tools on a windows laptop and a good K+DCAN cable. many folks swear by the cable from bimmergeeks but I've had luck with the cheap amazon version. Keep the switch all the way to the left for your car.
https://www.amazon.com/Taotao-FT232R...zcF9hdGY&psc=1
This will get your coding and diagnostic journey started. There is a HUGE amount of information out there for basic stuff and how to use the software but it takes time to learn and feel comfortable with it. If you have questions, google is a great resource. Using "site:xbimmers.com" + "your search query" will be far faster than asking here or even searching here. Unfortunately there are MANY sites where all the information is disseminated. So you may have to search w/o the "site:" portion first, then you can use it narrow down your search.

I'll PM you for the harder to find software.

Grab an extra ignition coil and at least 1L of oil to keep in the car at all times. These cars consume oil regularly (I only owned an N55 for a few months so I never had to worry about it, but I'd imagine it is similar to its predecessors), and coils are a maintenance item that will fail w/o warning.

How many miles on the car?

Enjoy!

[Daytonawim]

Welcome again

I also recently bought an 3.5i from dec 2012, also learning fast from the forums.

Another tip, check the front of the Engine and quality of the belt, if the Engine is dirty (dirt like’s to stick on oil ) you could have a probleem with the oilfilter housing gasket ( OFHG) it’s not to difficult to fix. If you don’t fix it, you can get a whole lot of serious problems.

Have some gun with your car!

[Dekero]

Absolutely the first thing you need to do is fix the engine partitions... The water will destroy cylinder 5/6 coils/plugs and most importantly will cause your injector to rust into place and seize.... Do that repair NOW

[JokerElite]

Originally Posted by Dekero

Absolutely the first thing you need to do is fix the engine partitions... The water will destroy cylinder 5/6 coils/plugs and most importantly will cause your injector to rust into place and seize.... Do that repair NOW

I second this. The center partition has been redesigned to include flaps that guide water away from the gaps where it meets the side partitions.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...er-51717169421

You can go aftermarket for the side ones to save some money.