X5D-bulletproofing vs extended warranty??

[wugambino]

Need a SAV. Looking at 11'/up

I'd like a diesel, but my luck says I'll end up running into problems(reason 50i is off my list. maybe)

...so warranty vs mod?
- what to you guys think of extended "warranty" for x5d's? ie which one will cover the common issues, or is there such thing?
- or find a good truck to bulletproof?
--what is the bulletproof checklist for these anyway? What kind of power can be reliably had with mods and tune?

I had to bulletproof my Ford F350 6.0L, and it was EXPENSIVE. ...but it's a beast now. Totally different truck.

[socale39]

The real question for a how much can the drivetrain handle. My understanding is that you can tune and mod these diesels to 600+ ft lbs of torque. Of course that means removing all the emissions hardware but it's an option.

I think the most common issue with the diesels is the SRC tank which is now under a 10yr/120k warranty.

[Flying Ace]

There is no bulletproof for the X5d. The weakest part of the car is the emissions control equipment. Some people also have pesky turbo oil line leaks a d other electrical issues. The most reliable E70 would be the 35i.

[KCLARK]

I asked my mechanic the question regarding reliability among the X5's, and he's worked on them all! He told me the 35i is the most problem free.
He also said that buyers get diesels for the wrong reasons and that they should be used for long commutes, not for short stop and go runs around town. He told me that diesels need to reach their operating temp and driving for 5-10 minutes then turning it off shortens the life of the electricals. 35d's are best when run for longer drives that are 30 miles or more from start up whereas doing short 5 mile runs over and over creates carbon build up a lot quicker.

[serge1]

Originally Posted by KCLARK

I asked my mechanic the question regarding reliability among the X5's, and he's worked on them all! He told me the 35i is the most problem free.

The mechanic is right. Beyond HPFP, not much is heard from 35i members.

[mefferso]

Keep the X5d and do the delete/tune combo. Downpipe is $450-$750, IC charge pipe $150, EGR blockoffs $75, tune ~$1200. Add labor unless doing yourself. All that will stop CBU and eliminate any future problems from the SCR and NOx sensors. And of course give you numbers approaching 400 whp and 600 rwtq. Also likely get a nice bump in MPG too. There's a plethora of info at the "other" forum thats diesel specific: http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=377

Here's US sources for the tunes:

http://bimmerperformancecenter.com/bpc-diesel/


http://www.fixmyvw.com/bmw-335d-ecu-...g-performance/

[fsd350]

Originally Posted by mefferso

Keep the X5d and do the delete/tune combo. Downpipe is $450-$750, IC charge pipe $150, EGR blockoffs $75, tune ~$1200. Add labor unless doing yourself. All that will stop CBU and eliminate any future problems from the SCR and NOx sensors. And of course give you numbers approaching 400 whp and 600 rwtq. Also likely get a nice bump in MPG too. There's a plethora of info at the "other" forum thats diesel specific: http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=377

Here's US sources for the tunes:

http://bimmerperformancecenter.com/bpc-diesel/


http://www.fixmyvw.com/bmw-335d-ecu-...g-performance/

+1

[Thecastle]

Originally Posted by mefferso

Keep the X5d and do the delete/tune combo. Downpipe is $450-$750, IC charge pipe $150, EGR blockoffs $75, tune ~$1200. Add labor unless doing yourself. All that will stop CBU and eliminate any future problems from the SCR and NOx sensors. And of course give you numbers approaching 400 whp and 600 rwtq. Also likely get a nice bump in MPG too. There's a plethora of info at the "other" forum thats diesel specific: http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=377

Here's US sources for the tunes:

http://bimmerperformancecenter.com/bpc-diesel/


http://www.fixmyvw.com/bmw-335d-ecu-...g-performance/

Yeah so spending ~4000 to have someone fix your emissions, fixes one major problem area on the diesels. But he will still have potential vibration damper failures, glow plugs, glow plug modules, vacuum lines, oil line, boost hoses, engine mounts, MAF failures, etc. there is no bullet proofing the diesel. There is only spending a lot of money to fix weaknesses. I know, I've done the tuning, blocking etc. stuff still breaks. Folks also have occasional transmission failures, turbo failures etc. plus all the other things the break on an x5. My advice is an extended warranty is cheaper than fixing it all yourself if it fails. It's a waste of money if your BMW is reliable. Mine dosent have a cbu issue anymore, but it still greats me with monthly ses lights. But I do enjoy the extra power and fuel economy.

The diesel has been just as unreliable as my n62 x5, and expensive to maintain but I'm very different ways. I seem to have an attraction to unreliable bmws lol. Btw the reliable bmws are the simple basic models, the more complicate and options the more potential for expensive problems.

[JDAURIA]

There is no bulletproof X5 out there, not matter what anyone tells you. You want a bulletproof SUV that has no soul, buy a Honda or Mazda. This is the nature of the beast with SUV BMWs and I have both E53 4.6iS and a E70 35d. Live with the downs and enjoy the ups.

[socale39]

Originally Posted by Thecastle

Yeah so spending ~4000 to have someone fix your emissions, fixes one major problem area on the diesels. But he will still have potential vibration damper failures, glow plugs, glow plug modules, vacuum lines, oil line, boost hoses, engine mounts, MAF failures, etc. there is no bullet proofing the diesel. There is only spending a lot of money to fix weaknesses. I know, I've done the tuning, blocking etc. stuff still breaks. Folks also have occasional transmission failures, turbo failures etc. plus all the other things the break on an x5. My advice is an extended warranty is cheaper than fixing it all yourself if it fails. It's a waste of money if your BMW is reliable. Mine dosent have a cbu issue anymore, but it still greats me with monthly ses lights. But I do enjoy the extra power and fuel economy.

The diesel has been just as unreliable as my n62 x5, and expensive to maintain but I'm very different ways. I seem to have an attraction to unreliable bmws lol. Btw the reliable bmws are the simple basic models, the more complicate and options the more potential for expensive problems.

I think you are stretching here. You just about named every problem that has been discussed on this forum with the diesels. That doesn't mean that every diesel is going to experience those same issues. If your diesel has been just as unreliable as your n62, that's saying you definitely have more issues than normal. Not to mention you listed stuff that should be replaced on any X5 as preventative maintenance. Don't get me wrong, the diesel isn't perfect but by taking the emissions components you are eliminating the biggest weak point of the 35d.

I also believe a lot of issues with the diesels are attributed to how these vehicles are driven. I bought mine for long trips where most of the mileage is on the highway or in the mtns (hike a lot). Overall in my 2.5yrs of ownership my diesel has been rock solid. That being said though, I have done some preventative work on it including carbon cleanup of intake, throttle body and EGR valve. I've also replaced all the vacuum lines. This work was done 10k+ miles ago and everything has been running smooth since.

[Thecastle]

Originally Posted by socale39

I think you are stretching here. You just about named every problem that has been discussed on this forum with the diesels. That doesn't mean that every diesel is going to experience those same issues. If your diesel has been just as unreliable as your n62, that's saying you definitely have more issues than normal. Not to mention you listed stuff that should be replaced on any X5 as preventative maintenance. Don't get me wrong, the diesel isn't perfect but by taking the emissions components you are eliminating the biggest weak point of the 35d.

I also believe a lot of issues with the diesels are attributed to how these vehicles are driven. I bought mine for long trips where most of the mileage is on the highway or in the mtns (hike a lot). Overall in my 2.5yrs of ownership my diesel has been rock solid. That being said though, I have done some preventative work on it including carbon cleanup of intake, throttle body and EGR valve. I've also replaced all the vacuum lines. This work was done 10k+ miles ago and everything has been running smooth since.

You're lucky so far, and maybe a bit of a rareity in the BMW world. There is no bulletproof x5 or diesel in my opinion.

Mine 35d had had 4 egr coolers, 4 exhaust pressure sensors, 4 MAF sensors, 4x nox sensors, 2x 02 sensors, 1 dpf, 1 scr, 1 def tank, cbu cleaning at 28k miles, 1 intake pressure sensor, 1 vibration damper, vacuum hoses, and turbo,oil lines, boost hose and it's only at 54k miles. Also 2x puma cases.. Not including non emission repairs. My car isn't unique, but. Any be worse than some. I've seen plenty of common diesel failures. My car spent so much time in the shop my family was surprised when I actually was driving it. I've done the deletes, but there are still other things that fail. I'm about to do the vibration damper and vacuum lines.



I dunno what your reading but vibration dampers are a huge problem lots of failures. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1255658

Vacuum lines a big problem http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=710353

Glow plugs tones of threads
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1353920

I can speak from owning both my d has had as many problems as my n62, just different. I'm glad yours was solid, but many have been unlucky.

Diesel BMWs have lots of problems that aren't just cbu and emissions related. Go read the e90 forums and you'll say daily failure threads. The diesels are not money savers they break too much to save money.

[socale39]

Again you are just confirming the fact that your 35d is beyond the norm. If anything, that thing should have been lemoned with all those problems. Having to do CBU cleaning at 28k makes me believe your diesel hardly gets to stretch its legs on the highway. Actually based on all your problems, it's clear to me that your DPF hardly has a chance to burn off the soot and that's directly related to how the vehicle is driven. Diesels in general aren't meant to be city driven and the proof is in how the systems work and when diesels are most efficient. This applies to those with E90s as well. Frankly, my opinion is that buying a diesel for around town for mileage is really the opposite of why you'd buy a diesel.

As for the common vacuum lines fraying over the turbo area, I don't think 60-80k worth of mileage for $20 worth of parts is really worth making a big deal. I personally did all the vacuum lines myself for about a total of $120 in parts directly purchased from the dealership. The only time I'd consider this a big issue is when you let the dealership replace the two vacuum lines for $800 (which is what I was originally quoted).

Glow plugs is one of those things that people end up spending money on parts and labor when not needed. In many cases a $100-$120 module is all that is needed rather than replacing all the glow plugs. And even if it's a isolated issue with just one glow plug, a replacement cost is only $100 + labor. And going back to my point earlier, more frequent driving cycles around town will only increase your chances of failure happening sooner.

Again, I'm not saying diesels aren't problem free however going back to my original point, if you eliminate the emissions system you'll greatly reduce the possibility of failures. And just to underscore my assessment, I have a strong feeling that many of these failures are attributed to short duration driving cycles where the DPF rarely has a chance to burn off the soot. As for my case being a rareity, maybe but I can't imagine it's just a coincidence that I have a few friends that use their 35d in the same manner as I and they have had little to no problems.

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by JDNY516

..
I have both E53 4.6iS and a E70 35d. Live with the downs and enjoy the ups.

Omg...I feel sorry for you. Lol! That 4.6is, must have a puddle of a different color under the car every other week.

Anyways, can't beat that sexy beast look of a E53 with flares and staggered wheels

[JDAURIA]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

Omg...I feel sorry for you. Lol! That 4.6is, must have a puddle of a different color under the car every other week.

Anyways, can't beat that sexy beast look of a E53 with flares and staggered wheels

Won't lie the first few months of ownership sucked big time. Had to drop a lot of cash to get it back to form. But so far it's been repaying me back with joy (for now). Still needs a few more items but it's a blast to drive, looks killer and super rare.

[335dsleeper]

My 2010 35d is awesome! Just turned 184k miles. I purchased the X5 with 93k ish miles in 2014. The only item that has failed on me was one right rear air shock and the passenger side mirror fogged and wouldn't pass state inspection. So, in 90K+ miles, I've only had two parts fail... I know the EGR cooler was replaced under warranty at some point prior to purchasing it.

When I purchased the vehicle I did some preventative maintenance. I replaced the in-tank fuel pump and changed all the fluids and filters and replaced the engine cowling that was damaged by BMW at some point. I now try to change the oil every 5-7k (have went as long as 12k), transmission pan/fluid every 35-40k and the transfer case and differentials yearly. So far so good.

I recently did the deletes (@173K) to get in front of any issues. I also just replaced the belts and damper (@182k) to get in front of a potential failure item.

Its a great vehicle, we typically average 28mpg but, can get over 30mpg if we baby it. Our Yukon gets like half at best...

There are little quirky things like the rear hatch won't close all the way sometimes. Just reopen and it's fine. Random soft codes pop up on carly at times (no CEL) and I will replace the vacuum lines in a few months when I return home.

This is the best vehicle I've ever owned. We love it and it's super versatile.

Everyone seems to always talk about their horrible experience with their BMW 335d or 35d etc but, there are just as many, if not more horror stories in the domestic world. Just about every manaufacture has reliability issues in one model or another... My buddies 80k King Range F-450 was in the shop far more than any vehicle I've ever seen...

My 35d has been far cheaper to maintain and repair than my Excursion was and it's been far more reliable!

[Hey now]

I drive an 09 X5D that has 150K miles, what are you guys referring to by "deletes"?

[serge1]

Originally Posted by Hey now

I drive an 09 X5D that has 150K miles, what are you guys referring to by "deletes"?

getting rid of DPF, EGR, SCR, Urea.

[Chef Blake]

Originally Posted by JDNY516

There is no bulletproof X5 out there, not matter what anyone tells you. You want a bulletproof SUV that has no soul, buy a Honda or Mazda. This is the nature of the beast with SUV BMWs and I have both E53 4.6iS and a E70 35d. Live with the downs and enjoy the ups.

My wife's 2007 4Runner has 343,000 miles on it and shows no signs of stoppping. But we want an X5 now