E70 X5D totaled and questions for X5M owners

[turbo_chris]

Hey everyone. This is my first post on xbimmers. We purchased a 12 X5D 6 months ago for my wife. The car was perfect, low mileage, CPO, very well equipped (comfort, sport, premium, HUD, Heated/ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, 21" 215's, rear sunshades, nav, bluetooth streaming, etc.) Last night my wife was rear ended while driving and pushed into oncoming traffic where she was hit head on at 50mph. Thank god she was in a X5 that did an amazing job protecting my wife from any serious harm. She's bruised and sore from the multiple impacts, but overall she is doing quite well considering the circumstances. Here are the photo's of the damage.







I'm a BMW master technician and very familiar with how much many of the components cost to repair the vehicle. The right frame rail is severely bent and will need to be replaced. After talking with my bodyshop I feel pretty strong the X5 will be totaled. We spent nearly 6 months waiting to find the perfect X5 for my wife, and now the insurance company will likely give us a few weeks to find a replacement. Having said that, trying to buy a used car shortly after Jan 1st is nearly impossible. I've been tempted to buy a X5M since many of them are well equipped.

I drive a E90 335i M sport with a turbo upgrade, FBO, TBI, etc. It's well into the 500 whp range and a blast to drive. While the X5D was very practical with descent fuel economy and loads for torque, i've longed for a bit more power in it. So my questions to those with a X5M as a DD, what's your real world driving experience like? What type of fuel economy are you realistically getting in rural driving environments? I'm extremely familiar with the N63 engine, but I rarely see issues with the S63. Has anyone had issues with timing chains, valve guide seals, etc? The extent I have gone into S63 repairs has been injectors, vacuum lines, PCV system, and vanos solenoids. I haven't seen any CCP's on S63's so it's leading me to believe the timing chain issue isn't present on the S63 (which is my biggest concern.)

Any advice you guys/gals could give would be greatly appreciated. I've already started my hunt for a 2011+ X5M or X5D. I would prefer one with at least a little bit of base warranty left and possibly a CPO or extended warranty after.

[jiggz]

1st off, happy to hear your wife is mostly okay after that impact. Damn, that's quite a hit.

I don't have an ///M model but from what I've read on here, most owners are lucky to get the quoted 12/17 - way too hard to keep your foot out of the pedal! I don't get the quoted 14/20 in my 50i. But you said your rural so that should help right? Surely not the car to get if mileage is a concern

To find one with the factory/base warranty you'll probably want a 2013 I'd think. You might find a 2012 with a few months of warranty left, but production ended on those in summer 2012? Something like that for the diesels - 2012 gas model production ended in February or March of 2012 so very few of those would have any factory warranty left.

The diesel build/model year cutoff dates are different from the gas models, so there's actually more 2012 CPO'd 35d's available than any other year right now if you check the BMWUSA.com CPO page (24 2011's, 176 2012's, and 72 2013's.). If I change the search parameter to a 35i premium, it flips - 319 2013's vs. just 58 2012's. Of course X5M selection is considerably more limited than the 35d.

Good luck in finding a replacement (I think you're gonna need one), I know first hand the search can be time consuming.

[protecon]

City lead-foot driving in the X5M gets about 17.5L/100kms.

Just doing my bit for the over-production oil supply.

[turbo_chris]

Thanks guys. I'm not too concerned about mpg, but wanted to know some real life #'s. It's going to be my wife's DD and our weekend baby hauler. She only drives 8 miles to work and drives extremely conservatively. So I'm sure she will be able to pull at least 16mpg out of it.

I'm trying to hunt down a blue X5M which is proving difficult. I'm also amazed at how prices are all over the place on these things. Prices have definitely dropped in the last 6 months though.

[Crazy1323]

Originally Posted by turbo_chris

Thanks guys. I'm not too concerned about mpg, but wanted to know some real life #'s. It's going to be my wife's DD and our weekend baby hauler. She only drives 8 miles to work and drives extremely conservatively. So I'm sure she will be able to pull at least 16mpg out of it.

I'm trying to hunt down a blue X5M which is proving difficult. I'm also amazed at how prices are all over the place on these things. Prices have definitely dropped in the last 6 months though.

I get about 13 MPG with my X5M. That is 90% city driving, 10% "highway". I say highway because i use the interstate within the city and they are very congested.

[socale39]

I really don't understand the logic here. Unless your wife plans to be racing around town what's the point in buying an X5M? Higher maintenance costs, poor gas mileage, and the inevitably higher price tag. I can understand a little more if you were the primary driver but it just seems like a poor financial decision from all aspects of what you have told us. Let's face it, a 35d or 35i sounds like it would be more than adequate for what your wife needs and these options are traditionally more reliable than the X5M.

I guess the real question you should be asking yourself is do you really see using the power of the X5M and is it worth the costs that's normally associated with M ownership.

[temporaptor]

If you get a X5d you could always add some upgraded bolt on turbos, exhaust, and tune.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1211732

[turbo_chris]

Originally Posted by socale39

I really don't understand the logic here. Unless your wife plans to be racing around town what's the point in buying an X5M? Higher maintenance costs, poor gas mileage, and the inevitably higher price tag. I can understand a little more if you were the primary driver but it just seems like a poor financial decision from all aspects of what you have told us. Let's face it, a 35d or 35i sounds like it would be more than adequate for what your wife needs and these options are traditionally more reliable than the X5M.

I guess the real question you should be asking yourself is do you really see using the power of the X5M and is it worth the costs that's normally associated with M ownership.

honestly, I work on these cars every day. The diesels also have their fair share of issues. BMW has extended the warranty on many of the S63's common failures and I plan on trying to find a CPO X5 either way.

X5M's tend to be well equipped and that's what my wife is after. All of the diesels I have found don't come close in options to the one that was totaled. I want black interior and the majority of the diesels I find have beige or oyster.

If I find the right diesel I will go that route. I'm not dead set on a M. It's going to come down to whichever checks the most boxes for what we are looking for.

[socale39]

The diesel issues are primarily limited to the emissions systems which can be bypassed if you really dont want to deal with it. When compared to the reliability of the power train, I think it's fair to say the M57 will outlast a S63 without question. I would agree that finding a well equipped 35d is tough to find. It took me about 6-7 months to find mine and I ended up purchasing out of state and having it shipped.

[Flying Ace]

holy crap, luckily the E70 X5 has a 5 star frontal crash test rating.
I was I was selling my '12 D right now, it has most of the options you're looking for + CPO. Sorry!

[jiggz]

True, most X5M's come pretty loaded. You almost always see at least 3 of the 5 packages available, and it's not uncommon to find all 5 + other standalone options. Looks like most of the Monte Carlo Blue's available right now have the Silverstone interior. There's 2 or 3 on auto trader with black.

How about this diesel? Looks to have everything yours did except the ventilated seats & 21's (those were never standard) -
http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/BMW/...m?geoZip=98028

And if you don't mind shipping from CA (not a big deal IMO, many here have shipped…and pretty safe with CPO), this diesel is really loaded, included the full ventilated seat package, soft close doors, lane departure warning, and the elusive Adaptive Drive option -
http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/BMW/...m?geoZip=98028

[Cattivo]

Originally Posted by turbo_chris

Hey everyone. This is my first post on xbimmers. We purchased a 12 X5D 6 months ago for my wife. The car was perfect, low mileage, CPO, very well equipped (comfort, sport, premium, HUD, Heated/ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, 21" 215's, rear sunshades, nav, bluetooth streaming, etc.) Last night my wife was rear ended while driving and pushed into oncoming traffic where she was hit head on at 50mph. Thank god she was in a X5 that did an amazing job protecting my wife from any serious harm. She's bruised and sore from the multiple impacts, but overall she is doing quite well considering the circumstances. Here are the photo's of the damage.








I'm a BMW master technician and very familiar with how much many of the components cost to repair the vehicle. The right frame rail is severely bent and will need to be replaced. After talking with my bodyshop I feel pretty strong the X5 will be totaled. We spent nearly 6 months waiting to find the perfect X5 for my wife, and now the insurance company will likely give us a few weeks to find a replacement. Having said that, trying to buy a used car shortly after Jan 1st is nearly impossible. I've been tempted to buy a X5M since many of them are well equipped.

I drive a E90 335i M sport with a turbo upgrade, FBO, TBI, etc. It's well into the 500 whp range and a blast to drive. While the X5D was very practical with descent fuel economy and loads for torque, i've longed for a bit more power in it. So my questions to those with a X5M as a DD, what's your real world driving experience like? What type of fuel economy are you realistically getting in rural driving environments? I'm extremely familiar with the N63 engine, but I rarely see issues with the S63. Has anyone had issues with timing chains, valve guide seals, etc? The extent I have gone into S63 repairs has been injectors, vacuum lines, PCV system, and vanos solenoids. I haven't seen any CCP's on S63's so it's leading me to believe the timing chain issue isn't present on the S63 (which is my biggest concern.)

Any advice you guys/gals could give would be greatly appreciated. I've already started my hunt for a 2011+ X5M or X5D. I would prefer one with at least a little bit of base warranty left and possibly a CPO or extended warranty after.

Glad to hear your wife was ok after a collision like that! I have both the S63 & N63...I've had no problems with either truck(owned N63 for over a year now & S63 for 7 months) N63 gets me 14.3mpg...S63 gets me on a good day 12.3mpg

I've never driven the X5D but hear good things...I say get yourself both

[JupiterBMW]

Holy shit man, I'm sorry for the loss of the X535d, but damn, glad to hear the Mrs. is ok... Very scary...

So, I can probably provide the closest thing you are looking for in terms of answers.... That being said, I bought a '10 X5///M for my wife. We had an F25 X3, I traded it because (at the time) I thought it wasn't good on gas... was getting around 18mpg around town... Picked up an F30 328d which I loved, but it was too small for us with two small kids (strollers and all that crap)... So I traded it on the X5///M. My wife doesn't work, only drives around town with the kids... Grocery store, the gym, the mall, etc... The most expensive part is when she takes it to the mall... LOL...

But seriously, she gets around 14mpg around town with it, and she drives it very easily. I drive it quite a bit more spiritedly though, and I get about 11mpg. But hell, its all worth it though, the power is incredible, so fun to drive. Ours isn't loaded, but its pretty well optioned, we like it. It is Silverstone/black...

Make me an offer, everything is always for sale... Its a '10 model, so out of warranty, has just under 48K miles...

[turbo_chris]

Cattivo - love both of your X5's. Thanks for the info. I almost considered selling my 335i and getting a X5M before or diesel was totaled. However, I really love my 335i and it just didn't make sense for us to have two X5's. I also have a Dakar low mileage e36 M3 and a mint E23 745i turbo. Our BMW stable is quite full at the moment.

Jupiter - I appreciate the offer. But I'm really searching for a 12-13 and my wife doesn't like light silver. Trying to find a blue, black, white, or space grey X5. Black X5's are plentiful, but we both really like blue. I have a little bit of time to search for the right one.

[smass]

It is good you want a darker one. I had trouble finding a light color with all the options. I hear you on the power of the D. It is fast when driving normally but when you try to go "faster" there is not much left. The transmission just downshifts and makes more noise I am OK with that as I bought mine for towing the boat. With that said it amazing in the turns with Adaptive Drive.

[JupiterBMW]

I did see a guy at Costco today, he had a MCB/Silverstone X5///M... Wish I could've stopped him...

[Cattivo]

Originally Posted by turbo_chris

Cattivo - love both of your X5's. Thanks for the info. I almost considered selling my 335i and getting a X5M before or diesel was totaled. However, I really love my 335i and it just didn't make sense for us to have two X5's. I also have a Dakar low mileage e36 M3 and a mint E23 745i turbo. Our BMW stable is quite full at the moment.

Thanks, I also had to part with my fbo Le Mans Blue 335 after we had our daughter...the only reason we bought 2 X5's was because I'm 6'2 and trying to get a baby out of the back seat of an E92 leads to lots of bumps n bruises on the back of your head...We also got rid of our E90 which was still an inconvenience

Only reason I suggested getting both... since you have a kid there's so much room in these E70's that you can comfortably take a kid in and out of the back seat even if your a big meathead like me

Please post pics of your E36

[dPower]

I miss my 335d with JBD piggyback. 335hp, 525tq was a serious highway machine. Daily driver is now X5M. Keep in mind M doesn't stand for Motorsport, stands for More $ that's why it is a capitalized letter. Everything cost more. Stick with the 35d and tune it. You can get 80% of the X5M with a lot less cost. Just my $0.02.

[boneca]

Sorry to hear about the accident, glad your wife is ok!
It all depends on what you looking for, what you really want!, for me M wasn't about savings, financial decisions and planning or what my wife would like etc., for me it was a dream that I had for many years.
I had 35i for little over 2 years and it was somewhat economic and drove pretty well until I started having issues one after another (drive shaft, water pump, cracked vacuum hoses, AC issues) everything happened in about 6 weeks, at that time I had enough. My kids are little older and they can jump in and out of back seats themselves but I didn’t want to downsize either.
I went online one day and next day I bought myself M, 2013 X5M Monte Carlo Blue with Black Merino leather, not totally loaded but loaded enough for my licking and had more than my 35i had.
I bought it on December 3, 2015 with 35K miles and today after owning it for about 7 weeks, I have 38.5K miles and I spend around $500 in gas, I’m getting somewhere around 15 miles per gallon and consider it decent for what it is.
So if you after savings, economy this is defiantly not a car to own, if you looking for that stupid smile on your face after you press the gas pedal and leave everybody in the dust then the answer is yes!

Good luck with your decision!

[turbo_chris]

Thanks for the comments everyone! I was just wondering what real #'s people were getting for fuel economy. I'm the type of guy that likes to know all the info possible before I pull the trigger on a vehicle. While I have driven literally everything in BMW's lineup since the late 70's, I have found that actually owning a vehicle is very different than taking one for a few mile test drive every few weeks.

Having said that, we drove a X5M and my wife really enjoyed it. Unfortunately the one we drove was about $10k over priced and the seller wasn't willing to move on the price. We found a 2012 alpine white diesel a few hours away and bought it a few days ago. Still under factory warranty with CPO and extended maintenance. Sport, premium, cold weather, and tech package.

[smolieri]

Glad you she is ok. I have had my X5M for about 4 months. I am getting around 13.5mpg. The majority of the time when I go sport and M mode are with the kids(3+5yr). They love the acceleration.
As for my search and buying, I used several websites. BWM site, carsforsale and couple more. Right now there are 36 X5M 2010-2013. I bought mine from a stealer in Wisconsin. Had it checked out through a 3rd party and got it shipped down to me in Louisiana.
Though mine is a '10, it was a one owner car with 47K miles. Fully loaded. got me a route 66 extended warranty.

[dPower]

Congrats on the purchase. If you are interested in taking it to the next level I have a used JBD sitting on the shelf.