New X5 owner - 2012 X5 50i M Sport

[heatmizr]

Here are pics of both rear wheels. Fronts show no damage.
I should have taken good pics when I got the vehicle last year to better determine if this corrosion is advancing (surely it is). Well I have them now.
These look ugly, but of course they will in close up high res photos. Not quite as noticeable in person.

Rear Driver


Rear Passenger



--> Battery update:
I also measured my battery voltage for the first time since getting the new one under warranty. I measured 12.2 volts. That seems low for a brand new battery?
Granted that was at the front jump points, which reads 0.1v lower than the battery terminals... but even 12.3 volts is low.

[jeffvb9]

I have a 2011 e70 50i M-Sport with the same exact corrosion on all 4 wheels. Very odd. I may have mine powder coated.....

[rennis]

there are other threads on the peeling clear coat on the wheels. I have it as well.

[heatmizr]

Thanks, I've read them, which is why I thought to ask the Dealer about warranty coverage on it. Just documenting any ownership issues in this ongoing thread.
PAX5 wanted me to post the pics.

[heatmizr]

Been quite a while, time for an update...

RE: the wheels above, I have stopped looking at them and guess what, they don't bother me!

I've really been enjoying this vehicle. It's overkill for my short daily commute, but we all enjoy riding in it, and all the amenities, incl the sound system. It's been great for a couple vacations to the beach (other than my obsession with trying to keep the sand out of it), the third row has been very useful on occasion (soccer games, grandparents riding along to dinner, etc). We managed to pack it to the brim coming back from xmas, the kids got way too many toys. Even had their little pedal bikes in there.

Of note:

I am seeing a little bit of extra wear on the outside edges of front tires, I see that documented by others here. If I can find a reasonable alignment adjustment I will try to remove some toe-in, otherwise it likely will add expense over just replacing the tires a wee bit earlier. I see some solid info here pointing to .02 of toe, not the higher spec from BMW.

- - -

I do have one niggling issue with the TPMS giving a "malfunction error" sporadically. I have gone weeks without an error, and other times it triggers non-stop like on a long highway trip. Each time its like a brand new error, it displays for ~10 secs, then disappears like it never existed. Until it reoccurs. It does not seem to be related to outdoor temp, but possibly occurs more when tires heat up on longer trips. Keeping tires spot on for PSI, or after a couple months when they are all low 2 lbs, doesn't seem to matter.

The dealer has looked into this twice for me, with no change. They did not see any codes at all, which is what any low batteries in the 4 wheel sensors would produce. Of course they couldn't reproduce it, but they replaced the entire TPMS module anyway (under factory warranty) and coded the car, which took hours. Error kept occurring. The second time they looked at it, they did nothing and indicated that it might be a shorting wire which would not be covered under my CPO warranty, and they said they didn't think I wanted to pay for them to tear apart a bunch of stuff looking for it. Well they are not the ones who had to spend 50% of a 3 hour drive listening to the warning chime and watching the blinking dash light the following week. Grrr.

My smart uncle told me to try lowering / raising the tire pressures one at a time for a day or two to see if I can trigger it or stop it, but I haven't had the ambition to do this since the error is not impacting me all that much normally.
Any other ideas would be appreciated.

- - -

In an earlier post I mentioned I hadn't seen any oil usage whatsoever. And that remained true right up until last week, when the iDrive showed down 1 qt. The level displayed was exactly at the Minimum mark of the range. This leads me to wonder if the display can even show increments, or if it just jumps all the way to 1 qt low. I think my mileage is almost 39k now; I will see what it was when the dealer did the last oil change and list it here for reference for this oil usage. I know it was almost a year ago, guessing it has been ~6k miles. I can add a quart a year without bitching whatsoever.

- - -

I have the dealer adjust the rear hatch for creaking every time I am in there, the last one seems to be keeping it quiet for a couple months.

- - -

My dealer has been top notch in past years, but I wonder if they are losing their edge. The vehicle was in for the TPMS before xmas, and a day AFTER I picked it up I got an email from BMW listing three other items the service computer called for. Why would they not tell me while they had the vehicle in their shop, and take care of this stuff then?? Annoying. Bringing it in for one or several days is always a hassle. Anyway they listed the following as needed or needed soon:
- Micro Filters for cabin ($225)
- Brake fluid flush ($135)
- Rear brake pads & rotors due in a couple thousand miles ($800)

Purchased micro filterS (yes two of them) from the dealer (used club discount) and threw those in. Cost ~$70 and took under 5 mins.
I will do the brake fluid flush at my buddy's garage - he has a lift! So whatever the fluid costs plus a 6-pack of brew.
I also will do the rear brakes myself, currently price shopping the OE stuff from dealer (discount again) vs getting similar OE parts online from Pelican or other (expecting to pay ~370 depending).
The above illustrates the reduced cost of ownership with some moderate maintenance skills.



That's it - no other issues. Been loving the beast and everything it does. Go 5-0 !!
Cheers, Todd

[135ivert]

Originally Posted by heatmizr

- - -

I have the dealer adjust the rear hatch for creaking every time I am in there, the last one seems to be keeping it quiet for a couple months.

- - -

Try wrapping electrical tape around the metal part on the lower door (that the upper door clamps onto. It worked for both my X5 and my 4Runner.

[UglyBuzzard]

Originally Posted by heatmizr

Been quite a while, time for an update...

RE: the wheels above, I have stopped looking at them and guess what, they don't bother me!

I've really been enjoying this vehicle. It's overkill for my short daily commute, but we all enjoy riding in it, and all the amenities, incl the sound system. It's been great for a couple vacations to the beach (other than my obsession with trying to keep the sand out of it), the third row has been very useful on occasion (soccer games, grandparents riding along to dinner, etc). We managed to pack it to the brim coming back from xmas, the kids got way too many toys. Even had their little pedal bikes in there.

Of note:

I am seeing a little bit of extra wear on the outside edges of front tires, I see that documented by others here. If I can find a reasonable alignment adjustment I will try to remove some toe-in, otherwise it likely will add expense over just replacing the tires a wee bit earlier. I see some solid info here pointing to .02 of toe, not the higher spec from BMW.

- - -

I do have one niggling issue with the TPMS giving a "malfunction error" sporadically. I have gone weeks without an error, and other times it triggers non-stop like on a long highway trip. Each time its like a brand new error, it displays for ~10 secs, then disappears like it never existed. Until it reoccurs. It does not seem to be related to outdoor temp, but possibly occurs more when tires heat up on longer trips. Keeping tires spot on for PSI, or after a couple months when they are all low 2 lbs, doesn't seem to matter.

The dealer has looked into this twice for me, with no change. They did not see any codes at all, which is what any low batteries in the 4 wheel sensors would produce. Of course they couldn't reproduce it, but they replaced the entire TPMS module anyway (under factory warranty) and coded the car, which took hours. Error kept occurring. The second time they looked at it, they did nothing and indicated that it might be a shorting wire which would not be covered under my CPO warranty, and they said they didn't think I wanted to pay for them to tear apart a bunch of stuff looking for it. Well they are not the ones who had to spend 50% of a 3 hour drive listening to the warning chime and watching the blinking dash light the following week. Grrr.

My smart uncle told me to try lowering / raising the tire pressures one at a time for a day or two to see if I can trigger it or stop it, but I haven't had the ambition to do this since the error is not impacting me all that much normally.
Any other ideas would be appreciated.

- - -

In an earlier post I mentioned I hadn't seen any oil usage whatsoever. And that remained true right up until last week, when the iDrive showed down 1 qt. The level displayed was exactly at the Minimum mark of the range. This leads me to wonder if the display can even show increments, or if it just jumps all the way to 1 qt low. I think my mileage is almost 39k now; I will see what it was when the dealer did the last oil change and list it here for reference for this oil usage. I know it was almost a year ago, guessing it has been ~6k miles. I can add a quart a year without bitching whatsoever.

- - -

I have the dealer adjust the rear hatch for creaking every time I am in there, the last one seems to be keeping it quiet for a couple months.

- - -

My dealer has been top notch in past years, but I wonder if they are losing their edge. The vehicle was in for the TPMS before xmas, and a day AFTER I picked it up I got an email from BMW listing three other items the service computer called for. Why would they not tell me while they had the vehicle in their shop, and take care of this stuff then?? Annoying. Bringing it in for one or several days is always a hassle. Anyway they listed the following as needed or needed soon:
- Micro Filters for cabin ($225)
- Brake fluid flush ($135)
- Rear brake pads & rotors due in a couple thousand miles ($800)

Purchased micro filterS (yes two of them) from the dealer (used club discount) and threw those in. Cost ~$70 and took under 5 mins.
I will do the brake fluid flush at my buddy's garage - he has a lift! So whatever the fluid costs plus a 6-pack of brew.
I also will do the rear brakes myself, currently price shopping the OE stuff from dealer (discount again) vs getting similar OE parts online from Pelican or other (expecting to pay ~370 depending).
The above illustrates the reduced cost of ownership with some moderate maintenance skills.



That's it - no other issues. Been loving the beast and everything it does. Go 5-0 !!
Cheers, Todd

Let us know what you find regarding alignment. I am wearing the outside of the fronts as well.

[heatmizr]

Ok I called my preferred alignment shop and priced an alignment at $70. This place will tweak to whatever specs I want. I prev had them set up my e36 M3 for turn-in grip and holy shit that thing carved.

The other option to just extend the tire life is to swap the front tires Left-to-Right. To do this and re-mount / balance would cost $30.

Option 1 (alignment) would carry over to my next set of tires.
Option 2 (tire swap) would need to be done halfway thru every set of tires.

Well I think either is worth the money to get more tire life. I may spring for option 1.

[heatmizr]

(this is also posted in another tire wear thread here. Above poster asked me to share here)

Been dealing with the tire wear issue here too - outside fronts, inside rears. Fronts are worse. I have 12k miles on the OE set of DUELER H/P SPORT Runflats.
In an attempt get a few more miles out of this set I decided get an alignment now, ahead of my next set of tires. I've read all the info on this forum and the "perfect" numbers a few here keep offering up - thanks.
I took mine in today and here are the before /after numbers. Another data point for you all:



Front Toe was reduced overall by almost half.
Rear Toe actually is increased but with reduction in camber should reduce the wear I am seeing. At least my Thrust Angle is spot on!

I know they are not exactly what is suggested in other posts as 'optimal'. The tech took into account how my tires were wearing and how I wanted to reduce that. He didn't go as far out of spec as I asked. I don't really know why they don't just do what you ask them. He did spend some time on it, especially the fronts, as the tie rod ends were stuck. Also he did keep the steering wheel centered. He mentioned the telescoping wheel complicated it a bit as he wanted to make sure it stayed centered while extended, not just retracted while car was shut off.

It doesn't really feel any different with these small adjustments - I didn't expect any. As far as wear, these tires are so far gone in front all I am trying to do is buy enough time to tire shop and decide if I should run the fronts long enough to do the rears at the same time.

[heatmizr]

Update on front tire wear: They are suprisingly still going with seemingly slower front outer edge wear. Perhaps the alignment and my keeping my pressures a tad high has done what I hoped -slowing down the abnormal wear. I will keep driving them as long as I can as the rest of the tread is completely fine and the rears are even better.
I will be taking the family on a couple long driving vacations this summer so will keep an eye on them.

I did install rear brake pads only after the post in February. Fairly easy job, once I saw that the instructions were for the newer style emergency brake adjusters, which I did NOT have on my calipers. My 5 yo son enjoyed helping me break in the new pads with some nice hard stops. Could smell the pads after that, and since then all is 100% normal in brake operation.

I have not however gotten around to flushing the brake system fluid. Since its just a few months after the 2 years, I am not in any desparate hurry. Just getting the "Service Overdue" message at startup.

TPMS system is still giving intermittent "TPMS System Malfunction" errors on and off all the time. Really F-ing annoying. The louder I have the stereo the louder the warning 'gong' is.
I received the BMW recall letter for front driveshaft. When the parts are available and it goes in for that, I will demand that they do whatever it takes to finish off the TPMS errors. They previously changed the TPMS module, and looked it over on two other occasions, to no avail. It acts like a loose wire, sporadic and then back to normal with no codes. Unfortunately any fix will be guesswork without the ability to reliably re create the error.
Still looking for info/help on this, like pulling a fuse for now to elim the error message...

Averaging 12.1-12.4 mpg around town on my short city commute.
Have topped off the oil twice, it appears the original dealer must have puit a little extra in there when I bought it, as the level stayed fine for a long time at first; now it appears the more normal oil consumption reported here is starting to show, but still nothing severe.
No other issues to report.

[bmwx5er]

Thanks for the update. FYI - I read somewhere that since the N63CCP, dealers have been instructed to add an extra quart of oil during oil changes and the software for oil level sensor has been adjusted to account for the extra quart.

[heatmizr]

OK I finally got around to doing that brake fluid flush a few weeks ago, once I finally hooked up with my buddy who has a lift in his garage Pretty easy 2 beer job.

Just got some service before a long trip to NY. As the BMW-standard poor alignment had caused excessive wear on only the front tires along the very outer edges, unfortunately the front right tire was quite bald on the edge. The previously mentioned alignment seems to have helped but I didn't feel like risking anything on the trip and being stuck somewhere that didn't have a tire in stock for me. So I went ahead and put a whole set of tires on today. A little early for the rears but I like doing them all at once. On my other BMWs the tires have always worn very well as a set, so never had to replace any until all 4 were due. I am hoping that with the recent alignment this new set will wear closer to those experiences.

I let the dealer do this work even though their tire prices were a little higher, because I have heard too many horror stories about the low end shops mangling wheels with the low profile run flat tires, which are supposedly much more difficult to mount. I feel like if I had a problem with this place they would take care of me.

Since the tire pressure sensors in the wheels have life spans ~ 5-6 years, and I am over 5 now, I had them install all new ones while the tires were off. Not cheap but I didn't want to deal with them ~12 months down the road, and thought it might even be possible that this will solve the TPMS Malfunction error.
Drove it home from the dealer, no warnings so far... I am 100% sure the 800 mile drive to NY will tell me if its really true!

Dealer did tell me that new spark plugs were indicated in the next 3k miles. Plugs were $2xx and the labor another $4xx! I told them I would wait and do them myself this fall when the weather cools off.

Nothing else to report, except that the perforated Dakota leather seats are a bitch to get kid puke out of. Why the top of the back sides of the front seats have perforations there is beyond me, but the projectile vomiting made it up there and onto the headrest!

[heatmizr]

GOOD NEWS -
The annoying TPMS MALFUNCTION error message has been vanquished!

It would seem that 4 new tpms sensors on the wheels has solved the issue. 2k miles last week driving to NY and back, and the truck felt awesome on the new rubber. Got my best mileage ever, just over 22mpg on the highway on the way up. The cruise, the planted feel, the passing power, and entertainment features make for a formidable road tripper. The kids did very well for 12 hrs as long as the DVDs kept rolling. My older son can now change them on the fly so that is a huge help. Oh, and SNACKS. Plenty of kid snacks. Some for Dad too! It will need a good vacuum...

Now, there was one little thing that got rectified at the dealer I didn't mention... there seems to be a 1 ft long braided wire connection from the frame to the muffler, driver-side end. I assumed for anti-static, but the tech said it reduces radio interference (which I had no issues with). I wonder if its possible that THIS was a factor in my TPMS Malfunction issue? As it was replaced at the same time as my new 4 sensors I cannot tell. Perhaps I will unhook one end of that wire *just to see* if the error comes back... Hmmm, I will def try this in the next few weeks.

[heatmizr]

Tried unhooking the above braided wire, but it was TOO HARD! Couldn't get to the nut behind it, it was too hot outside, and I just got pissed and left it be!

In other news...
Got my Driveshaft Recall letter this week, stating the part is available now. I'm not in a hurry to get in there but will look for a convenient time in the next month to get it replaced.

Also, purchased the BMW X5 Rear Mount Bike rack documented in a few threads on here. Its a really nice piece! It now lists at $599 - Insane! I used my BMW CCA car club discount to get it down to $500. I did see a few used ones for sale on here for cheaper but none close enough to reasonably ship and I need it for a vacation tomorrow so bit the bullet on a new one.

There is enough detail in the various review threads here that I won't repeat much, other than to say it looks great, and works exactly as it should. It is very adjustable. I put my wife's cruiser and my son's smaller bike on there together, only had to lower the seat on my wife's so they sandwiched together nicely. Will use it all next week and find any issues if there are any. I'm already aware of the issue where it triggers the rear parking sensor. I can live with that.

[heatmizr]

45k mile update
Vehicle is 5 and a half years old.

Few weeks ago I was on a trip to DC (from Charlotte NC) and just leaving to head home I got a "Engine Malfunction" warning. Also felt reduced power and stumbling/roughness while applying throttle at highway speeds. Thanks to this forum I knew the only thing I could have done about this on the spot: I exited the highway and, crossing my fingers, turned the engine off and on again. The error went away and it drove fine the remaining 400 miles. Whew.

Thinking this was likely a misfire, and knowing my spark plugs were due for a change, I ordered a set of OE Bosch plugs and the correct socket and changed them myself the next weekend. Not a bad job, and got to know the engine bay a bit better.
Spark plug change DIY for N63 I subsequently wrote is here --> http://www.xbimmers.com/forums/showt...n63+spark+plug

*************
The vehicle has been at the dealer for 7 days for recall and other work. Picked it up this morning. I asked for the following work, I included results below:

1 - Front Driveshaft recall --> DONE

2 - Driver Airbag recall --> DONE

3 - Comfort Access completely dead for both fobs - for 2 weeks. I had tried changing fob batteries, charging the vehicle battery, nothing. All my presets were wiped and had to use fob in dash to drive, and backup metal key in fob to lock doors. Until the morning I brought it in; UNBelievably, it started working the morning I took it in for the appointment --> As it was working when I dropped it off, there wasn't much they could do. They tested the fobs and said one wasn't putting out a signal, replaced both fob batteries, tested and they work now. (I have a hunch this has to do with my vehicle battery getting low again...)

4 - Investigate the "Engine Malfunction" warning --> They did see a code logged for a misfire on cylinder 8. They swapped the plug and coil with two other cylinders and if it returns hopefully we can trace it. Perhaps this was solved by the new spark plugs I installed.

5 - Investigate slight "grabbing" feeling in tight turns (expected transfer case inspection/testing) --> They drove it and felt the problem too, diagnosed bad transfer case. So I got a new transfer case. At 45k miles. SA said this would have run almost $5k had it not been covered under my CPO warranty. Not bad for a $50 deductible. Although, I likely would have ordered a new or re-built unit and installed myself for half that cost.
*Interesting notes on this item from the order: First they verified correct size/pressure of tires, then diagnostic on transfer case (no faults stored), so they disconnected it and drove it and verified no more grabbing. So installed new transfer case, drove again with no issues, THEN they sent it for programming...
Not sure what the programming does, but interesting they did that after test driving it.

**************

Just for kicks I talked to another guy at the dealership on the different options they offer for further warranty/service coverage. Here are my notes (there were other length plans available, these were just the ones I wrote down):
- CPO "wrap" 1 yr extension - $3914 (need to be under 80k miles)
New service contracts:
- Gold coverage – 4yrs $10296, 3yrs $9500
- Silver coverage – 4yrs $8200, 3yrs $7600
- Powertrain only - 4yrs $3510

But actually my SA personally recommended the CNA warranty. This is the one used by CarMax, noted on this and other forums for covering nearly everything without hassle, and being easy to work with for the dealer.

[heatmizr]

47,500 miles
CPO Warranty expiring in a week!
Took it in to Dealer for a general inspection AND:
1 - Slight occasional smell of *something* coming into cabin at times.
2 - Tailgate getting stuck on opening occasionally.
...and anything else they could find before warranty expires.

RESULTS:
1 - Smell likely caused by leaking turbo coolant lines, replaced two return hoses and connecting line. Tech found turbo coolant pump (auxiliary cooling pump) to be very noisy, replaced pump. Topped off coolant.
2 - No fault found in Tailgate and re-initialized.
3 - While diagnosing smell, tech found the power steering pump to be leaking also., Replaced power steering pump. Refilled fluid.

I searched here and XOutPost and found almost nothing about e70 power steering pumps being replaced. I noticed no symptoms, but I guess I would have once the fluid had all leaked out. Just in time I suppose.

I looked up the parts and they totaled approx $1260. Not sure how much labor would have been. My cost = $50 CPO deductible. Not bad for a last ditch double-check before warranty expires... It always feels good to get more than you pay for, even though the reality is I paid a premium for this CPO vehicle in excellent condition.

After I pass the 50k mark I think I will get the transmission flushed and refilled. (New Diff recently so no fluid change needed there). Other than that, I should be good for a while.
Between the N63 service campaign and the other CPO covered repairs, it seems I have had a large number of the common trouble items already replaced. I opted to NOT extend any warranty on this vehicle, I will be uncovered in less than a week. We'll see how it goes!

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by heatmizr

47,500 miles
CPO Warranty expiring in a week!
Took it in to Dealer for a general inspection AND:
1 - Slight occasional smell of *something* coming into cabin at times.
2 - Tailgate getting stuck on opening occasionally.
...and anything else they could find before warranty expires.

RESULTS:
1 - Smell likely caused by leaking turbo coolant lines, replaced two return hoses and connecting line. Tech found turbo coolant pump (auxiliary cooling pump) to be very noisy, replaced pump. Topped off coolant.
2 - No fault found in Tailgate and re-initialized.
3 - While diagnosing smell, tech found the power steering pump to be leaking also., Replaced power steering pump. Refilled fluid.

I searched here and XOutPost and found almost nothing about e70 power steering pumps being replaced. I noticed no symptoms, but I guess I would have once the fluid had all leaked out. Just in time I suppose.

I looked up the parts and they totaled approx $1260. Not sure how much labor would have been. My cost = $50 CPO deductible. Not bad for a last ditch double-check before warranty expires... It always feels good to get more than you pay for, even though the reality is I paid a premium for this CPO vehicle in excellent condition.

After I pass the 50k mark I think I will get the transmission flushed and refilled. (New Diff recently so no fluid needed there). Other than that, I should be good for a while.
Between the N63 service campaign and the other CPO covered repairs, it seems I have had a large number of the common trouble items already replaced. I opted to NOT extend any warranty on this vehicle, I will be uncovered in less than a week. We'll see how it goes!

Todd - did CPO cover your coolant lines to the turbos? CPO didn't cover mine.

You might not have enough miles to fail the test, but you might press your SA to have the test done on your valve guide seals. Mine failed the test at 55K and was covered under CPO. You don't want to deal with those yourself, $9K-$10K at the dealer.

I was going to forge ahead w/o a warranty too, but a leaking upper oil pan gasket spooked me enough to get a warranty. That gasket was a $3K fix, though I lucked out and got it done for free when the valve guide seals were done.

[heatmizr]

Hi Jeff. Yes CPO covered all above repairs.
On the valve guide seal test, hmm, I wish I had been proactive on that. I am going out of state on vacation in a couple days and the CPO will run out by the time I am back. Last week would have been a perfect time for it.
Ah well. I have a very good indie BMW specialty shop as an option for larger repairs if it comes to that.

Yes I am kind of spinning the wheel just for two years or so. Also, I prefer to minimize the possibilities of disasters until they are upon me. Less stressful overall.

[zombiemaniac]

first upgrade I will recommend to you is to install Dual oil catch cans!
I also have a 50i 2012 black on black with upgrades

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by zombiemaniac

first upgrade I will recommend to you is to install Dual oil catch cans!
I also have a 50i 2012 black on black with upgrades

This thread is all about OEM maintenance/keeping car stock. Pretty sure Todd isn't into these sorts of upgrades.

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by heatmizr

Hi Jeff. Yes CPO covered all above repairs.
On the valve guide seal test, hmm, I wish I had been proactive on that. I am going out of state on vacation in a couple days and the CPO will run out by the time I am back. Last week would have been a perfect time for it.
Ah well. I have a very good indie BMW specialty shop as an option for larger repairs if it comes to that.

Yes I am kind of spinning the wheel just for two years or so. Also, I prefer to minimize the possibilities of disasters until they are upon me. Less stressful overall.

Your X5 is coming right up on the mileage where all sorts of stuff could potentially need replacing. I just did a ton of stuff on mine at 55K miles. Given that, you might consider a warranty, even if it's just a 2 year warranty. They aren't too expensive, especially the shorter duration ones.

[Entr0py]

Originally Posted by jiggz

This thread is all about OEM maintenance/keeping car stock. Pretty sure Todd isn't into these sorts of upgrades.

Dude, I read through this entire thread and cannot find a post where Todd assigned you to speak for him Do you normally speak for others without them asking for your help? (I'm just wondering why, don't get bunched up about it).