Deleted X5d owners chime in

[Eddien123]

Im looking to replace my civic DD with something with some more capability and similar reliability. I was thinking about the X5d so I can tow my e36 around with to and from the shop and events. I was wondering for those of you who deleted it, how reliable has it been without that emission crap on there? I'd love to own a diesel but I don't want to drop 25k on a 15 year old Cummins. This is my compromise. Any input would be great!

[wcs531]

I think Honda level reliability is a bit optimistic...Also you will be spending a decent amount more on general maintenance. I just recently got into an x5d and just deleted it the other week so I can't speak for reliability yet but have done a bunch of reading and here is my list of items to look out for after delete:

-The thermostats lose accuracy over time and need to be replaced periodically. (It wont throw a code for the thermostat, but the lower operating temp could cause other issues)
-The glow plug module goes bad usually under 100k miles.
-Glow plugs wear out eventually but not really sure how quickly, think it depends a lot
-The harmonic balancer is made with rubber and cracks/fails.
-Vacuum Lines dry out and crack
-I've seen a few mentions of Vacuum pump failing but doesnt seem to be a certainty
-Tension strut bushings fail between 60-100k miles. Other rubber bushings obviously fail but not as early.
-I see some people replacing injectors which are like $300+ each without labor. Sometimes this is due to water getting in from a failed engine partition. In other cases I'm wondering if this has to do with the poor quality of US Diesel fuel in general, so I use a fuel additive at each fill up to increase lubricity just as somewhat cheap insurance.

Good practice maintenance items:
-Trans fluid and mechatronics seals around (50-75k)
-Transfer case fluid (probably 75k?)
-F+R Differential fluid (probably 75k)

[RL18]

Originally Posted by Eddien123

Im looking to replace my civic DD with something with some more capability and similar reliability. I was thinking about the X5d so I can tow my e36 around with to and from the shop and events. I was wondering for those of you who deleted it, how reliable has it been without that emission crap on there? I'd love to own a diesel but I don't want to drop 25k on a 15 year old Cummins. This is my compromise. Any input would be great!

Right 25k on a 15 year old cummins with 500k miles on it lol

I think if you are willing to keep up with maintenance and are handy enough to work on MOST things yourself then yes absolutely you'll love it and you'll save a ton of money.

I have two, a stock & soon to be tuned and deleted x5d and a deleted 335d and love them both.

[Eddien123]

Originally Posted by wcs531

I think Honda level reliability is a bit optimistic...Also you will be spending a decent amount more on general maintenance. I just recently got into an x5d and just deleted it the other week so I can't speak for reliability yet but have done a bunch of reading and here is my list of items to look out for after delete:

-The thermostats lose accuracy over time and need to be replaced periodically. (It wont throw a code for the thermostat, but the lower operating temp could cause other issues)
-The glow plug module goes bad usually under 100k miles.
-Glow plugs wear out eventually but not really sure how quickly, think it depends a lot
-The harmonic balancer is made with rubber and cracks/fails.
-Vacuum Lines dry out and crack
-I've seen a few mentions of Vacuum pump failing but doesnt seem to be a certainty
-Tension strut bushings fail between 60-100k miles. Other rubber bushings obviously fail but not as early.
-I see some people replacing injectors which are like $300+ each without labor. Sometimes this is due to water getting in from a failed engine partition. In other cases I'm wondering if this has to do with the poor quality of US Diesel fuel in general, so I use a fuel additive at each fill up to increase lubricity just as somewhat cheap insurance.

Good practice maintenance items:
-Trans fluid and mechatronics seals around (50-75k)
-Transfer case fluid (probably 75k?)
-F+R Differential fluid (probably 75k)

Great thank you! And I'm aware of the costs I've had 3 bmws in the past. All gas tho. Selling my 335i now to fund the e36 project and also hopefully put into the X5d. Thanks for your advice!

[Eddien123]

Originally Posted by RL18

Right 25k on a 15 year old cummins with 500k miles on it lol

I think if you are willing to keep up with maintenance and are handy enough to work on MOST things yourself then yes absolutely you'll love it and you'll save a ton of money.

I have two, a stock & soon to be tuned and deleted x5d and a deleted 335d and love them both.

Thanks! Question for ya since you deleted. How much am I looking cost wise to delete and have codes tuned out if i can't find a deleted example of them?

[RL18]

Originally Posted by Eddien123

]
Thanks! Question for ya since you deleted. How much am I looking cost wise to delete and have codes tuned out if i can't find a deleted example of them?

Well it depends a lot of who you go with for tuning or what exhaust to go with but for me around $2,500.

[Spyro235]

Hey, I’m in northern NJ if you’d like to drive one deleted and tuned/ trans tuned. Mines super high mileage and I’m pretty darn well versed in any common issues.... I should be hitting 275k miles this week. PM me and we can chat on the phone, there’s a lot to type out! I do a ton of heavy (max rated load) towing with mine. I’ve owned it since 200k and have about 20k towing miles, almost always loaded above 5500 lbs. my X5 does NOT live an easy life.

I want to chime in a few quick things- thermostats just go bad, and they usually fail open. They don’t creep, they just fail. If the motor isn’t hitting a consistent 86C in summer, or at least 82C in winter, it’s bad.

The glow plugs almost NEVER go bad. My original glow plugs are great at 275k miles. The controller goes, AS A RESULT of the thermostat going bad and continuing to drive. I drove on my bad thermostat for 2k miles out of necessity. Motor runs cold, glow plugs run much longer than normal, and the controller isn’t made to handle the constant use. 90% of the time replacing the controller fixes the issue. I had 2 non functioning plugs and replacing the controller alone fixed the issue.

Additives are completely unnecessary and it’s a well documented problem that water intrusion takes out injectors 5+6. Duct tape over engine cover bolt holes + replacement rain trays fixes this.
Thrust arms/ tension struts go bad. I recently went for a monoball replacement, it was relatively inexpensive, and I’ll never worry about it again.

Again, I’m happy to talk to you on the phone. I can talk for hours about this stuff. I plan on running mine until the cows come home... and I never had cows. I’m going to see 500k on this thing unless it gets crashed.

[Dollma]

What methods can you use To check temp of engine. Can Foxwell do it? What is procedures?

[Spyro235]

Originally Posted by Dollma

What methods can you use To check temp of engine. Can Foxwell do it? What is procedures?

I monitor via Carly, you can use protocols, or if I’m not mistaken, the hidden menu has it too. Look up how to activate the secret menu in the gauge cluster.

[jwalker87]

Figured I'd chime in as well, since I'm in a similar situation. Bought a 2011 35d about a year ago and I'm in the process of deleting it. So far I have a tune and EGR race pipe, with a DPF-delete sitting in a box in my garage. Once you delete the alphabet soup, it's overall pretty standard BMW routine maintenance stuff, as noted above with a few specifics.

Rough pricing from my experience:

Tune: $850 (I went with Malone Tuning)
DPF delete: $1000 (I went with Rawtek)
EGR delete: $150 (I went with TuneMyEuro)

I would recommend planning to do some intense intake carbon buildup cleaning - I bought mine right at 100k, and it was BAD in there. Far worse than my 2008 335i N54 was, though I cleaned it at 50k and then every 50k thereafter, compared to just opening up the 35d at 100k.

[Duc Hunter]

Mono-ball thrust arms, and replacements drip trays? Been gone for a little while, spo maybe I missed it. Did BMW update the drop trays, or do they break? Mine seem perfectly fine, engine bay seems dry even with the Florida rain.

Where do you get the mono-ball arms? My front suspension is starting to make noise. Not sure if its sway bar end links, strut top mounts, or tension arms. Prob going to replace in that order. A local Indy mechanic I trust put a pry bar on my tension arms and said there was too much movement in them & they needed to be replaced, while I was doing an oil change e, and teh car was on an alignment rack. X5 drives great though.

[Eddien123]

Originally Posted by jwalker87

Figured I'd chime in as well, since I'm in a similar situation. Bought a 2011 35d about a year ago and I'm in the process of deleting it. So far I have a tune and EGR race pipe, with a DPF-delete sitting in a box in my garage. Once you delete the alphabet soup, it's overall pretty standard BMW routine maintenance stuff, as noted above with a few specifics.

Rough pricing from my experience:

Tune: $850 (I went with Malone Tuning)
DPF delete: $1000 (I went with Rawtek)
EGR delete: $150 (I went with TuneMyEuro)

I would recommend planning to do some intense intake carbon buildup cleaning - I bought mine right at 100k, and it was BAD in there. Far worse than my 2008 335i N54 was, though I cleaned it at 50k and then every 50k thereafter, compared to just opening up the 35d at 100k.

Thanks for the info! If you're in the US I talked to a guy online who said he'd pay up to 350 for DPF depending on condition. Being new to diesels I'm not sure if that's worth it but if you're interested I can try and connect you two. Maybe recoup the money lol. I don't know him so I can't go to bat for him but just figured I'd let you know

[Duc Hunter]

As to the OP's questions, LOVE my 35D. 95k miles on it, had it since it had 34k. It's my daily. It gobbles miles, has been DEAD reliable, is super comfy, and for the size etc gets great gas mileage.

The biggest "issues" these have is, like all modern diesels, the emissions. The Ad Blue tank temp sensor tends to go (that stuff is very caustic and eats the sensors). The Ad Blue tank often gets brittle over time (plastic), so replacing the temp sensor can mean a new tank, etc. The EGR system deposits a lot of gunk int the intake manifolds and head. This means it needs a good cleaning by a shop every 60-90k miles or so (same for all modern diesels). If you delete the emissions (not too tough if you don't have testing in your state, gains you 10% in mpg or more, and 70-100hp) you will eliminate most of the "issues."

The other things mentioned above are wear items. Another common issue is they can eat tires, but only if you just let the alignment shop get it "close enough." A proper alignment to exacting spec's (not hard) means tires last a long time. This is an issue because BMW's alignment specs are very broad, and can lead to the inner edge of the tire wearing because of the huge range for the toe spec, and its al toe out. Get a shop to set it right though, and no worries.

So far on mine I have done brakes once, a battery once, and tires once. I need to replace the Ad Blue temp sensor in mine, but have for a long time and not bothered. I am looking at deleting it. I also need to replace the thermostat, as just noticed its running a little cold. On the 35D that will cause issues down the road if not corrected (glow plug failures, etc). Nothing huge, and if you pay a little attention it can be taken care of before those things are an issue. Remember too, many cars need new thermostats and water pumps every 70-100k miles. ON E70's you typically do the water pump while you are doing the thermostat as you are "right there."

I have nothing but love for my 35d. The only thing to look into is the F15 has a few changes you might like. It started in 2014, got the 8 speed transmission (vs the 6 speed in the E70), and lower diff gearing (3.15 and I think the #70 is ~3.75). That diff ratio change means 5mpg better on the highway. It's also a single turbo car with 10HP less stock. If you can afford one, it might be worth that MPG improvement. Personally I think the E70 is far better looking, AND I would own an F15 for sure. If fact I am thinking of adding one to the family. Hope this helps a little. PM if you have questions.

[Spyro235]

Throwing it out there, I buy DPF’s all over the internet for as fair of prices as I can give.

[Eddien123]

Originally Posted by Duc Hunter

As to the OP's questions, LOVE my 35D. 95k miles on it, had it since it had 34k. It's my daily. It gobbles miles, has been DEAD reliable, is super comfy, and for the size etc gets great gas mileage.

The biggest "issues" these have is, like all modern diesels, the emissions. The Ad Blue tank temp sensor tends to go (that stuff is very caustic and eats the sensors). The Ad Blue tank often gets brittle over time (plastic), so replacing the temp sensor can mean a new tank, etc. The EGR system deposits a lot of gunk int the intake manifolds and head. This means it needs a good cleaning by a shop every 60-90k miles or so (same for all modern diesels). If you delete the emissions (not too tough if you don't have testing in your state, gains you 10% in mpg or more, and 70-100hp) you will eliminate most of the "issues."

The other things mentioned above are wear items. Another common issue is they can eat tires, but only if you just let the alignment shop get it "close enough." A proper alignment to exacting spec's (not hard) means tires last a long time. This is an issue because BMW's alignment specs are very broad, and can lead to the inner edge of the tire wearing because of the huge range for the toe spec, and its al toe out. Get a shop to set it right though, and no worries.

So far on mine I have done brakes once, a battery once, and tires once. I need to replace the Ad Blue temp sensor in mine, but have for a long time and not bothered. I am looking at deleting it. I also need to replace the thermostat, as just noticed its running a little cold. On the 35D that will cause issues down the road if not corrected (glow plug failures, etc). Nothing huge, and if you pay a little attention it can be taken care of before those things are an issue. Remember too, many cars need new thermostats and water pumps every 70-100k miles. ON E70's you typically do the water pump while you are doing the thermostat as you are "right there."

I have nothing but love for my 35d. The only thing to look into is the F15 has a few changes you might like. It started in 2014, got the 8 speed transmission (vs the 6 speed in the E70), and lower diff gearing (3.15 and I think the #70 is ~3.75). That diff ratio change means 5mpg better on the highway. It's also a single turbo car with 10HP less stock. If you can afford one, it might be worth that MPG improvement. Personally I think the E70 is far better looking, AND I would own an F15 for sure. If fact I am thinking of adding one to the family. Hope this helps a little. PM if you have questions.

Sorry I missed this my app never notified me. Thanks so much for the write up! I am convinced I want the car to be emissions free as it won't be a daily driver for me anyhow. I am considering the F15 as I like the interior a little more but my question is how easily they are to delete vs the E70.

[Duc Hunter]

My impression is the F15 is as easy as the E70 to delete. Maybe look up Arron Rodriquez in Atlanta, and call him. I know he has done lots of both. The F15 will be slightly down on power compared to the E70, but up on MPG because of the diff ratio. Personally I decided to stay with my E70 as I like the exterior better than the F15. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they are all great.

[Mizry13]

Hi Spyro.

I want to do a delete on my e70, but can’t find a shop in the DC area that is willing to take on the job. Where did you do yours at? NJ isn’t a terribly far drive.

Mizry13

[Mizry13]

Jwalker. I’m looking to do a delete similar to yours. Can you tell me where you did yours? I can’t find many shops to do the work in the DC area.