XRatedM's Alpine White E70 X5M

[XRatedM]

Hi all,

Took me about 4+ months to find this X5M, so I thought I'll capture minor mods and maintenance on here and learn from all the gurus.

2011 X5M
88,500 miles
October 2010 Build
Alpine White/Black
All options except rear multimedia and LED adaptive headlights

Upgrades:
Brakenetics rotors
Megan Racing axle-back exhaust
10.25" Avin stereo
Tuned
Catless DPs

Purchased in December 2020 with 85,500 miles

I'll let the photos do the talking;

Ride for the 10+ (Northern VA to Detroit, MI) through a snowstorm.



First sight! Haha









Although all tires were shot, drive back wasn't too bad and I'm glad no issues on this 600+ miles journey



A must on the way back shot!

[XRatedM]

Figured it needed an alignment from the drive back but the workshop did not have instructions on aligning rear of an X5M (which was a bit odd), nonetheless I got the opportunity to look underneath the car.



It's a Chicago car so it's seen quite a bit of snow and salt.



All tires were in somewhat similar situation, so they needed to be replaced right away.









Such an aggressive tread on these Nittos



Next up was alignment and balancing.



I thought the coolant reservoir cap was bad but it was the darn reservoir! Lol



Next up was a quick oil change.



Also replaced engine cover grommets.





Dropped in some K&N filters.

[XRatedM]

Gave her a good wash and appreciated how good she looks!







Wish my E46 was white as well

[XRatedM]

I found leaks, leaks and leaks as I was peeping through the tight spaces in the engine bay. Figured the CCV lines or maybe the entire system is shot or the valve cover gaskets.





I had thought it was the reservoir cap that may have leaked some coolant, but turns out it was the reservoir that probably had a hairline crack, so I went ahead and replaced the reservoir.



More leaks!!!

[XRatedM]

Another appreciation weekend!

[XRatedM]

Changed front turn signals to LEDs, love the clear European look.







And finally the tags arrived!

[XRatedM]

Alright, time for the main surgery!! Still waiting for a bunch of parts.

List of things to be done;

1. Turbo coolant lines
2. Water Pump
3. Thermostat
4. Coolant Flush
5. Valve Cover Gaskets
6. Oil Separators
7. Complete CCV system (intake boots, CCV lines)
8. Air Filters
9. Transmission Flush/Mechatronic Service
10. Power Steering Reservoir Replacement and Fluid Flush
11. Transfer Case Fluid
12. Differential Fluid
13. Serpentine Belts
14. Oil Pan Gasket
15. Vacuum Pump replacement
16. Vacuum Hoses replacement
17. Thrust Arms replacement
18. Sway Bar Links replacement
19. Oil Change

Will update as I receive more parts.



Prepped the floor for any mishaps

[JDAURIA]

Subscribed, looking forward to your progress.

Where in NoVa are you? I lived in Arlington and Fairfax for almost 10 years. BMW Fairfax for parts is the best and lowest price in the country.

[XRatedM]

Originally Posted by JDNY516

Subscribed, looking forward to your progress.

Where in NoVa are you? I lived in Arlington and Fairfax for almost 10 years. BMW Fairfax for parts is the best and lowest price in the country.

I've lived in Fairfax for 5 years, recently moved to Gainesville, VA.

I mostly trust FCP Euro - is BMW Fairfax better in terms of price?

[argento]

Welcome! Subscribed. Great work so far, can't wait to see the rest.

I've been using OEM Part Source. $239 for F85 rear rotor was my last purchase and 10% off shipping code.

[JDAURIA]

Originally Posted by XRatedM

I've lived in Fairfax for 5 years, recently moved to Gainesville, VA.

I mostly trust FCP Euro - is BMW Fairfax better in terms of price?

BMW of Fairfax is definitely better on OEM part prices.

[XRatedM]

Originally Posted by argento

Welcome! Subscribed. Great work so far, can't wait to see the rest.

I've been using OEM Part Source. $239 for F85 rear rotor was my last purchase and 10% off shipping code.

Thank you - I was subscribed to your build even before I found my car. and thanks for the suggestion, I'll def look at OEM part source for anything else.

Now that you're here, I may have a question for you haha. I had a coolant leak that I thought was the reservoir cap (replacing the cap didn't help) but turned out to be the reservoir itself (replaced it as well). Coolant on the floor mostly on the driver's side right under the reservoir. Now that it's been taken care of, I found another pond of coolant, on passenger side, and figured it only leaks when engine reaches normal operating temps and it's shut off, I'm guessing its somewhere around aux coolant pump for turbos (which runs for quite a bit after the engine's shut off).

Are there any known issues with passenger side aux water pump or hoses maybe? I haven't gotten underneath the car yet, I will once I complete the engine related stuff.

[XRatedM]

Originally Posted by JDNY516

BMW of Fairfax is definitely better on price.

Thanks for the suggestion!! FCP or any other online platform, it's always the delivery wait game that frustrates me. So BMW of Fairfax will be def help!

[JDAURIA]

For instance,
Bought an OEM lower charge pipe for my 35d last week. FCP: $194, ECS: $178, BMWFFX: $164.
Bought an OEM valve cover gasket, FCP: $47, ECS: $49, BMWFFX: $42

[XRatedM]

Originally Posted by JDNY516

For instance,
Bought an OEM lower charge pipe for my 35d last week. FCP: $194, ECS: $178, BMWFFX: $164.
Bought an OEM valve cover gasket, FCP: $47, ECS: $49, BMWFFX: $42

Thank you for the comparison, this definitely helps.

Wish I had created the thread sooner, I've already spent about $4k on FCP. Lol

[argento]

Originally Posted by XRatedM

Thank you - I was subscribed to your build even before I found my car. and thanks for the suggestion, I'll def look at OEM part source for anything else.

Now that you're here, I may have a question for you haha. I had a coolant leak that I thought was the reservoir cap (replacing the cap didn't help) but turned out to be the reservoir itself (replaced it as well). Coolant on the floor mostly on the driver's side right under the reservoir. Now that it's been taken care of, I found another pond of coolant, on passenger side, and figured it only leaks when engine reaches normal operating temps and it's shut off, I'm guessing its somewhere around aux coolant pump for turbos (which runs for quite a bit after the engine's shut off).

Are there any known issues with passenger side aux water pump or hoses maybe? I haven't gotten underneath the car yet, I will once I complete the engine related stuff.

Sorry, I haven't run into these issues yet. I've had some kind of E70 (4.8, 3.5, X5M) in the garage since 2007, you'd figure I would have, right? Maybe, if I ask nicely, Sophisticated Redneck can chime in...in my mind he's the go-to for engine...

[XRatedM]

Thanks argento

Been a busy week at work, so making progress at snail pace. Still ripping it apart. Would most likely start putting new parts in and back together this week.

A lot has to be removed to access valve covers, tedious job!





I'm guessing at some point turbo coolant lines leaked and they made a mess and nobody bothered to clean it, so its all caked on there. I plan on using a steamer to take as much off as I can. There's hardly any space lol





I got tired of fighting things off of the valve covers and water pump and thermostat were straight forward for the most part, thought I'll tackle that real quick.









I saw this residue on top of the valve covers and right next to the injectors, didn't think it can be fuel, so oil maybe? valve cover gaskets are complete toast. Not sure if someone else has seen something similar and had any thoughts?



This hose appears to be rusted, not sure what line it is - it's at front passenger side by the aux water pump. Any clue what it's for folks?

[XRatedM]

This is what an instant flat at highway speeds gets you!

[XRatedM]

I was able to replace water pump, thermostat and serpentine belts. And more parts arrived.



I figured it's normal for the CCV system to have a bit grime/sludge, but mine had oil dripping - faulty Oil Separators.

[argento]

Scary flat! On a Michelin? They are usually solid. Glad it wasn't worse.

Looks like you have some work cut out for you...fun!

[XRatedM]

Originally Posted by argento

Scary flat! On a Michelin? They are usually solid. Glad it wasn't worse.

Looks like you have some work cut out for you...fun!

Scary indeed! but I'm glad everyone was safe. It was fairly clean fresh set of Michelins but with all kinds of construction on the infamous I-66, not sure what was the cause.

And yep, this weekend will be intense for me.

[XRatedM]

Another weekend and some more progress.

Was able to pull everything apart for cylinders 5-8. I didn't use any special tools to pull injectors and one of them was stuck, so with a quick youtube trick, I pulled them out. I knew the gaskets were bad but I didn't know they were this bad!