I bought an amazing X5 xdrive50i! Should I return it?

heymattw · 01-21-2019, 09:25 PM

Hi, new to the forum. My name is Matt.

I purchased a BMW X5 xdrive50i on January 12th.

I was looking everywhere I could for clean one, and I finally found it. It is in mint condition, both inside and out, every option including DVD player with 67k miles on it.

This was purchased from a dealer, however I pulled the Carfax report and the vehicle was a one owner vehicle that was serviced at the same BMW dealership multiple times, then turned into this dealership that I purchased it at. It is a high end used luxury vehicle dealership with a service department that specializes in Germain cars.

I took the car home Saturday and immediately started to smell oil. I drove it around a little and the oil smell was filling the car at a stop. I took it right to the dealership and left it with service.

They said something failed on the turbo and they needed to replace the turbo.

I am now on day 9 without the car and am getting worried about what I just got into. I had a 3 day return policy (They had it back on day 2) I also have a 3 month/3000 mile warranty on the motor and trans.

They have been accommodating and gave me a newer Acura TL as a loaner.

What would you recommend I do? I am really excited about the car, I feel like I got a great price on it, but is this something I need to worry about?

Thanks in advance.

Lviv777 · 01-21-2019, 09:53 PM

Did you get a PPI?

jiggz · 01-21-2019, 10:32 PM

These vehicles (the 50i) have a lot of well documented issues, were you aware of those prior to purchasing? Very fun cars to drive for sure, but they can be very problematic and very costly to fix/maintain.

Unless you get a PPI and confirm all looks well, and have a good 3rd party warranty, you might consider returning it unless you're willing to deal with the cost of repairs.

Do you have any maintenance records? There's some very big ticket items that are due right around the mileage you're at.

Sophisticated Redneck · 01-21-2019, 11:57 PM

If you own a 50i (or M for that matter)You absolutely MUST either: Be DAMN good working on cars or have one hell of an extended warranty. These are complex machines (did you know your car has three water pumps?) and unfortunately have quite a few things that can go wrong with them. The SAD part is that nearly all of it's problems are due to the high temps of engine compartment. For example, I can guarantee you that your oil smell is either the turbo oil return lines getting plugged from burned/cooked oil (the oil return lines run right next to the exhaust manifold) or the oil line return housing seal failing, again due to the high temps. If you keep this car, either get damn handy with tools (I've replaced both the previous mentioned items, parts really aren't that expensive online, it's the man-hours it takes to replace them) or get an AMAZING bumper to bumper warranty. The oil return lines can be cleaned and the housing is like 70 bucks...the labor however is around 3 grand if you go to BMW!!

Oh and THROW AWAY that piece of SHIT engine cover. You will litteraly add 30 thousand miles to your engines life if not more. Evil, just Evil covering up a reverse flow engine, trapping all that heat and frying all the plastic and rubber hoses and tubes. I recommend ditching your rear engine compartment seal also, airflow across a hot engine is good a thing.

heymattw · 01-22-2019, 12:06 AM

Thanks.

I am pretty good at working on cars myself if it comes to following directions. I have a full blown race car (LS motor) I've done a lot of the work myself to.

That being said, I know this is a completely different beast.

Are there any questions I should ask As red flags when confirming things were done properly?

Sophisticated Redneck · 01-22-2019, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heymattw

Thanks.

I am pretty good at working on cars myself if it comes to following directions. I have a full blown race car (LS motor) I've done a lot of the work myself to.

That being said, I know this is a completely different beast.

Are there any questions I should ask As red flags when confirming things were done properly?

I'm that case then you will actually like working on this car, it's very complex but actually not to bad to work on, just takes along time as there is so much to it but it's Engineered so well that I find it easier (so far) then working on most average cars. For example, when you pull th cooling fan, they made one of it's mounts foldable, so you don't have to disconnect the main coolant lines to the radiator...or stainless steel bolts used EVERYWHERE. So nice not having to deal with rusted crap. As for what to look for....get an exact answer on what failed..I have never heard of a turbo failing with that low of miles, do they really know what failed or are they just best guessing it...these machines can confuse most mechanics with their unique issues(the turbo oil return housing leak makes it look exactly like a rear main seal leak for example)

heymattw · 01-22-2019, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sophisticated Redneck

Quote:

Originally Posted by heymattw

Thanks.

I am pretty good at working on cars myself if it comes to following directions. I have a full blown race car (LS motor) I've done a lot of the work myself to.

That being said, I know this is a completely different beast.

Are there any questions I should ask As red flags when confirming things were done properly?

I'm that case then you will actually like working on this car, it's very complex but actually not to bad to work on, just takes along time as there is so much to it but it's Engineered so well that I find it easier (so far) then working on most average cars. For example, when you pull th cooling fan, they made one of it's mounts foldable, so you don't have to disconnect the main coolant lines to the radiator...or stainless steel bolts used EVERYWHERE. So nice not having to deal with rusted crap. As for what to look for....get an exact answer on what failed..I have never heard of a turbo failing with that low of miles, do they really know what failed or are they just best guessing it...these machines can confuse most mechanics with their unique issues(the turbo oil return housing leak makes it look exactly like a rear main seal leak for example)

So what you're saying is let them replace the turbo and hope they realize that wasn't the problem and they have to replace another part?

Sophisticated Redneck · 01-22-2019, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heymattw

So what you're saying is let them replace the turbo and hope they realize that wasn't the problem and they have to replace another part?

Lol!! Well that's one way to avoid having to replace then at 100k (the waste gates wear out around then and start rattling/giving underboost errors) I rebuilt mine.....you have to weld them in and use a hydraulic press....NOT FUN...getting the old bushing out is a BITCH (I have a 132k on my 50i now)

heymattw · 01-22-2019, 12:29 AM

Well I'm going to hopefully see what happens with the repair. I'm going to get the car back and really put it to the tear to see if anything's about to go.

heymattw · 01-22-2019, 12:30 AM

I am really just looking for a fun car that is really comfortable And has all the bells and whistles. I have always been a fan of the X5.

hennessy_r24 · 01-22-2019, 01:10 AM

Hey Matt one thing is having a car that you will enjoy working on like your race car, the problem with the x5 is not the tear and wear maintenance the problem is the unexpected will fail and when it does is one stupid sh**t behind the other . With the 50i I wouldn't be surprised the oil smell is coming from the valve stem seal a 8k job from the dealer.

2018 was a bad year for my single owner x5 35i that I bought back in 2016 with 68k. The oil filter and oil cooler housing started leaking , the parking brake actuator went bad, oil pan started leaking , in the middle of the summer with high 90's temp my a/c was blasting cold, parked the car to pick up my daughter from school get back to find out the a/c went bad, same week on top of that decided to open the sunroof get to heat out and just my luck it broke. I used to love working on my e46 m3 when I had it , it was fun in 5 years of ownership 2 or 3 thing when bad and it is sad to say but bmw reliability went south. The car is really fun to drive but it is a headache, my wife new and previous toyota highlander with 245k miles was running with 0 issues and thinking of that makes me think if I should run away from bmw. If you can return it walk away from it and don't look back there is not such thing as a great deal. Good luck

Sophisticated Redneck · 01-22-2019, 03:26 AM

Forgot to mention, jump up on BMWs site and see what items are still covered by their warranty. Some things go to 100k, others to 125k. If the previous owner didn't do the CCP, then your in luck. I blew out th foootwell module (it controls power windows, interior lighting, mirrors, etc) when I drained the batter yand tried to jump it at 115k, Chapman BMW replaced it for free and to the latest model thanks to BMW extending the warranty to 125k. Oh heads up, recall on airbag and turbo charger water pump, get em done for free of ya keep it and they have not been done yet

X5 MAN · 01-22-2019, 08:47 AM

Return it back ASAP.

Things can only go downhill from now !!

UglyBuzzard · 01-22-2019, 04:03 PM

^^^ this ^^^

If you can return, run as fast as you can to do so.

UglyBuzzard · 01-22-2019, 04:03 PM

^^^ this ^^^

If you can return, run as fast as you can to do so.

BigHunk · 01-22-2019, 08:01 PM

Return it.
In the future do PPI at trustworthy shop or Bmw shop, before you buy another car,that will save you lots of money.

neliconcept · 01-24-2019, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hennessy_r24

Hey Matt one thing is having a car that you will enjoy working on like your race car, the problem with the x5 is not the tear and wear maintenance the problem is the unexpected will fail and when it does is one stupid sh**t behind the other . With the 50i I wouldn't be surprised the oil smell is coming from the valve stem seal a 8k job from the dealer.

2018 was a bad year for my single owner x5 35i that I bought back in 2016 with 68k. The oil filter and oil cooler housing started leaking , the parking brake actuator went bad, oil pan started leaking , in the middle of the summer with high 90's temp my a/c was blasting cold, parked the car to pick up my daughter from school get back to find out the a/c went bad, same week on top of that decided to open the sunroof get to heat out and just my luck it broke. I used to love working on my e46 m3 when I had it , it was fun in 5 years of ownership 2 or 3 thing when bad and it is sad to say but bmw reliability went south. The car is really fun to drive but it is a headache, my wife new and previous toyota highlander with 245k miles was running with 0 issues and thinking of that makes me think if I should run away from bmw. If you can return it walk away from it and don't look back there is not such thing as a great deal. Good luck

Yep, had that happen to my X5, one thing after another, A/C then Coolant expansion tank (easy job though) then coolant leak from something, water pump or exchange pipe, oil leak. I just dumped it to the next owner, let him know the issues and took a loss. Now I'm in a warrantied Cayenne GTS that is 100x more reliable (sans known transfer case issues, but that's it)

heymattw · 01-24-2019, 10:58 AM

Thanks for all the reply's. I am letting them fix the car and getting it to my approval. I really do love the car and I'm a huge vehicle enthusiast so I decided to get a 3 year/36k mile warranty from Autopom. At $3400 I will feel so much better.

I don't have a loan on the car, additionally my business paid for the car after a very successful year. I'm going to see where it takes me.

X5 MAN · 01-24-2019, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heymattw

Thanks for all the reply's. I am letting them fix the car and getting it to my approval. I really do love the car and I'm a huge vehicle enthusiast so I decided to get a 3 year/36k mile warranty from Autopom. At $3400 I will feel so much better.

I don't have a loan on the car, additionally my business paid for the car after a very successful year. I'm going to see where it takes me.

+1

Good decision.

I love my 50i too

I drive it hard on the Interstate

See my pics

heatmizr · 01-24-2019, 01:54 PM

Yeah!! Keep it, it sounds like you really like it. I like mine, too!
This way when things go wrong we can fix them and inform others!

Ryan5034 · 01-25-2019, 07:36 AM

I'll just add that my X5 is same color and wheels as yours and I really enjoy it after it has had the problem areas fixed.

I bought mine at 62k and have replaced all valve stem seals, turbo oil and coolant lines, plugs and coils, rear main seal, and all 3 water pumps by 92k. Everything is working well now.

01-21-2019, 09:25 PM	#1
heymattw New Member 0 Rep 15 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW X5 Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	I bought an amazing X5 xdrive50i! Should I return it? Hi, new to the forum. My name is Matt. I purchased a BMW X5 xdrive50i on January 12th. I was looking everywhere I could for clean one, and I finally found it. It is in mint condition, both inside and out, every option including DVD player with 67k miles on it. This was purchased from a dealer, however I pulled the Carfax report and the vehicle was a one owner vehicle that was serviced at the same BMW dealership multiple times, then turned into this dealership that I purchased it at. It is a high end used luxury vehicle dealership with a service department that specializes in Germain cars. I took the car home Saturday and immediately started to smell oil. I drove it around a little and the oil smell was filling the car at a stop. I took it right to the dealership and left it with service. They said something failed on the turbo and they needed to replace the turbo. I am now on day 9 without the car and am getting worried about what I just got into. I had a 3 day return policy (They had it back on day 2) I also have a 3 month/3000 mile warranty on the motor and trans. They have been accommodating and gave me a newer Acura TL as a loaner. What would you recommend I do? I am really excited about the car, I feel like I got a great price on it, but is this something I need to worry about? Thanks in advance. Last edited by heymattw; 01-21-2019 at 09:32 PM..
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01-21-2019, 09:53 PM	#2
Lviv777 Second Lieutenant 42 Rep 269 Posts Drives: f30 330e, C8 Vette Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Highway iTrader: (0)	Did you get a PPI?
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01-21-2019, 10:32 PM	#3
jiggz Brigadier General 2140 Rep 3,647 Posts Drives: E90 M3\|F15 X5 50i Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seattle iTrader: (2)	These vehicles (the 50i) have a lot of well documented issues, were you aware of those prior to purchasing? Very fun cars to drive for sure, but they can be very problematic and very costly to fix/maintain. Unless you get a PPI and confirm all looks well, and have a good 3rd party warranty, you might consider returning it unless you're willing to deal with the cost of repairs. Do you have any maintenance records? There's some very big ticket items that are due right around the mileage you're at.
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01-21-2019, 11:57 PM	#4
Sophisticated Redneck Lieutenant Colonel 1414 Rep 1,564 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW X5 50i Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: CA iTrader: (0)	If you own a 50i (or M for that matter)You absolutely MUST either: Be DAMN good working on cars or have one hell of an extended warranty. These are complex machines (did you know your car has three water pumps?) and unfortunately have quite a few things that can go wrong with them. The SAD part is that nearly all of it's problems are due to the high temps of engine compartment. For example, I can guarantee you that your oil smell is either the turbo oil return lines getting plugged from burned/cooked oil (the oil return lines run right next to the exhaust manifold) or the oil line return housing seal failing, again due to the high temps. If you keep this car, either get damn handy with tools (I've replaced both the previous mentioned items, parts really aren't that expensive online, it's the man-hours it takes to replace them) or get an AMAZING bumper to bumper warranty. The oil return lines can be cleaned and the housing is like 70 bucks...the labor however is around 3 grand if you go to BMW!! Oh and THROW AWAY that piece of SHIT engine cover. You will litteraly add 30 thousand miles to your engines life if not more. Evil, just Evil covering up a reverse flow engine, trapping all that heat and frying all the plastic and rubber hoses and tubes. I recommend ditching your rear engine compartment seal also, airflow across a hot engine is good a thing. Last edited by Sophisticated Redneck; 01-22-2019 at 12:07 AM..
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01-22-2019, 12:06 AM	#5
heymattw New Member 0 Rep 15 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW X5 Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	Thanks. I am pretty good at working on cars myself if it comes to following directions. I have a full blown race car (LS motor) I've done a lot of the work myself to. That being said, I know this is a completely different beast. Are there any questions I should ask As red flags when confirming things were done properly?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-22-2019, 12:29 AM	#9
heymattw New Member 0 Rep 15 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW X5 Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	Well I'm going to hopefully see what happens with the repair. I'm going to get the car back and really put it to the tear to see if anything's about to go.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-22-2019, 12:30 AM	#10
heymattw New Member 0 Rep 15 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW X5 Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	I am really just looking for a fun car that is really comfortable And has all the bells and whistles. I have always been a fan of the X5.
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01-22-2019, 01:10 AM	#11
hennessy_r24 Private First Class 23 Rep 175 Posts Drives: bmw m3 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: bergen county new jersey iTrader: (0)	Hey Matt one thing is having a car that you will enjoy working on like your race car, the problem with the x5 is not the tear and wear maintenance the problem is the unexpected will fail and when it does is one stupid sh**t behind the other . With the 50i I wouldn't be surprised the oil smell is coming from the valve stem seal a 8k job from the dealer. 2018 was a bad year for my single owner x5 35i that I bought back in 2016 with 68k. The oil filter and oil cooler housing started leaking , the parking brake actuator went bad, oil pan started leaking , in the middle of the summer with high 90's temp my a/c was blasting cold, parked the car to pick up my daughter from school get back to find out the a/c went bad, same week on top of that decided to open the sunroof get to heat out and just my luck it broke. I used to love working on my e46 m3 when I had it , it was fun in 5 years of ownership 2 or 3 thing when bad and it is sad to say but bmw reliability went south. The car is really fun to drive but it is a headache, my wife new and previous toyota highlander with 245k miles was running with 0 issues and thinking of that makes me think if I should run away from bmw. If you can return it walk away from it and don't look back there is not such thing as a great deal. Good luck
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01-22-2019, 03:26 AM	#12
Sophisticated Redneck Lieutenant Colonel 1414 Rep 1,564 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW X5 50i Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: CA iTrader: (0)	Forgot to mention, jump up on BMWs site and see what items are still covered by their warranty. Some things go to 100k, others to 125k. If the previous owner didn't do the CCP, then your in luck. I blew out th foootwell module (it controls power windows, interior lighting, mirrors, etc) when I drained the batter yand tried to jump it at 115k, Chapman BMW replaced it for free and to the latest model thanks to BMW extending the warranty to 125k. Oh heads up, recall on airbag and turbo charger water pump, get em done for free of ya keep it and they have not been done yet
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01-22-2019, 08:47 AM	#13
X5 MAN Lieutenant 78 Rep 491 Posts Drives: 2011X5 50iM-Sport;2016X3 35i M Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Return it back ASAP. Things can only go downhill from now !!
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01-22-2019, 04:03 PM	#14
UglyBuzzard Colonel 6356 Rep 2,329 Posts Drives: F90 / M5 Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	^^^ this ^^^ If you can return, run as fast as you can to do so.
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01-22-2019, 08:01 PM	#16
BigHunk ///M 270 Rep 385 Posts Drives: X5M , iX , S1000XR Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Edmonton iTrader: (0)	Return it. In the future do PPI at trustworthy shop or Bmw shop, before you buy another car,that will save you lots of money. __________________ not rich enough to buy cheap
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01-24-2019, 10:58 AM	#18
heymattw New Member 0 Rep 15 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW X5 Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	Thanks for all the reply's. I am letting them fix the car and getting it to my approval. I really do love the car and I'm a huge vehicle enthusiast so I decided to get a 3 year/36k mile warranty from Autopom. At $3400 I will feel so much better. I don't have a loan on the car, additionally my business paid for the car after a very successful year. I'm going to see where it takes me.
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01-24-2019, 01:54 PM	#20
heatmizr Captain 153 Rep 709 Posts Drives: E70 X5 50i M-Sport Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Charlotte, NC iTrader: (0)	Yeah!! Keep it, it sounds like you really like it. I like mine, too! This way when things go wrong we can fix them and inform others! __________________ heatmizr [Todd] g26 i4 e40 - Clean Machine e70 X5 50i M-Sport "The Boss" Loaded e90 328i - sold e36 M3 - Gone to become a track star
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01-25-2019, 07:36 AM	#21
Ryan5034 First Lieutenant 83 Rep 360 Posts Drives: 2019 X5 50i Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Fargo, ND iTrader: (1) Garage List 2019 BMW X5 xdrive50 [0.00] [0.00] 2011 BMW X5 xdrive 50 [0.00] 1964 Chevrolet Bel-Air [0.00]	I'll just add that my X5 is same color and wheels as yours and I really enjoy it after it has had the problem areas fixed. I bought mine at 62k and have replaced all valve stem seals, turbo oil and coolant lines, plugs and coils, rear main seal, and all 3 water pumps by 92k. Everything is working well now.
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