XSeries-forum

Hi I'm ready to take the plunge got £11k to play with so looking at 06 X5 3.0d. Nearly everything that looks god seems to be 200 miles away or sold!! I've seen a few I like and driven one which gave me the bug to take the plunge. Can anyone answer me these questions??

How do I tell a good auto transmission from a bad one?
I really like the panoramic sunroof but have heard bad reports is this true?
How can I tell if the rear suspension/wheel alignment is shot apart from uneven tyre wear?
Is it normal for headlight plastic to be hazed?
Can I clean the aluminium running boards?
How do I clean the black shiny b pillars between the doors?
Is the TV tuner/ sat nav really worth having??

Cheers

In anticipation!

How do I tell a good auto transmission from a bad one?

You can check pan gasket for significant obvious leaks but many leak a bit. Cold and warm make sure it doesnt clunk or jolt when changing manually or automatically. Check each gear individually and select up and down. I don't kickdown in manual much as its a hell of a strain on a box but it is worth trying this once on a potential purchase when fully warmed up and if seller allows...Maybe ask them to demonstrate.


I really like the panoramic sunroof but have heard bad reports is this true?

If it fails its costly to fully repair. there is a bmw repair kit which reduces cost (some will quote for a full cassette change), and others have locked it partially shut for little cost.



How can I tell if the rear suspension/wheel alignment is shot apart from uneven tyre wear?

Listen for clunks on that kickdown start from standstill to check rear bushes being shot. In any case I advise a decent alignmment check for any used purchase that's a keeper unless recent evidence of same being done


Is it normal for headlight plastic to be hazed?
Over 100k or 10 years old. They can be machine polished to clear again

Can I clean the aluminium running boards?
Autosol then WD40.

How do I clean the black shiny b pillars between the doors?
Autosol then Auto Glym SRP

Is the TV tuner/ sat nav really worth having??

It's not all that but I like it. Unless car is a late example the tv wont work without a digital tuner upgrade. NAV is nice to have albeit Mk4 DVD system best as on later cars. Fine to buy a car without it but don't pay top money for a car absent of it unless it is superior in other areas such as spec/trim/history/mileage/condition etc.

AW8, great reply thanks for this got a list of cars to view so really looking forward to picking one up just don't want to get caught with anything big which I could avoid, my last car never missed a beat and I was kinda hoping bmw would be very reliable too but forums are. Full of stories of problems. Even got a member from here who maybe wanting to sell his so great forum

Hi,

By their nature, most forums are full of problems. You never see a post saying............Just saying high, have had it 3 years and nothing has gone wrong.
Its just my 2 pence worth, but IMHO the pan roof is just not worth the agro. They always go wrong. Early cars had a normal sunroof which was trouble free.
The rear suspension, when on the way out creaks.....very loudly. Sounds silly, just drive it up a curb on each side and if it creaks it needs work. Its been a while since I had it done, but I think replacing every bush/arm was £600 ish.
Gearboxes seem to be hit/miss. 2 out of my 3 cars were completely trouble free , but one was a pig. The later cars have a more pro-active gearbox that changes down as you slow down and you can feel the changes, esp the one from second to first. Just make sure it not a jerky change or that it makes a bit of  a bang when it does it. Also stick it in D and let the car roll fwd under its own steam. Stop and stick it into reverse. It should go into reverse straight away. If there is a delay be wary. Sometimes you stop, engage reverse and accelerate, engine revs a bit and then the box engages reverse with a bang.............walk away or negotiate the price of a new gear box.  Mine used to do that and stoped holding the car on a hill, was the forst sign of gearbox failure and the result was a new gear box @£5000, done at ' BMW under warranty fortunately.
Nav...........Its not the best in the world, but I like it and its nicely integrated/steering wheel controls etc etc. That said there are after mkt units that look almost identical and have the full monty kit wise inc bluetooth etc etc for not a lot of money.
They are great cars, I have had 3 now. To be fair to it, get a good one and they are generally trouble free, but you cant run it on a ford fiesta budget.

Good luck in your hunt.

Regards,

Nat.

Hi, all good advice above, with regards to rear wheel alignment/wear, the camber angle can be a bit of a give away, there's supposed to be some negative camber but too much would point to worn bushes on the rear suspension arms. A shake through the steering wheel whilst braking between 60-80 is usually the front thrust arm bushes, this is normally combined with vagueness in the steering.

The running boards can be made to look like new, when I bought mine the guy who reconditioned the wheels took the aluminium part off and painted them with the wheels ... An inexpensive fix.

You didn't mention about your level of mechanical knowledge, my advice to you would be to get a potential purchase checked out thoroughly, a tarted up dog could cost you a lot of money, I looked at quite a few before I bought mine, and was surprised just how many clocked examples are out there, cars with 80,000 miles on the clock which had very clearly done twice as much, the level of interior wear is a good indication on mileage, should be very minimal on a cared for example below 100k check out the service history carefully.

Great thanks guys, got my eye on a Le Mans 06 with full bmw history and 89k miles for £9450. Owner says the car has a few scratches but will get them polished out. I have a lot of family and friends warning me off but I have my mind set on one now but would hate to prove them right!!! wary of clocked examples etc but stuff in small dealers seems pretty poor so mYbe private maybe the way to go

Will post pics when I get one and hopefully not too many how do I fix this questions

Just make sure you check everything and I mean everything  radio heater etc etc these little faults can come to a couple of £££ and good luck with your search.

Best advice I can give is "don't rush" be patient the right car is out there. As said by Reusch make sure everything works, if the owners says something like " oh thats just the FSR you can get one of ebay" ask yourself the question, he's selling the car if its an easy fix why hasn't he done it??

I am on my second X5 both came from dealers (that way you do have better protection) haggle over every little scuff mark, let them know your a cash buyer.
My experience has been good, both cars have had faults and niggles (they are second hand cars) but nothing major. I am lucky I found a BMW specialist locally with a great reputation he checked out both cars for me, after buying I had all fluids changed on both cars as a precaution.
The first X ran brilliantly until it got squashed by a falling tree, the replacement is the same, it does what we brought it to do very well. I have upgraded comms to bluetooth (easy DIY) and fitted a reverse camera.

So find the right car haggle hard then drive it and enjoy it

Well got a lovely Le Mans edition 06 x5 today 2 owner FBMWSH 80k for a great price. Just wondering if anyone has info on the following

Does the e63 3.0d engine have a belt or timing chain?

Does anyone know the best way of cleaning the shiny black B pillars between the doors as this one has water:oil marks on them (as did a lot of others)

Drove 800 miles in 2 days to find a good one but this drive brilliantly

Pictures matey

[quote="Zakbelle"]
Does the e63 3.0d engine have a belt or timing chain?
[/quote]

No rubber bands on the E53.  Timing chain.

Richard

Cheers Richard, my minds at rest now pics ASAP, pick it up on Thursday flying to Bristol from Newcastle which bizarrely was cheaper than a rental car or train

No idea why it's posted the same pic 3 times??

Coz the link is in your post three times..

Tidy looking car though.  And yes it's crazy that you can fly cheaper than rental car.  Not surprised about the train though.  Rail travel in the UK is stupidly expensive now, especially going anywhere near London!

Richard