High mileage F15 35d's - how's the reliability?

[midlifecrisis]

In a few months I'll have to make the decision to buy out the lease on my 35d or move on to something else. Who has the highest mileage on their 35d and how reliable has it been?

Mine has only 25,000 miles on it and has been very reliable except for an emissions problem probably caused by me when I started it when it was near zero Fahrenheit, moved it up the driveway and immediately shut it down. I'm sure there are several forum members who have much higher mileage - please let me know if there have been any drivetrain related problems over the long haul.

My X5 35d is by far the best family vehicle I've ever owned, and I'm leaning toward buying it out, getting the extended warranty, and keeping it 7 years.

Every time I take a trip I'm reminded how good this vehicle is for long distance travel. We travelled from NJ to VT for Thanksgiving and aside from getting 33-34 mpg, my favorite feature of the car is the ability to effortlessly pass slower traffic on two lane highways like Route 7 in Vermont. The diesel torque and smooth shifting 8 speed transmission continue to thrill and delight me after almost 3 years.

[flexfusion]

Sounds as though you have a "keeper" and I would recommend you buy it. Just keep it serviced by your local BMW dealer and you will have many enjoyable driving miles. I have a 2016 F15 3.5 and I feel like it is also a keeper also.

[midlifecrisis]

Originally Posted by flexfusion

Sounds as though you have a "keeper" and I would recommend you buy it. Just keep it serviced by your local BMW dealer and you will have many enjoyable driving miles. I have a 2016 F15 3.5 and I feel like it is also a keeper also.

Yeah, but surely there are a few out there with 60-80,000 miles on them. I'd be curious to see how they hold up. I plan to get the extended warranty, so I'm not so worried about the cost. I'm just wondering whether I should expect any major inconvenience.

I'm not in love with the way the '17s are optioned, so I'll be happy keeping this one.

[stewy604]

2014 X5 35d M Sport (May build), I've got 89k (55,000 miles) on the odometer. Those miles haven't been without some pain, and several un-wanted trips to the dealer. From member, my problems have included, but are not limited to:

-internal turbo failure (boost actuator)
-EGR temp sensor
-EGR pressure switch
-transmission replacement (mechatronics failure)
-squeaky driver's seat bolters when inflating (twice)
-squeaky steering column on auto raise/lower (twice)
-failed lower/digital portion of the cluster (required re-flash / coding several times)
-broken seatbelt retainer clip in cargo area
-air intake tube rattling against upper rad support

Through all that, I still absolutely LOVE driving this vehicle, especially with some of the upgrades I've made (MPBK, ACS springs/links, wheel spacers, non-RFT tires, various cosmetic pieces). My dealer has been excellent in supporting the vehicle, and frankly they are the sole reason I still have this vehicle. I have the extended warranty on this vehicle out to 160K. I plan on keeping it until at least 140-150k. Depending on how its holding up, I may decide to keep it longer.

[UnhappySwede]

what kind of symptoms did the failed EGR temp sensor give? i also have issues with my engine tenperature...

[stewy604]

Originally Posted by UnhappySwede

what kind of symptoms did the failed EGR temp sensor give? i also have issues with my engine tenperature...

Just threw a CEL. Drivability seemed un-affected to me.

[jugdish]

I had to make this decision recently as well. Decided to trade the X5 35d in for a Lexus. My main worry was the fact that my local dealer's service dept. sucks, and there isn't another BMW dealer for over 100 miles. They have been clowns from day 1: Trying to charge me for ad-blue, not rotating tires because BMW says I don't need to (even though I paid to have them rotated), not having loaner cars available without over a weeks notice.

I paid $63k for my X5 and received $50k on trade so over 18 months, it cost me $13k to own or $722/month. Additionally, I saved $2500 on taxes. Not too bad. I loved the X5, but with my job requiring more miles the next few years, I couldn't justify putting 30k miles/year with the cost of maintenance and extended warranty coming up in about a year. Wasn't an easy decision, but I needed to switch to reliability vs. driveability....

[Velocifero]

Bought our 2015 35d recently with around 47k on the clock. Higher than we wanted, but it came equipped with most of the packages we wanted. According to vehicle records, it's been a champ and still feels that way at 50k so far. I forget where I heard this, but because of the combustion process, diesel engines last longer than gasoline engines. Prolonging major rebuilds further than gasoline engines. Think of long-running vehicles such as buses and trucks. Besides being able to produce gobs of torque, there's a reason certain vehicles use them.

[UnhappySwede]

Trucks and buses run long because they are used every day and the miles mount up quickly and during warm engine use.

Even gasoline taxis run quite long. While diesels used to be bulletproof, I believe new emission standards, competition and manufacturor cheapness make these engines less reliable.

The emission filtering got complicated and injectors work harder to improve performance. Gaskets are made for low friction rather than reliability. I work with heavy trucks and the new engines just dont last like they used to. Then there's the electronics...

[NorCalxdriveX5Diesel]

Sorry to hear others having issues with BMW diesel, I’ve owned a few BMW diesels with no issues. Here’s my experience with current BMW I drive daily for 3 years - 2015 X5 xdrive35d Diesel that I drove for 66k (from 24k to 90k) with 0 issues, mostly highway miles for work and this has been my most reliable BMW and better than any car I’ve owned (including Dinan tuned 335i convertible, two 540i’s sport, 330ci; supercharged Infiniti G35, Cadillac STS, Jaguar XJ8, etc.) - I sold 2014 328d at 74k, which was pretty reliable too.

I fill up with Propel HPR diesel exclusively (available in CA only), changed ZF transmission oil/filter at 50k & now again, replace engine oil with Pennzoil Euro L Synthetic (meets BMW diesel specs and only $23 for 5 quarts at Walmart), in my years of using Pennzoil, I’m confident its as good if not better than premium synthetics I used on my other cars such as Amsoil, Mobil 1 & Royal Purple.

What I learned over the years is that BMW diesels love regular long drives (allows DPF to regenerate and reduces other issues). I resolved 1 problematic injector at 77k by adding ‘Hot Shot's Secret Stiction Eliminator Diesel Oil Additive’ to engine oil - I had a check engine light for injector #5 for 5k miles and after adding ‘Hot Shots Stiction Eliminator’ at oil change - my check engine light went away, had to drive ~3k miles. My X5 drove the same with check engine light for 5k - no loss of power or fuel economy (~30 mpg combined) - but I’m sure the injector would have have failed; glad I learned what ‘stiction’ is and how Hot Shots eliminates it.

I added few diesel fuel additives over the years - FCP Euro has great diesel additives/cleaners, I bought many good products from them that are DIY friendly. Hope these few tips help other BMW diesel owners.

[midlifecrisis]

Since this old post has been revived, I'll use it as an excuse to sing the praises of the 35d again! (Knock on wood.). Since my original post, I changed my mind and leased a '17 X5 35d. I bought the car off lease in 2020 and I'm very glad I did. I still feel the same way about this vehicle and powertrain. It'll wear out someday, but I'm going to enjoy it until it does! 42,000 miles on the odometer, so I hope to have many more years of enjoyment.

[Brekalo]

I got 125k km with my X5 3.0d (EU) without any issues so far besides regular maintenance. Plan on keeping it for at least 100k km more.

[///d]

Originally Posted by midlifecrisis

Since this old post has been revived, I'll use it as an excuse to sing the praises of the 35d again! (Knock on wood.). Since my original post, I changed my mind and leased a '17 X5 35d. I bought the car off lease in 2020 and I'm very glad I did. I still feel the same way about this vehicle and powertrain. It'll wear out someday, but I'm going to enjoy it until it does! 42,000 miles on the odometer, so I hope to have many more years of enjoyment.

Diesels in general typically have a much longer lifespan than gassers. You usually see the body and chassis go long before the engines do. Its not uncommon to find 200k+ mile diesel pickups still going strong. I think the reason there are so many questions about them is because most people aren't familiar with them.

Everyone, especially in the BMW world, think anything over 1000k miles is dying. Some folks that regularly lease tend to think that at even less miles. Reality is, if you take care of a vehicle theres no reason you shouldn't see 200k miles on something, if not more, just a lot of people don't hold onto them that long.

[chumbedi]

High mileage shouldn't be a problem,
things to look into - incase the Diesel had only been driven short distances only, nowadays Diesel have been castrated and then you could expect clogged egr, egr cooler, carbon build up at valves, clogged filter.
But everything can be cleaned, but don't give the car to a BMW dealer, as they will put in new parts.

On high mileage you should ask, whether chains have been replaced already.