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      08-05-2016, 04:22 AM   #1
TOPEC
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Observations post 2000KM

Here’s some observations I’ve made after driving the X5 past its 2000KM mark. My previous experiences were from a 2006 Subaru STI with full bolt on part and full suspension mods, and a 2011 E92 bone stock. The STI became too harsh for daily driving thus the E92. The E92 was very comfortable and fast but a bit small and became an issue when family members would visit from overseas, thus the purchase of the X5.

Build Quality: it seems to me the build quality for BMWs have gone downhill. I don’t know if its because the X5 is built in the Spartanburg plant which is whats making the difference. I find that my E92 had much better build quality where every panel and trim pieces were nice and tight fit. When I was installing my dashcam in the X5 for both front and rear, I had to take apart a lot of trim pieces. I discovered a lot of trims had gaps or were somewhat “loose” possibly due to looser tolerances. Also some trims that requires screws to hold it in place either is cracked at the mounting points due to over tightening, or the threads on the screw has “elongated” the screw hole on the trim piece due it poor alignment/fitment. Of course all these cannot be seen by the naked eye as its covered by various covers or trims.

Transmission: the 8 speed transmission is definitely smooth, possibly due to it still being fairly new, but I do notice there is 1 issue with this transmission. The gear ratio from 2nd gear to 3rd gear is too big of a jump. All other gear spacing is fairly even except for 2nd to 3rd. I notice if I am accelerating at a very light pace, the vehicle would accelerate at a smooth pace until going into 3rd gear where the RPMs drop too low and hesitate a bit before gaining enough RPMS to shift into 4th and so on.

Brakes: definitely lacking for a 4800lb SUV. Maybe because it is due to me being used to slowing down a lighter car, I find the brakes seems quite a bit lacking.

Eco Mode: I know this mode is supposed to save gas thus shifting to the highest gear as soon as possible, but the way this is done is putting way too much load onto the engine at a way too low engine RPM. For example, when cruising at a constant speed and I need to speed up a bit, giving anything more than moderate throttle input causes the engine to knock/detonate/ping/premature ignition. I can hear the knocking going on in the engine as it sounds like a paint can with marbles inside rattling around. This is definitely not good for the engine in the long term.

Tires: my vehicle came with the 20" conti runflats. I have not pushed them yet in corners so that i cannot comment. But what i can comment on is how noisy these tires are on the highway, its ridiculous. Also, these tires tend to tram a lot, like follow along the grooves on the pavement which results on the steering becoming overcorrected. This happened to me a few times today where the car would tram along and i would overcorrect with steering input cause the vehicle to wobble left and right within my lane.

Overall I am pretty happy with the vehicle except for those minor issues. Oh and best ever mod is to remove the telephone cradle, its basically useless. I removed the cradle and put a tray in place which made the storage area much more usable. Now all the smaller items can stay on the tray and the bigger items can be on the bottom of the box.

here's a link to the pictures, i did not want to add them to the post as they're way too big

View post on imgur.com
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      08-05-2016, 11:08 AM   #2
epiphone3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TOPEC View Post
Here’s some observations I’ve made after driving the X5 past its 2000KM mark. My previous experiences were from a 2006 Subaru STI with full bolt on part and full suspension mods, and a 2011 E92 bone stock. The STI became too harsh for daily driving thus the E92. The E92 was very comfortable and fast but a bit small and became an issue when family members would visit from overseas, thus the purchase of the X5.

Build Quality: it seems to me the build quality for BMWs have gone downhill. I don’t know if its because the X5 is built in the Spartanburg plant which is whats making the difference. I find that my E92 had much better build quality where every panel and trim pieces were nice and tight fit. When I was installing my dashcam in the X5 for both front and rear, I had to take apart a lot of trim pieces. I discovered a lot of trims had gaps or were somewhat “loose” possibly due to looser tolerances. Also some trims that requires screws to hold it in place either is cracked at the mounting points due to over tightening, or the threads on the screw has “elongated” the screw hole on the trim piece due it poor alignment/fitment. Of course all these cannot be seen by the naked eye as its covered by various covers or trims.

Transmission: the 8 speed transmission is definitely smooth, possibly due to it still being fairly new, but I do notice there is 1 issue with this transmission. The gear ratio from 2nd gear to 3rd gear is too big of a jump. All other gear spacing is fairly even except for 2nd to 3rd. I notice if I am accelerating at a very light pace, the vehicle would accelerate at a smooth pace until going into 3rd gear where the RPMs drop too low and hesitate a bit before gaining enough RPMS to shift into 4th and so on.

Brakes: definitely lacking for a 4800lb SUV. Maybe because it is due to me being used to slowing down a lighter car, I find the brakes seems quite a bit lacking.

Eco Mode: I know this mode is supposed to save gas thus shifting to the highest gear as soon as possible, but the way this is done is putting way too much load onto the engine at a way too low engine RPM. For example, when cruising at a constant speed and I need to speed up a bit, giving anything more than moderate throttle input causes the engine to knock/detonate/ping/premature ignition. I can hear the knocking going on in the engine as it sounds like a paint can with marbles inside rattling around. This is definitely not good for the engine in the long term.

Tires: my vehicle came with the 20" conti runflats. I have not pushed them yet in corners so that i cannot comment. But what i can comment on is how noisy these tires are on the highway, its ridiculous. Also, these tires tend to tram a lot, like follow along the grooves on the pavement which results on the steering becoming overcorrected. This happened to me a few times today where the car would tram along and i would overcorrect with steering input cause the vehicle to wobble left and right within my lane.

Overall I am pretty happy with the vehicle except for those minor issues. Oh and best ever mod is to remove the telephone cradle, its basically useless. I removed the cradle and put a tray in place which made the storage area much more usable. Now all the smaller items can stay on the tray and the bigger items can be on the bottom of the box.

here's a link to the pictures, i did not want to add them to the post as they're way too big

View post on imgur.com

Regarding your comments on ECO PRO mode, I would look into the quality/octane rating of fuel you are using. My X3 35i never knocks or rattles in any mode and definitely not accelerating in ECO PRO mode either. If you are using premium fuel (91 AKI Octane number) from a premium branded station and you are still getting knock, get that thing into the dealer ASAP.
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      08-05-2016, 01:21 PM   #3
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Thanks for sharing your experiences. Checked our your pics on IMGUR and you most certainly have a beautiful ride.

I certainly think you might need to take that thing in. I drive in ECO PRO mode most of the time, and agree you have to step on it sometimes to get it to move but I have never experienced this knocking. I also don't experience the transmission problem you stated.
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      08-06-2016, 05:10 PM   #4
TOPEC
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I only fill up at a chevron near my house. It's a pretty busy station so it shouldn't be bad/stale gas. 91 octane does contain 10% ethanol tho which I don't believe will cause an issue. I may try a tank or 2 or 93 octane to see what happens.
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