How long do you want to keep your X5?

[50iXman]

Reading all the crap from people bashing bimmers online (I say life is too short to drive boring cars) I just want to say I have never had a 2014 be so soild. Ive had toyota camrys, trucks etc this car feels more solid at 9 years old than new ones.

I want to keep this for quite some time. Its my baby!

you guys and gals in for the long haul?

That reminds me, are there quite a few few ladies that drive F15s?

[crystalworks]

It's not so much that they break often. It's that when they do... it's usually at least a few thousand bucks to fix. Compare that to a Camry or Truck where repairs probably average a few hundred bucks or so.

We only drive Bimmers. Nothing drives like 'em. But I work on them, so don't have that multiple thousand dollar fear in my head. Even when I had to replace the transmission on our 2010 X5 diesel I did it myself for < $2000 including all the "while I'm in there" parts. I daily drive a 2006 530xi wagon with almost 205k miles on it. Also have a 2006 X5 4.8is. Have a few others as well, but you get the idea. If you don't work on them... just save up an oh sh*t fund and know that it will probably get used one day. If you make it through the ownership without doing so... hey, you've got a nice chunk of change to reallocate.

BTW, make sure you service your ZF trans ~ 70k miles, regardless of what BMW says. Ask me how I know.

[beattiecj]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

It's not so much that they break often. It's that when they do... it's usually at least a few thousand bucks to fix. Compare that to a Camry or Truck where repairs probably average a few hundred bucks or so.

We only drive Bimmers. Nothing drives like 'em. But I work on them, so don't have that multiple thousand dollar fear in my head. Even when I had to replace the transmission on our 2010 X5 diesel I did it myself for < $2000 including all the "while I'm in there" parts. I daily drive a 2006 530xi wagon with almost 205k miles on it. Also have a 2006 X5 4.8is. Have a few others as well, but you get the idea. If you don't work on them... just save up an oh sh*t fund and know that it will probably get used one day. If you make it through the ownership without doing so... hey, you've got a nice chunk of change to reallocate.

BTW, make sure you service your ZF trans ~ 70k miles, regardless of what BMW says. Ask me how I know.

lol thanks for the reminder to change my trans fluid just hit 70k… have the kit just need to do it.

I’ve debated getting a newer x5 just hard to justify the cost overall very similar of course the new tech is a nice plus. Have done all major maintenance stuff myself and overall it’s very straightforward.

[Qsilver7]

I'll keep driving the BMWs I have until I don't like them anymore.

And unless BMW changes design direction...I'm not sure what I'll do because none of the new models (2020-up) move me...other than to vomit.

I don't have the "newer is better" mantra spinning in my head...so as long as the vehicles run and the tech works in them...I'm good to go. I have no clue what Carplay/Apple-play really is and why all the lamenting when a BMW doesn't play well with these technologies...as long as my phone can be paired to answer/make calls...and the Nav maps can be updated...I'm not pushed away from my 2014 & 2015 models.

I kept my 1997 e38 740iL up until 2018...mainly because I loved it and no other BMW sedan made me turn my head until the f06/f12/f13 debuted.

I only moved on from my e53 X5 because BMW stopped supporting the map CDs..and the f15 X5 wasn't a bad continuing design.

The new huge kidney grilles and rear ends with all the fake scoops and exhausts outlets..are not attractive to me (I'm probably too old to appreciate this design architecture)...they all look like something from the Transformer movie.

[Tomcat_F15_STL]

I’m at 139k miles on the ‘13 now.

Goal would be to make it to retirement in two years - probably 165k at that point.

That’d be plenty - then an X7!

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by 50iXman

Reading all the crap from people bashing bimmers online (I say life is too short to drive boring cars) I just want to say I have never had a 2014 be so soild. Ive had toyota camrys, trucks etc this car feels more solid at 9 years old than new ones.

I want to keep this for quite some time. Its my baby!

you guys and gals in for the long haul?

That reminds me, are there quite a few few ladies that drive F15s?

My CPO wrap warranty runs out in March of 2025. I’ll keep it till then. It’s a 2018 X5 50i with 48K miles on it. But also have a 2019 X5 50i (belongs to my friend who is an expat now and I can buy it from him at any time. Only has 15K miles and fully loaded so was planning on just continuing with that since I already drive it on and off as needed), we also have a 2023 iX (wife’s), so not in a rush. Having rented an X7 recently, I am leaning to my next being an X7. But overall, I think the design of the F15 has aged well and I still enjoy it quite a bit. It has all the tech that I need with full screen CarPlay etc. I don’t care for full self driving and such…

[Ascotgrun]

I'm at 65K on my 2017. It's an S Drive so I have a little less to maintain or repair. I currently drive less than 5K per year so I'm hoping it will last me 8-10 years. By which point I will probably no longer have need for a car...in this country anyway.

If it died or became uneconomical to repair, I will more than likely replace it with whatever I can get the cheapest lease deal on, regardless of brand.

[stocktree]

I've got almost 140k. Had it for almost 7 years. Longest car I've owned. I still really like it. Still looks newish compared to other new cars on the road.

[splitsensetam]

2017 Xdrive with 85k. original owner and love the F15! It still drives and looks like new! Always had BMW’s but I’m not a fan of their recent designs and now thinking about trying something new. The new 24 Lexus GX550 has caught my eye, I’m going to hold onto the x5 until next year to see how it looks in person and reevaluate then.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by splitsensetam

2017 Xdrive with 85k. original owner and love the F15! It still drives and looks like new! Always had BMW’s but I’m not a fan of their recent designs and now thinking about trying something new. The new 24 Lexus GX550 has caught my eye, I’m going to hold onto the x5 until next year to see how it looks in person and reevaluate then.

I like the gx550, as well, but I’m most curious to see how it drives. I know BMWs haven’t been where they once were from a dynamics perspective, but am unsure if I can go Lexus just yet. Also looking at lightly use Cayennes.

Fully expect to own this car until either something major goes it just no longer fits into our lives.

[ryan89az50]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

It's not so much that they break often. It's that when they do... it's usually at least a few thousand bucks to fix. Compare that to a Camry or Truck where repairs probably average a few hundred bucks or so.

We only drive Bimmers. Nothing drives like 'em. But I work on them, so don't have that multiple thousand dollar fear in my head. Even when I had to replace the transmission on our 2010 X5 diesel I did it myself for < $2000 including all the "while I'm in there" parts. I daily drive a 2006 530xi wagon with almost 205k miles on it. Also have a 2006 X5 4.8is. Have a few others as well, but you get the idea. If you don't work on them... just save up an oh sh*t fund and know that it will probably get used one day. If you make it through the ownership without doing so... hey, you've got a nice chunk of change to reallocate.

BTW, make sure you service your ZF trans ~ 70k miles, regardless of what BMW says. Ask me how I know.

Hey guys, I just picked up a new-2-me 2015 X5D with 84k on it... I called 2 dealers and they both told me I don't need to do a tranny fluid service. So I also called a well known shop and they told me if I'm over 80k don't touch it unless it's leaking because the detergents in the new fluid could be hazardous to the internals of the transmission...

I plan on keeping this very long term

So, question is... do I follow that or do the maintenance anyways? it's not like I'm much past the 80k mark anyways.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by ryan89az50

Hey guys, I just picked up a new-2-me 2015 X5D with 84k on it... I called 2 dealers and they both told me I don't need to do a tranny fluid service. So I also called a well known shop and they told me if I'm over 80k don't touch it unless it's leaking because the detergents in the new fluid could be hazardous to the internals of the transmission...

I plan on keeping this very long term

So, question is... do I follow that or do the maintenance anyways? it's not like I'm much past the 80k mark anyways.

I serviced ours at almost exactly 85k... it has 111k on it now. BMW considers your X5 trash at 100k miles. So they only want that trans to last 100k. Don't ever listen to them when it comes to service intervals. Remember the 15000 mile oil change intervals from the mid-2000's? Yeah, many a Bimmer has gone to the junk yard because of that.

Independent shops say that as a CIY policy. Unless you are extremely unlucky, you'll be fine. I have serviced our ZF transmissions in various BMWs at 85k, 108k, 140k, and even one at 195k. All were fine and all but the 85k mile X5 had improved shifting. At 85k I didn't expect any improvement as the fluid should be fairly good still.

But, if you are uncomfortable with doing the service... don't do it. Your trans will still likely perform fine until 120 or 130k no problem. Our E70 lasted until 160k before the Eclutch bearing gave out and it would no longer shift into gears above 3rd.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

I serviced ours at almost exactly 85k... it has 111k on it now. BMW considers your X5 trash at 100k miles. So they only want that trans to last 100k. Don't ever listen to them when it comes to service intervals. Remember the 15000 mile oil change intervals from the mid-2000's? Yeah, many a Bimmer has gone to the junk yard because of that.

Independent shops say that as a CIY policy. Unless you are extremely unlucky, you'll be fine. I have serviced our ZF transmissions in various BMWs at 85k, 108k, 140k, and even one at 195k. All were fine and all but the 85k mile X5 had improved shifting. At 85k I didn't expect any improvement as the fluid should be fairly good still.

But, if you are uncomfortable with doing the service... don't do it. Your trans will still likely perform fine until 120 or 130k no problem. Our E70 lasted until 160k before the Eclutch bearing gave out and it would no longer shift into gears above 3rd.

Agree with all of this. There are some ZF fluid black stone lab reports floating around somewhere.

The only thing I would not do is any kind of power flush. Drain and refill and swap the filter and you’re fine.

[stocktree]

Originally Posted by ryan89az50

Hey guys, I just picked up a new-2-me 2015 X5D with 84k on it... I called 2 dealers and they both told me I don't need to do a tranny fluid service. So I also called a well known shop and they told me if I'm over 80k don't touch it unless it's leaking because the detergents in the new fluid could be hazardous to the internals of the transmission...

I plan on keeping this very long term

So, question is... do I follow that or do the maintenance anyways? it's not like I'm much past the 80k mark anyways.

Definitely change it. Mine was dark. Especially change the transfer case fluid.

[yupetc]

My 2015 X5 is at 212k miles right now. Rebuilt motor at 189k miles with forged inernals. Just did the transmission fluid, rear main seal, giubo, and flex plate 3 weeks ago. This thing runs strong and ages gracefully. Looks like it'll be 350k miles before I retire its old ass by then.

I do every work on all my cars. So I don't have those "oh shit" funds stress. But the N55 motor is quite temperamental at older age. So I've been very attentive to any coolant or oil leaks on every occasion I get under or over the engine bay. That's my recipe.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by yupetc

My 2015 X5 is at 212k miles right now. Rebuilt motor at 189k miles with forged inernals. Just did the transmission fluid, rear main seal, giubo, and flex plate 3 weeks ago. This thing runs strong and ages gracefully. Looks like it'll be 350k miles before I retire its old ass by then.

I do every work on all my cars. So I don't have those "oh shit" funds stress. But the N55 motor is quite temperamental at older age. So I've been very attentive to any coolant or oil leaks on every occasion I get under or over the engine bay. That's my recipe.

Thanks for chiming in yupetc. Really appreciate your knowledge and experience on here. What do you mean by temperamental? I like to think I know these motors but mine has been nice to me so I’m always on the lookout out for extra info :-)

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Thanks for chiming in yupetc. Really appreciate your knowledge and experience on here. What do you mean by temperamental? I like to think I know these motors but mine has been nice to me so I’m always on the lookout out for extra info :-)

If you haven't encountered, out of nowhere / all of a sudden / in the middle of the road, a dashboard full of lights and warnings and within seconds going into a limp mode; then yea, you've been lucky with what you got. I've owned 3 N55's so far:

E70 X535iXdrive
ECU bricked, turns out there are oxidations on electrical pins related to the circuit that controls the gas pedal, Ecc Shaft Motor, Throttle POS, etc. Had to get another ECU cloned to get her back to life again. Then All sorts of issues related to the water pump and thermostat controller loop. At 97k miles, I basically gave up and traded her in for the F15. This car left me stranded on the road three times. Had to tow back home on all, one of them being 150+miles.

F10 535iXdriveExec
Had all sorts of EVAP and ghost air leaks that I couldn't find. I've gone through upgrading my smoke detector systems twice, each time more expensive than the previous, just to get more confident on the detection.
Coolant leak (sweats through the return loop rubber hoses (after the Mickey-Mouse Flange). I couldn't detect it until I use the dye and a blacklight to detect it. This car left me stranded on the road once due to battery crapping out, and towed to local Autozone to get new battery (uncoded), then drove 4 hours all the way home along with all sorts of weird electronic festivities. After I got home, whipped out ISTA and plugged it in to appropriate the battery registry. The car never acted the same again. The head-up display would sometimes come off, and remains locked in the off-mode in drive until a few more drive startups later on. The passenger side climate control LCD's are all jacked up, it's never displayed the correct scriptures until it finally died out. I use the "sync" button on the driver side which still works to control the passenger side. Plus a sleuth of oil leaks and coolant leaks to catch, especially around the turbocharger. Pretty much never stop tinkering with this car on a monthly basis. Traded the car in at 135k miles.

F15 X535iXdrive.
Where do I start with this car, boy, I can't even find a starting point. Let's just say at 189k miles when I finally decided to refresh the whole motor by rebuilding it from the ground up, that's when things start to get better. But all the regular festivities with a high mileage N55 are still there with this car, water pump, VANOS, VALVTRONIC, Injectors, Ignition Coils, Throttle Body, oil and coolant seals, OFHG, valvecover, oil pan, etc. New long block, two head valvetrans, mind you. Really, pretty much everything inside the engine bay is renewe. Prior to that, this car left me stranded on the road more times than I can count. I had to tow home so many times the towing company knows who I am every time I had to call, and they felt so bad they started giving me discounts for towing in the same month. But after the rebuild, all is good. There are some minor problems and one-by-one I was able to slowly resolve them all. These two years towing company's like "dude, you got your X5 fixed? We don't get to tow that car anymore, must be good, etc.".

Anyways, I know I've said a lot, and I may have just the worst of luck. And people don't come up here enough to talk about how good these cars drive and how reliable they are. Most people who's in a bad bind with the car will certain be up here racking everybody else's nerves about how unreliable the car is. In my opinion, if you're piss-rich and have inheritances out the wazoo, sure, go for it, have it serviced at the best dealership experience you'll find. But for a regular joe like myself with a middle-class income, I'd say you really best off learning how to wrench every nut and bolt on a BMW in order to own one. That way you won't be hit with that oh-shit invoice too hard. Now having said all this, I'd still say, no other car drives like a BMW, though through the years they've re-positioned their engine and handling tunes from one generation to the next, I still think these are amazing cars to have. The driving experience is certainly always going to appeal to me on a BMW. And now I'm on the B58 platform with a G30 540i, I've never had to wrench on it except to change out the oil and brakes every few months or so. Hopefully I can get some peaceful times settling with more of the B-series motors and beyond.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by yupetc

If you haven't encountered, out of nowhere / all of a sudden / in the middle of the road, a dashboard full of lights and warnings and within seconds going into a limp mode; then yea, you've been lucky with what you got. I've owned 3 N55's so far:

E70 X535iXdrive
ECU bricked, turns out there are oxidations on electrical pins related to the circuit that controls the gas pedal, Ecc Shaft Motor, Throttle POS, etc. Had to get another ECU cloned to get her back to life again. Then All sorts of issues related to the water pump and thermostat controller loop. At 97k miles, I basically gave up and traded her in for the F15. This car left me stranded on the road three times. Had to tow back home on all, one of them being 150+miles.

F10 535iXdriveExec
Had all sorts of EVAP and ghost air leaks that I couldn't find. I've gone through upgrading my smoke detector systems twice, each time more expensive than the previous, just to get more confident on the detection.
Coolant leak (sweats through the return loop rubber hoses (after the Mickey-Mouse Flange). I couldn't detect it until I use the dye and a blacklight to detect it. This car left me stranded on the road once due to battery crapping out, and towed to local Autozone to get new battery (uncoded), then drove 4 hours all the way home along with all sorts of weird electronic festivities. After I got home, whipped out ISTA and plugged it in to appropriate the battery registry. The car never acted the same again. The head-up display would sometimes come off, and remains locked in the off-mode in drive until a few more drive startups later on. The passenger side climate control LCD's are all jacked up, it's never displayed the correct scriptures until it finally died out. I use the "sync" button on the driver side which still works to control the passenger side. Plus a sleuth of oil leaks and coolant leaks to catch, especially around the turbocharger. Pretty much never stop tinkering with this car on a monthly basis. Traded the car in at 135k miles.

F15 X535iXdrive.
Where do I start with this car, boy, I can't even find a starting point. Let's just say at 189k miles when I finally decided to refresh the whole motor by rebuilding it from the ground up, that's when things start to get better. But all the regular festivities with a high mileage N55 are still there with this car, water pump, VANOS, VALVTRONIC, Injectors, Ignition Coils, Throttle Body, oil and coolant seals, OFHG, valvecover, oil pan, etc. New long block, two head valvetrans, mind you. Really, pretty much everything inside the engine bay is renewe. Prior to that, this car left me stranded on the road more times than I can count. I had to tow home so many times the towing company knows who I am every time I had to call, and they felt so bad they started giving me discounts for towing in the same month. But after the rebuild, all is good. There are some minor problems and one-by-one I was able to slowly resolve them all. These two years towing company's like "dude, you got your X5 fixed? We don't get to tow that car anymore, must be good, etc.".

Anyways, I know I've said a lot, and I may have just the worst of luck. And people don't come up here enough to talk about how good these cars drive and how reliable they are. Most people who's in a bad bind with the car will certain be up here racking everybody else's nerves about how unreliable the car is. In my opinion, if you're piss-rich and have inheritances out the wazoo, sure, go for it, have it serviced at the best dealership experience you'll find. But for a regular joe like myself with a middle-class income, I'd say you really best off learning how to wrench every nut and bolt on a BMW in order to own one. That way you won't be hit with that oh-shit invoice too hard. Now having said all this, I'd still say, no other car drives like a BMW, though through the years they've re-positioned their engine and handling tunes from one generation to the next, I still think these are amazing cars to have. The driving experience is certainly always going to appeal to me on a BMW. And now I'm on the B58 platform with a G30 540i, I've never had to wrench on it except to change out the oil and brakes every few months or so. Hopefully I can get some peaceful times settling with more of the B-series motors and beyond.

Dang, man, it sounds like you got a bad combo of the expected and unexpected! I completely agree from a maintenance and wrenching perspective as far as owning non warrantied BMWs. Once they get past a certain age and mileage you need to either have the stomach and pockets to pay for them or be willing to get dirty. I choose the latter :-)

Also, love that you got the newer b58-based 540i. I’ve been eyeing those. They seem like an insane value right now!

[virtualbong]

I am going to try to drive this thing until it just stops working because it's finally paid off and the only time I want to get into another loan is when I trade in my daily drive to pickup a nice sports car. This X5 will be my family hauler for as long as it will last.

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Dang, man, it sounds like you got a bad combo of the expected and unexpected! I completely agree from a maintenance and wrenching perspective as far as owning non warrantied BMWs. Once they get past a certain age and mileage you need to either have the stomach and pockets to pay for them or be willing to get dirty. I choose the latter :-)

Also, love that you got the newer b58-based 540i. I’ve been eyeing those. They seem like an insane value right now!

Yes, prior to the N55 motors, An N52 E90 was my first ever BMW, and that car drove fine all the way till I sold it, lasted 12 years with me with no major issues aside from the habitual catching of oil and coolant leaks, still cheap and easy fixes, and it has served as a good starting point for me to gain muscle memory wrenching on BMW motors. It's these N55's which have given me a run for my money and patience. I feel like the G30 B58 will yield very similar results as with E90 N52.

And the best thing about the B58 motor is that while it appears to be a very smooth and reliable powerhouse, all I had to do is to throw a DP, a Tune, and a TU HPFP on it and it runs the power numbers that I just can't seem to reach with a FBO N55, unless I upgrade the turbo, fuel pump, and a handful of other reliability mods (crank hub saver, oil pump, XHP tunes, etc.). Anyway, as far as the F15 is concerned, I'm ready to take it to 350k miles; and by then, I'll likely be trading it in for some H-chassis X5 or something.

[Kolianovskyi]

My wife bought 2016 X5 50 a few months ago with 31k mi on it.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by yupetc

Yes, prior to the N55 motors, An N52 E90 was my first ever BMW, and that car drove fine all the way till I sold it, lasted 12 years with me with no major issues aside from the habitual catching of oil and coolant leaks, still cheap and easy fixes, and it has served as a good starting point for me to gain muscle memory wrenching on BMW motors. It's these N55's which have given me a run for my money and patience. I feel like the G30 B58 will yield very similar results as with E90 N52.

And the best thing about the B58 motor is that while it appears to be a very smooth and reliable powerhouse, all I had to do is to throw a DP, a Tune, and a TU HPFP on it and it runs the power numbers that I just can't seem to reach with a FBO N55, unless I upgrade the turbo, fuel pump, and a handful of other reliability mods (crank hub saver, oil pump, XHP tunes, etc.). Anyway, as far as the F15 is concerned, I'm ready to take it to 350k miles; and by then, I'll likely be trading it in for some H-chassis X5 or something.

Loved my n52 e91! It was the least troublesome BMW I’ve owned yet. Still going strong with my sister.

I feel like you got the unlucky stick with the n55 as it’s mostly a peach compared to the n54 from a Reliability standpoint. Anyway, enjoy the max’d out n55 - sounds like a beast!