Big repair question

[josh the nurse]

Looking for some input/advice….

I drive a 2017 X5. My warranty expired last month (December 2021) and right at the end of the month, I noticed something wasn’t right with the steering. Long story short, the dealership service department told me the entire steering rack needs to be replaced, and they subsequently found a leaking rear differential (apparently one of the seals is bad). The total repair bill is over $9,000. After some back and forth, BMW and the dealership will pay for the majority, but I’m still on the hook for over $1,600. This was obviously unanticipated. I love the car, but I’m now a little spooked going forward after having this happen. If this happened to you, would you repair it and keep it? Repair it and sell it? Trade it in for something different? I have some positive equity in the car, but with the way the car market is, that may be nullified with all the markups. Thanks!

[Surgx5]

Originally Posted by josh the nurse

Looking for some input/advice….

I drive a 2017 X5. My warranty expired last month (December 2021) and right at the end of the month, I noticed something wasn't right with the steering. Long story short, the dealership service department told me the entire steering rack needs to be replaced, and they subsequently found a leaking rear differential (apparently one of the seals is bad). The total repair bill is over $9,000. After some back and forth, BMW and the dealership will pay for the majority, but I'm still on the hook for over $1,600. This was obviously unanticipated. I love the car, but I'm now a little spooked going forward after having this happen. If this happened to you, would you repair it and keep it? Repair it and sell it? Trade it in for something different? I have some positive equity in the car, but with the way the car market is, that may be nullified with all the markups. Thanks!

That's a big repair job. IMHO I'd get it fixed and trade it in. What would you be targeting next though? The body style changed after 2018 so the G05's are still pretty high right now even for a '19. The repairs would be guaranteed for an extended period of time so that's a good thing to know as well. Have you had any other issues?

[Tomcat_F15_STL]

Generally, if you cannot repair your own BMW it is wiser to lease and return. The costs of keeping a used one going in its old age will likely equal or exceed the premium of a new loan payment.

The bills are so common and so stratospheric at the dealerships that it becomes the norm. Insanity.

[josh the nurse]

Originally Posted by Surgx5

That's a big repair job. IMHO I'd get it fixed and trade it in. What would you be targeting next though? The body style changed after 2018 so the G05's are still pretty high right now even for a '19. The repairs would be guaranteed for an extended period of time so that's a good thing to know as well. Have you had any other issues?

Yeah, as tough as it would be to part with it, I was leaning in that direction too (getting it fixed and trading it in). Not really sure what I get next. Everything is marked up right now, which makes the situation a little more annoying. I love the new X5s, but I’m open to some other brands as well. i don’t necessarily need an X5-sized vehicle right now; the few I’m thinking about are a BMW X3, Ford F150, Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, a couple others. I have a new 330i loaner and that car is awesome. Would consider it if I was in the market for a sedan.

[Surgx5]

Originally Posted by Tomcat_F15_STL

Generally, if you cannot repair your own BMW it is wiser to lease and return. The costs of keeping a used one going in its old age will likely equal or exceed the premium of a new loan payment.

The bills are so common and so stratospheric at the dealerships that it becomes the norm. Insanity.

They say BMW is the most leased brand of car. Given the cost of ownership you see why. Still we love them anyway.

[Surgx5]

Originally Posted by josh the nurse

Yeah, as tough as it would be to part with it, I was leaning in that direction too (getting it fixed and trading it in). Not really sure what I get next. Everything is marked up right now, which makes the situation a little more annoying. I love the new X5s, but I'm open to some other brands as well. i don't necessarily need an X5-sized vehicle right now; the few I'm thinking about are a BMW X3, Ford F150, Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, a couple others. I have a new 330i loaner and that car is awesome. Would consider it if I was in the market for a sedan.

Had an x3 as a rental for a while. They're cool. My wife had a new Q5 as a rental too. Pretty nice as well. Decisions, decisions….

[Vivek.]

Why would you get rid of it right after getting everything that's wrong with it fixed for a 7.5k discount?

Also, now you're out of warranty skip the dealer and go to a good indy shop, experience is 3x better and cost is less than half.

[The Libertine]

Really depends on your mileage, if you want to keep it after the repair?

FWIW, if you do want to trade-in, now is the time to act. I just traded in my 2018 F15 (would be out of warranty next month), and received a phenomenal offer.

But let me be clear - were it not for the crazy values paid for used cars now, would likely have kept my F15. I enjoyed mine very much. I think it is a solid platform, with the understanding that if there is a repair needed out of warranty, will be costly.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by josh the nurse

Looking for some input/advice….

I drive a 2017 X5. My warranty expired last month (December 2021) and right at the end of the month, I noticed something wasn’t right with the steering. Long story short, the dealership service department told me the entire steering rack needs to be replaced, and they subsequently found a leaking rear differential (apparently one of the seals is bad). The total repair bill is over $9,000. After some back and forth, BMW and the dealership will pay for the majority, but I’m still on the hook for over $1,600. This was obviously unanticipated. I love the car, but I’m now a little spooked going forward after having this happen. If this happened to you, would you repair it and keep it? Repair it and sell it? Trade it in for something different? I have some positive equity in the car, but with the way the car market is, that may be nullified with all the markups. Thanks!

How many miles does your X5 have at the present time?

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by josh the nurse

Looking for some input/advice….

I drive a 2017 X5. My warranty expired last month (December 2021) and right at the end of the month, I noticed something wasn’t right with the steering. Long story short, the dealership service department told me the entire steering rack needs to be replaced, and they subsequently found a leaking rear differential (apparently one of the seals is bad). The total repair bill is over $9,000. After some back and forth, BMW and the dealership will pay for the majority, but I’m still on the hook for over $1,600. This was obviously unanticipated. I love the car, but I’m now a little spooked going forward after having this happen. If this happened to you, would you repair it and keep it? Repair it and sell it? Trade it in for something different? I have some positive equity in the car, but with the way the car market is, that may be nullified with all the markups. Thanks!

Repair and keep. But ask for a thorough inspection of possible.

[Swiftness~]

Considering you had two major components replaced I'd keep as you wouldn't have to worry about them failing anytime in the near future. I too had my steering rack replaced under BMW's extended warranty and as they come with new inner tie rods for outers they do not. While your at it definitely have the outers done as you don't want to have to spend more money on parts, labor and an alignment later on when they start to fail. Dealer could possibly do the outers in goodwill or you'd just pay for parts as labor should be free since there taking it off anyways, I paid around 350$ for both outer tie rods + no labor.

[P1]

Although unfortunate and hard to predict, the exact same scenario can replicate itself with whatever car you end up replacing your X5 with.

Either invest in an aftermarket warranty, buy vehicles with factory warranty still in effect or put some money aside to get repairs handled.

That being said, this was all dealership pricing. I'd be interested in knowing how much an independent would have charged to perform the same work.