This forum got me paranoid..no more X5M?

[M3jamaica]

Ok i always loved them, was about to buy a e70, then was gonna go for a f85(seems more reliable), so i found a 2016 with 42k miles, excellent condition. Now after reading all the mantainance issues and reliability problems i can't see myself buying it. I live in a country where there is no warranty for it, but mechanic work not so expensive as in USA. But i read so many threads where it seems a very bad idea to buy a 40k plus miles x5M, the forum makes it seems as I'm gonna spend my life at mechanic shops. 2 weeks ago i was about to drop off the check and collect it, i froze and i didn't. Thinking to buy an M3 instead for the same price. Really wanted the x5M. Am i overstressing cought up into this forum compared to real life?

[LOW4LYF]

Originally Posted by M3jamaica

Ok i always loved them, was about to buy a e70, then was gonna go for a f85(seems more reliable), so i found a 2016 with 42k miles, excellent condition. Now after reading all the mantainance issues and reliability problems i can't see myself buying it. I live in a country where there is no warranty for it, but mechanic work not so expensive as in USA. But i read so many threads where it seems a very bad idea to buy a 40k plus miles x5M, the forum makes it seems as I'm gonna spend my life at mechanic shops. 2 weeks ago i was about to drop off the check and collect it, i froze and i didn't. Thinking to buy an M3 instead for the same price. Really wanted the x5M. Am i overstressing cought up into this forum compared to real life?

Mine is at 100K without any issues besides being a gas guzzler...
My previous car was a F82 which I bought brand new.

[M_Bimmer]

You are going to base your opinion (paranoia) on forum posts? You do know that most rarely ever follow up on their initial posts (w/ good news), let alone posts good things about their vehicles.

I'd rather take my chances with a used ///M that wasn't driven by a first time ///M owner.

Honestly, I would trust a used F85 over another M variant "used", except maybe an ///M8 based on statistical owner demographics, which is what you probably should use rather than forum posts.

My 2 cents....and opinion (and not based on data)

Cheers

[M3jamaica]

Originally Posted by LOW4LYF

Mine is at 100K without any issues besides being a gas guzzler...
My previous car was a F82 which I bought brand new.

Nice, so compare to f82 not a big difference in terms of reliability?

[Sophisticated Redneck]

Originally Posted by M3jamaica

Ok i always loved them, was about to buy a e70, then was gonna go for a f85(seems more reliable), so i found a 2016 with 42k miles, excellent condition. Now after reading all the mantainance issues and reliability problems i can't see myself buying it. I live in a country where there is no warranty for it, but mechanic work not so expensive as in USA. But i read so many threads where it seems a very bad idea to buy a 40k plus miles x5M, the forum makes it seems as I'm gonna spend my life at mechanic shops. 2 weeks ago i was about to drop off the check and collect it, i froze and i didn't. Thinking to buy an M3 instead for the same price. Really wanted the x5M. Am i overstressing cought up into this forum compared to real life?

You can easily get 150k+ miles out of any N63/S63 powered X5. I'm almost at 180k miles on the E70 N63 which was the original and the worst of this engine family. It's modded and tuned and still pushing almost 600hp and drive the hell out of it every day. The F85's S63TU has many improvements, and getting to 200k miles will not be a problem if you follow the simple steps below.

1 - Change oil every 5k miles, no exceptions. Run a good 5-40 oil (Liquid Moly Liechlauf is what I use). I also add 2 cans of the LM Mos2 additive. This protects yours rod bearings IMHO which are the Achilles heal of any turbo engine as turbo engines are more susceptible to LSPI (low speed pre-ignition) Also known as super knock, especially in hotter climates and questionable fuel quality. During LSPI, the oil film is compressed and metal on metal contact happens on the rod and crank bearings. Over time this wears the bearing down and they eventually lose their ability to hold the oil film, catastrophic failure then occurs and your wallet goes on am instant $30,000 dollar diet. MoS2 contains Molybdenum disulfide which vastly improves the oils ability to withstand LSPI events, preventing metal to metal contact and bearing failure. To put this in perspective, a good 5-40 oil will have a shear strength of around 500-580psi, Molybdenum disulfide has a shear strength of approx 3,600psi. Mos2 adds a critical buffer for bearing longevity in turbo engines.

2 - Change transmission, diffs, and transfer case oils every 60k miles.

3 - OPEN YOUR HOOD when you park - Seriously, I know this sounds mundane however nearly every single issue with this platform is due to heat soak in the engine compartment when you park. Parked heat soak temps reach 180+, baking all those expensive sensors, hoses, and plastic bits - drastically reducing their life. Open your hood whenever you are parked in a secure location and let the heat out. Your wallet will thank you for it down the road. I can not emphasize enough how big of a difference this makes on the longevity for the seals, hoses, and plastic parts which make up 90 percent of the parts under your hood.

4 - Avoid stop and go/heavy city traffic and idling for long periods of time when possible, this is again due to heat soak.

Follow these simple rules and you will enjoy many miles of trouble free performance.

[Variante Alta]

Big thumbs up on the LiquiMoly MOS2 oil additive. I use it in all my vehicles based on the strong recommendation I received some years back from an Audi mechanic friend of mine.

[M3jamaica]

At REDNECK,thank you so much for taking ur time to reply, u have some very helpful informations, i truly appreciate. Trying to make up my mind by weekend

[islandman]

I bought a 2015 X6M in 2018. Mint condition, low miles with clean CarFax. Brought it into Jamaica from Miami and within 6 months had a transmission problem. Car was under warranty in the USA but they said since I took it out of the US the warranty was void. Our local dealer said that they are not covering any BMW bought in the USA. The regional BMW authority denied my claim. BMW head office (Germany) also told me I must speak to my Regional Authority, and they knew their response. Needless to say it was a factory defect Long story short, I bought a 2016 X6M transmission with 16K miles and changed it. Got it coded and since then its been absolutely trouble free. It's been tuned over 3 years now, BM3 stage 2, XHp trans tune stage 3 and it runs like hell. I follow a strict maintenance protocol and I'm not worried at all now. Not trying to confuse you but just giving my personal experience.

[islandman]

PM sent to M3jamaica

[christianfayb]

I think you are in your own head about this. I have a 2016 with about 52k miles and deeply scoured the forums before buying. Most people post about the bad stuff. No one is going to make a post saying how reliable the car is because people come here looking for solutions to problems (mostly).

If this paranoi is triggering you then dont get the car beause at the first sign of trouble you're going to feel regret. All cars require routine maintenance. A the 42k mile mark you are getting close to needing to replace various fluids and you seem like the type of person that cant handle that

[christianfayb]

Originally Posted by Sophisticated Redneck

You can easily get 150k+ miles out of any N63/S63 powered X5. I'm almost at 180k miles on the E70 N63 which was the original and the worst of this engine family. It's modded and tuned and still pushing almost 600hp and drive the hell out of it every day. The F85's S63TU has many improvements, and getting to 200k miles will not be a problem if you follow the simple steps below.

1 - Change oil every 5k miles, no exceptions. Run a good 5-40 oil (Liquid Moly Liechlauf is what I use). I also add 2 cans of the LM Mos2 additive. This protects yours rod bearings IMHO which are the Achilles heal of any turbo engine as turbo engines are more susceptible to LSPI (low speed pre-ignition) Also known as super knock, especially in hotter climates and questionable fuel quality. During LSPI, the oil film is compressed and metal on metal contact happens on the rod and crank bearings. Over time this wears the bearing down and they eventually lose their ability to hold the oil film, catastrophic failure then occurs and your wallet goes on am instant $30,000 dollar diet. MoS2 contains Molybdenum disulfide which vastly improves the oils ability to withstand LSPI events, preventing metal to metal contact and bearing failure. To put this in perspective, a good 5-40 oil will have a shear strength of around 500-580psi, Molybdenum disulfide has a shear strength of approx 3,600psi. Mos2 adds a critical buffer for bearing longevity in turbo engines.

2 - Change transmission, diffs, and transfer case oils every 60k miles.

3 - OPEN YOUR HOOD when you park - Seriously, I know this sounds mundane however nearly every single issue with this platform is due to heat soak in the engine compartment when you park. Parked heat soak temps reach 180+, baking all those expensive sensors, hoses, and plastic bits - drastically reducing their life. Open your hood whenever you are parked in a secure location and let the heat out. Your wallet will thank you for it down the road. I can not emphasize enough how big of a difference this makes on the longevity for the seals, hoses, and plastic parts which make up 90 percent of the parts under your hood.

4 - Avoid stop and go/heavy city traffic and idling for long periods of time when possible, this is again due to heat soak.

Follow these simple rules and you will enjoy many miles of trouble free performance.

Number 3 is a good tip. I thoguht I was the only one. What do you say to those that say 5w-40 is thicker than then 0w30 from BMW rec. and therefore cant lubiricate the tighter areas as well. LM told me to use 5w-30.

[blackoutF15]

Originally Posted by Sophisticated Redneck

You can easily get 150k+ miles out of any N63/S63 powered X5. I'm almost at 180k miles on the E70 N63 which was the original and the worst of this engine family. It's modded and tuned and still pushing almost 600hp and drive the hell out of it every day. The F85's S63TU has many improvements, and getting to 200k miles will not be a problem if you follow the simple steps below.

1 - Change oil every 5k miles, no exceptions. Run a good 5-40 oil (Liquid Moly Liechlauf is what I use). I also add 2 cans of the LM Mos2 additive. This protects yours rod bearings IMHO which are the Achilles heal of any turbo engine as turbo engines are more susceptible to LSPI (low speed pre-ignition) Also known as super knock, especially in hotter climates and questionable fuel quality. During LSPI, the oil film is compressed and metal on metal contact happens on the rod and crank bearings. Over time this wears the bearing down and they eventually lose their ability to hold the oil film, catastrophic failure then occurs and your wallet goes on am instant $30,000 dollar diet. MoS2 contains Molybdenum disulfide which vastly improves the oils ability to withstand LSPI events, preventing metal to metal contact and bearing failure. To put this in perspective, a good 5-40 oil will have a shear strength of around 500-580psi, Molybdenum disulfide has a shear strength of approx 3,600psi. Mos2 adds a critical buffer for bearing longevity in turbo engines.

2 - Change transmission, diffs, and transfer case oils every 60k miles.

3 - OPEN YOUR HOOD when you park - Seriously, I know this sounds mundane however nearly every single issue with this platform is due to heat soak in the engine compartment when you park. Parked heat soak temps reach 180+, baking all those expensive sensors, hoses, and plastic bits - drastically reducing their life. Open your hood whenever you are parked in a secure location and let the heat out. Your wallet will thank you for it down the road. I can not emphasize enough how big of a difference this makes on the longevity for the seals, hoses, and plastic parts which make up 90 percent of the parts under your hood.

4 - Avoid stop and go/heavy city traffic and idling for long periods of time when possible, this is again due to heat soak.

Follow these simple rules and you will enjoy many miles of trouble free performance.

Wow no wonder from time to time I get a drivetrain malfunction when in idle for awhile during high temperature days. But when I read the codes it says related to high boost pressure which I don't understand how because I didn't even hit the gas pedal

[sly1types]

If you are on the forums to much you will end up with a Toyota. Every cool car has some issue or a little maintenance.

[M3jamaica]

Originally Posted by sly1types

If you are on the forums to much you will end up with a Toyota. Every cool car has some issue or a little maintenance.

[8202632]

Just got done doing my clean air pipes on both sides. I can attest to the fact that heat kills the plastic. Wonder if removing the “MPower” piece of the engine cover would help some?

[M3jamaica]

I would put a hood vent( a large one with nice style) , catless downpipes, turbo blanket and remove the plastic cover. That should halp a lot.

[Chilled]

Are these any worse than the MB with their head bolts on M156 or bore scoring on M157 or the V8s in the Turbo Cannes? IMHO no manufacture really makes anything reliable that will last 150K mile nowadays without some work. Even Toyota is struggling to live up to their hype today.


With BMW, it's plan is to have the car last the warranty/federal required KM and that's it. If it could programs the cars to fall apart after said period, they probably would, or force you to pay a subscription.


As redneck said, if you maintain them properly, they will last. The problems is that as some of us get these 2nd hand. Their maintenance has only been to BMW spec, and because of that. The engines fate is already sealed.

Granted, the forum is a minor example of how these cars are in the wild. But almost everyone here has ether A) had annoying/expensive faults or B) has had to do some serious preventative maintenance so these things don't grenade. Just because it got fixed under CPO or 3rd party warranty does not mean it didn't happen. The reality is that these things were expensive new, and are expensive to fix if they brake. Are MB, Porsche, Audi any more reliable? Nope. At least the F85 will be more reliable than the current Range Rover Line-up and wont catch fire.


So get one, have fun enjoy the hell out of it, but do start a rainy fund.

[M3jamaica]

Well said

[Slickrick2]

Originally Posted by sly1types

If you are on the forums to much you will end up with a Toyota. Every cool car has some issue or a little maintenance.

Great analogy, I agree.

[musa]

Originally Posted by Slickrick2

Great analogy, I agree.

It's like going to a city hospital to gauge the health of people living in that city.

[x5mMege]

I love performance vehicles and have been lucky enough to drive quite a few cars. I stick to my budget and buy the car outright. Then I don't worry about repair bills, fuel cost...etc and just enjoy driving. I will get bored and will repeat...it's a sickness.

[M3jamaica]

Originally Posted by x5mMege

I love performance vehicles and have been lucky enough to drive quite a few cars. I stick to my budget and buy the car outright. Then I don't worry about repair bills, fuel cost...etc and just enjoy driving. I will get bored and will repeat...it's a sickness.

Sounds like me.....
I'm very tempted to buy an M4 instead.