[W37V]

Hi all,

I am currently looking to purchase 2012 x5d (e70). Yes, I know this is not X5 forum, but it is the same engine as in e90 335d. Car has no warranty on it, and I don't want to spend additional $4k on buying an aftermarket one, so most work would be DIY.

From my research it seems like the engine and transmission are rather solid and the only issue is the carbon buildup. CBU cleaning is from 700 to 2000, right?

What else should I look for? How do I know if the car has a CBU issue right now?

Also, if you have any advice on what to look for / what are weak points for this vehicle, please chime in. It appears loaded - it has sport package, but does not have sport suspension. Does anyone have any advice on how to remove the bounce and make it handle better?

Side note: I placed a deposit on the vehicle, but have until Tuesday night to make decision if I want it. I also drove new x5 (f15) and I liked it, but the steering felt kind of numb. Drove MB GLS (very impressed with it), GLE (ex-ML), new Audi Q7, VW Touareg.

Should I even bother with this vehicle? It's $27 Out of the door with 50k miles.

Thanks

[robnitro]

Annoying that you didn't put location... Why not? We can't help with pricing then. Anyway you check kbb.com, easy

Cbu is much less on x5. They have an extra egr that reduces buildup.

Check if the plastic pass side by windshield, over the pass side engine area is cracked. If so it can make inj 5 and 6 fail. Also check if the foam under the engine cover is moist or wet, another indicator. I hate the cheap crap plastic they used to cause this.

Also on the x5 if you get drips of water in your car by the roof or drivers side floor, another genius at bmw choose crappy drain lines that kink and cause the sunroof to not drain. Xoutpost has threads with more info.

Harmonic balancer is a common issue too, there are threads here about it.

The scr is also problematic, but there's extended warranty on active tank and supposedly the nox sensors too.

[floydarogers]

Check for oil leaks near the turbos; commonly have some small leaks there.

Don't know about price or x5 specific things.

Might ask on very active bimmerfest X5/E70 forum: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/for...prune=-1&f=159

[W37V]

Originally Posted by robnitro

Annoying that you didn't put location... Why not? We can't help with pricing then. Anyway you check kbb.com, easy

Cbu is much less on x5. They have an extra egr that reduces buildup.

Check if the plastic pass side by windshield, over the pass side engine area is cracked. If so it can make inj 5 and 6 fail. Also check if the foam under the engine cover is moist or wet, another indicator. I hate the cheap crap plastic they used to cause this.

Also on the x5 if you get drips of water in your car by the roof or drivers side floor, another genius at bmw choose crappy drain lines that kink and cause the sunroof to not drain. Xoutpost has threads with more info.

Harmonic balancer is a common issue too, there are threads here about it.

The scr is also problematic, but there's extended warranty on active tank and supposedly the nox sensors too.

Thank you for very good responses. Car is (I am) in Northern Virginia and car is sold by BMW of Sterling.

I checked the car when it was just traded in - with all the filth and stickiness from the previous owners. I did not notice any leaks on the inside, but then again I saw the car about 3 weeks ago when the temps were at almost 100 degrees. Haven't seen it since as I was on vacation out of the country. I will def inspect it on Tuesday.

Good to hear that CBU is not as big of an issue.

[W37V]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

Check for oil leaks near the turbos; commonly have some small leaks there.

Don't know about price or x5 specific things.

Might ask on very active bimmerfest X5/E70 forum: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/for...prune=-1&f=159

Thank you! I will inquire there as well.

I never noticed any threads about oil leaks around turbos (completely omitted them). Thank you for bringing that to my attention. If there is an oil leak, does that indicate that turbos are bad?

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by W37V

Thank you! I will inquire there as well.

I never noticed any threads about oil leaks around turbos (completely omitted them). Thank you for bringing that to my attention. If there is an oil leak, does that indicate that turbos are bad?

No, not unless it's a LOT of oil. Would probably make a lot of stink if it got too bad, from oil on exhaust.

[temporaptor]

What's the last 7 of the vin? These X5's have some serious range on price based on how they are optioned. My X5 has proven to have less issues then my 335d had.

[W37V]

Originally Posted by temporaptor

What's the last 7 of the vin? These X5's have some serious range on price based on how they are optioned. My X5 has proven to have less issues then my 335d had.

0B89685

Btw. Pics from http://bimmer.work/ are representative how the vehicle looks like. It's 1 owner clean title. Serviced at dealership. No major issues listed on service history - other than rear hatch motor dying once.

[Thecastle]

This is probably been covered before, but the common maintenance / failure issues on the car are....

1) Red boost hose seals fail leak oil and boost common
2) Vacuum line failures probably should replace at around 60-80K miles
3) Harmonic Balancer typically fails at 60-80k miles
4) Engine mounts (usually show up as extra engine vibration)
5) Turbo oil lines 60-80k miles (mentioned above)
6) CBU (less of a problem than it used to be) every 60-100k miles
7) EGR cooler cracks (exhaust smell in cabin) anytime
8) NOx sensors (now 12/120K warrantied)
9) SCR tank failures(now 12/120K warrantied)
10) MAF sensor quickly degrads (shows up as unexplained EGR implausibility)
11) differential pressure sensors
12) Thermostat fails open 60-80K replace
13) Glow plug failures / module (often due to bad thermostat) around 100K
14) rear subframe mounts tire quickly and add to rear bounce
15) other common e90 failures

So I'd say I've had my 335D since April of 2015. Purchased used under factory warranty with 28K miles. I've had EVERY emissions component fail at least 1x. I also had to have a CBU cleaning at 28K miles, was done under warranty before I purchased the car.

I'm know at 61K miles and other than emissions failures, my car has been trouble free.

[temporaptor]

Originally Posted by W37V

0B89685

Btw. Pics from http://bimmer.work/ are representative how the vehicle looks like. It's 1 owner clean title. Serviced at dealership. No major issues listed on service history - other than rear hatch motor dying once.

Pretty well equipped, if I were you I'd look for one with comfort seats. They are the best seats available. I would not buy a X5 without them.
Other things this one doesn't have are :
Comfort seats (available in heated or heated and ventilated)
3rd row (adds rear air self leveling too)
Heated rear seats
Rear entertainment - DVD player with screen
Adaptive drive
Blind spot monitoring.

[W37V]

just a quick update:

Wife thinks it's too old, so decided not to get it since she wants something newer.

For those looking, I would highly recommend this vehicle. It's one owner clean carfax (and no any indication of it ever being in an accident). Other than few bumper scrapes and paint chips, vehicle is in immaculate condition. Scanned for codes and there were none. No leaks, not rattles. Even before they cleaned it, engine was very clean. No oil etc. New tires. All plastics were intact. Service history shows regular service done at the dealership. It was dealer maintained until warranty / service plan expired at which point it was traded in. The only thing that was not regular service done to the car was 3 recalls and rear hatch motor replacement.

SUV is at bmw of sterling. It's not listed on their site. I think they still have it in stock. Vin is listed above, so if you call, you can ask for it by vin.

Best of luck

[ptpending]

f15 3d should much better with 8speed gearbox, it is more fuel efficient

[Thecastle]

Originally Posted by ptpending

f15 3d should much better with 8speed gearbox, it is more fuel efficient

You would think that would be the case.

I'm sure its more effiecent. But my real world experience with a 2016 X5 sdrive3.5i I averaged about 17.8 mpg. Under similar driving conditions (same drive) my 6 speed automatic equipped 2008 4.8i got about 17.5 mpg. Both running the cruise control at 70mph.