newbie x5 facelift 4.4/4.8 purchasing and fault code reading

aladdin · Post by **aladdin** » Wed Feb 10, 2016 2:27 pm

Hi Guys,

I am new and thanks for the valuable info and buyers guide on this forum. I intend to buy a 4.4 or 4.8 facelift e53 and have been somewhat put off by the suggestions in this forum and others. Mainly by electrical faults, oil loss and a thread on the air suspension in the 4.8, and the nightmare of potential fault codes. There are several i have seen and want to ask a question or two before parting with 6-9000 pounds.

Would I be within my rights or would it be acceptable etiquette to ask to read faults on a 2nd hand vehicle? I have looked at some threads here and the interface looks similar to the 5 pound fault reader i bought off eBay for my e46 that sends rather cryptic messages via bluetooth to ur mobile. Will this work and will i find any useful info prior to purchase?

Perhaps any previous owners could advise between the 4.4 and 4.8? only reason i would chose 4.8 is options and not much difference between fuel costs.

cheers in advance for any replies

aladdin · Post by **aladdin** » Wed Feb 10, 2016 3:10 pm

Yes I hear u, although if they saw just how incompetent the cheap fault reader/blue tooth combo was i would doubt it could break anything other than your patience, normally i only ask just to gauge their response and honesty, but I'm wondering if they did agree just how useful the info could be.

I thought a good one could be sourced for that much, many 3.0 litres I'm seeing at around 6k have under 80k miles and look excellent, the 4.4's tend to be around 8k and seem from the description looked after.

Just read some reviews on whatcar and its taking so much flack especially about the gearbox, its almost putting me off. The famous lag when u put ur foot down seems to be really annoying everyone, on my 3 series it has the same lag and whilst annoying it doesn't seem to be a fault, can anyone confirm this?

VolvoT5 · Post by **VolvoT5** » Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:34 pm

Of course I did buy mine last year so it is probably worth about 50 pence now as all cars depreciate.....

I'm sure you can get a decent one for 6k, but my belief is all used cars will have some kind of issue crop up sooner or later and on an X5 the parts / labour isn't cheap. Tyres £150 a corner, insurance is expensive (I have 9 years NCB), petrol will be juicy.

I wouldn't want to run one if I were doing high miles.

I bought a 3.0 diesel but if I were buying again I would hold out for the 4.4/4.8 petrol, I might even drive a 3.0 petrol to see if I has enough go. The diesel engine isn't bad but it is a bit tractor like and smelly as all diesels are. If you are going to run an X5 might as well get the full fat version and enjoy the extra power

I don't notice it has any lag, when you put your foot down it moves. I've mainly driven automatics for the last 10 years and the gearbox on mine seems OK and relatively smooth compared to some other autos I've tried.

mikemsm999 · Post by **mikemsm999** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 10:53 am

I had 3Ltr diesel for 2 years and for the last 9 years a 4.8is - both great but different.

The diesel drove it's self, no user input required, the 4.8is drives much more like a 'big' sports car, tramlines (on our bad Welsh roads!) and demands attention, which in tern I find makes the drive more enjoyable.

My 4.8is has not cost me much more in real terms to maintain (when you take out the never ending air suspension costs! Hence the swap to coil overs) or run, plus I consistently get 19-21mpg around town and around 27mpg on a run.

For the extra costs involved I would got for the 4.8is every time

aladdin · Post by **aladdin** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 12:06 pm

thanks guys... air suspension costs

this is whats putting me off, i want the 4.4/4.8 so bad but a 3.0 or 3.0d without the air suspension might be more sensible.

any tips on what to look for in suspension for the larger engines?

Horizon · Post by **Horizon** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 12:52 pm

The 4.4 and the 3.0 d' s both have rear self leveling air suspension, unless they were specked up for front air suspension, ahich was a whacking price as an extra, so not many about.
90% of owners don't have any trouble with the rear air suspension, but if you do you can buy a spring kit off eBay for £200 and do a conversion, then a £30 scanner from eBay to do away with the dash warning

I had a 55 plate 3.0 d, loads of torque plenty quick enough, 25 /30 mpg, brilliant for a. IGO 4x4.
Left a few cars in its wake at the traffic lights.

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 2:28 pm

I recently saw a nice spec full bmw historied early 4.8is mileage around 80-90k in sapphire black advertised by an established independent trader who generally sells acceptable vehicles.......I called up as soon as I saw it but it had sold quickly. Trader reckoned he could have got another £1k but some would argue it was priced to sell (& thus it did just that rather than join the oter used examples of used 4.8is models re-advertised week after week).

Membership & posts on here willl confirm that spending more on purchase price doesn't always buy trouble free motoring.

You could spend 6.5k & have car without immediate problems or pay 9.5k and have an issue with air supsension or something else some weeks later. A shiny 12 year old 4.8is with a set of stamps in the book to 75-80k wouldn't bring me much more peace of mind for future repair bills than a tidy example of similar age with 100k. Indeed many sold with 80k miles plus have had suspension work done.

Twin axle supsension failures are sometimes frustrating & expensive to sort as diagnosis can be difficult with some reports of swapping out various serviceable parts in a shotgun diagnostics approach to rectify issues.

Warranty may give peace of mind to some but unless its BMW one you should be prepared to accept the smallprint or terms might leave you dipping your hand in your pocket.

Coil suspension conversions have been mentioned albeit it wise to accept that nice examples are like that because owners have usually spent out in ownership to keep their carslike that - If you dont keep on top of things by spending to fix niggles & odd repairs then yours willl become one of the cars you seek to avoid.

As for whether :you can plug in a diagnostic reader......I wouldn't use a £5 ebay plug in unless I genuinely trusted it.I importantly permision to use same would depend on the individual seller.

I use a relatively old school dedicated BMW Peake code reader which came with a book that translates codes rather than a £5 hit and miss plug in or a laptop connection device that might scare some sellers.

Readers give some idea but dont rely on them 100% .

Horizon · Post by **Horizon** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 6:30 pm

The thing with the E53 is that they are getting on to be at least 10 years old now, so buying a very complexed piece of equipment. That 10 - 12 years old is a risk.
For example Condor X5 has cherished her 4.8 for years, it's been under BMW warranty for the entire time of ownership.
Without the warranty the repairs would have probably have been £10,000 pounds over the years.
I would love to have bought a 4.8, as I only have a car as a weekend run around as I use my van Monday to Friday, so MPG isn't a concern and I've run V8's before.
If you go in with your eyes and wallet open, go for it.
But as AW8 points out, buying a low mileage younger model Doesn't guarantee a good one.
Good luck in your search

Chris.od · Post by **Chris.od** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 11:27 pm

I would add to the previous suggestions to not rule out slightly older (pre facelift) motors too. I was determined I wanted a 4.8 and that I may settle to a 4.6 if I had to but in the end I couldn't find a good one even at £9k. I opened my eyes a bit and have ended up with a cheaper earlier 4.4 that is in better condition and has been better cared for.
As has been said re history it's hard to trust a stamped book but the good thing with BMW is that you can call them to get a list of all main dealer visits then call each dealer to find out exactly what work was carried out.

Good luck with your search and I hope you get a good one

aladdin · Post by **aladdin** » Mon Feb 15, 2016 12:24 am

thanks everyone,great advice, looks like a sound forum and that red 4.8 in the pic is making me want one more and more, that and the test drives ive had so far in the v8's. As I only do about 5k a year and drive weekends that roar has convinced me that this is the car to get (and my baby fitting in the back properly)

As far as warranties go i have got some quotes coming in around 70 quid a month and has to be 12yrs or under, and this includes at excess and a cap on bills (!!) Also taking a hit of almost twice as much on the insurance compared to the 3 litre e46 i currently got and im on the wrong side of 30

As for pre facelifts the economy and less power of the older 4.4 is putting me off somewhat , as well as the xenons, pan sunroofs, and various other upgrades on the facelifts that are commonplace being highly desirable. Although some really good pre facelift 4.4s seem to be out there.

All in all im having a good gander on this forum and lots of good info, so thx once again

mikemsm999 · Post by **mikemsm999** » Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:04 am

When you find and buy a good 4.8is you will love it - especially as it not going to be your daily driver you will appreciate it more when you do use it.

Good luck with your hunt, keep us updated

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Mon Feb 15, 2016 12:44 pm

Good luck on your search - Shame the car local to me went as ( assuming all was well & as trade seller described) it was good value for an extensive history relatively low mileage car.

I note you mention insurance - Very aware cost is significantly higher on the 4.8is. Brake consumables are more expensive & it runs 20's so some homework required sourcing cost effective mid range rubber or quality part worn of keen to avoid getting stung when a high street tyre outfit can only supply premium at top dollar.

Pan roof, twin axle air suspension & valve seal wear are 3 unique issues to 4.8is to watch for plus bear in mind other ramblings in the forum faq E53 buyers guide. Be very careful & either get a decent non interfering code reader or consider a reputable BMW Indy inspection before purchase.

Re warranties be mindful of terms and conditions with either sliding scale excess, owner requirement for betterment contributions, wear and tear exclusions, mileage and or age limitations.

I would sag warranty direct or BMW schemes subject to age/mileage restrictions and small print.

If buying from trade then an in house warranty is worthwhile - the biggest issue is finding a seller who will genuinely stand by such cover in event you go back.

CondorX5 · Post by **CondorX5** » Fri Feb 19, 2016 11:43 am

I think I would definitely not have kept my 4.8is all these years if it were not for the BMW extended warranty. Despite regular servicing and maintenance, mine had major air suspension issues which would have cost £1000s to repair, plus other expensive repairs like the oil cooler ruptured, alternator fault, BT module failed and a lot of other smaller items. Despite that, I love driving the car -127000 miles now, bought at 20000 6 years ago. Not let me down mechanically but the fancy bits would have cost a small fortune were it not for the warranty. I commute very long distances and despite the cost of fuel, I love the V8 power and great drive quality. Hopefully I can keep her running a few years yet.

Good Luck with your search- so many of them have fallen victim to the boy racer bling brigade sadly, but there are still nice examples to be found. Mine is 05 reg, so 11 years old now.

jagr · Post by **jagr** » Fri Feb 19, 2016 12:55 pm

Could be worth enquiring about this X5 as it's main dealer backup warranty:

http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/X/4.4i-Sport- ... =se_na_re_

Or these:

http://www.platinumautos.co.uk/used-car ... 2189551974

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 05/5101407

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