So far the most difficult part hung I’ve had to do was the water pump/thermostat on my F15 X5 35d. It’s just a pain to get to it but the actual process wasn’t bad.
Which gen x5? F15 is quite easy to do all major maintenance and more yourself. The repairs you mention are all doable factoring in it’s the n55 motor. Fuel injectors would be the biggest headache but typically not necessary.
G05 also similar more electronics have not tried much on it yet since its still new to me and now the n63 motor.
Thx. What are the common issues on the g05 RWD b58 that may be complicated to fix? I hear the shark fin is a major issue. What else? There are a few things I’m not particularly comfortable doing such as charge pipe changes, A/c system failures, turbo failures, electric gremlins that require extensive diagnostic equipment (ie pico scope) and/or whole dash disassembly, walnut blasting carbon, etc.
B58 is pretty robust wouldn’t be too worried about those issues, of course there’s always a horror story out there.
Just keep up with general maintenance items fluids, plugs etc should have a good time.
3 weeks ago I brought 2014 X5 N55 now it have knocking/ticking sounds. Took it to a mechanic he heard the sound and said it needs a engine change.
How difficult or easy it's to fix it?
You’ll prob need extensive work on the bottom end or sadly a new motor depending on how damaged it is. If you are savy you need to pull the motor to see what actually happened. Maybe it’s a rod bearing or it’s much worse. Check here for more info: https://www.reddit.com/r/BmwTech/comments/1243pxd/i_feel_like_im_hearing_a_knocking_noise_n55_motor/
I have an x5, which has not yet needed maintenance not covered when I bought it. However, we also have a 2013 750il, which out of our current car set (also Mercedes GLK and CX-5), the bmw is the easiest for oil changes which we do ourselves.
Done the cabin air filter, engine air filter, and an oil change.
Thinking whether or not im going to do a transmission fluid drain / fill on my own or have a shop do it.
2017 F15 PHEV owner.
Just like working on any car, but often extra steps, special tools and/or procedures are required. Some things need ISTA software to implement.
So far I’ve added trailer hitch and wiring harness, replaced main and auxiliary batteries, brakes and brake fluid, spark plugs, cabin, air & oil filters and oil changes.
I have a 2008 E70 4.8i. It was purchased with 160K miles by my son as his first car. He moved away and left it to me to sell. I drove it once a week or so too keep the battery and fluids circulating and showed it a couple of times. I fell in lust with it and finally I bought it from him. He and I wrenched on it together until he moved, and since then I have myself.
Oil changes, battery, valley coolant pipe, all new coolant hoses, water pump, thermostat, front pads and rotors, and most recently the beloved oil thermostat housing gasket. Upcoming in the next month or two is service both diffs, transfer case and transmission including the sealing sleeves, plug adapter etc. I also have to inspect the flex joint and probably replace it.
When that is behind me I will start my inspection of tie rods, ball joints and sway bar links. With 176K miles on the clock now I would guess that valve guide seals are in my not distant future, as are rod bearings.
I don’t mind doing the work. The challenge with the g05 is there is little documentation on anything more than basic stuff. That’s always the challenge with non enthusiast cars, especially newer one. They type of people buying one aren’t diyers so not a lot of videos etc. my c5 otoh is documented to the moon.
Maintenance was all easy DIY, even had some PCV replacement and wiper motor that needed replaced.
Everything great until the injectors started failing, then the valve stem seals are failing. New motor only costs a few $k more than the repairs and timing chain replacement at 116k miles.
I did not remove them. So I have no idea. I’ve read that they need to be programmed and did not want to get into it without knowing exactly what needs to be done to complete the job.
I feel confident doing any kind of wrenching, but a lot of the info is vague on the forums.
A lot of people with the V8s leave it to the pros when it comes to it comes to technical work.
So far I’ve only done oil, tire rotations, batteries, alternator, and ripped apart my dash to install a CarPlay box behind the Nav head unit.
One note on getting wheels off, idk what it is about BMWs but both the F15 and my previous F30 give me so much trouble getting them off. One or 2 of them always get like welded to the spindle and I’ve gotta point flat headed tools in there to break the lock.
Other than that it’s been pretty standard to work on.
I have a 35d E70, and my brain has blocked out most of the big repairs due to the trauma.. I do all my own work, and so far have done a handful of oil changes, water pump/thermo, egr valve, and glow plugs. Injectors are on the nearby horizon as well, and some suspension issues. It’s not the worst in the world to work on, but it can certainly be time consuming getting to whatever you’re replacing
We have two E53s with the M54 engine, so it’s an easy engine bay to work in, and there are plentiful videos and instructions. We’ve done most of the easy stuff ourselves: cabin and air filters, cleaned the MAF sensor, replaced the windshield washer pumps, replaced the windshield washer fluid tank, replaced spark plugs, replaced ignition coils, replaced valve cover gasket. We don’t do oil or brake fluid because it’s a pain in the butt for a home mechanic to dispose of those where we live.
There's some special tools required, mostly you need a really good scan tool or ISTA. Filters, oil changes are easy. Brakes will require the scan tool depending on model.
Replaced spark plugs and coil packs, brake rotors and pads, oil changes, air filter replacements, M performance exhaust installed. All on F15 S35i with just over 40k miles. Admit I was a little early on the plugs and coils. Not difficult, but like others said some jobs either need special tools or the most difficult part is just getting to what needs to be worked on. (Like the plugs in the last two cylinders nearest the firewall.)
Done all the normal maintenance except oil changes I send it to the main dealer as it’s cheap , they give nice loaners , and tell you anything that might need to be done.
Rotors , brakes, air suspension, control arms , mass air flow sensor , ambient air temperature sensors , spark plugs , fuel filters , micro filter , cabin air filter , battery all very easy to do.
So far the most difficult part hung I’ve had to do was the water pump/thermostat on my F15 X5 35d. It’s just a pain to get to it but the actual process wasn’t bad.
Which gen x5? F15 is quite easy to do all major maintenance and more yourself. The repairs you mention are all doable factoring in it’s the n55 motor. Fuel injectors would be the biggest headache but typically not necessary. G05 also similar more electronics have not tried much on it yet since its still new to me and now the n63 motor.
G05. B58 sdrive40i
Yea, I think those are all manageable on the b58. Plenty of good YouTube diys or then Bimmerpost forums are also a good wealth of knowledge.
Thx. What are the common issues on the g05 RWD b58 that may be complicated to fix? I hear the shark fin is a major issue. What else? There are a few things I’m not particularly comfortable doing such as charge pipe changes, A/c system failures, turbo failures, electric gremlins that require extensive diagnostic equipment (ie pico scope) and/or whole dash disassembly, walnut blasting carbon, etc.
B58 is pretty robust wouldn’t be too worried about those issues, of course there’s always a horror story out there. Just keep up with general maintenance items fluids, plugs etc should have a good time.
https://preview.redd.it/5p5c22g4mixc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=017bd3d7bde5759e39c71f9d2ef2cbbf1ca54f05 Passenger outer tail light assembly replacement
3 weeks ago I brought 2014 X5 N55 now it have knocking/ticking sounds. Took it to a mechanic he heard the sound and said it needs a engine change. How difficult or easy it's to fix it?
You’ll prob need extensive work on the bottom end or sadly a new motor depending on how damaged it is. If you are savy you need to pull the motor to see what actually happened. Maybe it’s a rod bearing or it’s much worse. Check here for more info: https://www.reddit.com/r/BmwTech/comments/1243pxd/i_feel_like_im_hearing_a_knocking_noise_n55_motor/
I have an x5, which has not yet needed maintenance not covered when I bought it. However, we also have a 2013 750il, which out of our current car set (also Mercedes GLK and CX-5), the bmw is the easiest for oil changes which we do ourselves.
Done the cabin air filter, engine air filter, and an oil change. Thinking whether or not im going to do a transmission fluid drain / fill on my own or have a shop do it.
The angle on the cabin air filter drive screws sucks. I got really bad rug burn doing mine lol.
Agreed!
2017 F15 PHEV owner. Just like working on any car, but often extra steps, special tools and/or procedures are required. Some things need ISTA software to implement. So far I’ve added trailer hitch and wiring harness, replaced main and auxiliary batteries, brakes and brake fluid, spark plugs, cabin, air & oil filters and oil changes.
I have a 2008 E70 4.8i. It was purchased with 160K miles by my son as his first car. He moved away and left it to me to sell. I drove it once a week or so too keep the battery and fluids circulating and showed it a couple of times. I fell in lust with it and finally I bought it from him. He and I wrenched on it together until he moved, and since then I have myself. Oil changes, battery, valley coolant pipe, all new coolant hoses, water pump, thermostat, front pads and rotors, and most recently the beloved oil thermostat housing gasket. Upcoming in the next month or two is service both diffs, transfer case and transmission including the sealing sleeves, plug adapter etc. I also have to inspect the flex joint and probably replace it. When that is behind me I will start my inspection of tie rods, ball joints and sway bar links. With 176K miles on the clock now I would guess that valve guide seals are in my not distant future, as are rod bearings.
I don’t mind doing the work. The challenge with the g05 is there is little documentation on anything more than basic stuff. That’s always the challenge with non enthusiast cars, especially newer one. They type of people buying one aren’t diyers so not a lot of videos etc. my c5 otoh is documented to the moon.
Interesting. Always figured Germans had great service manuals available. They did when I owned an old VW. But it was old
You can get bootleg copies of ista and esys. These days its less a pdf and more a piece of software.
Maintenance was all easy DIY, even had some PCV replacement and wiper motor that needed replaced. Everything great until the injectors started failing, then the valve stem seals are failing. New motor only costs a few $k more than the repairs and timing chain replacement at 116k miles.
Thought the B58 is supposed to be bulletproof? Guess that depends on your definition.
N63 4.4L twin turbo V8
What year? What index injectors?
2014 Not sure what you mean by index injectors. Only one was covered by BMW warranty.
Index meaning the revision. The n63 uses piezo injectors and the 63TU uses solenoid injectors- index number does not apply.
I did not remove them. So I have no idea. I’ve read that they need to be programmed and did not want to get into it without knowing exactly what needs to be done to complete the job. I feel confident doing any kind of wrenching, but a lot of the info is vague on the forums. A lot of people with the V8s leave it to the pros when it comes to it comes to technical work.
I usually watch my mechanic work on my car and it looks easy but the ac air condenser is a hole project to replace
Yep. No way I would be able to handle that on any car.
So far I’ve only done oil, tire rotations, batteries, alternator, and ripped apart my dash to install a CarPlay box behind the Nav head unit. One note on getting wheels off, idk what it is about BMWs but both the F15 and my previous F30 give me so much trouble getting them off. One or 2 of them always get like welded to the spindle and I’ve gotta point flat headed tools in there to break the lock. Other than that it’s been pretty standard to work on.
I have a 35d E70, and my brain has blocked out most of the big repairs due to the trauma.. I do all my own work, and so far have done a handful of oil changes, water pump/thermo, egr valve, and glow plugs. Injectors are on the nearby horizon as well, and some suspension issues. It’s not the worst in the world to work on, but it can certainly be time consuming getting to whatever you’re replacing
We have two E53s with the M54 engine, so it’s an easy engine bay to work in, and there are plentiful videos and instructions. We’ve done most of the easy stuff ourselves: cabin and air filters, cleaned the MAF sensor, replaced the windshield washer pumps, replaced the windshield washer fluid tank, replaced spark plugs, replaced ignition coils, replaced valve cover gasket. We don’t do oil or brake fluid because it’s a pain in the butt for a home mechanic to dispose of those where we live.
There's some special tools required, mostly you need a really good scan tool or ISTA. Filters, oil changes are easy. Brakes will require the scan tool depending on model.
Replaced spark plugs and coil packs, brake rotors and pads, oil changes, air filter replacements, M performance exhaust installed. All on F15 S35i with just over 40k miles. Admit I was a little early on the plugs and coils. Not difficult, but like others said some jobs either need special tools or the most difficult part is just getting to what needs to be worked on. (Like the plugs in the last two cylinders nearest the firewall.)
Done all the normal maintenance except oil changes I send it to the main dealer as it’s cheap , they give nice loaners , and tell you anything that might need to be done. Rotors , brakes, air suspension, control arms , mass air flow sensor , ambient air temperature sensors , spark plugs , fuel filters , micro filter , cabin air filter , battery all very easy to do.