Advice on how to keep a 2012 BMW X5 xDrive 3.0L healthy

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I bought my 2012 BMW X5 xDrive 3.0L last March '16 w/ only 35k miles on it, I've put a bit over 4.5k mile on it so far... A month ago the radiator fans where behaving erratically and very loud, after about a week of this the car went into what BMW refers to "Limp" Mode, turns out that the water pump went out... I had the issue diagnose and repaired by very kind folks at a local European Specialty shop near me: "Woodinville Sports Cars" In Woodinville WA to the tune of about 1500.00, to say the least I wasn't quite ready to dish out that kind of money yet, I truly wasn't expecting the car to literally break-down at such a young mileage age... The added bonus is that after they inspected the car and determined that the water pump/thermostat needed to be repaired... there was an additional $3500 + $600Tax and Enviro cost dollars worth of repairs that needed to be done... i.e.: 1)- Break Flush $162 2)- Cabin Air Filter $171 3)- Oil Filter Housing and Oil Cooler gaskets $678 4)- Removing and Replacing Upper Radiator Hose (because it is getting soaked from the Oil leak) $124 5)- Removing and Repairing Steer-Power Pump $1750 6)- Removing and Replacing Suspension Swaybar $314 7)- Engine Spark Plugs $314 So as you can possibly appreciate I needed to sit down and contemplate the thought: Did I make a mistake in buying this car... :-) After a month Ive come to appreciate that my Car is running beautifully, but I cant help but think that some of the repairs recommended are both very expensive and not really expected for the mileage my car presently has 39.5K miles... to my questions: 1)- Is this normal for a car like mine 2)- After I have these repairs done... Can you recommend a good way to keep the car healthy? 3)- Is this a car I can rely on lasting beyond 100 K miles, or should I consider selling car now, and rid myself of more expensive experiences? 4)- Do you folks have any info about Woodinville Sports Cars Service? If so Would you recommend them? I thank you in advance for any advice and answers you can help me out with... Kindest Regards Eddie

manuel_eduardo in Kenmore WA

Feb 22, 2017

1 Reply

Popular Answer

Elite AutoCare Inc. Everetton Apr 24, 2017

Hello Eddie, I see this post is a few months old, but please allow me to answer some of your questions. 1.) Normal is a relative term and being that we are a German repair shop we are somewhat biased, we typically only see the broken cars ;). That being said some of these items are fairly common failures - specifically the engine oil leak at the filter stand gasket and subsequent damaged coolant hoses. Other items are maintenance items that would be necessary on any vehicle (eg. brake fluid, cabin air filter & spark plugs), however I would be curious as to the reasoning for the spark plug recommendation. While we at Elite AutoCare don't typically recommend going to the extremes as the dealership where they recommend 100k miles we typically will recommend spark plugs around 50-60k miles depending on driving habits & vehicle condition. The steering and suspension issues are something we would recommend having inspected as it is not a super common issue. 2.) Sticking to a strict maintenance routine is the best thing you can do for any vehicle. We recommend 6k mile or 6month intervals between services. 3.) This vehicle is VERY reliable. The BMW 3.0L is an incredible engine, which is why they have stuck with this design for decades, only improving upon older designs over the years. We have X5 clients who have been receiving services with us since we opened the doors 10 years ago. We have multiple clients with similar X5's with upwards of 300k miles. It's all about routine maintenance. 4.) I have had nothing but good experiences with Woodinville Sports Cars, with that being said, I have not worked with them in years and I am a competitor, so my word might not be worth as much in that regard. If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to reach out. Thanks, Joe -Elite AutoCare, Inc. www.EliteAutoCareEverett.com (or our seattle store www.eliteautocareinc.com) Eliteautocareeverett@gmail.com 425-374-3040

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