BMW X5: Oil Loss In All Generations

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 05:39

When buying a used BMW X5, a can of oil should always be included. The off-road vehicle, dubbed “Boss” by the Munich-based company, is not free from defects, but receives the not exactly low price level even with advanced age.

The X5 was BMW's first attempt at SUVs, although the model in Munich is better known as an off-road vehicle. In the beginning, however, wrongly: At least the first generation lacked ground clearance, and there was no gear reduction either.

But because of its agility, the model is more suitable as a jacked-up driving machine. Even the current edition is not entirely free of defects.

Very high rate of defects in oil loss in the BMW X5

"What is dripping there?" - The "TÜV Report 2016" already points out the main weakness of the X5 in the heading of the model chapter. Because oil loss is a real issue for SUVs: across all generations and years, the defect rate in the main vehicle inspection (HU) is above the average of all vehicles tested, in some cases it is increased by 100 percent. In the meantime, old models also often have problems with the axle suspension and the drive shafts. With the current model, it is above all springs and dampers that often attract negative attention.

Nevertheless, the ADAC atteststhe large SUV a high level of breakdown security and only a few breakdown points. These include defective immobilizers built between 2006 and 2009, electrical errors in the engine management system and broken turbochargers in 3.0-liter diesel (both up to 2007). The model was affected by six recalls during the entire construction period. At the end of 2015 - as with many cars from other manufacturers before - a faulty driver airbag module from Takata was the reason. The largest event in terms of numbers took place in 2012, when 49,000 X5s from the construction period from June 2006 to September 2012 had to be improved due to a possible failure of the steering assistance.

BMW X5 meanwhile also with plug-in hybrid drive

BMW opened the SUV chapter at the Detroit auto show in 1999 when the X5 was first presented to a trade fair audience. The manufacturer thus set a fragrance brand for SUVs relatively early on. BMW was earlier than VW with the Touareg, but later than the Mercedes M-Class introduced two years earlier. The car built in the USA (E53) came onto the German market in the following year. 2006 debuted edition number two (E70), which received its facelift in 2010. It brought a refreshed exterior, eight instead of six gears for the automatic and new engines. The current, third generation (F15) has been with dealers since 2013 and already covers the wide range of BMW assistance systems.

Two tons of empty weight require strength. And BMW supplies them with the appropriate engines. The range extends from inline four-cylinder to the V8. In the meantime, a plug-in hybrid is also available in the form of the 180 kW / 245 PS strong X5 xDrive40e that was not available in previous generations. The diesels, which are powerful across the board, have an output of 135 kW / 184 PS to 280 kW / 381 PS, depending on the model generation and version. The gasoline engine ranges from 170 kW / 231 PS to 423 kW / 575 PS in the X5 M, which has been available since 2014.

BMW X5 also doesn't need a bargain

If you are looking for an older M version on the used car market, you will have to budget 33,000 euros for a 2009 car. The Schwacke list gives this guideline value for the correspondingly old X5 M with 408 kW / 555 PS and assumes a mileage of 100,800 kilometers.

The X5 sDrive40d with 225 kW / 306 PS from 2010 is still worth 28,000 euros (128,400 kilometers). The 3.0 i from 2004 is cheaper, which draws 170 kW / 231 hp from the quiet in-line six-cylinder and, depending on the equipment, should cost around 8,400 euros - with an average odometer reading of 160,800 kilometers. (dpa / tmn)