BMW 2012 X5 30d (65k) - reliability, maintenance?
Discussion
Hi,
Currently eyeing up a 2012 X5 30d with 65k on the clock. Bit of a jump from the 1.6 Diesel Civic I’m currently driving. Love the idea of a bigger car with a bit more grunt, something to make the morning motorway journeys a little more interesting.
I’ve been reading through old PH threads about these all week. Seems to be a totally mixed bag - people either saying the 30d (N57) is really reliable and should hold up well if it’s regularly serviced, others saying they’re a total money pit and four figure bills are regular.
I’ve had a look at WarrantWise for a 12month warranty, they’re quoting about £550 for the year. Think this is worth getting?
Just wondering what sort of buying advice you’d give?
What should I look out for? And what sort of maintenance costs should I expect over the next 4 years (circa 30k miles, taking the car to just shy of 100k)?
Car is just sitting at the 15k mark and seems a nice spec. Very tempting!
Thanks in advance
Currently eyeing up a 2012 X5 30d with 65k on the clock. Bit of a jump from the 1.6 Diesel Civic I’m currently driving. Love the idea of a bigger car with a bit more grunt, something to make the morning motorway journeys a little more interesting.
I’ve been reading through old PH threads about these all week. Seems to be a totally mixed bag - people either saying the 30d (N57) is really reliable and should hold up well if it’s regularly serviced, others saying they’re a total money pit and four figure bills are regular.
I’ve had a look at WarrantWise for a 12month warranty, they’re quoting about £550 for the year. Think this is worth getting?
Just wondering what sort of buying advice you’d give?
What should I look out for? And what sort of maintenance costs should I expect over the next 4 years (circa 30k miles, taking the car to just shy of 100k)?
Car is just sitting at the 15k mark and seems a nice spec. Very tempting!
Thanks in advance
Edited by CurtBurr on Thursday 30th January 19:18
Hi
We’ve just brought our 2012 X5 M Sport out of the PCP. In 31/2 years it hasn’t cost us a penny apart from consumables, it does like tyres ! Never let us down lovely car to drive and in my opinion better looking than the later model.
We went into BMW a couple of weeks back but couldn’t bring ourselves to part with £35k for a car which would offer nothing more that what we already have .
Go for it !
We’ve just brought our 2012 X5 M Sport out of the PCP. In 31/2 years it hasn’t cost us a penny apart from consumables, it does like tyres ! Never let us down lovely car to drive and in my opinion better looking than the later model.
We went into BMW a couple of weeks back but couldn’t bring ourselves to part with £35k for a car which would offer nothing more that what we already have .
Go for it !
Solid drivetrains, questionable repairs sometimes e.g. air suspension, handbrakes but I associate these with normal BMW issues, rather than an X5. Solid drivetrains however. Be wary of the N57 as there are timing chain issues starting to appear - service the oil more regularly (8-10k intervals). Sometimes the dealer is the best bet for any issues, which can be expensive, but so far no 4 figure repair bills. Expect some bills however - these are BMW's, no matter if they are a 3 series or an X5 there will be things to address now and then. I can guarantee you however that they will start in the morning and drive with no issue. Never had to recover it before.
leeve said:
Hi
We’ve just brought our 2012 X5 M Sport out of the PCP. In 31/2 years it hasn’t cost us a penny apart from consumables, it does like tyres ! Never let us down lovely car to drive and in my opinion better looking than the later model.
We went into BMW a couple of weeks back but couldn’t bring ourselves to part with £35k for a car which would offer nothing more that what we already have .
Go for it !
XM5! Lovely motor, congratsWe’ve just brought our 2012 X5 M Sport out of the PCP. In 31/2 years it hasn’t cost us a penny apart from consumables, it does like tyres ! Never let us down lovely car to drive and in my opinion better looking than the later model.
We went into BMW a couple of weeks back but couldn’t bring ourselves to part with £35k for a car which would offer nothing more that what we already have .
Go for it !
rayyan171 said:
Solid drivetrains, questionable repairs sometimes e.g. air suspension, handbrakes but I associate these with normal BMW issues, rather than an X5. Solid drivetrains however. Be wary of the N57 as there are timing chain issues starting to appear - service the oil more regularly (8-10k intervals). Sometimes the dealer is the best bet for any issues, which can be expensive, but so far no 4 figure repair bills. Expect some bills however - these are BMW's, no matter if they are a 3 series or an X5 there will be things to address now and then. I can guarantee you however that they will start in the morning and drive with no issue. Never had to recover it before.
Thanks for the info. I thought the N57 timing chain was meant to be half decent, much better than the N47 - what sort of mileage do you think before considering replacing the chain? Just had a look at some online quotes - £1100 all in! Yikes About 5 months ago I part exchanged my 2012 X5 40D SE for around £11k with around 68,000 miles. It did strike me it wasn't a lot of of money for what I considered a lot of car. My second X5 in a row.
During my ownership from 30,000 miles.
First issue was electronic tow bar failed to retract, expected quite a bill but was still under BMW approved used warranty which covered it, towbar alone £1k. Very surprised warranty covered it.
I’d put new discs on it part through my ownership. DIY.
Just before pxing the auto handbrake unit failed, around £1,500 to replace at my local two man band garage. I used the auto handbrake continually throughout my ownership.
My thoughts when selling it were, that whoever buys it will probably run to 100,000 miles without an issue.
Tyres, as it was an SE, all four were the same size and 18” can’t remember replacement cost but very reasonable. If you’ve got sports version with 19” or 20” different sizes front and rear you can double what I paid.
I never buy warranties for vehicles, as I believe the companies will do everything they can not to pay.
A great car, a little like yourself, a step up from my previous four door saloon. Running costs are higher, tyres and fuel and be prepared for a four figure bill over your ownership period.
Never regretted owning both of my X5's.
I changed it for VW T5, mid life crisis perhaps.
Pedro.
During my ownership from 30,000 miles.
First issue was electronic tow bar failed to retract, expected quite a bill but was still under BMW approved used warranty which covered it, towbar alone £1k. Very surprised warranty covered it.
I’d put new discs on it part through my ownership. DIY.
Just before pxing the auto handbrake unit failed, around £1,500 to replace at my local two man band garage. I used the auto handbrake continually throughout my ownership.
My thoughts when selling it were, that whoever buys it will probably run to 100,000 miles without an issue.
Tyres, as it was an SE, all four were the same size and 18” can’t remember replacement cost but very reasonable. If you’ve got sports version with 19” or 20” different sizes front and rear you can double what I paid.
I never buy warranties for vehicles, as I believe the companies will do everything they can not to pay.
A great car, a little like yourself, a step up from my previous four door saloon. Running costs are higher, tyres and fuel and be prepared for a four figure bill over your ownership period.
Never regretted owning both of my X5's.
I changed it for VW T5, mid life crisis perhaps.
Pedro.
Surprised to hear about bearing issues too - didn't expect these. Maybe chains should be done at 80-100k miles, but personally I haven't seen enough online to judge it to be a serious issue. Regular, shorter oil change intervals should see you ok. The PITA is the chain being at the back, makes it slightly more expensive to do. Isn't an engine out job however.
I had one for a while. Just curious to know what the reasons are for choosing an X5 over any of the other models? It's a great car but for the money, the running costs and the motorway miles I'd choose what I currently have - 330D.
However if it's definitely what you want, go for it. All cars are a hit and miss. Any large SUV will cost a fortune if it goes wrong. Mine was fine and I really enjoyed it. Tyres are pricey but aren't they all these days on any 18" + and run flat.
However if it's definitely what you want, go for it. All cars are a hit and miss. Any large SUV will cost a fortune if it goes wrong. Mine was fine and I really enjoyed it. Tyres are pricey but aren't they all these days on any 18" + and run flat.
Today I'm swapping an e70 13 reg X5 40d (ok so different engine)....we had it from 6 months old and have done 60 odd thousand miles in it. We took out extended warranty for one year when it went outside manufacturers and haven't bothered since. It hasn't skipped a beat and has been a great car. I'd take the warranty just for peace of mind in case anything big goes, but otherwise enjoy.
We've got a 2011 40d. Had it from new and it has done 95k. First major issue we had in it was last summer when one of the turbos (the smaller one) failed. We've got the BMW extended warranty, which covered the replacement. It was a big job (according to BMW). Amazing service from BMW btw: they got a mobile tech out to us super prompt and had it on the back of a flatbed within 2hrs of him saying it needed taking in for repair - and we were on holiday in the UK countryside, miles from anywhere.
There've been quite a few smaller issues, eg folding mirror motor failure, air con exchanger, oil sensor malfunction etc, all under warranty.
Personally, I wouldn't run an X5 without the BMW warranty - I tried that gamble on the e53 and it cost me several thousand in engine repairs only to present more probs.
There've been quite a few smaller issues, eg folding mirror motor failure, air con exchanger, oil sensor malfunction etc, all under warranty.
Personally, I wouldn't run an X5 without the BMW warranty - I tried that gamble on the e53 and it cost me several thousand in engine repairs only to present more probs.
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