Scott, I read your article about fears of no new BMW diesels. I too have that fear. I have a 2011 X5 Diesel with the M5 suspension option. I love this car. I wanted to know what issues you had with yours. I know you have said they are well documented, but I can't seem to find the threads. I have had DIF issues, but BMW NA has made good on all repairs. P.S. replacing 20" run flats with vredresteen tires is the BOMB
Scott has posted on the forums from time-to-time, but don't be surprised if there's not a reply sometime soon, I'm not sure how often he frequents the forums.
Yes the early diesels did have some issues with there emission components but overall very strong engines. What have you had done to your DEF system?
My 2011 X5 35d was pretty much trouble-free for almost 72,000 miles. The only times it saw the inside of the dealership were for scheduled maintenance and two or three campaigns or recalls. Then one day when I was running errands around town, it suddenly went into limp mode. I made it home and for the first time ever, called BMW Assist. A flatbed showed up in about 20 minutes and took it to the dealer. The diagnosis was a snapped shaft in the small turbo, and the repair estimate was $3500 to $4000. So we traded it in on an F15 2016 35d in April 2016. I have no first-hand knowledge of any of the common problems with the vehicle since I didn't have any problems in the five and a half years I drove it. I do follow a couple of forums, namely on Bimmerfest.com and xBimmers.com, which I think are good places to stay up on what issues other owners are having. After my 2011 X5 went out of warranty, I topped off the DEF myself when it needed it and since DEF is cheap (if you don't buy it from a BMW dealer), did a DEF system flush once since I heard that old DEF can crystallize. Pretty simple procedure. But I had no DEF system problems. In the last few days, we have had some good news about diesels. BMW announced it was bringing a G30 5 Series diesel to the U.S., and that when the new X3 comes out next year, we will get a diesel version of that as well. While I was happy to hear that, I still think the political winds, especially in Europe, are blowing ill for diesels and you can already see the impact. Sales of diesels in Europe are down something like 19 percent. Until the hammer falls, I will keep enjoying BMW oil burners while I can.
We have a 1999 540I wagon and love it. Insurance wants to scrap it due to an accident. since we are now in north country should we find a good older X5 or do they have expensive problems ?
With BMW recently deciding to cover the NOx sensors and DEF tanks of the E90 and E70 M57 engined cars, things are looking up. Also, BMW evidently re-designed the DEF tanks and system for the F30 328d (320d in Europe) to be more reliable and trouble-free. Be aware that newer vehicles have the N57 rather than M57, and the 328d (and X3) come with the N47 engine. Both are substantially different than the earlier M57, but first reports seem promising. The E70 forum on bimmerfest is quite active: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=159 The newer F15 is right there, too. The diesel forum there has bunches of interesting info - not so much on the N57 though.
