E70 X5M - It's the CHEAPEST BMW ///M Car for a Reason

[@petervisserZ4MX5M944]

2010 E70 X5M, which I have had for about 3 years now. Bought it from a prior BMW Fanatic, who did the valve stems, index 12 injectors, new turbos, gearbox service, etc. Bought it with around 99k km's and she now has around 126k km's. Only issues I have had to deal with was the rear air suspension going and coolant bottle splitting - easy fixes, and as of late the voltage regulator dying on me, and I replaced the turbo aux pump as it sounded like it was about to die at the same time (these two I got BMW to do, as I gave up eventually). I change oil regularly, around 7,500km's and use 5w-50 Ravenol. Other than that, she has been great!

[@dnl35projects]

That’s great ! Just the index 12 injectors are already a big relief when planning on the maintenance

[@jean-mariemuga2819]

When I bought my 2012 X5 50i, I used your rebuild videos to fully rebuild my engine. It was the 1st engine to ever work on and your rebuild series made it real easy. 1.5 years on, I have had no engine issues. Thanks.

[@dnl35projects]

Great to hear ! That sort of feedback keeps us going, thanks

[@frederickhalljr8947]

I have a 2012 x5m I had to do a rebuild on it but after it has been running pretty good I have bought it has 107000 now have 117000 on it Also replaced 1 turbo Sav has a lot of power. THANK YOU. SIRS KEEP MAKING GOOD VIDS

[@dnl35projects]

Good to hear

[@thetrenchplatediaries]

Ive bought a F85, oil analysis, which was excellent. Maintenance on everything and then some. As for engine heat and thermal issues, I put in downpipes and turbo blankets. Gold foil on appropriate heat shields. I did coils, plugs PCV, and anything looked faded. Had it a year, no oil loss, mapped it Stage II, added propeller shaft and drive shaft assembly bearing to bolster drive shaft. I bought it from Carvana they did most work under warranty. Car history was a lease owner, Mom. There was baby socks and pram alerts in it when I deep cleaned it. Coolest and funnest car project ever. M cars are real deal.

[@dnl35projects]

Great to know that ! The drive shafts reinforcement is definitely something I’ll look at (I’m currently unfamiliar with it)

[@northwestconvoy]

2012 BMW X6M here, got it with 80K miles, 1st day i got it, I changed the battery, PVC hoses ALL OF them, then i changed the oil as well. I run Liqui Molly in all of my cars and i love that oil. I change it every 3,500- 4,000Miles. And yes there was LOTS of oil on the bottom back of the motor, and i Knew exactly what it was, It was the turbo oil return cover, and it at the time didn't smoke. I put cattles dp on it (no tune) Did it for the sound, AND OHH BOYY it sounds so good. Later on getting closer to 90K miles it started to smoke i Knew it was the valve stem seals (it would only smoke when the car was warm and sitting on idle for a lil bit and when you gas it...LOTS of smoke), SO i dropped the motor and decided to rebuild it, I did everything to it, ALL the gaskets, cleaned the whole block inside and out change all the bearings, timing chain, and ect. luckily for me all of my injectors are index 12!! that was a relief. And now after the rebuild it feels like it has way more power as well, and since i also got rid of all of the carbon build up, my MPG went up a little bit :) And so far at 92K miles Happy to see no LEAKS and its running sooo smoooth. Before i had my x6m i owned the 2013 e70 x5 50I with the N63, for 4 years i got that car at 60k miles and i drove it till 92k miles before i sold it. with it being the worst engine BMW has ever made, the ONLY issue i had with that car was the coolant Y pipe and coil packs to which when i changed them to new never had any issues with it, and no leaks. i also changed the pvc hoses because obviously with all those heat cycle i didn't want them to break on me, and once i changed it my oil consumption went away from adding half a quart every 3k miles, to never having to top it off between oil changes.

[@dnl35projects]

Yeah that turbo spool sound when you have downpipes is trully amazing

[@jamienz89]

People buy these high performance euro SUV's and think they can maintain them like their old Toyota Kluger/Highlander and they'll be golden. It's the owners outside of the factory warranty and dealer servicing where these amazing SUV's can become turds quickly. I own a 2015 ML 63 and it's had $20k+ spent on it over the last two years, I do a lot of my own maintenance and replace the oil every 5k kms. Your X5M looks awesome, great video, keep it up.

[@dnl35projects]

Agree

[@AnthonySarino-f7n]

20k in maintenance in 2 years sounds about right for a 10 year old high performance euro. Yet people freak about having to pay that amount to replace an EV battery.

[@patryk996]

I've had my 2012 X5M (USA) for 2 years. When I'm driving it, I absolutely love it. It's such a fantastic car. I got it with 84k mi (high, I know), I've replaced the oil every 5k mi religiously. I've started seeing some blue smoke coming out of the exhaust when it sits, but nothing too intense. It now has ~110k mi and I'm seeing some oil being pushed back into the intake manifold behind the air filters. My shop (Portland Motor Works [I'm in the Pacific Northwest] is suggesting it's the oil separators. There's also a loose gasket on the turbo, and I know I have oil in the engine valley. I'm at the point where I think it's best to do a full tear-down and rebuild, but I lack the experience and knowledge to do one. Still, watching all these videos and having worked on my motorcycles for years now, I feel like it's a possible undertaking (albeit a huge one). I have some blind spots that I'm trying to fill in. I'm also missing a bunch of tools and have a lack of space in my garage. But, these are all things that could be overcome. If I could find a resource to guide me in the areas I'm blind and answer questions, I'm capable enough to figure the rest out on my own. These videos have been extremely informative and encouraging. I would absolutely love to keep this car if I can do the maintenance myself. My shop is just too expensive to do the engine rebuild. So, here I am. It's either part with another dream car (I already sold my Z4M Roadster to buy a house), or roll up my sleeves and get serious about learning and putting in the work. I honestly love working on vehicles. It's such an incredibly rewarding experience to fix something and potentially even make it better. I look at vehicles as an adult's lego set, and I get great satisfaction from doing things the right way. Oh my god, what am I doing. Please help.

[@sickvick83]

I live in Hillsboro or I been looking for someone to look at my bmw x5m everyone scare of it lol Portland motor works pretty knowledgeable on these cars mines been throwing a bunch of black sooth on my tailpipes and black smoke on hard accelerations

[@dnl35projects]

Hey Patryk, I'm going to do a video on this (when reach 5.000 subs) but will give you an advice now that I consider a game changing when DIYing these cars. Search and learn a bit about of ISTA ! Yes the BMW software. Most people know ISTA is the BMW dealership tool thats is used to diagnose issues and repair cars. What 99% of people I talk to don't know is that ISTA is also the BMW workshop manual and has every bit of information you will ever need about your car, from replacing a door handle to installing and torquing a crank shaft, oil clearances, assembly advices and much more. I don't an engine rebuild as something hard to do, you just need a lot of patience, time and discipline to NOT CUT corners. (Space helps a lot) - I hope this helps a bit 👍

[@patryk996]

@@dnl35projects Yes! I have a tab open with ISTA purchase/download standing by (I was planning on buying it). I also took your advice and signed up for HP Academy (Engine building courses). I'm going to jump into the videos and then dig through ISTA. Maybe BMW or FCPEuro offer an engine rebuild kit to get me most of what I need. I still don't know what injectors I have. That might be a big deal breaker for me. Getting new injectors would be cost prohibitive. I'm also curious what parts I could swap out to improve engine performance and reliability while I'm doing the rebuild. I wouldn't want to start dropping thousands more if I don't need to, but if there are some parts like the valley Y pipe-connector you mentioned in another video, I'd definitely prefer to get a metal one to replace it --or at the very least, insulate it from heat exposure. Please let me know if you have any specific thoughts.

[@klausthaler7850]

Got a 2011 X5M with 243000km. Still running like a dream. Injectors and gearbox came new over the years and obviously the coolant lines a few times. Just had it serviced again and my mechanic commented on its great shape considering the km‘s. It’s taking 1l on 500-1000km and recently it has thrown a check engine light whenever it wanted me to top up oil but this was due low oil quality(previous owner didn’t do the last service for like over 20000km). They really should have there oil change every 5000-10000km latest and not like BMW recommendation ever 15000km. Anyways after fresh oil and filters no issues at all and runs incredibly good. Very happy with it. I’m aware of valve stems are a common problem though

[@dnl35projects]

They are great cars, just need a bit of special attention ! 👍

[@farturinn]

had mine now for almost 4 years, trouble free. I absolutely love it, and the price was less than 1 year depreciation of a new one.. and what is the difference really? 2 gears and a few horses Some FRM problems, but otherwise just maintenance. Do the oil change every 6-8k km. Car at 92k km now I have ISTA, INPA and Carly,, absolute must like you say. But never chase the last fault code.. it will always have some in the background P.s. absolutely no oil consumption

[@dnl35projects]

Great to hear!

[@mosestaukobong5937]

Worked on a few most common issues valve stem seals leaking tappet covers pcv valves and also faulty injectors affecting the ecu and rod bearings as well as vanos faults but honestly speaking it’s a solid car

[@dnl35projects]

Thanks for sharing

[@davidfrank2824]

I agree with the most everything you said. I work on all my own vehicles have done that since 1986. I am just a backyard mechanic for DIY mechanic. I have been fortunate enough buy the right tools for the right job. From racing on the weekends and just doing routine maintenance to all my other vehicles and my family I can tell you I don't care what car manufacturer you buy from is that oil at the minimum should be changed at 6000 miles. Anytime I will buy a new car or a motorcycle it is very unusual for me to go over a thousand miles before my first oil change and then 3,000 after that. Believe it or not I actually have friends that want the oil out of my vehicle whenever I do a change. They know I only use the best oil and they know how much it cost. When I'm done with the oil change I put it in their pan and sometimes depending on what I'm doing I might even put it in the car for them and change the filter. You cannot have a high-performance car like a BMW M I think you're going to get away from saving money on services. Whenever you can you should buy your parts about the manufacturer used. And that doesn't mean you need to buy it from the dealership. Dearest companies like Bosch who make the fuel injectors and spark plugs and BMW has them stamp their part number and put BMW on the logo. It's funny that I just saw this video. Today is Tuesday and I am going to look at a x5m. That one is a 2012 and the seller has all the paperwork since it was brand new. Only reason selling it is that he's going back to the west coast of the United States and does not want to bring the car back with him. He would rather buy a new BMW x5m. This was a great video and hopefully people will follow what you said. Also anybody who's read down to this point need to keep in mind that when you do change that battery you have to recode your car. You can do this yourself with a cheaper scanner and sometimes the big parts stores will come out and do it for free. If you don't have it done you will start experience things that don't make sense. Your radio can stop working your blower motor for the HVAC system will stop some lights might not come on it's a nightmare. Again this comes from me being very fortunate in life. I actually have the big pro scanner so I never have to go into a dealership. Looking forward to watching more from you.

[@dnl35projects]

That’s good, you can save heaps $$$ if doing the work yourself

[@raphaelpall1345]

Nice video mate ! Well done !!

[@dnl35projects]

Thanks

[@MhayiseHlatshwayo]

Hello Mike After a year of ownership, I have never truly enjoyed my X5 M. I bought it as a project and made some modifications, but the engine light is still on. I recently took it to a reliable mechanic, who said the timing chain was broken and the gearbox had some problems. I’m giving this a final shot with the hope that it comes right thanks Bongani in ( South Africa)

[@dnl35projects]

I hope you manage to fix it all ! They are great cars when maintained properly

[@alexadach5507]

We had a lot of good times in this car when my friend had one in high school. I remember driving it for the first time and thinking it was a space ship.

[@dnl35projects]

It’s a special car for sure 👍

[@davescott5506]

I was one of the unlucky ones. My e70 4.8i had cooling, injection, park break, transmission and transfer box issues. Sun roof leaked with previous owner rusting the fuse box and stereo amps in rear. Roof lining went then sun roof stopped working, then drive shaft and centre bearing. Spent over $12000 on repairs in a little over a year. Finally the rear diff exploded in a car park in city so I sold it for parts! Will I buy another one? Yes!! I will be having it checked over carefully before purchasing

[@dnl35projects]

Buy one that wasn't trashed and do preventive maintenance - Hopefully the next car is gonna be a better experience

[@lllll1234-g9q]

Timestamps and your video is perfect

[@dnl35projects]

Thanks !

[@thekevway]

I just bought one for a 1,000$ us. I will be checking it out at the shop Monday as previous owner stated it needs an engine

[@dnl35projects]

Thats cheap ! Even if youre unable to fix it you could make 10 time that much if selling it for parts

[@swgdsm]

Had the usual. 4 years, about 35k miles and at 82k now. Coolant overflow tank, pvc hoses heat cracked, valve cover gaskets, primary water pump. Dinan tune, plugs and coils. Rear airbags. Front pads and rotors. Probably had to put about 6k into it over my ownership.

[@dnl35projects]

Awesome, thanks for sharing your experience !

[@Jeff-oc3wh]

Bought my 2011 with X6M 150k km, its at 205k km, so far had the coolant leak, I have an injector leak currently, bought the tool to redo but Im having Vanos issues so it on hold currently, just haven't had the time, did an oil change and found the oil filter collapsed and part of the mesh screen missing inside the filter, Im concerned that it is plugging up some oil passage as my all my Vanos are throwing a code almost like both timing chains jumped, it strange, it just happened one day, my car doesn't smoke. Doing a rebuild is in within my skill, If you have any information as to how and where the oil flows that would be great or possibly where the metal mesh in the filter could get hung up like possible the filters in the vanos? great video, thanks

[@dnl35projects]

You’re correct, if something bypass the oil it will get stuck on the vanos solenoid screens - you could be getting the difference in oil pressure

[@davidfrank2824]

I left you a very long comment so I wanted to send this shorter one to you. When you had taken your car to the drag races what kind of ET were you getting? When I googled this in the past I seen some people reporting that they were faster than the speed of sound and then on the other hand could not run a away from a bus.

[@dnl35projects]

To be honest, it all depends on what people have driven before they try the X5M - On my last day at the drag races I got 4 runs of solid 12.5sec - that might be unimpressive to some but again, it’s a 2300kg car which means a car with 200 less HP and 1400kg could do that if not more. With all that said, the car still feel fast if you want to drive it that way

[@Jason-BMWM5]

I dont have one, have a 2021 M550i. Doing the oil/filter changes every 5,000kms, done nearly 50k so far and it probably uses no more than 100-200ml of oil between oil changes. Also have removed the engine cover and open the bonnet in the garage after every drive to get the heat out the engine bay. This car is a keeper for me as BMW dont make them anymore. Would you consider a core exchange from the US if the X5/X6 needs a replacement engine. I see online they’re as cheap as USD$4k.

[@dnl35projects]

Yes I've seem them pretty cheap in the US and apparently you can even buy a long block for about $7k

[@lawrencespiteri-xv7yz]

I had bought 2014 50i had it for a year need up having to change the water pump, rear main seal, multiple hoses. Rocker cover gaskets, oil separators, rear suspension, turbo lines and many other parts at a cost of around 21k the final strew for it was then having to do the valve stem seals which they wanted another 15 k

[@dnl35projects]

Yes thats my point, you could probably had the whole engine rebuilt with new parts for about $25k depending where you live (AUD$25k) - Doing the repair in stages will cost 3 times as much

[@Yeniceri550]

Excellent

[@dnl35projects]

Thanks

[@sickvick83]

Mine throwing a bunch of wet black soot on rear tailpipes and trunk changed injectors pcv valves spark plugs coils still doing the same what else should I check need help please car runs great still has it’s power it is leaking oil from valve cover because injectors had oil on them

[@dnl35projects]

Have you deleted the engine adaptations when you coded the new injectors ?

[@sickvick83]

@@dnl35projectsI’m new to the bmw but you mean if a clear the codes?

[@alexblackburn9771]

Not an X5M, I have an F10 M5 though. It’s blowing a little smoke mainly after hard acceleration and backing off. Otherwise seems fine. Any ideas what it could be?

[@ashishpatel350]

is it burning oil?

[@shanejones578]

That’s what my 650ix was doing from 100k on, it blew at 105k via bearing/knocking. Under wide open throttle when it shifted it would leave a big black cloud.

[@shanejones578]

I never saw any smoke from cold starts, or from letting it set and hitting the gas 10-15 mins after idling. That was my only warning

[@alexblackburn9771]

@@ashishpatel350 That’s the odd thing. No, doesn’t appear to be. Though I’m not on WOT often, usually I’m just putting around commuting.

[@alexblackburn9771]

@@shanejones578 This is white/blue smoke, not black.

[@hasanalothman27]

not only water pump are running even the fan sometimes you hear it ! today just today i was looking for new battery in the market, this issue for the battery are critical my car has bmw battery that the car doesnt know when it has been changed and its allways showing me that it has been changed since 7000km since 50K now!!!, and the state of charge is 86%. thats only mean buying new battery is a must to keep my car healthy thanks.

[@dnl35projects]

Correct

[@dmytrozelenyi7112]

Last BMW built by engineers. Own one since 2020. Bought it with 180k km on it. 250k today. This car is for someone with technical background only!

[@dnl35projects]

I agree

[@hasanalothman27]

well i will tell you my story with N63tu, bought from my uncle a 2014 650I with 50K odo, start checking all the part that need to be replaced, changed the Transmission fluid was good, changed the coolant, then the car start behave badly and i was a little bit worry, then the long term fuel saying the my its not the near to 0 or plus or minus 3 then i did remove the PCV and the issue was the PCV then changed them to something not original then after two month changed them again to the original, and the problem solved, then installed Arm downpipe and a regret the time to install these very poor quality and the downpipe was leaking from everywhere, then installed HMD China downpipe!! and the quality was perfect, 100 cell "which also i did regret choosing the 100 cell because the car is saying poor catt efficiency" after that the care came back to its health 90% and now i guess i have an issue with the MAP or MAF or injectors, because the car when i accelerate it does not show me the full power and torque. anyway, my advice please change the PCV even if your car running healthy every 60K. bmw is the best car if you know how to maintain them.

[@dnl35projects]

Yes you must be prepared for the maintenance

[@jamestabor587]

Also the original S63 engine. Before the first updated TU. What did that run in the 1/4 mile? Very curious haha

[@dnl35projects]

I had a solid 12.5 sec four runs in a row - Stock car with downpipes and NO tune

[@jamestabor587]

@@dnl35projectsthat’s impressive but not as fast as I thought it would be. My 2013 x5 xdrive50i with the dealer m performance package having 440hp and 480-500torque ran 12.88s very cool though

[@hexagonosaurus5848]

​@@jamestabor587you still have a regular POS E70 which is worthless 🤡🤡 Literally a throw-away car after 80k miles. $4K car 😂

[@jamestabor587]

⁠@@hexagonosaurus5848you’re completely clueless.Go troll somewhere else. Nothing I said or asked had anything to do with you. Clearly you are small minded it has nothing to do with “value or worth in retail” it’s all passion to the owner

[@jamestabor587]

@@hexagonosaurus5848haha no idea what you are talking about. Clearly you don’t understand what’s even going on here. His X5M and my X5 Xdrive50i are not throw away vehicles. Your Honda civic doesn’t compare buddy

[@lunasea98]

잘봤습니다.

[@dnl35projects]

Thanks

[@mohammadbenattia9102]

great

[@dnl35projects]

Thanks

[@hoodooking1133]

Their is no such thing called a cheap bmw and I have a 2015 6 grand coupe at 70k Mi. and a 2023 bmw M8 at 28k miles and all I do is brakes and oil but you have to do the spark plugs at 60k and it will be fine bmws are pretty reliable now don't listen to poor people buying them and don't have money to maintaining them

[@dnl35projects]

I agree, if your buying for cheap you better have the money for repairs set aside

[@thetruth7633]

It is very simple, but people and cognitive dissonance in choosing cars.. Buy used top class BMW for 20K = add another 20K for maintenance = add 20K running costs over 100000 kilometers. If the car has high mileage and or maintenance not serviced or hidden flaws : add another 20K. 60-80 cts per kilometer. But to be safe 1 Euro /km. If people think this is all "not true" , go ahead, break your wallet and be broke all year round.

[@dnl35projects]

I agree

[@hasanalothman27]

i was complaining that i top my car with almost 400ml of oil every 4000 km then this should be normal

[@dnl35projects]

400ml for 4k is really good but it varies according to how hard you drive the car

[@ashishpatel350]

nothing like a cheap bmw

[@dnl35projects]

We all love them ! The only better thing than buying a cheap broken BMW is going on a road trip to pick it up 😂

[@petrfila5371]

20k for the car + 15k for the engine rebuild not mention possible additional expenses. Isn’t better to just take the 35 - 40k and buy something normal?

[@dnl35projects]

No, because you simply cannot buy something as good with the $35k - Here in Australia $35k gets you a 30d F15

[@paulaus]

Don't buy from north of the Western Ring Road would be my number 1 tip. Look for cars from Bayside Suburbs 😂

[@dnl35projects]

🤣

[@bombacimulayim1453]

M FOR MAINTENANCE 😂

[@dnl35projects]

///Maintenace - Thats the channel slogan 😂

[@m1stertwo]

man id S85 swap it and rock tf on with it…..

[@dnl35projects]

That would sound awesome for sure