About to bite the bullet on e53 X5 3.0d 2004

[Reusch]

Oh and another thing try not to worry I was whinging/whittling to one of my guests about my problems with the cayenne and how I had to shell out £350.00 which I did get back of dealer,until he'd Payed out £3500.00 on his Navara on repairs and it should have cost him only £500.00

[Entwicklung34]

Ha thanks for putting things into perspective Reusch!! 

I'm very particular over my vehicles I must admit and would find it very difficult to live with a 'lurching' motor - but I may just have to if the box is confirmed ok.

Quick update for AW8 and anybody else who is following this, is that the seller has responded swiftly and in quite a supportive manner... I'm really hoping I have some diagnostics confirm all is well with the box, as I do like the car otherwise.

I'll update soon.

[AW8]

Thanks for update ....keeping fingers croosed & hoping all ends up realtively well

[Reusch]

Brill mate don't bloody worry until you have to,sounds like they will sort it.

[Entwicklung34]

Looking to get diagnostics done on the box to make sure all is well, but awaiting response from the seller re his thoughts on this.    :blink:

[AW8]

If you are shelling out for box diagnostics yourself (for peace of mind) then I strongly advise getting dealer or Indy to also do a full car diagnostic fault code scan, (don't get them to update anything yet).....then at least you should have reassurance (or useful close to purchase date info should you need to raise anything else with seller).

Hoping you get relatively good news.

[Entwicklung34]

Agreed... Any idea on the costs of this at the dealer? Just to ease the pain when I give them a call this week!!

[AW8]

A good Indy with GT1 or other diagnostic will do the job just fine. Would have thought an hours labour max albeit it is not unheard of for flat rate diagnostic charges rather than just the labour.

If my Indy wanted more than an hours labour I would be disappointed.

Call main dealer and Indy for prices albeit depending on your relationship with dealer service staff or Indy I would expect to be told "we can book it in to be looked at and quote you depending on what is required" . For this reason I prefer speaking to a good Indy beforehand (quick drop by visit or text/call in advance is all I need as I know mine fairly well, I am clear but open minded when explaining issues or work that may be required.

I accept a report from main dealer might be less disputed by seller in event of issues you may later raise but you won't speak to anyone qualified prior to the 1st visit. Even then you may struggle to speak to re technician as many dealers prefer you engage with desk staff who are in place arguably to avoid customer/technician conflicts, to ensure a standard customer engagement & avoid technicians being taken away from workshop.


Indy around here £60 p/hr....main dealer can be north of £120.

[Entwicklung34]

Wowzer.

I was a very good customer of the parts dept at my local BMW dealer a few years back when I had an e34 535i that required a lot of 'maintenance'. I'll go and see the staff there, see if they can pull a few strings!

If not, independent specialist seems more realistic! Will get on it.

[AW8]

Ok good luck....I spoke to senior tech at dealer re my box fluid level & queried benefits of risks of fluid change but only because I said to service receptionist I wanted answers to specific technical queries. It is not common for service staff to engage with the customer directly - staff at the service reception counter are trained to politely & professionally engage whereas technicians are supposedly trained to work on our cars.

Fwiw my senior tech at local BMW dealership advised some time ago against fluid change. He told me a customers X5 had a textbook fluid change to exacting requirements only for box to go bang as it was reversed off the ramps. I can't comment on the accuracy of those comments. I am also aware others disagree & of what ZF have said. I also know of an Indy proprietor whose box failed despite an earlier change correctly done by him. I know him and trust his words. He didn't advise against changing but merely shared his experience.

[Entwicklung34]

Sorry Aw8, I'm not following you there mate... It's been a long day so apologies if I'm being soft!!!

[AW8]

Apologies - my reply above was brief & speed typed.

Now edited and expanded on. Should make more sense now.

[Entwicklung34]

Food for thought there... I need some time to mull this over. Not what I was hoping for, and scary in some ways! Thanks for updating the message, very useful info.

[AW8]

No problem......Do consider that some might not want customers in conflict demanding  a new replacement box post fluid change and outside of warranty.......Mines done over 140k miles  on original ATF. My reason for not changing is what I have heard re post change terminal failure......not me wanting to save cost of ATF & filter change.Level & torque of pan gasket bolts has been checked. (On my wifes 6 cylinder manaul boxed BMW I changed diff & box fluids myself).

ZF allegedly now recommend an ATF change at  lower mileage than that......(though not seen a claim by ZF that high mileage change adds failure risk). I have read some views that old deposits being dislodged/drained/flushed ( or however variius folk describe change processes) , can cause critical failure.....opinions vary widely though & many insist a change can only give benefit & add longevity.

Fwiw I have owned since 59k & I seldom use kickdown. I let car warm up before stretching legs & if I need more response I use Sport mode or Manual. Some would say kickdown use should not increaxe box wear, but my view is that it is still a relatively demanding operation (arguably not giving a smooth driver or passenger experience). I have no doubt some could argue kickdown is non demanding (& even a  showcase moment worthy of demonstration to others).

[Greydog]

I have a friend who is a transmission specialist designer (Xtrac) he is also a RR long term owner he advised me to service the transmission when I got the first X5 (81k) The car was great until a ruddy great tree fell on it.
The replacement X5 (76k) got the same treatment Oil and filters, both diffs, transfer box and gearbox. 2 years on (97k) towing and light off road use and still smooth and effortless. (parking this one away from trees)

I uploaded an excerpt from the ZF service manual in an earlier post ZF have always recommended fluid changes between 80000 and 120000 km dependant on use (lots of high speed runs or towing more frequent changes) so my feeling is if your gearbox is close to the recommended change points do it.
There is also a post here from a member who has fitted a Trans Cooler it also helps life.