Bmw X5 m50d

[MOE 000 GP]

Good day fanatics ...

I'm considering buying a 2015 BMW X5 m50d with 80 000km..so anyways Motorplan started Dec 2015 but natis shows registration 2016

Car has full service history until 2023 when the extended plan expired.

I know they prone to blocked dpfs which cause turbo issues... anything else to look out for aswell as preventative maintenance on the 50d...

Thanks

 

[momo1]

Good day fanatics ...

I'm considering buying a 2015 BMW X5 m50d with 80 000km..so anyways Motorplan started Dec 2015 but natis shows registration 2016

Car has full service history until 2023 when the extended plan expired.

I know they prone to blocked dpfs which cause turbo issues... anything else to look out for aswell as preventative maintenance on the 50d...

Thanks

Air suspension

 

[Nastaliq]

DPF, EGR, Turbo (there are three in this variant), Transfer case issue, Differential issues and unfortunately oil changes that have followed BMW CBS (ie 15000-20000km) versus 10000km.

There is a lot of torque on these cars going through the transmission, check that properly.
Check the oil looks okay - not sludgy.
Check transmission - ZF transmission could do with a service regardless of the claim that its lifetime fluids (ZF will tell you otherwise).

 

[KPM3_30]

I had a whole thread on this, search is your friend... I was 99% on buying a M50d and pulled out at the last minute cause I didn't have the pocket or penchant for the risk.

BMW F15 X5 Diesel Models - 30d vs 40d vs M50d Discussion Thread

Evening Gents, Doing some preliminary research into the F15 X5 and looking at one of the diesel models to replace the F25. There's 3 variations I am interested in understanding better (30d, 40d and M50d), all with the same N57 motor and varying turbo set ups. Of particular interest is the...

bmwfanatics.co.za

 

[Nishcat_M140i]

My dad use to have a 40d F15. It was absolutely solid car, did close to about 200k mileage on it or so.

Same N57 engine as the M50d but has 1 less turbo I think If I'm not mistaken. I've heard that M50d maintenance can be a nightmare though especially out of warranty and can cost close to M car maintenance.

He traded it in for a G05 M50i which was a huge step up in comparison to the F15. We were looking at a G05 M50d but he wanted something with a bit more character to drive around like that V8. Now he's gotten rid of the M50i and has the new Range Rover Sport P530 first edition which actually uses the same engine as the M50i.

But Regarding the M50d, I think its a solid choice. BMW diesels are known for their reliability and longetivity. Like any other old car, it would require maintenance, its not something we can easily avoid.

 

[KPM3_30]

My dad use to have a 40d F15. It was absolutely solid car, did close to about 200k mileage on it or so.

Same N57 engine as the M50d but has 1 less turbo I think If I'm not mistaken. I've heard that M50d maintenance can be a nightmare though especially out of warranty and can cost close to M car maintenance.

He traded it in for a G05 M50i which was a huge step up in comparison to the F15. We were looking at a G05 M50d but he wanted something with a bit more character to drive around like that V8. Now he's gotten rid of the M50i and has the new Range Rover Sport P530 first edition which actually uses the same engine as the M50i.

But Regarding the M50d, I think its a solid choice. BMW diesels are known for their reliability and longetivity. Like any other old car, it would require maintenance, its not something we can easily avoid.

Pony'ing up R80k upfront for turbo reconditioning to derisk the small turbo popping, is not something to glance over. 3 turbos in sequential set up mean that they all need to be dialed in together as one pack, hence the big bill.

You can't afford to ignore this as it's either preventative maintenance on turbo refresh or you pay 5x when you need to do a new engine after the small turbo leaves the chat. There's maintenance and then there's, MAINTENANCE.

Issues with running bearings due to higher boost and a more stressed engine are also more prevalent on 40d/50d vs a 30d. Coupled with sludge-builder oil service intervals, it is a potential cause for concern. Factor in bespoke parts on the 50d as per M-Lite tax as well.

So many factors to consider and ultimately wasn't worth it in my use case. Too many stories from forumites and BMW staff that advised me to skip 50d ownership, unless I have more money than I need lol.

Maybe the OP has deeper pockets and a penchant for risk, to cover the privilege. You pay to play hey ☺️

 

[MOE 000 GP]

General maintenance I'm not to worried as I have my own workshop with BMW techs that work for me..I will however put a warranty so in the event of something major I can use that to cover

 

[mosome]

Do the following immediately.

• At 80k your air suspension is about to go, attend to it.
• If they have not been changed yet, you will need front upper control arms and prolly new bushings for the lower ones.
• Flush coolant and every three years or 50kkm thereafter. That engine gets very hot which accelerates coolant degradation.
• ZF transmission and transfer case oil and filter change a must at 80kkm.

Maintenance and care:

• Avoid too many short distances as DPF does not get to regenerate properly.
• Oil changes every 10kkm and ensure you use LL04 oil (designed for DPF) cos LL01 will clog your DPF. Stealership will just use LL01 cos it's cheaper but charge you for LL04.
• Use only cleaner 10ppm diesel.
• Look out for swirl flap actuator mechanism failing, small R2500 fix or new intake manifold at over R20k incl labour.
• Enjoy, they are brilliant cars, the power and torque just breathtaking with almost similar fuel consumption as one turbo 3.0D.

Do the above the car will be reliable and less chance of the dreaded turbo failure. I know of a friend with one at over 300kkm without turbo failure but he does long distances and just saw one with over 200kkm this Tuesday at another workshop that was in for intake manifold but never had turbo failure. Or simply fit a DP plus EGR and DPF delete for more peace of mind. I did diff oil changes at 90kkm but it's not really necessary since it's sealed, I just prefer my cars to have fresh fluids.

 

[m0lt3n]

turbo recon without reason to do that?
you guys not scared of scratching where there is no itch? Mostly when I have issues its because I scratched, and this sounds like a big opportunity to misalign something or get some dirt in there where there otherwise would not have been reason for concerns....

 

[mosome]

turbo recon without reason to do that?
you guys not scared of scratching where there is no itch? Mostly when I have issues its because I scratched, and this sounds like a big opportunity to misalign something or get some dirt in there where there otherwise would not have been reason for concerns....

Precisely, why would an M50D need a turbo recon when all others don't if properly maintained. The turbo failure is not due to the turbo itself but mainly blocked DPF, dirty diesel and oil. That is easily preventable by making sure DPF regularly regenerates, using cleaner diesel and changing correct oil at max 10kkm.

 

[Nastaliq]

Precisely, why would an M50D need a turbo recon when all others don't if properly maintained. The turbo failure is not due to the turbo itself but mainly blocked DPF, dirty diesel and oil. That is easily preventable by making sure DPF regularly regenerates, using cleaner diesel and changing correct oil at max 10kkm.

10000%. Bmw Dont design these tri or quad turbo cars to be problematic. They're designed to produce power to weight and have issues not because the turbos fail. The turbos are actually a system of many other issues.

BMW also uses CBS for maintenance which means oil gets changed on a high performance engine very infrequently. Not because its good for the engine to have it changed regularly, but because they carry the cost of changes for an apparent problem which wont be theirs. ie cheap out on maintenance while in MP, you pay for it down the line when out of MP.

This is why its called preventative maintenance.

On the Diff they use bolts which are prone to snapping where the car mates between transfer case. The bolts are cheap because by the time they fail and snap/need to be drilled out, they dont pay for the repair. The preventive maintenance is to have them removed beforehand, since most of the time they're bent/rusting, and replaced with forged parts, which are far less likely to repair. The car is not built to be be bulletproof. If that was the case, everything would be forged/heat treated.

Hell your engine itself is cast alloy because its lighter and cheaper and they can use recycled material (raw). Not because a cast alloy block is in any way better overall.

This is a business, they dont make money if everything lasts forever. See thru the BS of not changing things unless theres a problem, and you find small costs now, that save big money down the line.

 

[mosome]

10000%. Bmw Dont design these tri or quad turbo cars to be problematic. They're designed to produce power to weight and have issues not because the turbos fail. The turbos are actually a system of many other issues.

BMW also uses CBS for maintenance which means oil gets changed on a high performance engine very infrequently. Not because its good for the engine to have it changed regularly, but because they carry the cost of changes for an apparent problem which wont be theirs. ie cheap out on maintenance while in MP, you pay for it down the line when out of MP.

This is why its called preventative maintenance.

On the Diff they use bolts which are prone to snapping where the car mates between transfer case. The bolts are cheap because by the time they fail and snap/need to be drilled out, they dont pay for the repair. The preventive maintenance is to have them removed beforehand, since most of the time they're bent/rusting, and replaced with forged parts, which are far less likely to repair. The car is not built to be be bulletproof. If that was the case, everything would be forged/heat treated.

Hell your engine itself is cast alloy because its lighter and cheaper and they can use recycled material (raw). Not because a cast alloy block is in any way better overall.

This is a business, they dont make money if everything lasts forever. See thru the BS of not changing things unless theres a problem, and you find small costs now, that save big money down the line.

Couldn't agree with you more.

As an example, BMW says the transmission oil is a lifetime fill, however the manufacturer, ZF, recommends a change of oil and filter every 80,000km. BMW lifetime is 100,000km BTW.

BMW used to change coolant every two years but now say it's lifetime, however, the very coolant bottle you buy from BMW is written "change every two years".

Yes, synthetic engine oil lasts much longer than mineral oil but over 15000 km is pushing it. BMW petrol engine have 20 to 30k km oil change intervals. But that time the lubrication is not effective and hence timing chain problems.

It's economics for BMW. They extend maintenance intervals to save cost during motorplan and equally to milk you after motorplan so you rather buy a new one, which of course is best for them.