21st Aug 2004, 19:53

I too was an X5 owner, much to my misfortune. I agree with the previous chap. BMW's quality control has become a disaster since they decided to start producing cars outside of Germany. I myself always drove BMW, mainly sedans 325,525 and 535, when the X5 came out, I was in the market for a 4WD, the X5 was a very appealing vehicle. Ten months later I traded the sucker on a new Lexus RX330 and took a belting on the re-sale.

In the ten months I owned the vehicle there was roughly 9 warranty repairs done. Problems ranged from car stalling on the freeway for no apparent reason, and unable to start. On one occasion whilst we where on our way to dinner with friends.

Gearbox replaced once, driver side electric window failing, during a storm, interior falling apart, battery going dead, this list goes on. I travel 40,000km per annum for work and it got to the point that I did not feel confident that the X5 would complete the trip, without requiring a tow, to a repair center and in lots of cases I would be in remote areas,where there would be no BMW dealership, so I would use my wifes car instead.

80% of my driving is on Freeways with very little stress on the engine.

BMW has left a very bitter taste for me, the tragic thing, had I known the X5 was made in the US I never would have purchased one. I'm happy to say I've owned the Lexus RX330 for the 17 months with about 65,000Kms and not one problem, apart from the scheduled servicing.

18th Nov 2004, 17:52

I own a 1994 318i sedan which was one of the first models to be built in the Spartanburg, SC plant. It has been very reliable and completely worthy of the BMW name. I am a college student, so I see a number of other BMW automobiles that are products of the South Carolina plant around the campus. I've never seen them stall for anyone. These include the Z3, X5, and other 3-series models. I do not know if the E46 3-series is made in SC or Germany, but I do know that a number of the famous, long-lasting E36 models were built in SC.

11th Feb 2005, 18:46

I had the same problem, battery replaced twice under warranty, still the problem persisted. The BMW dealership service department could find no fault. I ended up selling the vehicle privately, after only 18 months of ownership, and took a hiding on the resale, almost to embarrassing to mention. I feel BMW will lose many loyal customers over time, since they have started to manufacture cars outside of Germany. The build quality is very poor for a vehicle in that class and price range. I myself would never buy or recommend a BMW to anyone!

18th Apr 2005, 20:52

I have owned an 4.4 X5 since September 2002, and found the car to be brilliant in every way. We have 3 children who fit into the back seat no problem at all, if you are looking for lots more space buy a Cadillac. Having owned Mercedes and the like in the past, I am extremely happy with our X5.

21st Apr 2005, 03:20

You must be in the minority, most X5's are poorly built, unreliable and overpriced.

10th May 2005, 04:26

I agree with the guy/lady who has the 2002 X5, I have had nothing, but trouble-free motoring with my X5, in-fact I consider it to be extremely well built and more powerful than most will need (4.4). Quite surprised to hear so many complaints. I owned a really bad RX330 before this, so can't say much that is positive about the Toyota/Lexus Marque. Maybe the very poor Lexus makes the Beemer appear better?!

6th Aug 2005, 10:37

I purchased a 2002 BMW X5 3.0 in mid February of 2005 with 34,000 miles on it, and I have had no major problems with it. The engine and drive train are great, as is the interior and body. I have had two very minor problems. The rear tailgate would not close without slamming it very hard, and even then sometimes it would not close. We took it to the dealer without a scheduled appointment, and we were in and out in 15 minutes, the problem gone. The other "problem", although very minor, is that the leather on the right side armrest in the rear the seat is starting to lose it's texture and fade. We figured that the previous owner had kids that sat on the side on the rear seat and after 3 years of resting his/her arm there, the leather is starting to fade. We have had no other problems whatsoever, although this is just a secondary vehicle that we just use for taking out to the country club, social events, etc. I am very satisfied and I will definitely purchase another BMW in the future.

17th Oct 2005, 01:51

I own a 2001 BMW X5 4.4 in Dubai, and I love it. It has the 4.8 sport kit on it with the huge 20 inch wheels. It is the most amazing car I have ever driven, it handles so well, the pick up is great, sounds fantastic and is safe - a bonus here in Dubai!

Couple of little problems, the A/C cuts on oa and off in a temperamental manner, will need to get that looked at. Also had the battery issue that so many people seem to have had, but had that replaced under warranty.

Like I say, I love the car and am really please with the purchase. I looked at the Merc ML55 AMG, but that wasn't a patch on the X5.

Let's hope I'm not back on this forum with problems to report!!!

25th Oct 2005, 14:58

We bought the X5 here in Britain last month, and thus far (touch wood) have had no problems with it. Perhaps it is only the SC branch with these design defects, as the German-made ones (like we have in Europe) seem to be exceptionally reliable?

30th Nov 2005, 01:25

I purchased an '02 X5 (33K miles) this past year and in the 4 months I've had the car it has been in the shop 10+ times. Major problems included stalling due to a dead battery, the next day I was stalled again. This time I was told it was the alternator. The car overheated twice in the last 4 weeks! Very unreliable and stressful with young children waiting an hour and a half at times to get towed! I've had to change belts and boots, fixed a shattered window and other minor things (dash board lights burned out, both rear lights, front headlamp for water, etc...)

12th Dec 2005, 14:10

I purchased my X5 4.4 in Nov 2003. It is a 2000. The vehicle has been in the shop 55 times for repairs. Now in the defense of BMW 15 or 20 were for maintenance. New tires twice ($300 per tire). I too was on a family vacation traveling through Chicago this past summer and stalled on the highway and there was road construction preventing me from going onto the shoulder. I wasn't a happy camper. Overall I am just not going to buy another BMW product. I am going back to Mercedes. Good luck to all of you. P.S. The drivers side door handle will not work now, and I have already had the problem with the air conditioner blowing intermittently.