BMW X Models Review, Models, For Sale, Specs & News

BMW X Models Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the BMW X Models here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• How much does the Porsche Macan cost to maintain?

  You’d think this would be a fairly simple question to answer, but in reality, it’s far from it. It seems neither BMW nor Porsche offer what we know as fixed or capped price servicing, that is; a known price that the service will cost, paid when you need to have it carried out. This is not uncommon with prestige brands and reflects the changing costs of imported service parts as well as different marketing approaches.

  BMW, however, comes closest to this concept with what it calls its Service Inclusive Basic Plan which requires the car’s buyer to pay up front, typically for the first five years, of servicing when the car is purchased. That sounds odd, but it makes sense to buyers leasing their cars as the service costs are then paid for as part of the financing package.

  In the case of the BMW X4, this package, which covers consumables such as filters, oil, spark plugs and brake fluid (but not clutches, brake pads and windscreen wipers; that’s another step up to the Service Inclusive Plus Plan) lasts for five years or 80,000km (whichever comes first) and works out to an average of $350 per service or a total of $1750 over the plan’s duration. Fundamentally, it’s like other car-makers’ capped-price servicing but you pay up front for it.

  Meanwhile, at Porsche, the servicing costs for a Macan over the same 80,000km/five-year period will depend on what state you live in as labour rates vary from state to state. Since you’re from NSW, I’ll use the data from that state. As such, the Macan will need an annual service at one-year/15,000km costing $695. The next service at two years/30,000km is an intermediate service at $995, followed by another annual service at three years/45,000km ($695 again). The four-year/60,000km service is a major one costing $1750, followed by the five- year/75,000km service at $695 to end with. In total, that’s a grand total of $4830, making the Porsche by far the most expensive car to service for those first five years.

   

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• BMW X8 - Will BMW build an SUV bigger than the X7?

  With the Germans in particular hungry to mine every single niche – fanned by the flames of electrification and a hunger by the ever-growing number of global billionaires for the biggest and best – an 'uber, uber SUV' above the X7 will probably happen.

  BMW is saying nothing of course, and we're only speculating here, but if it ever happens, it would almost certainly be electric or electrified, and may spawn a Rolls-Royce offshoot, since BMW owns that English brand.

  So, nothing for now, but don't bet against an X8 or even X9. They're likely inevitable given enough time.

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• BMW X5 diesel problems

  Despite the price and BMW’s reputation, this series of X5 was not without its problems. Specific to the diesel-engined versions was a raft of things to watch out for when shopping for a second-hand X5. Those start with a poorly designed intake system which used small flaps in each inlet trat designed to create better air and fuel mixing and, therefore, more complete burning of the fuel. The problem was that these little flaps were secured by two screws each, and these could become loose and fall into the engine with catastrophic results. In some cases, the screws could even migrate into the turbocharger unit, destroying it.

  Like many other brands of modern turbo-diesel, the X5 could also be afflicted by problems caused by a blocked Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). If the vehicle was used for urban work rather than highway running, the DPF could become clogged and unable to regenerate itself. Any X5 diesel with a `Service Engine Soon’ light illuminated on the dashboard is a potential problem child.

  The car’s exhaust gas recirculation valve could also leak, causing faults within the emissions-control system, while the electronics associated with the fuel injectors could also be damaged by water entering the engine compartment.

  Beyond the diesel engine, the rest of the X5 package was not without problems, either. Those can include electronic issues, poor water sealing around the body, noisy suspension and problems with petrol-engined variants as well. Fundamentally, this was not BMW’s finest hour quality-wise. It’s also worth noting that even though the BMW brand is a German one, this generation of X5s was manufactured in South Carolina in the USA.

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• Would swapping 20-inch wheels for 18-inch wheels affect the handling and safety of my BMW X5?

  Urban dwellers love the look of huge wheels and low-profile tyres, but their country cousins generally hate them. That’s because those some giant wheel and tyre packages make the car ride more harshly and the tyres themselves are more prone to damage because there’s less sidewall to soak up impacts.

  Switching to an 18-inch wheel and a tyre with more sidewall would definitely make the car ride better, but it’s not always that simple. For a start, you might run into problems in a legal and insurance sense because you’ve suddenly modified the car. To get around that, you should stick to the smallest wheel and tyre package that the manufacturer specified for that vehicle. In the case of a current model BMW X5 that’s a 19-inch wheel and tyre. That’s going to give a better ride than the 20-inch items you currently have, but it won’t be as big an improvement as an 18-inch package. If, however, yours is not the current model X5, then previous models did, in fact, offer an 18-inch package.

  Either way, check with your insurance company that you’re not transgressing at some pedantic level and check, too, that the smaller wheels won’t drastically alter the overall gearing and suddenly make your speedometer inaccurate.

  As for handling and braking, the differences between an 18-inch and 20-inch wheel tyre package would only be felt on a race-track and not in everyday driving conditions. But the improvement to ride quality will be felt every time you drive the vehicle.

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