I own a 2001 BMW E53 X5 4.4.i with over 209,000 miles on it. Great engine with a lot of low end torque. People that usually hate BMW's are the same people who don't perform basic maintenance, then they take it to a dealership or a shady mechanic and get ripped off. A word of advice. Buy your own parts online and have a trusted mechanic install them for you. See, problem solved.

Have owned 5 BMW'S before and currently still have a 2015 E89 Z4(45 000km), a 2012 F30 320i(49 000km) and a 2012 1200GS(89 000km) I have never had any oil leaks or engine problems with any of my BMW'S. Maybe I was just lucky but they were all serviced regularly and I am a very PROUD and HAPPY BMW owner! 👍❤️🇿🇦

Even in a Toyota, if you don’t take care of your car’s liquids, it will become an unreliable piece of metal (or plastic). My dad and brother have owned 5 BMWs between the two of them, and besides a 335i my brother modded a bit too much, every other has been an amazing purchase by keeping those oil changes every 6-8K miles and every 6-12 months do a check up with their independent mechanics. They’re amazing cars. Don’t be scared of the maintenance price, just be careful of how you treat the car/SUV.

You truly are a BMW guru! Thanks for the content.

Thanks for revieving your experience and knowledge, I have a good feeling of owning an early 2000s bmw

All great and accurate advice! “ Been there Done that” if you want to drive a nice car don’t skimp on the maintenance it’ll come back to bite you....HARD!

I like the pace of your informative videos man. I'm proud I knew all these BMW mistakes. In the 20 years of owning BMWs and avoiding the mistakes mentioned I can say they are shockingly reliable!

Thanks for the great advice Mark !! I’ve learned a few things already

I couldn't agree more with everything you said, Mark. I also personally know a number of people who tend to ignore signs of potential issues, fail to give their cars even regular (let alone preventative) maintenance and other stuff like that, as they believe they are saving money. But nothing can be further from the truth. Because the money they may have "saved" today will come to cost them several times as much tomorrow.

Coolant way before 100k in my opinion. Best to test the coolant using a test strip , they will tell you condition of cooling properties as well as anti-corrosive properties. When I change my water pump I change the thermostat , expansion tank and every hose at that time. If you spend the money on preventive maintenance it leads to an extremely pleasurable ownership and reliable car.

Thank you for info, I changed my blower motor fan on BMW X5 E70 2012 because of your video you are life saver thank you very much You are Legend

Great video with advices that make sense!

Thank you from Carlos . As I always thought if you do the extra maintenance. So many say BMW to avoid it. I’ve always done frequent oil changes and even early during break in. Second and third oil change early.

Excellent video , i like the point of the service intervals with the engine oil

Thank you for all the advise.

My friend has a 2005 5series with close to half a million mileage....he made me a bmw fan.

Thanks again ✔️ for another great video . And amazing tips .

Great videos Mark. I have enjoyed watching from beginning to the end and have just subscribed to your channel.

Thx for your advice!

Thanks for everything. It is appreciate! Keep 'em coming

Superb video, about to buy my first bmw. Really appreciate this sir and totally agree, life is too short to drive boring cars. Hah, cheers good sir!

Great advice, a lot of this was new for me. Thanks!

The info you pass on is so valuable

Very helpful, thank you!

Very good video. If you love your car, you should take all these advices with gratitude.

Great advice Mark. I know people will think I’m nuts, but my BMW 650i with the N63 goes to my BMW dealer every 7,000 miles for service. It has had no problems in 85,000 miles. My BMW dealer has prevented issues from occurring ahead of time. He also tells me what can be safely put off if desired.

LOL at the check engine light being a loose gas cap because I got home the other day and my gas cap was dangling in the wind. No check engine light on, but it made me chuckle.

I have a 320d e90. Change my oil every year. Also changed my transmission oil. It costs alot but if I wanna run the car for more than 500k km I need to treat it well :)

I have had over 7 BMWs, 5 and 7 series with M package. No major problems ever detected. I bought them at the dealer and sold them after 290k miles. I did keep up with maintenance. I had minor issues mostly due with wear and tear. Overall, I highly recommend beamers because they are reliable if taken care of.

For tip number 4: if you can, raise the car onto axle stands to protect the tyres

Good work! As a BMW owner with an N55 engine, I have to say that the advice is insanely accurate. Don't think of saving your maintenance money because BMW and cheap maintenance don't go together! Do your maintenance PROPERLY and ON TIME

My 2019 BMW 440 has been running like an absolute dream since day 1. b58 FOREVER

Excellent videos! I got a E46 330ci convertible amazing car but b smart about maintenance...

I have a n62 750i, these engines runs hot 103c, changed all the hoses, water pump, valley pan. The standard thermostat opens at 105c. There is a thermostat that opens at 90c, which a lot of people install to make it run cooler, extending the life of hoses, valve cover etc

Thank you for the info really helps👍

Thank you! you're awesome. Just bought a 2012 X5 xdrive35d 120k miles and it's running well but I will check on the coolant and the tubes under the hood.

This is all great advice, thanks!

Great video and really helpful. I was unawared of some of the mistakes I actually did. Thanks 👍

Great information Mark!

Informative video. I own 2 bmws, 2015 1series and 2018 x2 model, so the long standing issue is real as work from home 80% of time. Will get some carpet for the garage for the next winter

Take care of your investment, morning Mark great advice as always, stay safe my friend.

First thing I did with my Mini JCW with the BMW B48 engine was install a bigger intercooler. Also, oil changes every 4000 miles

Thanks for this informative Video

I would add couple things such warm up your oil before driving, and throw away your 10w60 from daily drivers, instead 0w40, it would prevent rod bearing surprises

You really do need a proper scan tool for these types of cars. I’ve learned that the ISTA (there are other programs also to download to your computer) program is a key cpu scan tool for diagnosing BMWs. A cheap scan tool that would work for your Ford, Chevy, Honda, etc, wouldn’t work on a BMW. It won’t read all the codes. Diagnosing it yourself will save you thousands overtime. Another thing is staying on top of maintenance. So another key factor in owning any premium car is having the TIME to service yourself or by mechanic/dealer.

I love maintaining my 1997 E36 Z3 with the 1.9L M44 Austrian 4 cylinder engine with the 5 speed manual and it still runs like a clock.

2015 -528i I change the oil every 5000 miles and do the Radiator flush every 2-3 yrs. Only thing I did was the drive belt at 60.000. f10 4/ turbo. And plugs.

Thanks for the tips...How can we ensure that the dealer is really changing the oil and coolant and not just saying they are when going in before the scheduled time?

Super informative! Great video.

You’re on point, period.

I have a 1998 e39 528i. With fluild maintenance. It has required very little parts replacement. 95% of the parts are factory including the exhaust. Has never be towed anywhere. A very reliable model year. Pity they don't make them like that now.

What do you think the best quality temperature gauge is? One that can withstand the weather and maintain it's accuracy?

really good advice

You've made some of these "keen mistakes"? Well that's a lot better than the common, run-of-the-mill mistakes. Always better to make high-quality ones. So kudos to you!

Z4 E89 23i N52 engine build 2009.. Runs silky smooth. 5k oil changes Mobil 1. Now at 91k miles. First owner, first service at 21k, i hope that wasn't the first oil change. I'm 2nd owner. I do biannual coolant change, simple on this engine.

Thanks bro 🇦🇺

I would add one. Consider all season tires for areas with mild winters and also if you're more a normal driver who doesnt need professional summer tires with ultra high performance. You´ll save a lot on tire changes and storage

Thaniks!

Thank you its very informative I'll apply this on my 95 Vw Jetta 3

I change my oil every 6 months. I do put many miles on it, especially since there was no traveling the last year or so. I also drain/flush my anti freeze more often. I change my own air filter and a few others once a year because, again, I don't drive this vehicle much. I also have maintenance done on little things that any people don't know about and/or never think about. But I tend to keep my cars "forever", and so far, it's worked out. Had a 1999 Chevy Lumina for 20 years with over 105,000 miles. Not a lot sure. Only got rid of it because the Check Engine light came on and it wasn't really worth getting it fixed, plus, I was tired of driving it anyway, even though it was just to/from work, so I donated it to The Veterans Charity.

Absolutely, had 3 BMW'S, all 3 series, all of them used and with all of them i did 200 +k miles, easily. Always changing the oil on time with all the filters, did some preventive maintenance on 150 k, didn't had to, and always taking car easy when starting in the morning, when engine is cold, always careful about that.

For everyone saying about temperature gauge. YES THEY ALL HAVE ONE. My 2018 1 series has one: you have to click the button on the end of the indicator stalk. It then changes from Miles, to mpg, then to temperature gauge, then to speed and average speed etc! So yes they still have a temperature gauge. Yes no dipstick either but go into I drive and select the settings on a flat service and allow it to read your oil levels.

Thanks!

I have a 2008 328xi n51 with 230 on the dash😂😂❤. Just replaced the water pump and thermostat. Only one check engine for the ozone sensor on the radiator that just came on. Other then that idles fine just has that good ol tick sound that goes an comes.

Very good and informative video

Excellent

A BMW is like any other car it needs to be maintained, i have a 08 e90 and I use full synthetic oil and change it every 5 months depending on how much i drive and my friend changes it and it is very easy

Just bought a 35k miles E90 2 months ago. All were good when inspected. Sure is handy to have infos like theese. Liked and subscribed ! 👍🏻

Regarding storage......don't forget about the battery! Use a battery tender.

I got a E60 with the m54 at 199k with all major maintenance done and she runs like a dream, vanos seals r the biggest one

I have had a 2013 BMW 328i for 2 years. The best car I have had so far. Reliable and no issues.

I own a BMW 328xi 2007 whit 283,000 miles and running, it’s my daily, good and very reliable car for me but I’m very careful whit maintenance so don’t be afraid of BMW, just be careful whit maintenance

Hello, I just bought a 2012 X5 diesel. I live in the us an people here are always discouraging anyone for getting diesels. I drive 4 miles to work every day . I am concern because I might not be driving it enough to make the car go to a cleaning cycle. What would you recommend to get the most out of my car ?

Hzd a beautiful 330i , it was basically in the shop every other month draining my pockets never again !!!!

so true!

As a Licensed mechanic for more years then I care to count, and family with bmws new and old. I can say that even family won't listen to me when the vehicles were within warranty and within the free maintenance. Now that they are in the 100,000km+ multiple oil leaks coolant leaks, I believe if better maintenance occurred these issues with seals may have been avoided.

When I get a used vehicle, I change all of the fluids , dirty fluid is hard on the seals. Some say old coolant will carry an electrical charge. Toyota puts a silicon lubricant in the coolant. Shocks and tires take most of the shock of the vehicle. My check engine has been on for 40k miles , O2 sensor. Inspect the wear pattern on your tires.

How often would you recommend changing the coolant?

May God bless you and your family and I pray may God give good health and happy life to u and your family Amin.

Great tip about not shutting down the engine upon stop. Too bad most BMWs now have auto engine stop systems @#$&. And latest models no longer have a way to turn it off except for sport mode.

you have to buy the "basic" models and ot the M or other fancy. I drive a 540d for 300 000 km without any repair of any issue on the longlife intervall where you have to go to service every 60 000 km only.

I own a 2013 BMW 335i, N55 engine, 3 liter. Is replacing the coolant every 4 years ok? It has about 90,160 miles. I change the oil every 7,500 miles. I use Castrol EDGE 0W-40 A3/B4 spec.. Replaced the spark plugs myself at 70K miles. Will probably do the next spark plug replacement at 50K miles. Dealer says the transmission fluid is lifetime. I do not believe that. How often should I replace the transmission fluid and filter? How often should I replace the rear differentia fluid? 50K? I replaced it at 70K using Royal Purple 75W90. Any advice on these maintenance things?

I've been changing oil in my 2005 530 I Every 15,000 miles.I'm at 395,000 miles Everything is fun. But I do drive a lot of interstate, So my point is You're driving a lot of interstate it's ok to go the extended intervals

WOW very interesting super kool ,1st class great info.,,, AAAAAAAAAAA++++++++++++ again great video I liked it a lot ,keep up the great work.

Hi there , it's been a while,how r things with u hope all s well, good to see ya still on top of things and I always find you tips helpful, u said something about the coolant colour being Blue, I have e a 19 y.o. x5 nd I'm using the red stuff as coolant fluid, now the country I live in is mostly hot year round, am I making a mistake nd switch to blue or is it same thing, thanx again for the fun vida Yours Ayman Kuwait

I change every 3k miles, my friend changes every 5k miles. He own a 2009 328i with 194k miles and still running okay.

I am thinking of buying a certified 17’ X5 with a few months left of manufacturer warranty. Are these SUV’s problematic ?

I new nothing about BMW, I bought a 02 325ci in 04 5speed manuel. Its now 2024/5 and I've replaced Everything, I got rid of that damn plastic resivior tank, I found an all aluminium one. When the radiator blew because on the plastic connectors I replaced it with an aluminum one. Rebuilt engine, replaced clutch and flywheel. This car runs great but its become a hobby, so I've learned to do some of the work myself

Thanks for posting these incredibly helpful videos. Not sure if you still have your E60 M5, but if so are you still using a lighter oil such as 0W40-and if that’s the case I guess it means it’s having no impact on the VANOS system? My E60 M5 is at 70k/km and I recently changed to Mobil 1 (0W40)… Have noticed no issues, and no way do I drive the car anywhere near hard enough to encounter the shearing issue. Grateful for any comment you might make. BTW, I am about to swap out the rod bearings….probably prematurely, but better safe than sorry! Thanks again.

Unfortunately, just about any gasoline you buy in the USA has Ethanol..

I can’t relate to this unreliable talk - my 2014 bmw f30 328 x drive , purchase new now has 230,000 km and it runs like a Toyota Corolla and yes - I have to agree with you - I always insisted that they change the oil every 10,000 km . Perhaps this is the reason why the car behaves like a Toyota Corolla . I really am sold on the reliability of BMW - however I may be in the minority here. I also never drove like a madman , spooling up the turbo and maybe overheating them - perhaps this is another reason why I am ‘ lucky ‘ . I used to be a BMW hater but I am hooked on the 3 series.

Change the run flats out with the regular run flats or crack your rim,

I own a 2008 x5 4.8 and just had to replace the battery, does it need to be registered as although the car starts and runs I'm getting charging malfunction, awd, transmission, dsc etc errors?

question: Considering purchasing a non certified X5 with about 40k miles. Would it be safe to use regular gas, as long as I follow other guidelines mentioned in the video???

What about doing the transfer case service. That's an expensive problem if left undone. Unfortunately the car doesn't give you any indications. I'm thinking it's only for the XDrive versions.

nice advice, I am just going to get a Lexus then

Unfortunately here in Quebec Canada we don't have unleaded fuel anymore, for many years I was filling my Bimmers at Shell v-power or at Canadian tire gas stations which were no ethanol gas. But now all gas stations here has ethanol in their fuel. I really pissed of.

I just purchased a 2022 X5 40i drive, and I was told that all BMWs now have run flat tires which can’t be patched, they must be replaced.

Change the 19 pulleys on the n55 motor around 80k-100k... damn things will sqeak on you and ruin the rev sound fun.

I get what you're saying & I do more frequent servicing on some stuff myself (like engine oil) but it's more out of my U.S. upbringing / cheap cost to do so than out of necessity. I lived in Germany for a # of years & still have Germany friends that I communicate with on the regular. They don't service their cars like we do here in N America, they follow the manufacturer guidelines & don't think twice about it. The fact with something like engine oil is that unless you're paying for oil analysis you don't know whether or not the oil is spent or not. I've done it with a number of diesel pickups I've owned over the years & never found that running to the listed oil change interval was dangerous in regard to the scientifically analyzed oil samples that came outta my specific vehicles. Not saying it can't happen but I believe it would be very rare that any of us would be killing our oil before the recommended change out interval. But, if we're not sending our engine oil off to the lab for analysis then it's just speculation. I lol at people that say they know their oil needs changing b/c it's black. The oil in my 35d is black within a few miles of being poured into the motor. Still good for many thousands of miles. I recommend anyone that's into cars like we're talking here do oil analysis, it's easy & pretty cheap to do. Best part, you end up with cool scientific data pertinent to your specific car.