Experiences of early x5 auto

[CRAIGR]

Considering buying an early x5 diesel auto.

Any buying tips or experiences good or bad.

[JeffC]

I have had some bad ones, to date the most I have ever spent getting a vehicle through an Mot cost me over £1000 and that was on a 2004 3.0d sport  (last year) rear suspension bushes, shockers, brake pipes brakes. car was a tidy looking thing too put me off them  engine and box was spot on though. earlier pre facelift -2004  engines are better on fuel but are noisier and not as lively . 

[CRAIGR]

Cheers Jeff .

What about xc90's as i can't find a v70 i want.

[][\/][ajor1]

Same happened to me as did with Jeff.....more than a grand to replace the rear suspension bushes. If I remember correctly they hold the rear sub-frame in place. Rear seat was also flat and bench like which wasn't the best. Other than that a nice car.

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

Didn't have an XC90, but did have an XC70, nightmare problems with bad ECU, Air con, door locks. very difficult and expensive to fix. Wouldn;t have another Volvo. Yet used to be really good, had an earlier V70, but think it's the electronics which let them down. Would pick an X5 everyday. Also check the towing weights on cars as I have been really surprised how little some cars will tow.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

A friend's having terrible troubles with an XC90 at the moment. Rapidly turning into his most unreliable car. Which considering the fleet includes both a Series Landy and a classic shape Range Rover takes a hell of a lot of doing!

 

I had a lease one for a while, and loved it, no issues, but then it was brand new when it arrived  and I only had it five months, so hardly any time for any issues to arise.

 

They do have some no week spots though, like the take off for the drive to the rear wheels.

 

Don't mention BMW's and MoT's, an E39 five series was responsible for the dearest MoT I ever had. Just short of £2k and the I dependant specialist that used to do all the work had stopped charging labour by that point. Probably should that've been £400 or £500 more. (Had a nightmare to locate ABS fault, coupled with half the rear suspension bushes and a couple of front bushes needing doing. At one point, the car was being driven about, hooked up via laptop and modem to Munich)

[fatbaldbloke]

I have a friend with a '07 X3 and it's a nightmare.  Two new turbochargers in 50k miles, new glowplugs, it regularly just cuts out while he's driving along (we went to Scotland and back from Bedford last year and it cut out 7 times in total), the engine warning light has been on more often than it's been off, all sorts of suspension and brake issues, it has cost an absolute fortune to keep running, the doors are just too high to be comfortable getting in and out, and with their reputation it's worth almost nothing now.