X5 E70 DPF Regeneration - sounds pricey..!

[deejay]

Evening all,

My E70 has been very sick of late (so pleased I paid out for the insured warranty) as a number of pricey components have needed replacing, including the electronic parking brake actuator (£750)! I've been told that at around 120K miles (I'm on 97K), the DPF needs to be regenerated (not news to any of you, I'm sure). My local authorised dealership is indicating £2-3K for the job, though the car is probably only worth about £10K (if I'm lucky, though it's in nice condition and is well-equipped). Has anyone any experience of getting this done by an independent? I love my X5, but I'm struggling to see the sense in spending £2-3K on a car which by then will be worth maybe £9K or less. My dealership also dropped the "scarcity of parts" story on me today, which did bother me, as I need the car to be reliable, and this year hasn't been great. How well do E70 X5s age? I'd like to think they mature like a fine wine, but we could be talking 1970s cheap chianti here. Maybe it's time to trade in/up to an F15...not as pretty in my opinion (though I like the rear lights) but newer, hopefully more reliable, and with parts available aplenty. Thoughts, views, all input welcome!

 

Many thanks,

 

deej.

[Greydog]

Morning Duncan

Welcome to the Forum

First thing to do is find another Dealer the one your using sounds at best incompetent at worst !!!! maybe he thinks as your warranty is paying why not?? A BMW insured Warranty will be honoured by any Dealership and even BMW Independent Specialists. An Insured Warranty will be honoured by any Garage.

For your information DPF regeneration is a constant and ongoing process that is managed by the DDE (engine computer) so there isn't a "mileage" trigger where regeneration has to be done.

The regeneration cycle starts when the engine operating temperature is above 75 deg in normal driving about 15mins to 30mins. If the car is used for short journeys where it doesn't reach full operating temperature (there are other parameters which I wont bore you with) but engine temp is the main one (note The heater will blow warm are long before full engine temp is reached) Over a period of time soot will build up as it is not being burnt and clog the filter causing reduced performance. A Competent Garage with the right software can force a regeneration cycle with the car sitting still engine running, normally takes about 2hrs (your dealer want's £2-3k for that???? That sounds more like the cost still high of replacement??)

Providing the rest of the engine systems are in good order EGR valves Glow Plugs etc the a good run of about 30mins to an hour once or twice a month should trigger a regeneration cycle if it is needed, and keep your motor healthy. As an example my Brother inlaw runs BMW 5 series Touring he has had 4 now the current one is a 535d he has business in the EU and travels a lot over there all his cars are driven to 200-250k before change the current one is over 150k and he has never had a DPF problem. We have cleaned EGR valves and glow plugs but little else. Do X5's last my 2003 E53 4.6is (yes the one with the dodgy V8) it pulls a horse trailer and is used off road in the shooting season and has covered 150+k (your E70 is the next evolution) is still going strong with good maintenance I expect it to see me out. Suspension bushes need changing/upgrading at 80 to 100k (it is a big heavy car) doing the job will improve the ride/drive and protect against odd tyre wear (another cost that can be minimised) 

So Google the Register of BMW Specialists find one near you and talk to them, normally their Hourly rates are around a 1/3rd of Dealerships plus they will have all the right kit and knowledge to help you with your E70

Long winded sorry

Dave

 

 

[deejay]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for taking the trouble to provide such a detailed reply. One of the insured warranty items is a glow plug (some detail around that - I'll get into it more when I collect the car later today). One of the garages I had used did a poor job, failing to service the transmission, re-gas the air con, stuff like that, so when I had the battery replaced earlier this year (surprisingly expensive) I had those things taken care of, and I did notice the difference - I had an independent specialist in german cars do all of that work, and as far as I can tell they did a great job. I do wonder if the fault on the glow plug has caused a build up in the DPF not burned off in the usual way...that and lack of use due to COVID/self-employment etc. If that is the case, then I would argue with the AD that an item which failed under warranty is the reason for the build-up, and I should not have to pay for the remedy. I shouldn't complain too much - until this year I've not spend a great deal on it, yet it is a great car, and I don't want to move it on if I don't have to, as the colour combination and interior colours I really like: Deep Sea Blue metallic (I believe) and Cinnamon Brown seem unusual in the used car market.

Interesting to hear about the suspension bushes - I can see the logic. Will need to do my brake discs too, soon, as they are becoming lipped.

Will look for the BMW specialists as you suggest.

Many thanks again!

D

[Greydog]

Hi Duncan

The Glow Plugs only preheat the combustion chamber for cold starting when the light goes out they are off. A dodgy glow plug or two should have an effect on the DPF 

Like any filter (thats what the DPF is) the DPF can clog like a catalyser oil is their worst enemy there are DPF cleaners on the market, one of my sons has a Toyota pick up truck he used some the cloud of Black Sooty smoke that blew out when he revved it up was something to behold, looked like a special effect from a Harry Potter film 🤣 It did work though. Even if the DPF is kaput a replacement I would guess at around £500/£700 so with your German car specialist fitting it would be less than £1k 

Fingers crossed it will be sorted soon and you can enjoy it again

Dave

[deejay]

Thanks Dave - I'll know more when I've collected the car, later today - very keen to get it back, that's for sure...

I talked to a specialist today as you suggested, and they confirmed what you told me about the fictitious mileage threshold...they'll have the car for its MOT in October, and we'll see where we are.

Thanks again!

Duncan

[deejay]

3 hours ago, Greydog said:

Hi Duncan

The Glow Plugs only preheat the combustion chamber for cold starting when the light goes out they are off. A dodgy glow plug or two should have an effect on the DPF 

Like any filter (thats what the DPF is) the DPF can clog like a catalyser oil is their worst enemy there are DPF cleaners on the market, one of my sons has a Toyota pick up truck he used some the cloud of Black Sooty smoke that blew out when he revved it up was something to behold, looked like a special effect from a Harry Potter film 🤣 It did work though. Even if the DPF is kaput a replacement I would guess at around £500/£700 so with your German car specialist fitting it would be less than £1k 

Fingers crossed it will be sorted soon and you can enjoy it again

Dave

Picked up the car this evening - so good to be back in it. The item in question was a glow plug control module (replaced under insured warranty); other items repaired/replaced were the actuator for the electronic parking brake, and also for the ride height. Hopefully that'll do until the MOT!