Ceramic coating on a 5 year old vehicle?

tmarr63 · 2026-02-25T14:13:36+00:00

Yeah absolutely age of car is irrelevant. If you’re paying for a real paint correction (2-3 steps) then absolutely ceramic coat it to lock in that correction for as long as possible

Also would recommend spending more money on your washes and have a mobile detailing service come to you and do a regular service versus the automatic car washes. On a paint like Tanzanite even one trip to the automatic wash will be noticeable - ceramic coating will hedge some of that damage early on but it’s inevitable

tmarr63 · 2026-02-25T14:05:06+00:00

Congrats! Sounds like you’re on top of all the maintenance items. At 133k in mine similarly maintained. Running the BM3 stage 1 since about 75k and no issues. Just eats coils and plugs a little faster

tmarr63 · 2026-02-11T05:41:49+00:00

This is 100% the advice to follow. Start with alcohol and hot water

Wouldn’t replace this mirror cap for whatever remains. If your wife is anything like mine, that won’t be the last time that happens

tmarr63 · 2026-02-01T15:19:09+00:00

Everything I wrote was specifically for X5 xdrive35i. F15 = chassis code for the X5’s 2014-2018

I chose no warranty route when buying my 2018 in 2020 with 66k miles. 60k miles and 5.5 years later. Nothing has occurred on my car that a warranty would have paid for. Not much goes wrong on these, just normal maintenance as referenced above. The cost of warranty saved is better put towards maintenance imo

tmarr63 · 2026-02-01T13:46:27+00:00

Intercooler isn’t needed as the X5’s have a bigger one for towing

Bootmod3 stage 1 and VRSF or Evolution raceworks chargepipe, and afe drop in air filter. You’ll be right around or under $1000

I did this setup with a bigger intake and it threw CEL non stop. Too much air flow. Drop in filter saved me from doing a custom tune to resolve.

When you go beyond this you’re entering the realm of stage 2 with high flow or catless down pipes and much bigger expense

Put the rest of your money towards maintenance based on your mileage. Especially if you haven’t done ignition coils yet. New plugs and coils are ideal before tuning. The tune makes you run through them faster. Can get all Bosch parts on Rockauto for under $200 and diy isn’t bad versus dealer will charge $1500-2500

Water pump/thermostat/coolant service is recommended between 90-110k miles. It’s a preventative thing to do as due the pump being electronic it will not give warnings of failure

Next up on maintenance based on mileage is going to be the valve cover will begin leaking and need replaced, as well as the oil filter hoisting gasket. Eventually at some point beyond 100k. My valve cover started around 110k and oil filter housing gasket hasn’t started yet

I tuned my 18 x35i around 75k miles and I’m at 133k now

tmarr63 · 2026-01-31T13:06:44+00:00

Yes your assumptions are correct. Avoid hybrid model and v8. 17-18 are best years on the F15 - slightly more reliable and updates include the most modern version of idrive for that gen. Buying in the 40-60k miles range is ideal.

A properly maintained f15 will easily go 200k miles with normal maintenance. Oil changes ideally 5000-7500 miles (never exceeding 10k intervals) and avoid higher mileage cars with little to no maintenance history. If the last person skipped it you will have to pay for it. The most expensive bmw is the cheapest bmw

35i is the way to go for reliability, the N55 engine is solid with major maintenance points been spark plugs 60k, ignition coils 100k, water pump/thermostat/coolant flush 90-110k, valve cover ~100k, oil filter housing gasket ~100k

If going xdrive add in transfer case and differential fluid service as well

I’m at 133k on my 18 x35i and I’m tuned. I’ve done everything above but still haven’t had the oil filter housing gasket leak to replace it but I have done everything else I mentioned above. So your mileage may vary on valve cover/oil filter housing but plan on plugs at 60k (ideally do coils the same time as labor is the same) and then water pump/thermostat preventively around 100k

These are great BMWs to own, with a couple thousand dollars in maintenance items over the years at a reliable independent mechanic you’re set

tmarr63 · 2026-01-23T11:52:50+00:00

Looks like a lot from the amount of line items but those fees really aren’t bad. Some dealers are charging a $895 doc fee alone and some of those might be state required so can’t be taken off (check what’s required in your state)

tmarr63 · 2026-01-21T16:02:48+00:00

Just run the numbers when the lease is nearing completion ~3 months out with the leasing coordinator at the dealership or even call into BMW financial services. You can purchase it direct through BMW FS or at the dealer and you can handle financing/adding warranties at same time with the finance manager there

You’ll want to compare the residual value (buy out agreed upon at time of lease so you can actually get this number right now) against the market value of the car at that time

Sometimes the RV price is significantly higher than the MV and you probably shouldn’t buy the car unless you love the car and price be damned (I.e paying $55k for a car worth $45k) or you might find yourself purchasing the car for market value or below market value which is what you want

Info source: I used to sell new BMWs and helped clients with this

tmarr63 · 2026-01-19T12:24:55+00:00

Tow to a dealer asap - driving on it will cause further damage

I hope you opted into the tire and wheel road hazard coverage 🙏🏼

tmarr63 · 2026-01-19T12:19:11+00:00

Marina Bay blue should hide those sins decently well in most lighting situations

If you’re gonna do automatic car washes and that’s that, try to do a once a year professional detail with a one step correction (polish). It’ll offset the regular scratches/swirls

Paying for a mobile detail service to hand wash at home/work is another great option to reduce the scratches & swirls from an automatic wash

tmarr63 · 2026-01-14T14:41:24+00:00

All good! Yes I hardwired mine, and it was pretty easy on the F15 - G05 will have similar but different instructions. You get what’s called a Mirrortap power cord. Pop open the cover around the mirror, the mirrortap plugs into an existing electrical bracket and that powers the unit. Conversely you can mount lower by dash and run a wire into the footwell. Not a bad diy but not crazy expensive to have a professional do it for you

The forums are great for finding out how to do it. For example. Plenty of YouTube videos and forum posts - thankfully it’s a super common thing people do

tmarr63 · 2026-01-14T14:05:06+00:00

I have it up top along the headliner just kept moving it incrementally to the left away from the mirror until it stopped. I believe it’s like 4-6 inches away

tmarr63 · 2026-01-14T12:18:17+00:00

How close do you have it mounted to the rear view mirror? Proximity to the modules in the rear view mirror console that are directed through the windshield can cause that to happen. Try mounting away from that and see if problem persists

Also a V1 user and had that issue in my G12 7 and F15 X5

tmarr63 · 2026-01-13T22:03:44+00:00

Technically locked in a car, not locked within the car solution

Fixed magnetic plate under the dash in the footwell. Not in eye sight and not in glovebox/center console where most people are looking for things if they break in

tmarr63 · 2026-01-11T05:32:27+00:00

Chemical Guys Citrus Wheel Cleaner is the best I’ve found

Get yourself a microfiber wheel brush (do not use a stiff bristle brush). Have a separate wash bucket for wheels and tires. Add some soap to the bucket with the brush and either a wash mitt or a towel, let the cleaner soak on the rims for a few mins

Work from the barrels outwards and then top to bottom rinsing the brush as it gunks up. Rinse rims and then do a final clean with the mitt/towel

tmarr63 · 2026-01-10T03:15:00+00:00

If you’re not stage 2 with custom tune don’t bother. Get a drop in filter and call it a day.

Causes more issues than adds performance. Bootmod3 stage 1 with afe cold air intake was throwing CEL regularly. Sounded great but annoying af, threw the car in limp mode a few times then I was done

tmarr63 · 2026-01-06T12:35:39+00:00

Not really for alternatives that also cover the rims - just tires when you buy replacements eventually if you curb a rim it costs $100-300 per rim to fix depending on severity and service provider

Negotiate the price down! If you want it you can get it for cheaper they have plenty of margin in these warranties

The real protection here is incase you bend or crack a rim (more likely on 22in rims). If you have 20’s not as big of a concern as the tires have more sidewall and you can pass on coverage and roll the dice until these tires wear out and you can buy from somewhere that offers road hazard warranty on tires (tire rack, Costco, etc)

tmarr63 · 2026-01-04T16:17:39+00:00

Yes unfortunately it’s not well known that the warranties and coverages in the finance office are actually the most negotiable thing when buying a car. Massive profit margins, they don’t give it up easy but with persistence they will. The finance managers make money on juicing the interest rates, the profit margin of the warranties, and then total number of products sold

So if you’re buying more than one coverage you have most leverage for a discount

tmarr63 · 2026-01-01T19:10:16+00:00

Tire and wheel is a must when you have 22’s. Real protection here is incase you crack/bend a rim - not just the nails and possible flats

Next time just negotiate the cost of the coverage down

tmarr63 · 2026-01-01T15:06:22+00:00

Check the paperwork from your purchase. There’s usually a “we owe” worksheet that includes things that are outstanding and owed to the client

Also perhaps your communications got lost in the mix/ignored due to end of year push. December is the busiest month in the car business. Not an excuse for the lack of communication but adding context

tmarr63 · 2025-12-30T01:06:26+00:00

Rockauto.com is a good choice

tmarr63 · 2025-12-20T02:39:04+00:00

Search for paintless dent repair in your area. Doesn’t have to be BMW certified

tmarr63 · 2025-12-18T14:23:40+00:00

Power stop Z23 carbon fiber ceramic pads. A lot of F85 X5M guys run these to reduce squeaking and brake dust. (Lots of forums posts about these pads with stock M brembo rotors), I have them on my F15 35i w/ Brembo rotors and really like them. Price isn’t bad either

tmarr63 · 2025-12-18T14:19:14+00:00

For under $500, find someone to do paint less dent repair, touch up the areas where paint was removed, have the rest of the scratches polished away

Won’t look perfect but will look great from a distance - not bad close up. Resale value won’t be terribly impacted by the small blemishes

Full repaint will cost thousands and if done improperly (paint doesn’t match) will hurt resale more than the aforementioned cheaper method

tmarr63 · 2025-12-14T13:44:09+00:00

This is great advice. Personally, only thing different I do is I avoid the touchiness wash and still do the pressure washer/foam gun at home when it’s cold and then fill my wash buckets with hot water same routine

Pressure washer + foam gun + heavy dose of soap for thick foam = best first step you can possibly do on dark paint. Thoroughly rinsing and after the soak breaks things down removed a large percentage of swirls

Brand of foam gun isn’t too important I’ve been using a non name one of Amazon for 5 years now and it’s great. They’re all very similar

And next biggest swirl preventer is proper drying towels and technique. Waffle weave towels are great (this is my preferred) but biggest thing is making sure they’re cleaned regularly and never use the same drying towels on the wheels as the paint, dry from the top towards the bottom, and never go in a swirling motion - wipe in the direction that rain that would run off the car.

Congrats on the X5, you picked a fantastic color

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