BMW X5 VANOS Issues: Performance & Fuel Problems

Hey there! I have some experience working on BMWs, and I faced almost the exact same issues with my 2020 BMW X3 last year. First off, those symptoms sound really familiar, my car was doing the same thing. The check engine light, increased fuel consumption, and that annoying rough idle were driving me crazy. Took it to my regular workshop, and they diagnosed a faulty camshaft solenoid valve. The repair bill came to about 250 Euro, including parts and labor. The fix made a world of difference, car runs smooth as butter now. Mind sharing if you've had any other warning lights or noticed any unusual sounds? Also, what's your current mileage? Could help narrow things down further. If it helps, my owns a 2021 X4 and he's never had this issue, so it's not super common but definitely happens occasionally.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Yes, it sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with. My X5 is at 183159 KM and just had its service last month. Interesting about the camshaft solenoid valve, that's actually a bit cheaper than I expected for the fix. I'm getting a slight rattling noise on cold starts, but it goes away after the engine warms up. No other warning lights besides the check engine light though. Did your workshop mention anything about preventive maintenance for this issue? Just wondering if there's anything I can do to avoid this happening again once it's fixed.

Hey again! Yes, exactly, that rattling noise during cold starts was exactly what I experienced too with my X3. After I mentioned this symptom to my mechanic, it pretty much confirmed his initial diagnosis about the solenoid valve. Speaking of preventive maintenance, my workshop actually gave me some solid advice. They recommended regular oil changes with the right grade oil (they were really specific about this), and suggested keeping an eye on the oil level because these VANOS systems are pretty sensitive to oil quality and quantity. Since getting it fixed, I've been changing the oil a bit more frequently than the manual suggests, like every 7,000 km instead of 10,000. Might be a bit excessive, but honestly, I haven't had any issues since. Also, I always let the engine warm up properly before pushing it hard, especially during cold weather. One thing I forgot to mention in my previous reply, my mechanic also checked the timing chain while they were at it. It was fine in my case, but apparently, these issues can sometimes be related. Might be worth asking your workshop to check that too while they're working on it. Just thought I'd share these extra bits since we're dealing with such similar issues. Keep us posted on how the repair goes!

Thanks so much for all this helpful info! Your additional details about the oil changes and warm-up routine are really valuable. I'll definitely ask my workshop about checking the timing chain when I take it in, better safe than sorry, right? I've actually just booked my car in for next week, and I'm feeling much more confident now knowing that you had such a straightforward fix for the same symptoms. Will make sure to specifically mention the camshaft solenoid valve to them, and I'm honestly relieved it might not be as expensive as I initially feared! I'm definitely going to follow your advice about more frequent oil changes once it's fixed. Makes total sense about the VANOS being sensitive to oil quality, I'd rather spend a bit more on maintenance than deal with this issue again. Really appreciate you taking the time to share all your experience with this. Will post an update once I get it sorted to let you know how it went!