Need BMW expert opinion

[diegoluv]

There is no reason why you can't work on a 2006 your self. The reason BMW specialist other then dealers are cheaper is because if they had the same price as a dealer how would they get business? Also, a good reputable BMW specialist will have the same tools as the dealer, both for diagnostics and repairs. We can argue all day on who you should take it to, however we all know it's a waste of time. Also I think any good mechanic, certified or not will tell you to always start with the cheapest repair that applies. In this case, occasional white smoke, no discolored coolant or oil tells me the cheapest repair would be a CCV. High and to the right, and most expensive would be head gasket.

This^
Well put, thank you.

[onyong4u]

Took the car today at Underground Autowerks in National city, They specialized on german cars.
After the diagnosed, the mechanic suggested that the CCV needs to be replaced. And he even suggested that I can actually do it myself. He just save me $300 for the labor.
Sure enough, got a call from a friend who happened to have knowledge on the same x5 who is willing to help me replace the parts.
Immediately, I went to Northside Imports and bought the parts. Oils seperators and 5 other hoses for $156.
Love working on cars, getting my hands dirty is the a big deal to me.

Thanks for all the suggestion. Will be updating once the repair is done.

Oh, the mechanic mentioned what I mentioned before about misfire valves because of a bad CCV !

[diegoluv]

Glad to hear you have a gamelan. The CCV on almost all German cars is a huge crutch. Especially if you have an aftermarket intake or exhaust.

[onyong4u]

Glad to hear you have a gamelan. The CCV on almost all German cars is a huge crutch. Especially if you have an aftermarket intake or exhaust.

Have not thought about modding the wife's X5, But since I am the one who repairs it, why not! Just love working on BMW, so easy compare to Japanese.
Although, I have 2006 Honda Odyssey with no major problem until now.

Will update once we replace the oil separator !

[jada1]

You are 100% correct on new cars which is why i have specific year models as opposed to saying ALL BMWs. However, with the symptoms of white smoke out of the exhaust, it only takes moderate mechanical knowledge to know that it's a mechanical problem and not an electronic or electrical problem.
I spent 6 years in the military running security on computer networks and i have Cisco certified engineers that call me weekly asking for help. A certificate doesn't show competence. The certificate is a good reference and shows discipline and a willingness to learn. In my opinion, someone with almost 40 years of hands on experience is more than qualified to work on a BMW. Especially when they give you exact year models that they are comfortable with.
As a matter of fact, a local BMW dealer was just featured in an Internet investigation charging a customer $2000 for a new sun roof. The investigators hired a mechanic to place a rock in the track that was in plain sight. When the team questioned the service writer, he ran away... Lol. Just because they're a dealer doesn't mean they are honest.

Oh I agree with you there's always a bad apple in a group regardless of occupation. .never said all independent are bad because I know they're not I used to run one and I have friends that have independent shops ..I was just stating from experience of what I've seen and I feel bad for the customer because of what it cost them...which shop was that under investigation?

[jada1]

There is no reason why you can't work on a 2006 your self. The reason BMW specialist other then dealers are cheaper is because if they had the same price as a dealer how would they get business? Also, a good reputable BMW specialist will have the same tools as the dealer, both for diagnostics and repairs. We can argue all day on who you should take it to, however we all know it's a waste of time. Also I think any good mechanic, certified or not will tell you to always start with the cheapest repair that applies. In this case, occasional white smoke, no discolored coolant or oil tells me the cheapest repair would be a CCV. High and to the right, and most expensive would be head gasket.

You're right anyone can work on it that doesn't mean it will get done right..that's how it can add in cost is lets put on something cheap and try that first and see if it fixes it sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. .all I am saying is get it diagnose properly the first time considering he said he is trying to save money so do it right the first time..there's also possible its a computer control problem why is running rich and loosing power and causing the smoke or a leaking injector can cause smoke just saying. He asked for a bmw opinion so I offered it.

[purdy]

I didn't realize running rich would burn white smoke. That there is new to me. I also simply gave a BMW opinion. It also seems that the specialist he took it to gave an opinion, as well as the diagnostics. And I would venture to say that since the shop advised him to do it himself I bet it's not difficult. Turning a nut and loosening a bolt isn't brain science or rocket surgery. It's just a matter of not over thinking it. I apply the same logic to this fish hobby thing. I see it simply as a box filled with water that I keep fish in. I like to keep it simple. So far I have done okay. To the OP, good luck with your X5 and let me know if I can offer up another opinion.

[onyong4u]

Just to update.

The Beamer is running great and no smoke and felt a more power after replacing all the spark plugs and the CCV.

Took about 7 hours cause after replacing the spark plugs we did some readings, couple of test and test drive but smoke still visible.
The smoke on the exhaust only happen when you first start the car after the vehicle parked for about an hour.
So we finally decided to replaced then CCV, then start the vehicle but smoke was still visible.
But after couple of start up..no more smoke!

The work was not that difficult. It was time consuming because of the little stuff that you have to remove to get to the main problem but very rewarding.

Oh, my Engine Light came on because of the faulty sensor on the thermostat. Will tackle that next.

Thank you for all the advice and very much appreciated all the opinions of everyone who try to help me.
You Guys rock!!!