Maintenance
Oil Change
Oil changes are necessary for any car's longevity and quality of ride. Specifically, BMWs are known for their increased oil consumption and burning, so the interval of oil changes must be increased. Same with being a tuned car. The process is quite simple for the X5, first you must remove the filter cap located in the picture, when this is done the pressure will be equalized for the oil to flow out. Then you must go under the car using jacks and take out the bolt on the oil pan which will cause oil to flow out at a very fast rate. After this, you may close up the pan, refill new oil from the top and then put the filter back on with brand new gaskets as well. Often, I would use Liqui MoLy - an engine oil additive that helps to clean up gunk and clumped oil in the engine.
N55 Oil filter location
Brake Pad Change
Brake pads changes are very important for the safety and quality of car's breaking ability. This job is often quoted at $1-3k at most shops so its a great thing to do by yourself as the cost of the pads would be only a few hundred dollars. After the removal of the calipers with a few bolts, fresh brake pads can be inserted with a sticky paste on the ends right where the old brake pads were. This job had a lot of small challenges as my brake calipers were very old and tough to work with, I even had to construct a makeshift lever to pry open the piston from the caliper when it wouldn't open to start the job.
