[Drezz]

My friend in Milwaukee has a 2008 X3 with 76K (N52 engine), he's only had it about 18 months. It's been running rough lately / some problems starting and he was told that the VANOS solenoid was among the issues. Well, as of yesterday, it won't start anymore. His repair shop has assessed it and says fixing it would total $5K (including $900 for starter and then the other issues--don't have those details right now).

$5K seems huge, and he isn't confident about making that investment and then the possibility of facing other costly repairs down the road.

He's trying to get out from under his loan in the most financially viable way. The shop is advising he unload the X3, but I'm not sure what he can get out of it when it isn't running. Maybe he could find someone local who would want to fix it for himself, or fix it to resell?

Any suggestions?
Anyone near Milwaukee who might buy it for a decent price? Or know someone there who would?
Thanks!

[frisbeeguy]

That's why an old X3 is a bad investment if you can't turn a wrench. It's not a hard vehicle to work on (surprisingly easier than my V-dub), but time consuming, a ton of electronics, and that's why mechanics charge a ton. Also, from my experience of owning one for the past 8 months, mechanics seem to really hate working on these vehicles (which is a pity since these are wonderful vehicles), so you're pretty much forced to DIY. They don't spend enough time to actually diagnose the issues and instead just do a ton of part swaps until the issue is fixed...and the $$ for that comes from the customer's wallet. For $5K, sounds like the cylinder head is going to be replaced? Also $900 to replace a starter is a rip-off (for a DIY'er. for a mechanic, that's normal price since they have to do all of the above I said. It's time-consuming, and they charge by the "service hours" required.). You just disconnect the battery, unbolt the entire manifold off, unbolt the starter, swap it out, then re-bolt stuff back, Need an actual parts list of what they plan to replace.
If he can't DIY repairs, it is best to get rid of the vehicle.

[Mark M]

Vanos solenoids can be easily cleaned and brought back to life. Search for YouTube videos. Mine with 70k miles n52 just had similar issue. Check engine light for the solenoids. All fixed now. Easy job. Good luck.