[MADBMWX5MC]

Originally Posted by stbm5

my 2020 X5 m50i differential is toast. cars been at the dealer for 5 weeks. i was hearing a grinding noise but it was faint and inconsistent. i thought it sounded like turbo malfunctioning. no check engine light. luckily i purchased the extended warranty and it will be covered. but i wonder what will keep this from happening again. i dont have aftermarket wheels, correct size tires.

Saved by the extended warranty...

[cmores]

Or is this failure baked into the bearings we got? Sorry if I missed a thread that explains this.

[mohomoho1314]

This is happening to my 2020 M850i gran coupe. Failing Xdrive front diff.

[aerof16]

What symptoms are you guys experiencing with the front diff failures?

My G05 makes a “whirring” kind of sound, only when at speed and turning right. I thought it was the wheel bearing so I replaced it but no luck. I did the change the diff fluid a while back, as well as the transfer case and rear diff fluid, but it’s possible the noise is getting worse.

It’s not the tires, it makes the same noise on 3 different sets (Winter, old Summer tires, newly purchased Summer tires).

It’s definitely rotational in sound and the noise speeds up as the left tire speeds up, I.e. as I turn harder to the right I hear the frequency of the noise increase.

Sounds almost like tire noise on a poorly worn tire but that’s not the case here.

[erix920]

I just had my front diff replaced. It was diagnosed as input shaft pilot bearing failure. They listened with a stethoscope on the lift while in gear and were able to pinpoint it. 80k miles on original fluid probably had a lot to do with it. I don't tow, I don't launch the car, I am tuned with XHP though.

With AWD disabled through xDelete, mine was making a whistling noise starting at 20mph and got louder until about 60mph when it seemed like it went away. Hard to tell with wind noise though. It also felt like the front wheels were binding when turning at low speeds. With AWD enabled it was like driving a pickup in 4 low on pavement. They think that was because of all the extra drag from the front diff going through the transfer case.

Bmw quoted me 9k for the job so I found an indy euro car shop to do it for 7200. It drives great now! But ya, definitely change all your fluids at 50k at the latest if possible.

[starlights]

Originally Posted by erix920

I just had my front diff replaced. It was diagnosed as input shaft pilot bearing failure. They listened with a stethoscope on the lift while in gear and were able to pinpoint it. 80k miles on original fluid probably had a lot to do with it. I don't tow, I don't launch the car, I am tuned with XHP though.

With AWD disabled through xDelete, mine was making a whistling noise starting at 20mph and got louder until about 60mph when it seemed like it went away. Hard to tell with wind noise though. It also felt like the front wheels were binding when turning at low speeds. With AWD enabled it was like driving a pickup in 4 low on pavement. They think that was because of all the extra drag from the front diff going through the transfer case.

Bmw quoted me 9k for the job so I found an indy euro car shop to do it for 7200. It drives great now! But ya, definitely change all your fluids at 50k at the latest if possible.

Wasn't aware that XDelete worked on G05 - thanks! I was able to negotiate complimentary TC fluid replacement along with both differential fluids at the time of purchase of my CPO. With so many cases of TC failure being reported on this forum also purchased the Platinum CPO wrap for peace of mind.

[N63TU3]

I originally brought my 2020 M50i in for service at ~44k miles when I first experienced the shuddering issue. The car was under warranty at the time. The dealer kept it for several days and replaced the transfer case fluid.

Fast forward 15 months and 13k miles. The car is no longer under warranty, and the shuddering returned. I brought it back in and pointed out to the service advisor that the part originally failed under warranty and I expected BMW to cover the cost of the repair.

BMW did honor the warranty and replaced my transfer case at no charge.

[PhilH930]

Add me to the list. 2020 X5 M50i and front differential needs to be replaced. 50K miles, 4.5 years old. That's on top of an oil gasket leak ($6K) and coolant leak ($2K), amongst other gremlins that were previously under warranty (failed fuel pump broke down on interstate, 3 parking sensors failed, failed auxiliary battery, refuses to take software updates).

Just a pig of a car.

[tejastarun]

This thread is making me nervous. I have 2021X5 which just ticked over 50k miles. I do not have any shuddering or grinding noises that I can feel or hear.
I do plan on changing the drivetrain fluid soon. Any advice on when and what needs to be done and what to look for? I do have extended warranty until 100K miles so I am not too concerned.
Thank you!

[drewdogg808]

Just got the front differential estimate on our 2020 m50i with 34k miles, $10,900. Out of warranty, ridiculous. Had transfer case replaced last fall as well. 2nd x5 we’ve owned, probably not buying another again.

[nvestr]

Originally Posted by drewdogg808

Just got the front differential estimate on our 2020 m50i with 34k miles, $10,900. Out of warranty, ridiculous. Had transfer case replaced last fall as well. 2nd x5 we’ve owned, probably not buying another again.

My understanding was that there is no front differential, but a transfer case. You say you had your transfer case replaced last fall... do you mean the transfer case oil?

[GeorgeA]

Does this seem to only be happening to V8 models? Anyone with the B58 engine experience this?

[drewdogg808]

Originally Posted by nvestr

My understanding was that there is no front differential, but a transfer case. You say you had your transfer case replaced last fall... do you mean the transfer case oil?

There is a front differential. I had the entire transfer case replaced last fall. The transfer case can fail if the wrong weight transfer case oil was used from the factory apparently.

[Howelll]

Hello guys, we are dealing with this now on my 2020 x5 m50i with 34k miles. We purchased the Platinum extended service plan and now the dealer is trying to say it's not covered. They said when they go to submit the job in the computer that there's no job code for front differential. We also had the issues with shudders in the transfer case which they changed the fluid prior to the diff going out. Does anyone that had there's fixed under warranty have the billing code on the receipt maybe?

[Drifttime85]

This sounds like something needs to be escalated to BMW USA. Horrible.

[chefwong]

seems to be such a common thread.....

Is this more driver error of tires
Or what seems to be a common theme of 2019-2020 fluids

Or simply , it's just a weak design inherent of all model years of the same chassis

[JamieW23]

Mine (21 X5 M50i) is currently at the dealership. My neighbor actually heard a grinding noise when I drove by and I rarely drive with windows down. Estimate is $12k but luckily I bought an extended warranty. 😓 Mine just hit 45k.

[erix920]

Mine made it to about 75k miles before making noise. Unsure if the prior owner changed the fluid at any point. I will certainly be doing it every 2 years from now on.

[Maria51103]

Just bought a 2021 bmw x 7 m50i. I drove my husband nuts about the noise I was hearing. My car only had less then 25,000 miles on it. I’m new to bmw. Well I did some research and knew from reading it was the diff. Well we dropped off to bmw two days ago they called yesterday said they are replacing the whole diff. Crazy i only had my car 2 months and already in the shop.

[tolenejr]

Love my X5, but my differential has failed at 53,000 miles. I am being offered 50% price reduction for the repair work, but am still out of pocket $4,000.00!! This appears to be a recurring issue, raising serious concerns about the quality and durability of this critical component. Given BMW’s reputation for reliability, I find it unacceptable that such a failure would occur so soon after the warranty period ends, and that BMW North America has refused to cover the full cost of the repair.

I believe BMW should stand behind their product in this case, especially when so many others have experienced the same issue. Other than never buying another BMW, is there anything more we can do to here?

[chefwong]

Originally Posted by tolenejr

Given BMW’s reputation for reliability

1st Euro ?

Any Euro is great while in warranty. All bets are off once out IMO.

[jeff2212]

Does anyone know the part number for the front and rear differential fluid? I would be grateful