Hi all

late last year i was in the market for a new motor(thats new to me not NEW NEW) and decided i missed having a 4x4 so narrowed my search down, based on what i liked the look of and what i wanted to spen, to a) BMW E53 pre-facelift, b) Porsche Cayenne S or c) VW Touareg. I trained as a mechanic when i left school and always do my own servicing and repairs so a solid motor with a good forum was a must, been that all modern cars are complicated and have model specific issues

i did some checking on various forums for all makes for issues/problems, things to look for etc and came to the conclusion that at my money the porsche would be an early model with USS Enterprise miles, the idiots on the VW forums attitude was 'if you cant afford to take it to the dealers for servicing and repairs, then you shouldn't own one" and the people on the BMW forums are all friendly and willing to help, besides, if i'm honest, the X5 is the better looking.

Anyway, checked the buyers guide and what to look for etc and decided to go for the 4.6is, diesel was never an option 3.0 petrols have 2 cylinders missing and over here 4.4s are everywhere. i did consider a 4.8 facelift but at my money they were all high milers. because of the fuel prices i was looking for one with LPG or one that was cheap enough to get converted (around £1200 for the conversion)

spent a couple of months looking and missing out on some nice motors then finally saw a 2003 with 77,000 miles, full service history, 12 months MOT, in Sapphire Black with Black comfort seats and Titan trim, also had the LPG conversion so it was at the top of the price range for the year. spoke to the dealer and asked all the right questions, seemed like a nice bloke, and said he would give me what i was looking for for my 4.0 S Type Jag so arranged to go and have a look telling him that if it was right i would buy it there and then and take it away with me...

the dealer was a good 150 miles away so i intended to buy it when i went. arrived at the dealers with my serious head on ready to pull the the car to bits and try and get some money off for anything that wasn't just right and when i saw the car my serious head just fell off and was replaced with a stupid, grinning teanage boy head. the car had just been valeted and detailed and was mint. i had a good look around the bodywork and interior before the salesman came to see me with the keys, by which time it was too late to be serious, i was hooked. did a few checks under the bonnet, all ok but not as tidy as the rest of the car then started her up. that sound that burble, that oooo i need clean underwear. took it for a little test drive, i need more clean underwear, at that point i had forgotten all the basic rules about buying a used car and was ready to part with my money. on the test drive i noticed a small clunking from the rear under acceleration so when i got back mentioned to the dealer, on checking the MOT certificate it was written 'rear subframe bushes worn, but not excessive' remembering this is around a £1000 dealer £500-600 BMW specialist job i negotiated some money off the price, paid up and left a very happy grinning bunny.

i've had the car for 4 months now and still grin like an idiot everytime i drive it. however, with time i noticed things were not quite as they should be....

below is a list of things i have done so far

replaced rear subframe bushes
replaced ALL front suspension arms, ball joints and bushes
replaced tie rods, track rod ends and gaiters
replaced sway bar bushes and drop links
stripped and rebuilt drivers door lock
changed engine oil and filters
replaced 4 x PDC sensors
replaced front cv joint boots

things i still have to do

replace rear suspension arms, ball joints and bushes, bought already
replace rear sway bar bushes and drop links, bought
replace rear cv joint boots, bought
replace navigation head unit with something more modern, pixels gone
repair/rebuild both rear view mirrors, dont fold
replace oil level sensor, wish i had done at oil change
change out rest of fluids, gearbox, steering, diffs, brake fluid
replace belts and tensioners, alternator and a/c
replace passenger side wheel arch extension, fell off somewhere !!!

some of the arms and bushes do not need replacing at the moment but whilst i am under there i may as well do them, i do not intend on selling it for years to come.

so in summary, lots done to bring it up to my standard but still lots more to do

many thanks to all on this forum as the information is invaluable, please keep up the good work.

Pat68