Is the E53 4.4i really that bad?

[edogg]

I've had mine for 2 years now and love it. I've put about 20k miles on mine in that time and had about $7000 worth of repairs (so glad I bought the warranty). Even with that, if I were to do it over again, I'd choose the 4.4i over the 3.0i for the V8 grunt. Or instead of an X5, I'd go with a used E39 or E60 530i or a new Passat or Accord.

The one you found sounds worthy of spending $300 to have an independent shop inspect it.

The oil you found could indicate any number of things. A leaky oil pan gasket, leaky alternator seal, leaky oil filter housing, or simply spilling some oil during a change (some dealers will do an oil change when they get a vehicle). It could be a problem or it could be nothing.

A major thing to be aware of is the valve stem seals, which is unique to the N62 engine used in the 2004-2006 models. Warm the car up on a test drive. Then let it idle for 5-10 minutes like you're sitting in a drive through. Then have your wife get back in and drive away (or just hit the gas while in park) while you watch for smoke in the exhaust. If there's smoke, that's a $4000-5000 repair to do it right. Or some oil additives to swell the seals back up. Thankfully, my warranty covered this.

Some things I've done are below, most of them could happen to any car. And most of them were covered under warranty

Valve stem seals (unique to 4.4)
Mechatronic sleeve (unique to the ZF tranny in the 4.4) + services the tranny
Alternator
Transfer case motor
Oil pan gasket
Passenger side mirror motor
Lower control arm bushings
Pulleys and belt tensioners
CCV valves
Driver door handle carrier

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by Helihover

If your going to dump the Q because of worn suspension and bad cats, don't buy an X5

Because you are going to dump the X for transmission problem, worn valve seal problem, timing chain guide problems, door handle problem, CCV problems, cooling system problems, electrical gremlins problems..................

[E53fan16]

Originally Posted by Rockit

That year and model has known issues that go bad from time not mileage. 99% the valve covers are leaking and that's your oil drip Dealer is about $1,500 to 2,000.

The timing chain material cracks with age. Mine never made a noise but and had 80k on it. I found the cracked guide when I was replacing the leaking vanios solenoid, another thing common to leak. The timing chains cost about $13k at the dealer and if they go and jump a tooth you throw away the car.

The plastic in the cooling system also go bad as do the hoses with age, mine all cracked or leaked at some point, the entire cooling system was changed.

Also the 4.4 has a valley pan coolant leak that all go bad about $2k fix at the dealer.

With those few miles the suspension should be fine but they do go through suspension parts when the mileage gets higher.

Also if you live where it freezes you have to replace the EGR valve and get an upgraded fix like an electric blanket for the EGR hoses or like me if it freezes it will blow all the engines seals and gaskets when it freezes.

The 3.0 are much better as far as reliability but you have to change the water pump as soon as you get it, very weak point. Depending on what year you buy you should change hoses and radiator and over flow tank.

The 3.0 are not bad as far as power if you have clean fuel injectors. Only downside if you have to climb hills its not so good, otherwise its fine.

Excellent feedback man. Thanks! Although you have left me feeling deterred about owning a 4.4i. All the possibilities of failures is quiet daunting.

The muscular sound from the V8 keeps keep allowing me to forget how problematic it can be.

So if I target a 2004-2006 3.0 with only 40 - 50K in mile, the water pump and hoses you mentioned would still need to be changed with so few miles?

[E53fan16]

Originally Posted by Helihover

If your going to dump the Q because of worn suspension and bad cats, don't buy an X5

Lol. No, not due to the aforementioned issues. Mainly getting rid of the Qx4 because we have a new baby and the Qx4 rear passenger area is really small. When my wife sits back there with the baby, she's very uncomfortable. Also, the Qx4 does not have the safety features the X5 has. Although pretty reliable outside of the issues I mentioned, we are just looking for more rear passenger space, a more refined ride with a some sport to boot.

We sat in the back of the X5 and it was night and day. I'm 6'1 and I was able to sit very comfortable behind my set position in the X5. I can't sit in the back of Qx4, the back seats are literally for children or shorter adults.

[lo_jack]

Originally Posted by E53fan16

Excellent feedback man. Thanks! Although you have left me feeling deterred about owning a 4.4i. All the possibilities of failures is quiet daunting.

The muscular sound from the V8 keeps keep allowing me to forget how problematic it kind be.

So if I target a 2004-2006 3.0 with only 40 - 50K in mile, the water pump and hoses you mentioned would still need to be changed with so few miles?

Yes indeed. 65-75k is about average for OEM 3.0 water pumps and plastic Tstat housings. I would change any 3.0 water pump and tstat unless I knew exactly how old it was. Takes an hour or less if you know how to get the clutch fan off fast and it isn't rusted on.

I bought a 2001 3.0 in ~2005 or 2006 instead of an MDX exactly because of those stupid automatic transmissions Honda was putting in them...they were fail-tastic. No manual option on MDX (or E53 4.4, sadly).

I put 120k on this 3.0 with a modicum of luck and some sleepless DIY nights, but I am happy I did it instead of that awful MDX.

[crystalworks]

Buy what you like. If you (or she in this case) liked the V8... get that. You will spend money on either variant most likely. Less money on the 3.0's engine as the M54 is fairly bullet proof minus the CCV system and cooling system as others have mentioned. If you are a DIY'er... you will be okay. If you pay to play... then the 3.0 will cost you less money in the long run. Initial buy-in is about the same strangely enough.

I would NEVER get a 3.0 in an X5. We have the M54 3.0 in an X3 and that feels underpowered to me. I can only imagine what it would feel like in the X5. But that is personal preference... you'd have to evaluate your own use-case scenario.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by E53fan16

Hi guys.

New member here. New to the X board, but not new to the BMW fold. I currently drive a e90 M3 and I'm in the market for a SUV for my wife since our 2001 Qx4 needs some work(suspension and possible bad cats) which I currently don't care to fix.

Initially, we were going the 2006 MDX route for reliability, but like all manufacturers this model has it's issues with the transmission, plus it's pretty boring to drive.

We started looking into the model years 2004-2006 e53, and while i like the additional power of the V8 from my three weeks of researching the e53, my take away is that it's best to stay away from this vehicle and stick the with 3.0 variant. Which comes with it's own issues as well. But none less more cost effective to maintain than 4.4.

We were at the dealership on Saturday and came across a clean 2005 4.4i with 59k, which was nicely equipped. I drove it and it felt amazing, nice pick up and very smooth and the handling was impressive for a heavy ass truck. My wife agreed on my thoughts as well.

After we returned to the dealer, I continued to survey the vehicle. I looked in the spot where it was parked and noticed a little bit of dry oil, it could of been from another vehicle, as these cars are moved around a lot. I decided to swipe my hand underneath by the pan and traces of fresh oil was on my fingers. I'm not familiar with the e53 platform, but leaking oil is always a red flag. I asked the sales manager about it, and he played kind of dumb and said that can be looked into... He did mention that the dealer offers CARS protection extended warranty for an additional amount if the leak is a major concern.

The vehicle history is pretty clean from the carfax. There is service history, but with some gaps in between.

I like the vehicle, but my wife is smitten by it. I suspect mainly due to the white exterior with truffle brown interior she can't seem to stop talking about.

Should I stay clear from this vehicle and all 4.4i and just look for a 3.0?

Well I love my X5 4.6is but its not going to deliver the level of reliability of a Japanese vehicle. These vehicles will require more attention which equates to more money. The 6 cylinder is more reliable. 59K is low mileage so thats good for what you are looking for. 2004-2005 V8s have the valve seal problem $3-4K repair, be prepared.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by upallnight

Because you are going to dump the X for transmission problem, worn valve seal problem, timing chain guide problems, door handle problem, CCV problems, cooling system problems, electrical gremlins problems..................

Yeah fix the Q and you will have a better time with regards to reliability. Plus the Q will cost you less to bring it back vs a used X5

[Roman D]

If you on the edge of the decision, how about drive 3.0 X5 to compare, it is not a rocket launcher like 4.4 but M54 is pretty hard working engine. I am not surprised that you're after X5. Just few month ago I sold my 2006 X5 3.0 6MT and bought 2009 Range Rover Sport SC and miss crisp BMW handling. What I am trying to say that 3.0 is not a lazy car, depends on expectations of course but as far as 3.0, there is reasonable short list of issues like (I will list from biggest pain in the butt to easy DIY):
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
CCV Valve kit
Valve cover Gasket
Beyond that, there are few more things and if you handy enough and willing - should not be such a big deal. At least engine and most of its components accessible/reachable in 3.0 VS 4.4 and yes... Valve stems in 4.4 are heart (but mostly wallet) breakers
Keep in mind that X fives are not all created equal, some have regular spring suspension, some have airsprings in the back and some equipped with air ride on all 4 corners. There is a standard seats/package, comfort seats package and sport package but most likely you know most of that since you had mentioned that you're not new to own BMW

[admranger]

Negotiate an extended warranty into the deal on the X5. I'm a DIY'er, having raced for years doing all my own work including two engine pulls, etc. However, the X5 is a close second in needing extra attention. Not a race car, but she does need her care and feeding. Great vehicle though. Love it.

Oh, make sure you check out the size (or lack thereof) of the cargo area. Will it be enough for all the stuff a baby seems to require you to carry?

Good luck!