Highest mileage e53

[Best4x4xFAR]

Originally Posted by srmmmm

As promised, a once in a lifetime event
2002 X5 3.0 Automatic - (Original Fluid)

Is that the 4 or 5 speed Auto Box? Is one known to go longer than the other? Approaching 200,000 miles myself and wondering whether to catch-up on overdue leaks/maintenance, or drop it and move on.

Its always a concern that I'll drop a grand (or more) fixing all of the little stuff, and getting maintenance up to date, only to have the transmission go the next week..

[srmmmm]

Originally Posted by Best4x4xFAR

Is that the 4 or 5 speed Auto Box? Is one known to go longer than the other? Approaching 200,000 miles myself and wondering whether to catch-up on overdue leaks/maintenance, or drop it and move on.

It is the General Motors 5L40E 5-speed automatic in my 2002 E53.

If you're not having any shifting issues, I wouldn't change the fluid at this point. If you just have pan leaks, then I'd carefully drain and capture the old fluid, replace the filter and appropriate gaskets and O-rings, strain the old fluid and put it back in the transmission. Then just top it off with the correct new fluid.

[Best4x4xFAR]

Originally Posted by srmmmm

It is the General Motors 5L40E 5-speed automatic. If you're not having any shifting issues, I wouldn't change the fluid at this point. If you just have pan leaks, then I'd carefully drain and capture the old fluid, replace the filter and appropriate gaskets and O-rings, strain the old fluid and put it back in the transmission. Then just top it off with the correct new fluid.

Hmmm, I think ours (2006) has the ZF 6 Speed in it..

Note: Meant to ask if it was a 5 or 6 speed originally, not a 4 or 5

[amancuso]

e53 X5 does not use any GM transmission it uses a ZF 5HP24 or ZF 6HP26 Except for the 3.0D which uses GM 5L50 (A5S390R)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP_transmission

[PropellerHead]

Originally Posted by amancuso

e53 X5 does not use any GM transmission it uses a ZF 5HP24 or ZF 6HP26 Except for the 3.0D which uses GM 5L50 (A5S390R)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP_transmission

I think you're missing the 5 speed GM in all automatic 3.0's.

From Bentley:

[amancuso]

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

I think you're missing the 5 speed GM in all automatic 3.0's.



From Bentley:

Thanks for that. It seems they have different t issues than the ZF ones.


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[RFaber]

Mine is a 2003 (feb build) with 300000km on it, I wrench everything myself (with help and advice from the forum crowd! ) thanx, couldn't have done it without all of you!!
no major issues, just maintenance from an abused past! (first 200000km) she runs like a dream

[andrewwynn]

My car is adolescent compared to most here but I'm planning to hand BMWЯ down to my 9 yr old son. It has one issue making the drive train less than flawless and that is the rear subframe bushings. They aren't terrible but aren't great I can hear the subframe twist going from reverse to forward and occasionally a thump that shouldn't be there on expansion joints. It handles like a dream hasn't got a drop of oil outside the engine (once the quart a week waterfall of an oil filter seal was fixed and power washed off). I keep my eye open for a younger x5 but I'm pretty solidly set on the E53 for the foreseeable future.

Not only does xoutpost make it possible for me to my E53, it introduced me to my wife's E53 and make it of course possible keep both of them. We bought them at 128 and 110 k miles and now they are about 156 and 144. My car is averaging $40/mo in repair costs, hers is averaging $80.

Hers is the non sport and mine is the sport hers was used as a soccer mom car so had a lot harder life early on and took a toll on suspension: CV axles, control arms and all the wheel bearings. Mine has Original of all those save one front bearing. Mine cost about $2k more so total cost is very similar.

I love the platform I'm absolutely uninterested in finding a different car ever. Newer, sure, different? Nope. My "won the lottery car" is the G Sport X5.

I've recently taken advantage of the purposeful decision to "double down" on the E53 when my wife's fuel pump failed: in twenty minutes I determined her pump was getting voltage but not humming, 30 mine hummed 6 seconds on key on position every time, 45 minutes I had my pump in her car and by 60 minutes I had her non working pump in my car (functioning as a cork to keep the fumes in the tank while waiting for a warranty replacement on the pump).

3-4 times I've swapped parts to determine failure or rescue a car from 50 miles away (put my 9 mo. old cam shaft sensor into her car which I had towed to the nearest Wal-Mart when her car died on the freeway an hour from home). Having an operational donor car at the ready is priceless. Another example: door handle carrier: mine broke, ordered a "copy cat", no time to install, hers broke, I put the carbon copy in car car but moved over the better cables from the OE part. I fixed hers using 1¢ worth of metal wire then I installed that fixed one into my car. So because we have two, rather than have a stealer charge $300+ for one car, I spent $35 to fix BOTH!
My copy x5 was apparently used as a commuter car, there was nearly no wear on the inside of the car. The driver seat was replaced which must have been almost the only worn part so it was no more worn then any other seat.

I'm just shy of 50, been working on cars since I was 5/6 (when I helped my dad replace a water pump on our Ford station wagon: my job was to remember where each part down to the bolt went: lots of parts had to come off to replace it, my strongest memory of that job was how much the front of the car rose up as all the weight of the parts was removed!). Anyhow I'd never seen an engine with 50,000 miles on it with less oil film than mine when I bought it at 128,000! It was dusty but no oil, hence not recently power washed to hide oil leak. It had MIL lit when I bought at auction which helped suppress the value and a plug for the low pressure on the AC was disconnected, those two items were undoubtedly why the P.O. traded it in, didn't want to risk the chance of those being a difficult fix. Turned out to be $90 for OEM CPS and I did spend about $100 initially then another $80 for full on shop quality AC service equipment to only find out that my ac didn't work because a plug was unplugged! Not complaining I can service my entire family's fleet now and my wife's E53 came low refrigerant causing it to super cool and freeze the evaporator (8 minutes of ac at a time) and fixed that right up.

I'm predicting we will replace hers by 200,000 mi. But mine feels like it is mid-life and I will be unhappy with myself if I don't get at least a quarter mil.


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[sowilliams]

Hey, new to the forum. My wife has been driving an 04 E53 since 2006. Just bought her a new to us 2015. Dealer was going to give me $2,000 on trade and I said for that I would just keep it. It has 190,000 miles. Runs awesome. Looks great. I'm driving it back and forth to work rather than my truck to save on gas plus it's a blast to drive.

[andrewwynn]

Paid off car is waaaaay better deal than $2k! Do the math. My previous car was a Ford explorer and got 14mpg but when factoring out a car payment even on an old clunker, it got an effective 80mpg not bad.

I did the same math on my X5. With some rounding and estimate of average driving per month and what I would have financed for my 01 128,000 mile x5. Crazy coincidence: both the fuel price and estimated payments worked out to $150/mo. I get ∞ mpg when factoring out not having a used car payment. Priceless. I also have been averaging $40/mo in repairs which after 2.5 years and 28000 miles not bad! 4.3 ¢ per mile!


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