How Often Does Your E53 4.4 Leave You Stranded?

[tempest411]

Hello,

I'm thinking of purchasing one of these and have read much about their weak points. Of course internet forums being what they are, if judged soley by what people talk about here, an E53 capable of moving under it's own power would be an oddity. I'm already pretty sure I want to NOT buy the vehicle first, but rather an engine and transmission first and take care of them first (rebuilding as neccessary), then find a chassis to put them in. I find lots of these things on Craiglist that have lunched their engines due to the ignorance and neglect of previous owners. But what about other areas of these SUVs? What about all the modules that control all the gadgetry these are laden with? I had to replace a climate control and a 'door' module in my wife's '98 Mercedes C230, and while the cost of the parts was bad enough (over 3k for both) diagnosing the problem was the worst part. Even the dealer couldn't figure out the climate control one until they tried swapping it out with one from another customer's car! I hope BMWs aren't as bad as that...

Any advice is much appreciated!

Rick

[williamx5]

Good day!!

I think you will get as many answers to this as the number of members that respond... I honestly don't think I had one leave me stranded... I had an alternator lock up on me that in short order (on the highway) converted my alt belt into a hot blob of melted rubber... I nursed it home by shutting the motor off and coasting when I could...

My sisters battery died due to the alternator failure in Silvester (2006 4.4L)... I went out to save her... Actually, my alternator lock-up happened the same day I went out to save my sister... What are the odds of that?!!

I buy them cheap and fix them up, so I'm constantly keeping up with the Preventative Maintenance (PM)...

The pre-face lift (up to 2003) has the M62 motor and a 5 speed auto... The electronics are not as picky... I personally like the N62 motor better... It has more issues with electronics... Both have issues... But, they both have their advantages...

I am partial to the 4.4L... I have a variant in "Red", my 4.6is... Here is a shot of my "family"... The loner in the front is my son's E46...



I rebuilt the motor in the 2004 white one you can mostly see... And the motor in my sisters 2006... The white rebuild is on here, but I'm updating the pictures...

I also converted the 2001 white one that is mostly hidden into a RWD 4.4L 6-speed manual... My better half has taken over driving it daily with Red needing air bags... Becky (black one) is my new favorite...

Welcome to the X5 community!!!

Happy holidays to you and yours!!!

[andrewwynn]

In a combined 5 years of owning two x5 e53 I was "need a tow" stranded once and "need a gallon of gas" stranded once. I had a fuel pump die on me exactly as I arrived home once so I wasn't stranded but I had to take my fuel pump from my car to use in wife's car for a few days while the replacement fuel pump came.

Have had plenty of minor things break, our cars are both 2001s but spending $40/mo on one of them and $80/mo on the other total for parts on cars without car payments means that our fuel is effectively free.


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[bcredliner]

Similar questions like this over the time I have been a member of the forum are overwhelmed with negatives and horror stories. Maybe this won't be. I bought mine new and it has always been well cared for. I blew a hose once and would have been stranded without my emergency kit that includes handy dandy duct tape. As are you, buyers should be a DIYer and do a good job of pre purchase due diligence. Even then it's a mystery movie that the ending may well be a surprise.

[andrewwynn]

Have the emergency kit and gain control of Murphy's Law: if you have for example a bottle of emergency gas (shelf stable non explosive non fuming) you won't run out of gas. The same works with computers: make a daily backup and your hard drive won't cash (what would be the point)?


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[tempest411]

Thank you all for your comments. I read a lot about INPA software here, but get the idea that INPA isn't 'official's software from anyone, but some kind of hacked code that lives on the net, and has a so-so, use-at-your-own-risk reputation. Is that the case? For any DIYer such a tool is an absolute need. Is there a 'most reputable source for this? For some of the Mercedes software out there you're supposed to turn your anti-virus program off, which of course never instills a lot of confidence.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by tempest411

Thank you all for your comments. I read a lot about INPA software here, but get the idea that INPA isn't 'official's software from anyone, but some kind of hacked code that lives on the net, and has a so-so, use-at-your-own-risk reputation. Is that the case? For any DIYer such a tool is an absolute need. Is there a 'most reputable source for this? For some of the Mercedes software out there you're supposed to turn your anti-virus program off, which of course never instills a lot of confidence.

I don't here much about problems but I hear a lot about how do I do something. I have it but don't use it. I don't find it intuitive at all and I use it so seldom I have to start the learning process over again. On the other hand. It is the most robust software I know about. Takes a lot of disc space. I have a dedicated laptop with Windows XP that is said to be what it runs best on. There is a forum that is dedicated to the software. The seller from Rumania is reliable.

[AV8R4AA]

I have a 2003 4.6 and a 2004 4.4.
Between the both of them, one usually runs.
LOL

[X5only]

Originally Posted by tempest411

Thank you all for your comments. I read a lot about INPA software here, but get the idea that INPA isn't 'official's software from anyone, but some kind of hacked code that lives on the net, and has a so-so, use-at-your-own-risk reputation. Is that the case? For any DIYer such a tool is an absolute need. Is there a 'most reputable source for this? For some of the Mercedes software out there you're supposed to turn your anti-virus program off, which of course never instills a lot of confidence.

INPA is actually BMW factory level software (engineer) as opposed to BMW dealer (technician), and therefore is powerful but not user friendly as you can imagine. It's not meant for public consumption. It leaked and got hacked, like any other such software does (eventually ).

I'm going to paste a quote from the link below, which I think is a very good description of INPA and related tools and other technician level diagnostics/coding software. You will also find therein links to the software. But the best source, I think, is just to buy a bundled package (software+hardware) of BMW diagnosis and coding. The best that I know of is from and cheap (around $50) BMW Diagnostic Software and Cable allows full Coding and Diagnostics for your car. I like their installer because it's always works for me and is well written. I got a package for my E39/X5/E92 and a different set for my F86 X6M.

OBD2 vehicle diagnostics: What is INPA/Ediabas?

Quote:
INPA is a diagnostic interpreter program that communicates with your car using BMW's own factory developed Electronic Diagnosis and Information protocol (EDIABAS). INPA is a powerful and comprehensive diagnostic tool but there is no simple handbook available that I know of which will comprehensively explain its operation or functions. The bottom line with INPA is if you do not understand what a particular function does, you are probably better off leaving that function alone, but having said that, the level of diagnostic functionality is truly exceptional.

Being the Factory diagnostic protocol, EDIABAS can accomplish virtually any programming/diagnostic or coding function, but since it is only a computer protocol, requires seperate programs to interface between the user and EDIABAS so that it can receive and trasmit instructions. For example INPA communicates with EDIABAS to perform diagnostics, NCS to perform coding and NFS to perform programming functions. NCS and NFS are not particularly user-friendly and require fairly intimate knowledge of BMW systems to use. If used incorrectly, programs which communicate via EDIABAS have the potential to destroy computer modules, making replacement the only viable option.

DIS (Diagnostic Information System) uses Dealer level programs such as GT1 to communicate with your car (again via EDIABAS). Being a dealer rather than factory level tool, the user interface is far more user friendly than INPA/NCS/NFS and allows the user to communicate diagnostic, coding and programming commands in plain English. DIS/GT1 is powerful and offers the ability to access repair information which is not available by using INPA or the Carsoft Home editions.

OBD2 vehicle diagnostics: What is INPA/Ediabas?

[Overboost]

As with any programming software, you need to be confident in what you are doing before punching computer keys. You can end up bricking modules if the process is not followed precisely. There are many threads and information about coding and diagnosing almost anything we have come across in nearly 20 years with the E53 so with a little reading and researching, you can usually find exact steps that need to be performed.

I have INPA and BMW Scanner 1.4 and I will use them at least once a week between my E46 and E53. They are both great tools for coding and diagnostics and quite honestly, I don't know what I would do without them at my disposal.

I have a total in $50 in both of these programs with their OBD interface cables and I bought a dedicated Panasonic Toughbook running Windows XP for $75 on fleaBay. For the $125 invested I have saved thousands of dollars not having to go to the dealership for any retrofit recoding or diagnosis when things fail.