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  #1  
Old 01-19-2019, 09:06 PM
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New E53 Owner - Let the Fun Begin!

I'm a buy & hold kinda guy. I've been driving my e46 since 2004 and at 251k miles, it was time for a different ride. So, I've been watching patiently for an X5 that I liked. I finally jumped on a decent 04 3.0 today and I'm looking forward to resurrecting it from the land of neglected BMW's.

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I wish it had a cold weather package, but it came from AZ. It does have Adaptive Xenons and it was an acceptable color combo. My fav is white exterior with the reddish brown interior, but those are unicorns. My e46 is the ubiquitous black/tan and I don't think I'll ever buy either again. Black is too hard to keep clean and tan is..... well it's just ugly IMHO. This one is blue with gray leather interior. I like it.

The body/paint are pretty decent for its age and it just needs caught up on deferred maintenance. One headlight isn't working, the brake rotors are warped, the OFHG is leaking and possibly the VC gasket. The fluids all need changed of course.

I hooked up my laptop and scanned it with ISTA and found 11 codes. Several for the light problem, one for the VTG wear (transfer case), one for the thermostat (it's stuck open as the engine ran cold on the highway), several for misfires, but he said BMW recently replaced the coils (you'd think they could bother to clear the codes!)

The interior is gray leather that is in very nice shape for the age. Only a little wear on the left seat bolster and something dented the back of the driver's seat, but other than worn-out floormats, it's pretty nice.

My wife drives an e83, so I'm pretty active on that forum on bimmerfest. Looking forward to learning from you all about MY new toy!

AM.
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  #2  
Old 01-19-2019, 10:59 PM
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Welcome to your new home friend. I was going to say from your picture the weather looks really nice in Colorado for winter but then realized you took the pic where you picked it up in AZ.

Anyway, you have found the right place to be for your new ride and if you thought your E46 was fun, buckle your seatbelt and have some fun here with us.
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Old 01-20-2019, 12:38 AM
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Actually, that picture is one from the guy's CL ad that he had taken in front of his house in Denver about 15 mos. ago. He owned it for about 18 mos. total and drove it about 6K miles. He was technically the 3rd owner, but it was gifted from his mom's BF who had bought from a close friend who was the original owner. So, it's sorta been "in the family" until I bought it today. Only has 125k miles, so pretty low for an 04.

AM.
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Old 01-20-2019, 01:41 AM
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That's low mileage for sure !

Welcome aboard.
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Old 01-20-2019, 12:51 PM
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I like the color combo! Looking forward to seeing it cleaned up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Overboost View Post
Welcome to your new home friend. I was going to say from your picture the weather looks really nice in Colorado for winter but then realized you took the pic where you picked it up in AZ.

Anyway, you have found the right place to be for your new ride and if you thought your E46 was fun, buckle your seatbelt and have some fun here with us.
Denver is pretty mild for most of the winter, aside from a few storms. I think it was in the 60s last weekend and now the 6" of snow we got on Friday is melting. 50 today!
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Last edited by burninator; 01-20-2019 at 01:01 PM.
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Old 01-20-2019, 05:55 PM
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Heya,


I like the colour (oops, color, i'm from t'other side of the pond)


Rare around my area (middle of England) to see any e53 colors besides silver lol (mines a dark silver STERLINGGRAU METALLIC (472))


But that blue looks sweet to my eyes, interior sounds nice too


Goodluck with the car


Have Fun


Tony
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  #7  
Old 01-20-2019, 08:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by burninator View Post
I like the color combo! Looking forward to seeing it cleaned up.


Denver is pretty mild for most of the winter, aside from a few storms. I think it was in the 60s last weekend and now the 6" of snow we got on Friday is melting. 50 today!
Shhhhhhh! Colorado is absolutely brutal for 9 months of the year. The sun disappears in September and we can barely stand to be outside until June. Don't even consider moving here.

AM.
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Old 01-20-2019, 11:17 PM
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So, I'll first tackle all the fluid changes, thermostat, warped front rotors, etc. Parts orders going out first thing in the morning. Then I've got some other issues to deal with:

First, here's a wheel after I removed them all and scrubbed 14 years of brake dust off the inside (and outside). They're not perfect but MUCH better.

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I think I have early signs of a failing cluster (illumination). It looks worse in real life, but if you look at the total mileage indicator, it's not nearly as bright as the other indicators. It's actually illegible when driving. I'll probably buy the ribbon and replace it myself. Any suggestions on where to buy it to get a decent part?

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Lastly, I guess I'm not alone in having a messed up nav radio. Need to research more, but hoping to just do a screen replacement. I'm not an audiophile, so I don't plan to spend any more than necessary (I listen to AM talk radio more than I play music). Sorry for the crappy picture, I didn't realize my flash was on.

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AM.
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Old 01-20-2019, 11:38 PM
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Looks like you have some simple illumination bulbs out on the cluster. About $5/piece. 5 total but it looks like only the one is out.

Yep, you have the dreaded pixel failure on your navigation screen. You can replace the screen or move towards the android unit most of us are adopting.
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Old 01-21-2019, 12:35 AM
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with OverBoost - just a single bulb/lamp out - the pixels on the cluster look good - no need for any ribbon repair!

Cluster backlight bulb/lamp replacement is very nearly the easiest repair you'll do on an e53...
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