Is it worth it?

[Henn28]

Love this thread. Especially that it didn’t spiral downhill like these tend to on other boards.

I’ve had my 2002 since new and it’s moved from my wife’s daily driver, to the third car, to my kids beater, and now my project car. The 4.4 had 153k on it when I swapped it out. It needed a full re-seal and was indicating lower compression in two cylinder
S, but was running strong. Never did the timing guides but plan on a rebuild into a M60B44 project at some point now that it’s out and will be interested in what I find. I wouldn’t shy away from the M62 necessarily, but it would need to have had the timing guides and all the usual seals and gaskets done recently. It’s a fun motor.

The biggest expense I had for the car before the new motor, was a reman ZF tranny and torque converter. Mine failed at around 120k but had been showing signs of failure for 20k or so. My air suspension has been great, and I chose to keep it (rear only on mine) when I put the lift on. Some guy in Europe sells, or used to sell, a rebuild kit for the compressor that guys liked a lot, and new bags from Arnot are available.

If the following hasn’t been done, and in addition to basic service items, Id expect to have to work your way through:
Complete vacuum line/component refresh
Complete cooling system refresh, including pump
Complete suspension refresh (all four corners)
Brake system flush and bleed
Rear subframe bushings
Engine mounts
Axles and or CV boots if you catch them in time

The winds regulators and plastic clips that carry the glass are terrible. Speaking of plastic - 20 year old German plastic doesn’t age well and can tend to explode when you look at it wrong. Invest in zip ties and find some good eBay sources for stuff.

I neglected mine for many years while my kids were driving it and have had to throw a lot of parts at it over the past year. I’m shooting for daily driver status, but just when I think I’m there, she stumbles. The cooling system has been the big issue, and most of the problems have been my fault. I’m down for a blown hose (which I didn’t replace during my swap and likely routed incorrectly) and will do the steering double joint at the same time.

There’s a good thread on the bimmerforum with guys long term feedback on the early X5s. Worth a read maybe.

[tmat1977]

i have a ton of parts ready to sell thats not been in installed my car e53 because the transfer case just went .. and its for sale as well s any other parts that are needed [email protected] if anybody needs anything soe stuff is free other stuff for sale

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by tmat1977

i have a ton of parts ready to sell thats not been in installed my car e53 because the transfer case just went .. and its for sale as well s any other parts that are needed [email protected] if anybody needs anything soe stuff is free other stuff for sale

What year and what engine?

[killcrap]

Originally Posted by Nolimite39

I would say the title of worst bmw ever made is without question held by the E65 745i what with engines eating themselves from both ends and all. Calling an engine that requires a turbo and timing chains replaced to be dependable is kind of an oxymoron though. The old M54s have in many chassis been proven to 300k+ miles with no major intervention.

i think you are forgetting that the X5 also comes with the same N62 engine option as the E65? And I would be happy to inherit a 2012-2015 N20 that had its timing chain and turbocharger replaced already, or just look at the 2016-2017 as i originally recommended that doesnt have known timing chain issues. If you dont think driving a car that has had its achillies heels fixed before purchasing it is dependable then i would hate to see what you think about an E53 that had all the common issue parts replaced and honestly labelling that as "dependable"

Some car owners in general keep a spare quart of oil and coolant in their normal every day cars. The average E53 M54 owner should have Gallons of oil(maybe even a tanker), coolant, door lock actuators, window regulators, axle boots, brake lines, expansion tanks, blower resistors, tail lamp assemblies in their emergency kit. LOL

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by killcrap

i think you are forgetting that the X5 also comes with the same N62 engine option as the E65? And I would be happy to inherit a 2012-2015 N20 that had its timing chain and turbocharger replaced already, or just look at the 2016-2017 as i originally recommended that doesnt have known timing chain issues. If you dont think driving a car that has had its achillies heels fixed before purchasing it is dependable then i would hate to see what you think about an E53 that had all the common issue parts replaced and honestly labelling that as "dependable"

Some car owners in general keep a spare quart of oil and coolant in their normal every day cars. The average E53 M54 owner should have Gallons of oil(maybe even a tanker), coolant, door lock actuators, window regulators, axle boots, brake lines, expansion tanks, blower resistors, tail lamp assemblies in their emergency kit. LOL

Totally disagree with what you think an e53 owner needs in their kit. While my truck leaks a little oil from the pan, it uses very little oil, especially since getting rid of the CCV. I use a quart in 5000 miles. By the time it needs to be topped up it's time for an oil change. I don't use coolant as my system is tight. Yes, I've had to replace an expansion tank a radiator and thermostats, who hasn't on a car over 100,000 miles? Certainly don't need to carry spares. Never had a door lock actuator failure (door handle carriers, yes), never had window regulator failure, axle boots will crack on any car that has them eventually, no problem with my brake lines, never had an FSR go out on me. Yes, the tail lamp assemblies are weak, but once you put the "fix" on them, they're fine. I haven't had one burn out since I did it. 268,000 miles and still going strong.

The e53 with the M54 has been quite reliable as a daily driver for me. It just has to be maintained. The problem now is most of the older X5's on the market haven't been properly maintained. If I were to buy an old one now I'd only buy it cheap and plan on putting several thousand dollars into it.

[Nolimite39]

Originally Posted by killcrap

i think you are forgetting that the X5 also comes with the same N62 engine option as the E65? And I would be happy to inherit a 2012-2015 N20 that had its timing chain and turbocharger replaced already, or just look at the 2016-2017 as i originally recommended that doesnt have known timing chain issues. If you dont think driving a car that has had its achillies heels fixed before purchasing it is dependable then i would hate to see what you think about an E53 that had all the common issue parts replaced and honestly labelling that as "dependable"

Some car owners in general keep a spare quart of oil and coolant in their normal every day cars. The average E53 M54 owner should have Gallons of oil(maybe even a tanker), coolant, door lock actuators, window regulators, axle boots, brake lines, expansion tanks, blower resistors, tail lamp assemblies in their emergency kit. LOL

The 4.8is is a small sampling of the E53 model run and for some reason had less issues than the e65, possibly because people with the 4.8is cared for them better.

By your logic any M62TU vehicle with the timing chain guides done is at the top of the reliability spectrum, so is any recent S-series engine that has had the rod bearings replaced, or any N62 that has had the valve guide issue treated. An N20 turbo replacement is what $2k in parts? If we're talking cost for remediating the "Achilles heel" of any of the aforementioned vehicles then every E53 is cheaper to own, hell an S85 bearing job is WAY cheaper. In stock form the M54 is hard to beat in reliability and cost to maintain.

All BMWs, nay all German vehicles leak oil sooner or later, every single one.

[killcrap]

Originally Posted by Nolimite39

The 4.8is is a small sampling of the E53 model run and for some reason had less issues than the e65, possibly because people with the 4.8is cared for them better.

By your logic any M62TU vehicle with the timing chain guides done is at the top of the reliability spectrum, so is any recent S-series engine that has had the rod bearings replaced, or any N62 that has had the valve guide issue treated. An N20 turbo replacement is what $2k in parts? If we're talking cost for remediating the "Achilles heel" of any of the aforementioned vehicles then every E53 is cheaper to own, hell an S85 bearing job is WAY cheaper. In stock form the M54 is hard to beat in reliability and cost to maintain.

All BMWs, nay all German vehicles leak oil sooner or later, every single one.

you are mistaken. the 2004-2006 4.4i is also a N62. and they made plenty of them. If they are in cold climate states, then its even worse especially with intermediate levers. The E65 didnt suffer as much as the E53 did.

i dont consider any E53 that has had any of its common parts replaced already dependable or reliable.

I've seen repeat failures on timing chain guides on 400k mileage plus on M62TU. Seems like the parts design has not changed or improved.

But on a N20, the new timing chain/guides have held up.

comparing for example E9x vehicles. The 2008-2013 M3 is more reliable when compared to a 2006-2013 N52 motor. you will spend more on the regular series vehicle than the M3. Most M3 owners do rod bearings 1 time only. For any E53 x5, let me know how many gaskets have been replaced over and over again, valve covers that crack, how much oil consumed, cv boots/axle boots replaced, window regulators failed again, door lock carries, window regulators. repeat failures over and over again.

[Bottomfeeder]

Originally Posted by SportRanger

... In summary, is it worth it to daily an E53 and will it be reasonably reliable?

Lots of opinions offered. So what did you decide? Are you in or are you out?

-Chris

[Russianblue]

I'm not reading this whole thread but I had a couple of things to add. First, I consider the car to be pretty high maintenance...in spurts that is. I've honestly had more issues with things other than the drivetrain which I find relatively dependable and low maintenance.

Most of the discussion here is around the cooling system, suspension etc. That's a given. Some of the stuff that may not have come up, which has been discussed ad nauseam in this forum and which I have experienced multiple times.

Broken Door handle carriers - 6 carriers on two cars
Broken window regulators
Broken window regulator clips
Dead pixels in radio/cluster
Headliner failure
Key cylinder failure
Mind-altering squeaks from rear hatch bump stops
alternator voltage reg failure
power steering hoses WILL leak
Oil filter housing gasket will leak - replace once with Viton version
aux water pump is toast on 90% of junkyard cars - albeit not critical
oil pan gasket WILL need replacing ($1500-$2000)
the car will EAT brakes depending on your pad and rotor combo - 30k mile intervals
you will likely need a brake caliper refresh during your proposed ownership period.

YMMV. My older e53 is still kicking with the OEM ignition coils. 220k miles.

The problem with something like a broken window regulator clip ($4 part) is that it can wreak all kinds of havoc even though it is relatively simple to fix ...like yesterday when my wife took my car (hers is getting a dent fixed), the clip broke, somehow jammed up the door handle works (don't ask me how) and the window stuck down. she had to drive home in the rain with the window down.

I was able to fix it, but if you are on a 2000 mile trip, you either pay somebody $600+ to fix that (because you aren't going to find an indy who will shoot you straight) or you drive with your window stuck down, OR get in through the passenger side if the window is stuck in the up position.

and the number of tools and gadgets that have to come out to fix something like this never ceases to amaze me. a small hammer, magnetic retriever, non-marring pry tools, t20 bit (with extension), and ALWAYS ALWAYS a bunch of door rivets, which break or go flying into the ether. Hard to carry all that with you. Increasingly with age, the door rivet brackets rip off the door panel itself turning a 45 minute affair into an overnight one and driving without a door panel...which WILL have a new rattle when your put it back on.

e53 is the only car I have driven in the past 12 years (two of them, both higher mileage 100k plus) and I've had only high mileage BMWs since 1999. I think this is my last one though. They are fantastic...IF you stay on top of it aggressively. But I am more concerned with not getting stranded these days. Not a big deal if I get stuck in town but I'd probably think twice about it if I were taking so many long trips.

[Effduration]

That is a thorough list…

For this one: “…Mind-altering squeaks from rear hatch bump stops..”

Have you tried the upgraded OEM, spring-loaded bump stops ?