Why Don't People Take Care of These Cars?

[Fifty150hs]

So, since I've had lowered compression in one cylinder on my 3.0 X, I decided to look around at low mileage X5's 2004 - 2006. I've looked at several that had low mileage. One as low as 76,000 miles. Looked good in pictures, but when I've gone to see them its obvious the owners di not take care of these vehicles. The one with 76,000 miles ran well, but I noticed that the drivers side door panel had been attached with screws. WOOD screws! That was it for that one. I figured if it had something that hacky on it the rest of the car was questionable. On top of that the paint hadn't been maintained and the headliner was starting to come loose.

Maintaining these things isn't that hard, but it seems like no one does it. Except the folks on here. Clearly they give a shit or they wouldn't be here.

After what I've seen, if I can't get the compression back up on my current engine, I'll buy a low mileage engine and swap it.

Rant over.

[EODguy]

Originally Posted by Fifty150hs

So, since I've had lowered compression in one cylinder on my 3.0 X, I decided to look around at low mileage X5's 2004 - 2006. I've looked at several that had low mileage. One as low as 76,000 miles. Looked good in pictures, but when I've gone to see them its obvious the owners di not take care of these vehicles. The one with 76,000 miles ran well, but I noticed that the drivers side door panel had been attached with screws. WOOD screws! That was it for that one. I figured if it had something that hacky on it the rest of the car was questionable. On top of that the paint hadn't been maintained and the headliner was starting to come loose.



Maintaining these things isn't that hard, but it seems like no one does it. Except the folks on here. Clearly they give a shit or they wouldn't be here.



After what I've seen, if I can't get the compression back up on my current engine, I'll buy a low mileage engine and swap it.



Rant over.

Yes, this!!

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[80stech]

Flippers fixing things up a cheap as possible are a huge problem.

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by 80stech

Flippers fixing things up a cheap as possible are a huge problem.

That's for sure. I looked at one Saturday with 106k. Ran nice and smooth, but it was filthy. So filthy I don't think it could have been cleaned. Stains on the carpets looked like someone had been pouring crap all over them and leaving it there. Paint hadn't been maintained and someone had hacked a Serius control into the ash tray. The only thing it was good for was its engine and transmission.

[x5Alpine]

The price point that these E53's are at now usually attracts people who maintain them on a shoe string budget. People who should be in a Toyota but want a BMW then can't afford to fix it (there are many of these here on the forum) They buy Parts from Amazon, use their E53 truly as a beater, and get oil change from Jiffy lube. I have maintained by E53's with an open checkbook all the way down to cosmetics. my 03 Oxford green E53 looks as close to new as possible.

[Bottomfeeder]

I lucked out. I purchased my first (a 2002) in 2018 with 20,163 miles on it. One owner, dealer maintained, and it looked like it never left the garage. The second came along about a year later (a 2005) with 17,929 miles. One owner who apparently bought it and then got a company car, so the X just sat. I wasn't really looking for a second, but my wife liked the '02 so much that when the '05 came along I couldn't pass it up.

Time will tell whether my "good luck" will be a blessing or a curse, but so far they've been wonderful cars in all respects and we've enjoyed them. I'm coming from a background of vintage 2-wheel beemers, so at least had some idea what I was getting myself into. ;-)

I will say that the vast majority of other E53s I've seen here in Texas have been pretty rough to say the least. Texas is hard on cars, especially if they're not garaged.

Chris
Lockhart, Texas
2005 X5 3.0 Schwarz Black
2002 X5 3.0 Titansilber

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by x5Alpine

The price point that these E53's are at now usually attracts people who maintain them on a shoe string budget. People who should be in a Toyota but want a BMW then can't afford to fix it (there are many of these here on the forum) They buy Parts from Amazon, use their E53 truly as a beater, and get oil change from Jiffy lube. I have maintained by E53's with an open checkbook all the way down to cosmetics. my 03 Oxford green E53 looks as close to new as possible.

The mechanicals on these low milage cars is usually decent. It's the lack of maintenance of the cosmetics that is frustrating. What does it take to keep a car waxed? It's just not that hard. If you spend an hour or so a week on some cosmetic details they will remain looking good, especially with the leather seats. With proper care they hold up so much better than vinyl. And if you take care of the cosmetics it doesn't cost much to maintain them. Its when you let them go it gets expensive to fix.

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by Bottomfeeder

I lucked out. I purchased my first (a 2002) in 2018 with 20,163 miles on it. One owner, dealer maintained, and it looked like it never left the garage. The second came along about a year later (a 2005) with 17,929 miles. One owner who apparently bought it and then got a company car, so the X just sat. I wasn't really looking for a second, but my wife liked the '02 so much that when the '05 came along I couldn't pass it up.

Time will tell whether my "good luck" will be a blessing or a curse, but so far they've been wonderful cars in all respects and we've enjoyed them. I'm coming from a background of vintage 2-wheel beemers, so at least had some idea what I was getting myself into. ;-)

I will say that the vast majority of other E53s I've seen here in Texas have been pretty rough to say the least. Texas is hard on cars, especially if they're not garaged.

Chris
Lockhart, Texas
2005 X5 3.0 Schwarz Black
2002 X5 3.0 Titansilber

That was crazy low mileage. How many miles on your X's now?

[Bottomfeeder]

Originally Posted by Fifty150hs

That was crazy low mileage. How many miles on your X's now?

Just under 40K on the '02, just passed the 100K mark on the '05. Trying to keep 'em both going as long as I can. :-)

Chris
Lockhart, Texas
2005 X5 3.0 Schwarz Black
2002 X5 3.0 Titansilber

[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by Bottomfeeder

Just under 40K on the '02, just passed the 100K mark on the '05. Trying to keep 'em both going as long as I can. :-)

Chris
Lockhart, Texas
2005 X5 3.0 Schwarz Black
2002 X5 3.0 Titansilber

I have 295,000 on mine. With proper care these cars will go a long time. The M54 is practically bulletproof if you do oil changes every 5000 to 7500 miles. The BMW recommends around 15000. That's too long. If they're garaged the finishes last much longer as well.