Cold start and stumbling issues

[chas]

Hi All,
My neighbor has a 2003 4.4 X5 and it started getting a cold start problem where the engine would stumble and cough and almost die. It didn't always occur but to me it sounded like either it was a fuel pump, fuel injector or unmetered air issue. They went to the stealer and they said that it was the rocker arms that needed to be replaced because they got bent. The car is 6 years old and has 50k miles. The stealer said that there was a TSB on this and because it is out of warranty it would cost $3,400 to fix. This sounds fishy to me and if there is a TSB, they should fix the problem. Can anyone confirm this ? Unfortunately they did not make me aware of the problem until after they went to the stealer and they left the car there as they were informed that the car should not be driven.

[m5james]

MAF....try unplugging it and see if the problem disappears. If it runs better instantly, then the MAF needs to be replaced, not cleaned. Also, even if the CEL isn't on, check for pending codes. If the MAF is your culprit, don't reset the codes till you've replaced it first. If not the MAF, search on www.e38.org - it's a different body, but the same/similar engine has been used for about 6yrs before the X5 even came out.