What did you do to / for your E53 today??

[TriX5]

Originally Posted by Bdc101

Anybody else ever feel like, you're already in this deep, why not go deeper down the rabbit hole? (The rabbit hole of huge, aging, unreliable, and terrifyingly expensive to own kraut wagens, that is)

Anecdotal evidence suggests that these earlier Cayennes are pretty well made. The V8s need their oil changes on time but then so does any other car. I am not sure if that BAT listing is the right price for an '08 but this car looks pretty well maintained and relatively low mileage. However, if I were buying one of these, I would insist on plugs out and bore-scoping the cylinders. Everything else is going to be less of an issue than replacing the engine core. Remember these things are VAG cars (Q7, Touareg, heck even the Lambo Urus is supposed to share the platform). Lots of the non-visible parts have equivalents that you can pick up at the VW or Audi dealer. Also, the 957 was a pretty mature model by '08.

When I was looking for a replacement for my e70 35d it was the service manager at a nearby BMW dealer who suggested looking at the Cayenne..... Took his advice (and that of a German friend) and my '15 CS has not given any trouble (60k mls) since acquiring it early 2019. Nevertheless, the 958 in general, is plagued by a transfer case issue that doesn't seem to have been addressed to date. So, I decided to change the TC fluid every year along with the annual oil service. Cheap insurance. Also, I think the TC fluid volume on all these cars is way too small, incl. BMWs, but that is a different story.

So, mutatis mutandis, I think the Cayenne is not worse than the e53 or e70 and a well maintained one might be slightly better.....at least judging by my history with the e53 and e70 diesel. I think I have fixed pretty much every failure ever documented on XO....love these BMWs, but boy-oh-boh, they are maintenance hogs!

[Henn28]

Bought two remanufactured rear axles for my X. Left rear boot is torn (20 yrs and 150k), but I think it happened relatively recently as there isn't any sign of grease sprayed around the underside. I noticed it when it was up on the lift last week and I was doing my final inspection, torque-check, etc. Made me want to cry, but the self flagellation is not unique to the E53 I suppose, and had I done a better job of maintaining the car over the past 7 years of neglect, I wouldn't be facing another axle change.

The inner boot(s) look pretty miserable too so I opted for Cardone remanufactured OEM units. Anyone in the market should definitely look at RockAuto (I know, they can be very hit-and-miss these days, but....). They are having a fire sale on E53 OEM remanufactured rear axles right now: $29.79 each, and two Bosch ABS sensors for the rear. Not a typo...$29.79, and no core charge. I bought two and am crossing my fingers that the right part number will show up, unlike the fan clutch I bought from them.

[Vanguard]

I saw that axle sale. I tried to order a set for the front, but for whatever reason RockAuto won't ship the sale axles to California. I ended up buying the regular Cardone axles. Parts were good quality and a perfect fit.

[X5chemist]

Yup, RockAuto had a flash sale on X5 stuff. I emptied my cart and reloaded it with flash sale stuff. I got all four shafts for about half price! Once the no sleep issue is diagnosed tomorrow, it's getting a major refresh on suspension and drivetrain parts.

[andrewwynn]

Originally Posted by TriX5

Anecdotal evidence suggests that these earlier Cayennes are pretty well made. The V8s need their oil changes on time but then so does any other car. I am not sure if that BAT listing is the right price for an '08 but this car looks pretty well maintained and relatively low mileage. However, if I were buying one of these, I would insist on plugs out and bore-scoping the cylinders. Everything else is going to be less of an issue than replacing the engine core. Remember these things are VAG cars (Q7, Touareg, heck even the Lambo Urus is supposed to share the platform). Lots of the non-visible parts have equivalents that you can pick up at the VW or Audi dealer. Also, the 957 was a pretty mature model by '08.

When I was looking for a replacement for my e70 35d it was the service manager at a nearby BMW dealer who suggested looking at the Cayenne..... Took his advice (and that of a German friend) and my '15 CS has not given any trouble (60k mls) since acquiring it early 2019. Nevertheless, the 958 in general, is plagued by a transfer case issue that doesn't seem to have been addressed to date. So, I decided to change the TC fluid every year along with the annual oil service. Cheap insurance. Also, I think the TC fluid volume on all these cars is way too small, incl. BMWs, but that is a different story.

So, mutatis mutandis, I think the Cayenne is not worse than the e53 or e70 and a well maintained one might be slightly better.....at least judging by my history with the e53 and e70 diesel. I think I have fixed pretty much every failure ever documented on XO....love these BMWs, but boy-oh-boh, they are maintenance hogs!

That's amazing about the 1L of TC fluid but 8-9L of crankcase oil.

[Bdc101]

TriX5, thanks for your detailed post. I actually posted originally because I am completely intent on buying one when the X kicks the bucket. All of yall don't realize that you are already 98% of the way from normal person Corolla ownership to towing 7700lbs with a german flat-plane V8.

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by Bdc101

... a german flat-plane V8.

That sounds like an oxymoron...

[oldskewel]

Originally Posted by Bdc101

TriX5, thanks for your detailed post. I actually posted originally because I am completely intent on buying one when the X kicks the bucket. All of yall don't realize that you are already 98% of the way from normal person Corolla ownership to towing 7700lbs with a german flat-plane V8.

something about a Cayenne towing a plane ???

https://youtu.be/q8pYEW_p0WY?t=48



I have a 2004 Cayenne S, which is great. They tend to be extremely reliable except for the chance of cylinder scoring, which would effectively total most Cayennes.

I bet the GTS in the auction will go for WAY higher than the 20k it is showing now.

[TriX5]

Originally Posted by oldskewel

I have a 2004 Cayenne S, which is great. They tend to be extremely reliable except for the chance of cylinder scoring, which would effectively total most Cayennes.

I bet the GTS in the auction will go for WAY higher than the 20k it is showing now.

Glad to see I'm not the only one mixing it up! (Also have an M-B GL parked in my garage but, despite having owned a 2000 ML430, that is more coincidence than intent.)

Yes, the low mileage combined with a 6-speed is going to be a runner!

I'm looking for a manual of some make/model as it long ago since I owned one. Mostly to make sure the kids know the joy of driving one and for myself to enjoy as well. But hard to find these days.

[EODguy]

Found a donor transmission at the airbase and even got the troops to raise the e53 with a forklift.

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