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

[andrewwynn]

Got great reviews until they went to subscription model.

I use bimmercode but no go on e53. Great on e70/F10 though!

[SaltLifeCI]

Originally Posted by Serb404

how much was the damage for the paint correction costs?

My detailer charged $800 for paint correction and 2 coats of ceramic. I feel like I got a bargain, considering it is 21 year old black paint. Now the X’s finish looks like a black mirror.

[Themoog]

I drove mine 300 miles today after rebuilding one of the front calipers after it got stuck earlier this week. MPG went from 19.8 to 23mpg.. And I didn't see another E53 during the trip.

[Serb404]

Originally Posted by SaltLifeCI

My detailer charged $800 for paint correction and 2 coats of ceramic. I feel like I got a bargain, considering it is 21 year old black paint. Now the X’s finish looks like a black mirror.

nice mine is charging me 250 for a full paint correction this upcoming week, mainly focusing on the hood from rock chips over the years so looking forward to that!

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

Got great reviews until they went to subscription model.

I use bimmercode but no go on e53. Great on e70/F10 though!

Noted, thank you!

[SaltLifeCI]

Originally Posted by Serb404

nice mine is charging me 250 for a full paint correction this upcoming week, mainly focusing on the hood from rock chips over the years so looking forward to that!

Cali tax 🤣 price for paint correction depends on the damage and swirls already set in the paint.

Are you getting it ceramic coated or wax? My car club goes back n forth on which process to do. I saw one of the guys nail a cone over 100mph. The cone left an orange and white streak down his car. He pulled into the pits, wet the area with detail spray then swiped down the side of his car in short strokes and rolled the remnants of the cone off the car. I’ve done a couple of coats of ceramic on every car since.

[Serb404]

Originally Posted by SaltLifeCI

Cali tax 🤣 price for paint correction depends on the damage and swirls already set in the paint.

Are you getting it ceramic coated or wax? My car club goes back n forth on which process to do. I saw one of the guys nail a cone over 100mph. The cone left an orange and white streak down his car. He pulled into the pits, wet the area with detail spray then swiped down the side of his car in short strokes and rolled the remnants of the cone off the car. I’ve done a couple of coats of ceramic on every car since.

my buddy and I did a full buff/wax which exposed all the rock chip marks on my hood so just getting those spots touched up mostly with touch up paint, I don't feel like spending that much to get my car ceramic coated since it's practically 20 years old at this point, at night you can't even notice it since it's black anyways

[SaltLifeCI]

Originally Posted by Serb404

at night you can't even notice it since it's black anyways

[Serb404]

Originally Posted by SaltLifeCI

[Henn28]

Still have a reoccurring SES with a fuel vent code. I thought that the connection to the fuel vent breather valve was bad, and after some work on the plug I could hear it clicking under the hood when I tested it via my foxwell. However, a week later I'm still getting the code and SES light occasionally so I ordered a new valve, which is an easy fix.

I had a fuel leak diagnosis pump and dust filter on hand too and since I wasn't hearing any noise from the left rear wheel well when I tested that system, I decided to pull the liner and replace them yesterday. I also did not want to get back on my old house window rehab project I've been working on for ever. The breather valve and the leak detection system are the only things that tie into the carbon canister, so I figure potentially a problem with one system, could be causing an issue with the other system and popping the code.

The liner comes out easily, and I've gotten smart enough over the last year or so to have a supply of blind rivets and the small exterior screws with washers on hand before jumping into exterior work that requires trim to be pulled. Happily all the plumbing looked factory new, as did the brake lines that run through there, and no rust to be seen at all. 20 years worth of dirt and grime to clean out though.


I tested the new pump for continuity and then screwed it to the bracket (three torx) and popped in the new filter. There is a rubber piece that fits over the pump nipple and makes the tight connection to the "filler breather" tube. Don't toss your old pump before removing this and moving it over to the new pump nipple. It doesn't seem to be sold separately so it must come with the breather tube, not the pump. Pic below shows this fitting, next to the nipple on the pump that it fits on. The tube won't fit without it:


The new pump "clicked" on and off with the foxwell test so I buttoned it up with new blind rivets and some replacement screws for those gone missing over the years. I'll toss my new breather valve in when it arrives next week and hopefully no more SES lights or codes. I'm not sure what else is left beyond bad wiring, broken tubing somewhere, or a bad charcoal canister (not sure how I would know this. All would be a lot more painful than replacing the above parts. The cost of a new canister is a bit painful to contemplate for a part that doesn't buy any more fun or upgrade when replaced.

Interestingly, I didn't smell a gas odor from the pump, dust filter, or any of the plumbing when I had it apart. I suspect the pump hasn't been working for years.

Update: the new breather valve arrived and I popped it in. The insulation on that wiring is super brittle. It tested fine with the foxwell (clicks on and off) and hopefully will be the fix.

[X5chemist]

A little bit of elbow grease to remove grim. It's going back together slowly.