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

[MrFixIt]

Within the last two weeks, all DIY: 126,000 miles on the odom

• New L/F CV boots both inner and outer.
• New front control arms/bushings/ball joints
• New front rear (wishbone) control arms
• New rear shocks
• New front struts
• New back hatch shocks
• New timing chain tensioner
• Oil service
• Lubed all hinges and adjusted the back hatch rubber stoppers
• Lubed moon roof rail
• On order--new steering wheel clock spring/slip ring (got tired of the squeaky/rubbing/binding sounds).

The front ball joints were a nightmare to remove. They're original and only came off by completely removing both steering knuckles, put on vise, and hitting them hard from the top with a BFH for a solid 5 minutes.

I laughed at the Bentley manual, "...remove the two bolts, the ball joints should pop right out..." Not going to happen when they've been in there for 10 years though.

Thanks to this site and all the DIY information and my hands on DIY, I learned a lot a about the suspension system. The X drives like the day it left the show room. Everything is nice and tight again.

1st photo: view from the bottom of ball joint
2nd photo: top view of the evil ball joint

[zonefive]

Originally Posted by tmv

Yesterday, I showed other X5 drivers what forum I am on with license plate frame and stickers.
Then I gave it away today. Getting rid of the bimmers and go back to Asian.

What Asian will you get?

[zonefive]

Yesterday I had an upholstery shop transfer the foam and leather from a good-condition passenger seat I bought to my driver's seat.

Now I can turn the seat heat on without frying myself or the seat. Paid $220 for the donor and $180 in labor to make the switch, so $400 for basically a new seat.

Less than half the cost of new leather from the dealer.

[Bnagy4.8]

So I took my x5 4.8is into the dealership today for a routine oil change ... Come to find out that they f***ed up my engine. Now with a loaner car. I was told that they accidentally put to much oil in ~4qt. To much. So now my lower engine is seized, may need new motor. Engine had only 50k on it. Wow. What a day... Bummer

[sarb]

New software update by the dealers is not e53 friendly I found, as per lots of my friends

I may be wrong and I hope so

[giodog2000]

Originally Posted by Bnagy4.8

So I took my x5 4.8is into the dealership today for a routine oil change ... Come to find out that they f***ed up my engine. Now with a loaner car. I was told that they accidentally put to much oil in ~4qt. To much. So now my lower engine is seized, may need new motor. Engine had only 50k on it. Wow. What a day... Bummer

Brand new engine??? thats a good thing no?

[Bnagy4.8]

Yeah, we will see. They don't produce the 4.8 any more bit at the least they will rebuild it. And I'm going to demand a warranty on the work.

[X5SND]

Originally Posted by giodog2000

Brand new engine??? thats a good thing no?

Lets just hope the tech that "put in too much oil" ain't the one changing the engine!

[Bnagy4.8]

No kidding, what a day.

[pnoyako85]

Sorry for that but ill keep the car and a new engine,,. I may need to visit that dealership since my X is 118k on it already! Lol. But i did my gaskets n seals already,, hmmm. GLw new engine and let us know