SMOKEY - My 2005 E53 3.0D Run Sheet

[SMOKEY53]

Hi guys

This is a thread for anyone interested but also for me to track progress on the modification, maintenance, challenges and success stories of my 2005 X5 3.0D.

I'll be updating the first post with any milestones as I go along. Feel free to ask questions about anything on my 'completed' list; it's likely I'll be the one asking the questions about things on my 'incomplete' list!

Back Story:

I'd been hunting for an X5 for about 6 months. Ever since new I loved the bulldog shape of the E53. I had a Le Mans Blue E39 a few years earlier and loved the car to bits, but at the time, it was my only car and I needed something a bit more reliable and economical to run so I had to move it on. Knowing the similarities between the e39 and e53 I saw the X5 as a natural choice so started researching.




The Search Is On

My heart wanted a 4.8is (and I came close on a couple) but with the price of fuel in Australia, the brain said to look for a 3.0 diesel as the purchase costs are pretty much the same but the diesel stands to hold it's value much better. Ideally I wanted a 3.0d Le Mans blue special edition (features nappa, Style 168's and arch extensions frm factory) but the market wasn't forthcoming - and 12 months on I've yet to see one come up.

Instead I bought a Sapphire Black version of the same car. I saw it as a good compromise on a 4.8is. It looks almost identical, doesn't have air suspension (which was a pro for me), has mountains of torque and drinks less than a small sedan.



The One

The car I found was interstate, I had a PPI done which revealed leaking turbo and VCG and thrust arms. I was feeling a bit shakey about the purchase given the issues, but the km's were right, the price was right, and the PPI indicated the car was in good condition cosmetically. I had the dealer fix the issues (at his cost) and the car was put on a truck and delivered to my door.



I want to say it was love at first sight, but in all honesty, the car was very dirty and much rougher than I expected. There was a deep gouge near the fuel filler that had been badly touched up, one of the rear arches was badly gouged, the rear bar had obviously been hit and badly repaired - looked as though it had been painted with a rattle can and was about 1/2 inch out of alignment, the front wheels on both sides were trashed with gutter rash and a front shock was blown with the rest not far behind. Needless to say I was less than impressed with these inconsistencies compared to the PPI.

Nonetheless, it was a project and I was keen to dive into it. I didn't waste any time getting started on it......and it didn't waste any time before throwing a hissy fit and demanding mechanical attention. Read on.....Maintenance & Mods