Trading the 01 E53......key things to inspect on 4.8?

ALE53 · #1 05-15-2011, 12:28 PM

Hey guys. Long time lurked here. FINALLY found the 4.8 of my dreams for the wife. Trading the 01 in. Of course I'll get a PPI, & this is my go to dealer and I've rarely had issue with their BMWs. I test drove this one yesterday and the cooling fan would not come on after they replaced the coolant reservoir. Odd. I shut it down as soon as I got a temp warning. I won't buy it without everything fixed, wheels repaired, etc. as usual. One owner car. It does not have a damn mark on it. 60k mi. Spent its whole life in TX.

Just curious if there's well known issues to check for beyond the leaky airbag suspension units/struts? Headlights need to be polished too.

I'd like to know what you guys have dealt with on yours. Thanks!
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BGM · #2 05-15-2011, 04:02 PM

There's not a whole lot of people on here that have 60K miles on theirs--but I'm sure the normal e53 (I had an '01 as well and recently got an e70) issues like window regulators, door lock actuators, water pump, etc. The fact that you test drove it and it already had issues would be a red flag to me + it does have quite a few miles on it. Which dealer is it here in Dallas ? I bought mine from a dealer in Los Angeles.

ALE53 · #3 05-15-2011, 05:03 PM

My buddy is a wholesaler and buys from dealerships....he will fix it, always has if there are issues. I don't pay until it's fixed. Sounds like e70 is just like the E53 as far as little things go. I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about all the seat stuff via the NAV, all the options/functions and crap from the NAV, etc. The technology stuff when it breaks, scares me because of my S500. That's what I'm really curious about. This 4.8 has every single available option so there's plenty to break, or not. Since 2002, I replaced two CV joints, a water pump, and two regulators, all myself, since 2001. I'd call the E53 HIGHLY, HIGHLY reliable.