What's broken on your E53 today!
 

Hello Guys

Let me start by saying I love this forum and it has been a great help to me so far in my ongoing struggles with my 4.8 IS

I am new here (lurked for years though) and to cars in general and would like to see if my car is as bad as I think.

Think of this thread as the opposite to the what did you do to you car today one :)

So my list (so far) in no particular order

SLS (shocking I know :yikes:)
Pops up every now and again. I have a leaky left front arnott spring which I must have over tightened and SLS gives me jip everytime I get her legs in the air.

I really love SLS it tickle the gadget freak in me so I wont get rid of this until(deal with myself :))

Suspension
I have swapped all arms but I still get a squeaky noise so I will need to get under her with a crow bard and prod about.

Front bumper
a nasty scrape..hit my own garden wall whilst arguing with the girlfriend..so this make's it her fault

Rear bumper
Sagging seems to have come off a clip, being an IS I will have to drop the exhaust to get the T55 in to remove and re-align. ohh this happened when I was "testing" my pdc....the pdc's won :rofl:

Panoramic sun roof
Again another shocker :) Partly done the fix so I can use the roof without worrying if the window will be stuck

Transmission
Hard shift from 1-2-3 after fluid change, adaptive reset help but the hard shifts come back. fine once oil is up to temp. Checked oil level 3 times all at the correct temperature and it always seems fine

Noisy cabin
This pisses me off the most. I get a lot of wind noise from the drivers side when I am going over 70 or other 50 on a windy day. I am hoping the window has dropped a bit and is not seated full when I close it

Engine leaks
leaky valve cover seals, leaky power steering pump(just spotted this today) leaky around vvt.

DSC
ongoing stills struggling with this may send the module off for a rebuild to get that off the tick list

Bouncy stops
My car does a small bouncy after every time I stop. A normal person would go and get this sorted at a indy but not me...this speared me own to purchase all the parts for a complete rear refresh......I beat you it ends up being the engine mounts anyway :)

hmms that is all I can think off for now.

Reading back it doesn't look that bad any competent pro/am mechanic would knock these jobs out in a few weekends but I am not that person and it has taking me months for very little progress but I plan to still struggle on as you got to break a few eggs to make an omelette and I am well on my way to having my own battery farm of chicken eggs :)


Still to come ( who know where this mystery ride will lead me)
Valve stem seal
Transmission rebuilds
transfer case rebuild
Differential rebuilds
any things I missed :)

How are your cars doing?

Found my power steering leak - the main high pressure hose! Ordering parts...

My perfectly functioning air-ride, is quickly turning into a "donkey show" of the worst kind... See my recent post.

And my Power/auto fold mirrors are broken/ inop. I knew the power fold was out of commission. Sounds like the mechanism is shredded when you push the button. But after a bump from guy at the car wash, the is mirror basically free floating on its hinge. Stays in place ok for now but, needs new guts, or a full replacement. Other then that I'm in pretty good shape over all.

Oh and my headlight washers are inop. Washer fluid just runs out the side of the bumper after a little while. But I'll get to that eventually.

I got a lot of stuff on my list:
1. Passenger mirror sometimes does not adjust back up automatically (after backing up)
2. Cigarette lighter does not work
3. When I come to a stop the x5 bounces (not sure if this is the shocks???)
4. The power seat controls for the middle row don't seem to work at all...the ones by the tailgate do though.

My mirror is limp. It flops when you close the door sometimes. And my AC is still inop which couldn't be at a worse time. Luckily I haven't had any need to drive it.

I would have a good Indy shop to do the suspension system.
the power steering holes a pain,
I would have a shop do a inspection on the whole car and get a report and price for each job,I just did this with my X5 and it gave a list of jobs with price[my shop is M spec in NYC].
The rear dumper is the mount in the back where the battery is there are 4 bolts for each mount .
the body work, price it out.
My shop found leaking alternator mount , which is a bad situation waiting to happen.
How many miles?
I am guess she is a 05.
I Love my X5 but she is needy Mistrist ............

I would have a good Indy shop to do the suspension system.
the power steering holes a pain,
I would have a shop do a inspection on the whole car and get a report and price for each job,I just did this with my X5 and it gave a list of jobs with price[my shop is M spec in NYC].
The rear dumper is the mount in the back where the battery is there are 4 bolts for each mount .
the body work, price it out.
My shop found leaking alternator mount , which is a bad situation waiting to happen.
How many miles?
I am guess she is a 05.
I Love my X5 but she is needy Mistrist ............

Replace the washer fluid pumps there is 2 of them.

Look on ebay or google for the mirrors , You can find them cheap.

Thanks will do. What about the compact spare? Saw them on BMWUSA for $1500 haven't been able to find one for sale any where else.

94csi snap on the bouncy stops.

I forgot about my mirrors doing the E.D 209 shake :)

Electrical,
If I don't make much progress by the end of July I will take it to an Indy. Plan to drive to Barcelona (1800-2000 mile round trip)in October so every things needs to be sorted before September

Could be a fun thread, subscribed. Still have that stupid ass alt bracket leak. No time to deal with it yet.

I have a sight "clunk" coming from the back end, been driving me nuts. All new front and rear suspension parts. I have checked the tailgate and does't seam to be coming from there. I only hear it on small bumps. Also just got the P0155 code, 02 sensor has been ordered.

Just thought that it would be good if people could post links to any other threads they have relating to their issue so we can keep this one fairly brief and light hearted

Discovered the rear seats won't adjust (electric rear seat back adjusters). I'll be looking at the Bentley manual to determine which fuses to check (please let it just be a fuse...pretty please!!!!).

Not the X5's fault, but the headlights are starting to cloud up a bit... Might have to polish and UV protect them in the near future.

Remember if you have the window lock on, the rear seats will not adjust from the overhead console. Try the switches in the cargo area.

Replaced the "Auto" button that kept falling off of the climate control panel with a new one from IHKA buttons. Easiest fix yet...

Thanks! You saved me a lot of time and frustration in a 100 deg F garage! :thumbup:

Mine could use a front suspension bushing refresh for starters.

I need to fix my driver side window regulator. It gets stuck when rolled all the way down, and I have to wedge a screwdriver in the rear to get it back up.

I need to fix my AWD. My front diff is disconnected. The PO had the BMW dealer do the clutch, and 2 of the bolts are missing and 1 is broken off into the input flange of the front diff.

Speaking of the clutch being replaced, I have no idea why he didn't have the shift detent springs replaced when the trans was down. This needs to be done and would have been really convenient to do at that time.

Current issues:
1) Valve stem seals leak- blue smoke after extended idle (5+ minutes)
2) Power mirrors- driver side slightly loose, passenger side gears make noise when folding/unfolding
3) Noise coming off center of dash when A/C is on
4) Slight oil leak either from powering steering pump or lower timing case (yikes, hope not the latter)
5) Suspension components still original (115K miles). Need to do overhaul front and rear.

Recently fixed issues (last 12 months):
1) Alternator bracket broken and leaking
2) Coolant pipe leak
3) upper timing case leaks
4) Noisy transfer case (refreshed fluid fixed it)

Yo Dave, is your spare secured?

I didn't know that you could disconnect the front drive and keep driving the car. So.... what kind of mpg do you get? I would assume that it got better?

The spare is tight. The noise is a very light sounding clunk.I only hear it on small bumps like in my driveway. Most people don't even notice the sound. It's just one of those annoying things that I would like to take care of.

Today? Nothing.:D

Come on! I am sure you didn't look hard enough:p

Adding cloud front and rear headlights

If I have to look that hard it aint worth worrying about. :nanana:

:cussing:head of the radiator drain plug:cussing:

headted a small screw drive and stuck it in slow.....and out it came.


fuuuuu*k you drain plug :thumbup:

fixed 1 thing and another thing broke...Driver door carrier:bawling:

What did your noisy transfer case sound like? Every time I put my car in gear (drive or reverse) or gas it from a complete stop I have some type of metal racket, like the chain is loose is snapping around in there.

Driver side front strut mount bushing. Have the part, waiting for it to be under 100 during daylight hours or to get bad enough I take to to the indie.

Air Bag door label/door panel screw cover disappeared yesterday (ordered both 42.xx just now)

I feel lucky that is all.

Check the window safety lock button on the driver door. If its set to disable rear window controls it will also disable the adjustment buttons on the pillar. But, not the rear ones.

Rear passenger window regulator
Rear driver side door handle carrier
Front driver seat control unit

Nothing!

Ran her down the interstate for a meeting and a blow out the dust run. All is A-OK. The added a coat of wax on the front clip to keep away Mr Sunshine and Ms Bird Poop.:wow:

dsc/abs module....BBA uk said it's broken beyond repair. £500 for a new one :bawling: :bawling:

pdc broke, still, and ive lost a retaining clip on my rear arch, its flapping in the wind :)

biggeek, nothing on ebay?

Ditto :wow:

About to get rid of my 4.4i, but the things that are broken are:

1. Passenger side view mirror does not adjust down to see the curb when parallel parking and when it does go down, it won't go back up.

2. There's an oil leak that will cost $2k to repair b/c it is in a location where my mechanic will have to remove the entire front end to get to it. Cheaper just to let it leak and keep filling it up.

3. Probably have a leaky valve stem seal as well. Bluish grey smoke comes out of driver's side exhaust after idling. Didn't pass visual smog. Had to go to a "friendlier" smog check station. FYI for those in California, new regulations require a visual smoke test when you have to smog your X5. Any smoke coming from exhaust, even if it's steam, is an automatic fail. There's a visual idle test and a visual snap test, where they rev engine to 2-3k RPM. If you search the internet, there's a forum for smog check operators who say that any 4.4L BMW will fail the visual. Check with you mechanic to see if he has a smog guy that can help you pass the smog check.

4. Sometimes my navigation won't work. I have to have the X5 off for a while for it to start working again. And just noticed a couple of chunks of stuck pixels on the screen.

5. I think my suspension is gone. Going over bumps and small potholes shakes the whole ride and actually dislodges the nav DVD.

6. Wife scraped a wall and broke a clip on the bumper. (the least of my worries)

7. Trunk latch clicks when first opening. Subsequent openings don't click unless I don't open for a while.

Did valve cover on my 03' 3.0i. It was smoking bad and found out why tonight! It was missing a bolt, washer, rubber insert and oil was pissing on the header. Whoever serviced it last was a jackass. Hope the dealer has it in stock tomorrow.

Took it in for Valve cover gasket change for the 3rd time in 4 years. The first time, it was leaking so I changed the gasket myself (though I was sure I did it correctly) it started leaking again about 5k miles later. So I took it to a shop that specializes on "german" cars and he "adjusted the gasket and buttoned it up. (he only charged me $100 I think) It worked fine for 15k miles and started leaking again. Took it to another shop, he looked at it and said the gasket was cut, so he changed it and told me that my valve cover might be warped(x5 is 01 with 180k miles) and since the cover is plastic, it could happen. The fix worked for another 10k and it's leaking again. Has anyone heard of valve cover getting warped? This will be at least a $500 fix.
Oh also I saw coolant drop on the floor, I just changed the radiator 3 weeks ago and the leak is not coming from the radiator or any of the hose connections. So i'm guessing it's either the water pump or thermostat. Considering I had less than $300/year of maintenance cost in the last 2 years, I feel like this year is the year where i'll end up fixing a bunch. Already $1k in repairs this year. (Alternator, door handle, radiator, aux fan clutch, valve cover gasket changed so far)

^Try finding a lower mileage valve cover on Ebay. The plastic could be warped, sure. I'd also stick to a Genuine BMW gasket, and be sure to replace the 15 grommet seals as well.

Hey Ricky, Thanks for the input. I changed the gasket with BMW Genuine the last two times... That's the last place I want to take short cut or save $... I also changed the grommets the last time around.

hahaha you ned to buy an 8er to see who the needy mistress is!!!!
its in repairs more than driving.
I've been lucky that I've been driving mine as a daily driver again, but something is always needing a tweek or fix. ALWAYS :(

rear brake lines rusted out right by rdrivers rocker up under neath. in the middle, of fixing them was waiting for the weather to cool down, now it has ,but looks like rain grrrrrr.

so yeah, driving home on sunday in the rain and the wipers just stop in mid stroke.

checked the fuse so pretty sure the front wiper motor went out. been fun driving in the rain without wipers. hoping the x5 at the u-pull still has the wiper motor. it was pretty stripped.

get some rain x and put that on your windshield ,shouldn`t need wipers than. :)

and my wipers are working again. did some more looking and there's a thread saying the motor bolts might be loose.

yup, sure enough my bottom left one was literally all the way out and jammed itself into the motor arm. so now my wipers also dont make that clunk noise when its all the way up too. yay!

Air suspension hose blew off on my Arnott spring. I must have over tighten the air hose coupler when I installed it as it has been leaking a difference rates since putting it in.

Replaced rear window washer pump. Elbow from pump to hose was quite flared and began leaking almost immediately after the new pump was installed. Scratched my head for a while then decided to delete the elbow and see if this kinked the hose or not. Plenty of hose to route in a modest curve and avoid kinking. No more leak and now have rear window washer, which is nice given it's winter here. Will order a new 90* elbow in the future if I remember...

Winter, what the hell is Winter? Summer in Wash DC now. Here it is always hazy, hot, and humid, until late Fall. 100F today with late afternoon showers. Nothing better than water hitting hot sheet metal for a few hard burnt in water spots.

Good luck on your side of the planet.

I am in Indonesia right now on vacation, and they have 2 temperatures hot and hotter.

Noticed 2 chips on the Windshield, small albeit noticeable. :-|

Hole through the upper grill mesh. Must have hit a rock coming off a truck I followed. It hit hard enough to dent the radiator! Will monitor for leaks now. Pissed off for sure. I believe I have to remove the bumper to access this plastic part for replacement.
Also noticed that the PO or someone who worked on the car, has left all sorts of bolts loose. Power steering reservoir only had one bolt secure, the other was on by a thread. Heat shield under the car had front two bolts just started (looks like someone started them by hand then forgot to tighten). I don't need things falling off, as planning a bit of a road trip next week with the missus.

Driverside headlight went out. Removed the assembly after finding the rear cover was broken and just dangling in the engine bay. Replaced bulb and discovered the SMC module and the ballast both had water in them. Ordered a new assembly. I'm praying the SMC still functions. Cleaned all the corrosion off of it with contact cleaner and a brush.

hmm driver side turn signal went out again.

pulled the headlight and found that if I bottom out the bulb in the socket, it stops working. wiggle it? works. pull it up out, it works.

I bent the prongs a little on the socket as well as cleaned them and still does it. weird.

https://youtu.be/yKVAMYzG2fM

Brake light bulb error.

corroded terminals...need to find spare tailight.

you should be able to clean them up a bit and solder them,thats what I did last year and solved my problem. easy peezy. :)

thanks!

I'll try this tomorrow.:2thumbs:

apart from the cooling issue , I now cant move the knurl up on the center heating vent
will go full hot but to cold it only goes to 1

when will this end :):):)

oh and I got bird crap on the bonnet that looks like a bird the size of a house has pooped on it

- little button to open and close my mirrors...
- the Auto button for my fan - flipped clean off and had to look for it..
- passenger side seat belt ding - need to strap in my imaginary passenger so that the ding goes away ( started afte dealer fixed my mat sensor on passenger seat - recall )
- thrust arm bushing needs replacing - translate into shaky/loose steering and clunk when going over bumps etc..
- little red light on the door handle - broken when changing the door carrier.
- coolant expansion tank has a teeeeny tiny hole way on top... results in a small leak when i drive hard...

that should sum it up for a 2006 4.4i with 87000 miles.. :)

NYc. if that's al you got , be happy :):):)

:beerchug:

dude.. i know !

but... the complete picture...
- did my valve stem seals a few months ago...
- also did that other $5 seal under the engine.. forgot what its called..
- had to get 2 new rear tires - excessive toe caused massive wear on my 315s proxes II.

but yea man.. i hear ya... I am happy with her now and I will fix those little things before the winter sets in...

- looking forward to the tranny jerk from 1st to 2nd gear... lol
seems to happen more in the cold season.

Passenger side hose coupler on my front Arnott spring is screwed. Arnott is sending me a complete strut to swap out which is nice of them seeing that it was my fault for the bad install....Still costing me in shipping though 😭

My drivers door handle is broken. Change the carrier which was all going well until I dropped the screw....so one ripped soundproofing later I retrieve the screw get everything back together to see the rear plastic part of the handle had rounded. I notice there was very little plastic there when I took it off.....ho hum...ho him is all I can say because I used my quota of swear words when I dropped the screw😅

Rebuilt both of my wife's tail lamp assemblies. She reported "a light icon showed up on dash behind car diagram". I said probably brake light out and she had a friend operate the lights to confirm

Today went to pick up some new lamps and the store had some led equivalents for a very decent price so I decided to try them
Managed to drop the lamp holder behind/beneath the SUBWOOFER! Holy crap. Can't even get my goose neck inspection camera in to see where it landed. Can't remove sub without removing the fuse holder aargh! Ended up needing to remove the plastic subfloor of the cargo area to retrieve.

The lamp assemblies both self destructed. I'd be willing to bet an eventual occurrence in a majority of e53s. What happens is the contact gets a little dirty and when the resistance rises the power drop on the bad contact heats up the metal strip to the point it softens the plastic supporting it and the metal contact pulls away from the lamp holder. The problem gets worse exponentially and burns the contact point on the metal as well as melting the plastic holding it.

Google repair x5 brake lamp assembly you'll see quite a lot about it.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...1b6b14992e.jpg
The metal is supposed to be at the same level. It's about 1/8 inch low in front.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...2b56b83c78.jpg
After the fix. Better than new.

After fixing the starboard side I of course checked out the port side and was just about as bad so fixed that one as well.

Since we have identical year and model e53 2001 my wife and I, I of course checked out mine as well but my copy of the car has replacement tail lamp assemblies made in 2012 and BMW made the contact force about 40x as hard to eliminate the problem.

the little wheel on the front centre vent, goes to 3 on hot but only 1 on cold , and more and it kinda springs back
ideas ???

Sounds like a problem with the bowden cable that is operated by that knob.

This is for an E39 but it might help.

DIY - Fresh Air Grille / Centre Air Vent Replacement (E39) - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

Had a little rough starting in the morning. So I decided to check it out. Turns out that the number eight cylinder coil was bad. Runs great now and the MPG increased as well.

Front left is sitting low. Is the strut (original) given in to a leak after 118K miles and almost 10 years since build (10/05)?

Ackkkk...
Window reg on rear passenger door window.

I used to boast about never having had a window regulator replacement in almost 14 yrs on this 2001 X5. Then I had my driver window reg and motor and control panel go a month ago, and today that rear pass door window went 'Crack'.

I managed to lift the window to closed, but it slides down a couple inches when I drive.

On a 3+ week trip, with every day full of golf/seeing people/driving, repeat, so it may be a few until we can get it fixed, and I am not doing it in some motel parking lot.

Knock on wood that the remainders stay in good stead.
GL, mD

md, that's a bummer, but glad to hear that it's at least holding up if left untouched. I always feared broken window regulators whenever I take the X on long trips (funny how I worried about broken window regulators more than mechanical breakdown). Both of my fronts were replaced under warranty just when it was about to expired, so they're almost 8 years old. The rears are original, which means they're approaching 12 years soon.

Sounds like it might just be the window support clip. Couple bucks at the dealer and you could be back in business.

Front left air strut leak confirmed. Will buy Arnott's remanufactured. Do I really have to throw away (core it) a good front right air strut?

If Air suspension is computer controlled and we ride height calibrate it plus do alignment, is replacing in pair really necessary?

It'll probably start leaking soon

vanos, transmission, drivers side window regulator, AC needs recharging?

just a few things i've noticed over the last little while :banghead:

The coolant bleeder screw started leaking right out of the middle this evening. :dunno:

Luckily I just pulled into my driveway.

Not a damn thing!!!!


:D

Mr. Motor David;

You can still boast. The window problem is a far cry from some of the issues
you could be having. Count your blessings. I'm thinking easy fix.

Samesies now. Luckily BMW uses that bleeder screw on everything so the dealer had plenty in stock.

Passenger rear quarter window sun shade tore...new ones are stupid expensive (~$200!). Looking at ebay but worried anything I find there will tear in short order.

Anyone have experience with replacing these?

MD glad to hear the old x5 is still running well. How many miles do you have on it now?

Door handle drivers door. A little help from anybody that's fixed before would be appreciated. Inside handle operates. Outside handle does nothing also doesn't retract fully.

Heard a loud "snap" when shutting door last night and interferes with central locking.

Sometimes the doors wouldn't lock when using the key for example. That behavior has been for months so I've been expecting door handle failure for a while. I can pretty much repair anything so if it's possible to re-engineer and fix I will go that route. Example: http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...039b1435cd.jpg
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...2e32818492.jpg
That's a "discontinued" part from an ice maker. The cam that operates the "is the bucket full" lever. Re-engineered to have a steel screw vs a thin layer of plastic.

I also want to fix the window operator on the driver door its 30% slower than all other windows so some feedback on the likely cause. Does it just need some proper lubrication or a new motor or what?

Since I have to take the door apart I want to fix both at the same time.

The door still operates properly and I can key lock/unlock but have for months felt some undue resistance when using the key. The outside door handle doesn't work but the auto down with remote or key does so for now I can enter using the inside handle. I need to fix before the remote would stop working or the key jams and I can't get in.

For the slow window it does just seem like its fighting resistance like worn rail or no lubricant. Any experience with lubricating bringing it back to life?



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What's broken on your E53 today!
 

Wife's wiper transmission linkage. Busted where the plastic part goes into the metal tube. The right side wiper blade would wobble maybe 20° twist each wipe with a really unfriendly clunk each time.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...121ca59bfc.jpg
This shows the part where it was severed

Follow from my finger left: the black part is supposed to go into the tube I'm holding.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...53e9656dc5.jpg
Here I've added a steel angle. I drilled 3 through holes. One near the broken joint and in the plastic part and two through the steel tube.

I cut the angle so I could have a little extra support wrap around the bearing sleeve knuckle.

Long story short brought the part back to life In about two hours of monkeying around with zero cost. It's a $400-550 part new oem and God only knows what a stealer would charge in labor to install.

I've seen the part used for $75 eBay with no motor but wow that looks like a lot of work. The part with motor is $200 typical used but could be just as worn out and ready to break as mine.

I may do some preventive maintenance on my copy of the x5 as there is a clear weak point in the design right there. A few solid wraps with some hockey friction tape or some banding with a hose clamp would double the strength of that joint.

https://vimeo.com/137674326

The video plays even if the preview says still preparing.

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Lumba2 (wife's x5): the handle for the trunk floor popped off in my hand.

Design defect: the tapered "pop in" hinge posts are not long enough. They aren't worn they just pull out of the holes too easy.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...40ba1a6bf4.jpg

I cut off the less than useful old posts

https://vimeo.com/137856550

(It's a "little like cheating" to use a band saw I know)

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...6a2986a58c.jpg
Drilled the hole in the post to a depth of 6mm

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...b5d4e27bed.jpg
Looks like this after

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...0645f5bcda.jpg
Then put in a 6mm long M3 screw. Oh important fact: use a 7/64 drill and it magically works in plastic as if tapped for 3mm. It's the perfect way to fix any plastic part you can assemble with a screw. Been using that trick for a decade or more.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...b290a034b4.jpg
From the side of the fixed part. About 20x as strong as new.


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awsome idea, Ive never had an issue with mine but you never know.

Thanks. I will check out mine soon and may actually use a solid rod vs. the two screws. The LAST thing you need when the car gets a flat in a slush storm and 27° outside is that damn handle breaks off and can't get to the spare. (A tip for if it does happen to you: remove the two side panels and your fingers can grip the edge to lift)


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Looks like I need new battery. Planning to get H8 AGM. Will check Costco, Walmart and Advance Auto Parts for best pricing tomorrow.

Over the weekend tried to get it tested at local parts stores:
Autozone tested the battery at the terminals under hood and said it's bad, replace.

Advance Auto Parts tested at terminals under hood and their unit couldn't test, was giving error "Ensure no load on battery". Everything was off though.

Pepboys wanted me to go to Service department, I said no thank you :)

Adaptive lighting on one side :(
I pulled the air filter to get a good look inside the back of the light cluster and there are quite a few wires where the insulation has crumbled off in the intense heat in this country - so I ask myself, so I want to spend time finding which part is faulty, replace the entire lamp cluster, or have the little green light flashing whenever the headlamps are on...

Perhaps I'm the freak today.
But except for the radio pixels.
Absolutely everything is working perfectly.
I'm lucky I guess.

Ugh! Tstat stuck open. Leak in the Ac system.


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Sunroof vent position broke the other day.

Rear seat heaters not working. button press results only in the lights activating for half a second and off. Same effect both side. Front seat heaters are fine.

Is it as simple as blown fuse 4 or 80?

:bounce:The headlight leveling sensor lasts 289,598 miles, and then your headlights start dancing every time you come to a stop.

2002 X5 3.0 289,600 miles
2004 325i 123,000 miles

In reference to post #92. Checked fuses 4 and 80, both are good visually, one is 5 A and other is 20 A.

Any idea how to go about troubleshooting the rear seat heat not working. Currently the button activates the light for half a second and goes off. Long press does nothing as well.

Getting the transmission replaced. :(

Please provide some feedback on the reman unit that you have installed with regards to shifting performance and operation. Thanks

Passenger side wheel bearing exhibited too much play, looks like a wheel bearing job is in the near future.

Came back from summer. car sat outside 3 months. in the month and half of driving this is what has happened...

Headlights yellowed... Somewhat polished it yesterday.
Just today!! went through cr wash...front hood badge top right white portion peeled off.
Sunroof broke
Coolant tank pissed on something...colant level is fine.. not doing it anymore, but theres a big splash of white stuff on inner fender
got new rear tires!!!))))
Door handle carrier, once again same side.
Nav screen dead pixels expanded.

im sure theres more..... but this is the fastest stuff happened to it in such a short time.

https://pp.vk.me/c628116/v628116525/...J85goP5YbA.jpg

My window regulators are crap, so I'm just gonna go ahead and replace them before they break... as regular preventive maintenance... :bustingup :bustingup :bustingup

Better check your crap expansion tank too...:rofl:

I'm on top of it... Thanks for the reminder... :thumbup: :bustingup

Got the X5 back from getting the transmission replaced. Feels like it should now. It's still new, and I have my habits from when it was broken, so I'll give it some time and report back on how it's doing. So far, so good.

However now I have SELFLEVEL SUSP INACT. Looks and sounds like the left rear shock is bad. I can hear air while the truck is running, and I can hear air bleeding off and watch the rear fall when I turn the truck off. Fun times! :rofl:

Just got it back from getting the left rear airbag replaced. They used an Arnott bag and gave me a lifetime warranty. Error is gone, and all is well again!

Also, the transmission appears to be doing great. It's so much more fun to drive now that I don't have to worry about gear shifts and things going ker-plunk.

Seeing washer fluid on the ground - just underneath the engine.
And got Washer fluid low warning (5 days ago, I topped it off).
I am at 100,600miles

Will check the pump (the usual culprit) - this time I will probably buy the vdo/siemens pump versus the genuine + grommet . If the said part is the root cause.

My CV boots have been torn for almost a year! I think the joints are still good as I don't hear any clicking noises. But since they were torn for awhile I may consider replacing the axle shafts since they have brand new joints and boots.

This would be the third time I had damage to the front outer boots (left and right). Does that sound normal for a 10 year old car with 164k miles?

Broken inner hatch light (I know it's a simple fix and part replacement just haven't gotten around to it yet)

Oil pan gasket leak

Thrust arm bushings beginning to crack

I think the rear external door handle is on its last leg. I opened the door for my 27 months old and I just felt the handle was loose and did not align properly after I let it go. Anyhow I just ordered a new door carrier. Ready for the worse

In my experience, you're right at the average life interval of those outer boots. Mine last about 75,000 miles and even though most of my driving is highway mileage as opposed to city (tighter turns), I suspect the Texas heat, ozone & UV provides plenty of wear & tear. I inspect mine every oil change, tire rotation, and brake inspection. The minute I see grease, both sides get changed.

2002 X5 3.0 290,050 miles
2004 325i 123,000 miles

Yeah I should be more diligent when it comes to CV boots. By no means do I neglect my car, I just got ticked off with repair bills for the CV boots. I should tackle the job on my own this time. Looks like I'll be searching axle halfshaft repair DIY's soon!

Town and City parking will reduce this approx 40%, but extra care like some washing and a spray of Armor All at oil change times may help extend their lives.

So its the severe turning that can cause premature failure? Maybe I should take wider U-turns from now on... And also avoid steering all the way from lock to lock (in parallel parking, for example)

^ just drive straight ,problem solved :)

I've developed the ratchet sound during hard acceleration, guess it's time to look at the front prop shaft spline. :(

passenger halo bulb is out

whiter bulbs should be in today and should be able to upgrade both lights in under 5 minutes :)

also getting oil change tomorrow and replacing the filter too

got iron X to get rid of baked break dust since a few people in here recommended it :thumbup:

As par for the course the X5 throws a fit at the end of the week and right at the beginning of a snow storm. So far we are 0-2 for mountain dumpage and X5 brokenness.

New coolant tank and hoses on their way.

Now the question is do I take the E30 with a roof rack and snow tires (LSD too), or the Audi without a roof rack (risk effing up the nappa leather) and new all season DWS'?

If you don't care about slush in the Audi then lay down the back seats and throw a blanket over the seats and take that beast - sorry about the expansion tank man

Can't unlock my driver side door from in the inside, anyone know what would cause this?

Haha slush would be fine. I'm more worried about compact ice and snow. Luckily we don't use salt here so that's not a concern. I haven't driven the S5 in the snow yet...:D

Do they use magnesium chloride?

That stuff's even worse then salt, it sticks really well and is difficult to rinse off.

could be the cable connected to the interior door handle broke. you need to take the door panel off ASAP before the outside door handle doesn`t work too. you need to check this out right away.

I stand corrected. It's a salt water and molasses mix. It works really well and is really easy to wash off. It still have some salt but it's pretty diluted. Cars here hardly rust which is really nice.

Have you always used BMW CV boots or aftermarket ones. I just replaced my original front ones with the ones from BMW. My vehicle has 105K on it

I installed Wang Chung brand.
My original ones didn't last 75K.
New units work as described.
They work fine.
I wouldn't buy BMW brand because their rubber sucks.
Everything rubber or plastic on BMW are designed to rot and
desinigrate.

This one's for you RB. Our stuff barely fit in the back haha

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/v...psukd6zma0.jpg

Gorgggggg

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-conte...D_Approves.gif

You can't unlock the door from the inside by pulling up the door button or pressing the unlock door switch on the center column? Or do you mean you can't open the door from the inside?

Follow up to my post 92 and 94 about rear seat heat function inop. The wire connector was dislodged. Reconnecting it did the trick.

Handsome vehicle.

Tightened down the vehicle cover as it is raining here and going to get some wet snow. So much for the cherry blossoms around the Jefferson Memorial

Thanks. It's a blast.

The AC compressor took a dump. Puts a bit of a dent in the suspension fund...

^ Owee... That's not gonna be cheap.

Took mine to the dealer Wednesday evening and dropped it off along with my usual list of things to get fixed (still under warranty for another year).

• Passenger side front door won't open at all
• Rear passenger side outside door handle carrier is broken
• Rear suspension needs repair/alignment (worn inside driver side tire edge)
• Mount and balance 4 new tires
• Passenger seat heater getting replaced (part that's been on back order for 6 months finally arrived)
• Engine making rattling noise :yikes:
• Windshield washer tank keeps losing fluid and don't know where it's going
• Windshield washer tank float switch indicates low fluid when only half empty

I'm lucky I bought the warranty when I bought the car. Best $1600 I've ever spent. I'm sure the warranty company is counting the days until my contract is over! :popcorn:

That warranty has paid for itself with just the list of repair you have here. How many miles do you have on the car and what's the warranty company you are using?

^You have no idea!

To date, the warranty company has paid out over $13K in repairs, and that's the negotiated price, not street price. I've had numerous leaks, both front half-shafts, window regulator, etc replaced. Big ticket items were a complete panoramic sunroof rebuild a couple of years ago, and last year they did the valve stem seal replacement. Without the warranty, the sunroof bill would've been $4700 and the engine valve stem replacement would've been over $9000 according to the dealer.

I actually called the warranty company and asked them "At what point do y'all cry uncle?". They're reply was "when the total cost of repairs exceeds the cost of the vehicle". I bought the car at Carmax for $25K in 2011 and bought the extended warranty through them.

The actual warranty company is Western National. I have a $250 deductible per visit, so I usually wait until I have a list of items and get them taken care of at the same time. This visit is typical of that. They even replaced the nav screen due to dead pixels a couple of years ago.

I've had far more repairs than I think is normal for most vehicles, but then, the X5 is not "most vehicles". It can be frustrating, but damn the thing makes me smile whenever I drive it! It's also my daily driver (101K miles on the clock), so it's no garage queen.

Well nothing broken on the car, but my new 4.8is OEM rotor had a crack before I even installed it :(
Gotta love HuskerParts customer care though, made it super easy and understanding.
Already have a new one being overnighted :)
http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/r...pstyvfw92l.jpg

Blown right brake light bulb!.........again in 6 months!:(

Thinking of getting the Spyder.....idk yet.

looks like shipping damage ( was dropped probally.)

Stupid trim piece with the leather that clips on top of steering column and moves with the wheel when getting in and out has some busted clips and keeps popping out when I'm driving -

$40 + tax from the dealer and 7-10 days to arrive as its only available in Germany - biting the bullet because I hate trim pieces that don't fit properly and it will drive me crazy as its right in my vision.

Looks like I need to replace the double u-joint lower steering shaft. I have an 01, and the lower piece isn't available anymore, so I have to use the upper+lower from the later models. Debating if I want to DIY, or take it somewhere.

I don't really have the time to spare at the moment. The upper bit goes through the firewall into the cabin, so I'm guessing some interior bits need to come out to get at the coupling inside. Anyone done the whole shaft, and not just the lower joint? Ballpark estimate of labor involved? I'm guessing the dealer will want $1500 or so. Probably more as they mark up parts about 20% over full retail.

Are there index marks on the top/bottom so it's self aligning?

Scott what kind of mileage do you have on your X5?

156k miles; bought it new.

Symptoms include a clunk when making a slow speed tight left turn. I recently replaced both halfshafts, both tierods and all of the front suspension bits, including ball joints, control arms and tension struts and swaybar links. All were torqued to spec under load, and double checked by my dealer when I had it aligned.

I thought maybe the belly pan bolts were loose; I reused them (yeah, I know) and loc-tited them. They were torqued too; and don't seem to be loose, but I suppose that might be the problem. I crawled under it Sunday and re-torqued them about another 45deg; still have clunk.

Strut upper bearings going bad or the strut shaft nut loose?

I'll check the struts, good idea. Thanks.

Good call I would recommend this to. I just finished rebuilding my front suspension which included new sachs struts with the H&R lowering springs. When I removed the upper bearing/strut mount and inspected it, I was surprised to see the amount of deterioration that occurred with the rubber in the mount. While I did not have any noise it was just a matter of time before it would show itself.

Both rear air bags deflated never to inflate again. That was one heck of a bumpy ride to the indie shop. Doing a conversion and getting rid of air suspension. Also DSC 4x4, Brake, and ABS lights came on prior to the suspension. Indie said no go on the gear replacement. I believe he called it the Servo motor needed to be replaced? Whatever it is thats getting fixed. Passenger side valve cover is leaking. Besides the alternator this is only the second big fix in the 3 years I've had her. I feel blessed. She is one heck of a machine.

3 problems this week. Got "Check brake lights & check rear lights" along with washer fluid low (leak is likely as it was full recently).