Need some advice from the E53 owners...
 

Hi all,

Im all over the place with keeping my E53 3.0. I owned about 12+ BMWs at this point, so owning BMWs isnt anything new to me.

My question is more related to "what makes sense to do?" not really related to anything to do with money.

I got the X5 for pretty cheap, I dumped a bunch of money into it (maybe around 10k with the purchase of the car) and its pretty much bulletproofed, everything has been taken care of on it (mechanically). It only has 73.5k miles. The car is in really nice shape. Its pretty loaded. That being said from a reliability/cost/practically the X5 is worth keeping.

On the flip side iv been itching for a station wagon or for a coupe since I do not need a SUV anymore. While under 100k miles, I think that's a another factor to try to at least recoup more of my money that I have in this car.

I dont have any real issues with the X5. If I had to pick one, it would be fuel economy. I get around 17.5-18 MPG feathering the gas pedal around the city/highway (about a 50/50 split). I know its a brick on wheels. Iv yet to do a fuel filter on it and I was going to add some injector cleaner to possibly "help". And my "fun car" gets about 15-16 on a good day. I towed U-haul motorcycle trailer with it, and it was a unique experience. I felt every jerk of the trailer in my seat lol. I never towed a car with it, although I had that on my mind. I figured It would be able to tow a car, not like the V8, but it would do the job.

Iv only did a few upgrades like better bulbs outside and inside the car, and I installed a complete OEM hitch assembly. The mod bug is itching bad still.

Future mods id like to do is a M-sport interior (seats, steering wheel, headliner (mine started to sag) etc), nicer wheels, maybe the msport appearance package and a better headunit.

So what do you guys think? Keep it? Sell it while its "in its prime"? I dont really have a car picked out to replace the X5, so im in no rush. Hence I figured maybe some X5 veterans could sway me in either direction.

Here are some noteworthy features of my X5:
-black interior/grey exterior (i forget the paint code/color)
-74.5k miles currently
-OEM Nav, non-DSP.
-full moon roof
-window shades (I guess all X5s have that?)
-Xenon headlights with washers
-Everything works on the interior, no major wear and tear, no dead pixels anywhere.


P.S. - Been trying to find new head unit. Iv been told to go AVIN AVANT 4 or Xtrons or Dynavin. But I hear mixed things about each. Not a huge fan that these are like $500-$800 range. But I get it, good ol can-bus system. Mainly looking for apple car play and being able to charge my phone through the unit as well (if im doing wired car play). I got spoiled with apple car play before I got the X5. I installed a Alpine unit in my Subaru, and that was the best $400 iv spent for that car. Looking forward to any advice on this. I am doing my own research as well, looking on the forum.

Your X5 isn’t worth very much money if you sell it. But you’ve taken care of it and worked out all the issues so it’s reliable and you have knowledge of its history. It doesn’t make financial sense to get rid of a reliable high performing car, especially with the wretched state of the supply chain and the crap cars coming off assembly lines right now.

If you’re itching for something new, just park it and see how the new car works out. If after a few months you find yourself over the X5 then you can sell it to some worthy person. Or you might decide you want to keep both. I own several cars.

Good advice and well explained. That was sort of what I was trying to convey. Even with what's for sale on CL or FB Marketplace, its hard to find anything worth the $$$. Especially BMWs.

The E53 isnt a hot vehicle either. Although I feel like its a little underrated. For a SUV this thing is nice.

I see from another post of yours, that you have an '06 X5 3.0 w/76k miles and you have owned this since April 2021.

Give your descriptions, I don't think you typically own a car, any car, very long.
If that's true, you should probably sell this one and move on.

BTW, It wasn't clear to me which car you were towing with where "you felt every jerk of the trailer". But whatever it was, check the size of your tow ball and the size of the trailer coupler. What you describe sounds like towing a 2-inch trailer coupler with a 1 7/8" ball on your trailer hitch.

I usually own a car somewhere between 2.5-4 years. There was years where I owned a car for a year or so only because either a family member or a friend needed a car that's "Good to go" so I sold it to them or I found something for a good deal. I had a 2014 435i Coupe that I bought in 2017 and sold it mid 2020. I told myself I would keep that car for 5-6 years, loved it. But the pandemic happened and I sold it so I can have more $$$ in my emergency fund, just in case. Glad I did because I lost my job due the pandemic and it took a while to find another job. I drove my 850i as my daily driver and when winter hit, I bought a cheap Subaru, which my dad ended up liking and he bought from me which is how I ended up with my X5.

About the towing, It was towing with the X5. Every bump felt like a jerk, which now that you mention it could be the issue with the ball and coupler. My brother used his own ball/receiver, not sure what size it was. We just towed an empty uhaul trailer, there was no weight on it.

I'm starting to like the idea of just keeping the X5, and maybe buy something in between and make my decision then. On average I only put around 10,000 - 12,000 miles a year on a daily driver. Plus I noticed a pattern where if I have NO practical car, I end up needing one...and once I do get a practical car....I end up doing very little "practical" things with it.

Sounds like a nice X5, that you’ve already put a chunk of money into so what’s the harm in keeping it for a while. At least through the winter where you’ll want something like it for your weather, and then evaluate in the spring or summer. Mine was my wife’s daily driver from 2002 until 2015, and then my kids thrashed it for five years. I repatriated it during the pandemic as I needed a project so I wouldn’t go nuts not working much. By far my favorite car I’ve owned now. It has taken a pile of money to get there though, and like any older sophisticated car, it’s a beggar - always wants something. And that stuff is on top of the mods I still have on my list. Sounds like you are no stranger to keeping up middle and older age cars though.

I’m not sure what the 3.0 gets normally, but I’d kill for that MPG! If it’s on the low side though you could do the 02 sensors. I’ve read here that they can affect MPG as they fail/age. I think you will need to reset the adaptations after replacing them.

No DSP makes it much easier to replace the head unit. I put a Kenwood into mine that I’ve been pretty happy with, and just added a 10” kicker powered sub to the right rear cubbie. The angle of the dash makes me wish the kenwood was a bit brighter, and I wasn’t smart enough to go to the next model up to get HD radio, but it’s light years ahead of the stock system. I’m going to fab an MDF surround for it and learn how to cover it in matching burl veneer.

Have you checked the front drive shaft transfer case splines? If not I’d recommend doing so if you hang onto the car. Depending on your AWD model it can be an absolute showstopper if they fail. In some molds the AC drain line(s) drip onto the splines and corrode them, and/or cars that live in places with bad winter, salted roads, etc. might have problems. Mine were were showing plenty of wear though and my car has only ever been down south and in California, and my AC lines were offset from the t case from the factory. At some point BMW used a longer shaft, and moved the AC drain lines a bit so they wouldn’t drip on the drive shaft end. You may have the OE longer shaft already though, or adding longer splines isn’t a tough job.

Empty trailers frequently feel absolutely awful.

FWIW, I was very pleasantly surprised by the X5's towing when I had to relocate my race car. The 3.0 6MT pulled not quite 5,000lbs. very nicely. No, it wasn't as good a tow vehicle as my diesel 3/4 ton, but it was very stable and could comfortably maintain speed in 6th gear on level road.

Rear shades were an option. There are several options for units with apple play. I have a Sicane unit. Unfortunately it was one generation before apple play. I think the Avin and Dynavin units are more popular. There are several threads about installation here that might help, I have DSP so install wasn't much fun. IMO Quicksilver is the resident go to for which unit to buy.

When towing an empty trailer it helps if you add some weight to front of trailer to get some tongue weight and reduce amount of trailer bounce. The trailer is also less likely to start whipping around.

I agree with those suggesting you keep your X5 for the time being. I subscribe to the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. If you already had something that you go to sleep thinking about I probably would move forward, however, still keeping the X5 protects you from buyers remorse and you will find out which one sits and which one you drive. You are almost done with what you want to do to the X5, it is low miles and is fine for towing.

154000 vs 74,000 miles. I would keep yours. Chicago? I would keep it just for bad weather days! Mine was going to be a temporary vehicle while doing timing chains on a GMC 3.6 Acadia. Now, the Acadia has been passed on my folks. The X5 will be wifey's daily driver. She has a heavy foot compared to mine.

Can't beat dependability! Keep it!

The car you know is always better than the one you don't know.

The front driveshaft splines are not a known weak-point on the LCI (X-Drive, Facelift) cars, only on the pre-facelift cars. BMW extended the drive shaft a bit on the LCI refresh... ;)

Hi all,

I spent the last couple days looking for "mods" for my X5. I figured if Im going to upgrade the radio, and Ill have to take half interior apart... I might as well do everything at the same time.

Mod list:
-upgrade radio
-install back up camera
-Msport seats
-Msport Steering wheel
-Msport Headliner
-PDC Retrofit (Maybe)
-Msport exterior trim (bumpers and arches, maybe with PDC)

Long story short I went to a few local junkyards and only managed to scoop up the black plastic trim pieces for the black headliner (msport). I figured Id take those so I don't have to paint mine since Ill probably re-do the headliner in my E53 since the panoramic panel material is sagging. Headliner from the car in the junkyard was already coming apart, so I didnt take that. I did pass on the "shadow line trim" that one X5 had. I figured since my X5 is all "paint and plastic" the shadow line trim would just look off on the car since its gloss black.

Found a few local people parting out a few X5s... the downside is that for the msport heated seats, the X5 specific heated Msport steering wheel (thats trashed and needs new buttons), PDC bumpers with msport "add ons"... in total... these guys are asking about $1300. Add another $250 to paint for the bumpers, and $200 for the new buttons from BMW for the steering wheel. The radio from AVIN (avant 4) is going to be around $700 - $750.... so in total this is close to $2500 for everything. Oh... and ill need brakes soon, so another $400 ish.

Obviously brakes will be done. Not sure if my car is even prewired to have PDC... (11/2005 with factory Nav, non dsp), if it is not... then Ill give up on those bumpers and I guess the exterior in general... and just focus on the interior. I genuinely thought this "build" would come out to be cheaper given the fact that the E53 chassis is old and unpopular. Im already way too deep into this X5... and now Im asking myself if its worth dumping another $3000 into this X5. I don't view cars as investments, but Iv had good luck with cars in the last 6-5 years. The X5 seems to be the opposite.

Also not sure how to talk these guys down for the parts... I just might pull the "Thats all I got with me" OR "No one is going to give you that much" card on them. Id be content with spending about half of what they said. Because again, I actually know for a fact... those cars have been sitting for about 5-6 months now.

Install the radio, steering wheel and then keep on driving while you seek seats. They just bolt in so it is only a few hrs work. The PDC upgrade can be done via other options including a backup camera only. Not worth the labor and costs in my opinion but it is nice to have in tight spaces.

Forum posts on this topic that can help you if you go down the PDC path
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...g-sensors.html

Well looks like the radio will be ordered here soon, just got to wait for my paycheck lol

Today on the way to work, my Nav/Radio Started to freak out mid-drive. The nav unit just opened up (there is a casette player behind it) and the unit started to turn on and off, it kept opening and closing all the way and in some cases not all the way (the hinge mechanism really got a work out today). It kept switching to the radio and from it. Basically it reset my MPG consumption too which I was bummed out about since I was mid progress of efficiency experiment lol.

It kept doing this then, it started to make a ticking sound from the cassette slot. I pressed the eject button on it in hopes it would "reset itself". It sounded like a bomb ticking...at one point it got faster. Drove like that for about 15 minutes until I got to work. About 5 minutes before I got to work, the nav unit just kept shutting on and off, but it closed itself. Once I parked, I shut off the car and the unit freak out for about 3 seconds and it shut off (as I thought), I sat there for about 2 minutes and the nav opened up and closed one more time, screen flickered one more time, screen went blank...and then after a minute it shut off. I was worried it would drain my battery. But I went out to lunch today and the unit worked like normal. Not sure what caused this.

When its hot, sometimes the unit will reset itself, but that happened a total of 2-3 times on me over the year Iv been driving the car.

Gives me an excuse to finally get a new radio and not procrastinate on it lol. Anyway, would 2 GB Ram be good? For Avin they want $50 more for a total of 4 GB ram... I dont really plan on running a bunch of apps on the radio. Just the ibus app for the most part. Run everything else off my phone for apple car play.

Good idea. PDC would be nice but I would need it. But I figured it would be a cool thing to have. Would probably help sell the car faster later too. People already rely a bunch on their diving assists. Im near Chicago, so you see multiple idiots on the road everyday. I saw guy pull out into the furthest lane in his Tesla today RIGHT IN FRONT OF A MOTORCYCLE. From what I remember from driving school, you aint supposed to pull out into the most furthest lane when making a turn. Not sure why the tesla driver decided to take the farthest lane with a INCOMING MOTORCYCLE. Dude on the motorcycle was obeying the laws etc. He was not happy.

I might just counter offer this guy for the steering wheel. He was supposed to send me better pictures today but he didnt. If it sells, I have a lead on a really nice clean ready to go heated steering wheel.... just no air bag. But I know I can get an airbag from a junkyard for $60. It sounds weird when I use the word AIRBAG and JUNKYARD in the same sentence. LOL

Hi all,

Its been almost a full year since I posted lol

Anyway, I ended up getting the radio. I went overboard with how to install it. I basically took everything apart in the inside and ran all the wiring like the factory looms ran. Including the rear camera which was a huge PAIN in the rear. But I did it.

About the radio (Avin Avant 4):
I feel like the price that it costs...its a bit too much. Especially if you want to use the Apple Car Play feature. Would I buy again? Probably but I would have done things a bit differently. Im not going to complain about it because having this radio in a vehicle from 2006 is a huge bump in enjoyment. Looks OEM and I can do what most cars do. Yes its not the smoothest or the greatest...but it works just fine. The only REAL major complaint I have is that I cant really use the the unit to talk with people over the phone. Not sure why, but there is a major echo on the other end. People just hear themselves and its annoying to them. In the apple car play settings I have it set to car mic, but I guess for some odd reason the mic is picking up the callers voice from my speakers at all volumes pretty much. With the OEM headunit it didnt do that. So I probably should have gone with a external mic.

As for my mods, I didnt do much. My moonroof fabric fell off. I have ordered some alecentara headliner material and iv been postponing the job. I got the black plastic pieces and the pillar trim from a "si/M-sport" E53, just would have to wrap all the headliner stuff in new fabric. The seats I gave up on and the steering wheel as well. The OEM steering wheel grew on me and finding a cheap M-Sport E53 steering wheel with a HEATED function is proving to be difficult....unless you want to spend the $350+ on ebay for one.

The X5 currently just hit 86k miles. No major issues other than I had a leaky rear rubber brake line, so I just replaced both rears. I ended up changing out the fuel filter about a month or two ago and Iv seen a slight increase in my MPGs. The filter in the car was original from the factory and when I turned it over black sand/dust/dirt started to pour out from the tank side, fuel was clear from the other end of the filter.

Pretty much since my last post I just drove the car as a daily. I like it. I took it on its first 3-4 hour road trip and it handled it well. Thats where the X5 seems to shine.

I do find myself again in the situation where Im not sure what to do with this X5.

Here are my options:

-keep it and just maintain it, buy yourself something "cheap and fun" or something "fun", the X5 can be a back up car if you need to tow something, haul or use if I dont want my other cars to be damaged or something. I do have the OEM wesftalia hitch on it (I believe its a class 2 or 3), so I could technically tow 6,000 lbs without an issue.

-sell it, use funds to help me get a new car of sorts. Like a pick up or a newer X5. Maybe even throw half of that money into my "Can I finally buy my own place in this market?" Fund.

-Keep it, but buy something fun. But also have some fun with the X5. AKA dump more money into it and dont look back.

-Sell the X5, get another cheap car of sort, maybe something better on gas. Not that fill ups are an issue really.

It sounds like it was done right! :thumbup:


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

Probably since they don't actually exist.

There was never an M-Sport version of any sort on the E53 platform.

There IS a "sport" steering wheel (I have one, from the factory - like most LCI cars have) but not an M-Sport.

I know I said sell it and move on in a post almost a year ago...

But in Chicago you need a quasi-heavy duty winter car...
Try and keep salt and brine off the bottom of the X5, rinse it off from time to time.

Your car isn't worth much in a sale...and it has quite a bit of function to you, so I suggest you keep it.

I tow with mine occasionally and also have the OEM hitch...its very handy in that regard. I have a permanent roof rack on it also.

But I have 3 other BMWs with same engine that I drive more often in the non-winter months.

This. I had the same thought a couple of years back => https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...-thoughts.html

Ultimately, I have decided to keep mine and use it as my back up...but I still feel bad seeing it parked outside in the hot sun :( Just started dailying it the past couple of weeks and still enjoy it tremendously, surprisingly :thumbup:

Carvana wanted to offer me $770 and keeps upping the offers every couple of months. The latest offer from them was $880 and this was a week ago :rofl:

Need some advice from the E53 owners...
 

Comical indeed! :rofl:


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

Not too bad out here, weather-wise. We've been lucky to live near (about 10 miles away from) the Pacific Ocean...so it only got up to the high 80s to low 90s.

mD, good to see/hear from OG members like yourself are still holding onto their beloved e53! $4Gs is a decent offer, but I think it's worth more, especially with your 5spd and condition. But ultimately like you said, there's really nothing out there in SUV land (or anything, really) that peaks my interest...at least nothing short of $80Gs+. Who knows, maybe I may pony up one of these days for my "last hurrah" ICE before I'm forced into one of those iPhone mobile :(

Stay safe!

I'm keeping my X5 forever...
 

Weather-related: Lucky is right...high 80's to low 90's? That's mid-March or last week of September weather, here in N.Texas. Humid, too, without an ocean breeze, though. Spring and summer are just plain hot, mostly.

Vehicle-related: I'll never forsake my ICE vehicles for any E-cars, ever. Nor do I like to see self-driving cars beside me on the road (though they might be better/safer than a texting while driving teen) https://www.thezebra.com/resources/r...ng-statistics/.

At my age, almost 73, I doubt that I'll still be driving after all ICE vehicles are unavailable (no new ones)/undriveable (no parts, no gas)/unlawful (banned from the road). As is, I intend to keep and maintain my current fleet, with my "last project car", the 22 year-old '01 X5, @ 211000 miles, as my favorite, and probably in the best condition (with drivetrain and suspension components almost all renewed in the last 5 years), while the other 4 vehicles:

• 1) '09 HHR Panel LS, the newest at 14 years, with 182000 miles, needs front struts
• 2) '08 Cobalt Coupe LS, at 15 years and 110000 miles, needs ABS work??
• 3) '04 Chevy 2500HD, at 19 years and 135000 miles, needs transmission work (just barely slipping in first gear, but not in tow/haul mode), and
• 4) '98 GMC Sierra 1500, at 25 years and 185000 miles, needs tires (it's on 14 year-old Daytons!)

are all in fairly good & repairable shape. All run & drive, and will last me as long as I foresee, and I'll make sure at least two (we found out that one vehicle is never enough, as a back-up is a necessity) will be there for my much-younger wife, after I stop driving.

Craigslist to the rescue, for me at least. A local seller had an OEM X5 cover for sale. While waiting for an oil pan and front driveline repairs, it was covered for almost 2 months. Occasionally, I use the cover to protect it from hot weather. Look for a good cover when you have to keep yours outside for a bit. I hate not moving it and it's dirty when I drive it again.

Lots or rain/T Storms, but that is normal here in the mtns of western NC, in Summer...

At our almost a mile high elevation, it has been 50s at night/low and low to mid 70s for our daytime 'high'. :)

Higher elevation has some benefits.

CEO & I have managed to still dodge the Covid Cooties, though I do not understand 'how'. We both have had 2 shots and a boost, but I am done with them: the booster kicked my azz for a week and I don't need anymore meds that might set off aonther cytokine storm in me, with my already oddball immune system of berserk T and B cells...my Transverse Myelitis situ erodes me enough every year, here in my mid 70s.

No complaints, I just grin and bear it and keep on going as vigorously as I can. :thumbup:

Car stuff: dkl and workingonit I hear you on ICE cars. We idly looked at EVs and Hybrids, but my CEO wanted a 2023 X3 ICE to replace her 2017 X1 ICE.

The X3, though it sells like cold beer in summer is an OK at best car, imo: several niggling ergonomic bits, trunk isn't much bigger than her X1 was, came with a slightly distorted windshield, (dlr sez it's fine), and has had two CELs in the first two months, which require a 3/4ths day of over/wait/diagnose/'fix' and drive back from our 'local' BMW dlr.

X3 Gizmos and tech system crap: We are about in '9th grade' in terms of learning the step in step in step in cell phone like crap to do what a fookin dash button would do in 3 seconds. WTF?!

And, the quirks and wrong steps occur frequently for us Geezers/user error old bastards. :rolleyes:

I think BMW uses Windows Vista or Windows 8, the way these things work...

NEway, back to perusal. Hope all are well and getting through life in good stead. It goes very quickly and is not for the weak or weary once one gets into middle freakin 70s.

Average sunrise from our Mtn home deck:

Spectacular view! I definitely don't mind giving up the beach life if I can wake up to that picturesque view every morning :thumbup:

If your E53 has the DSP option, and a working cassette player, I'd suggest a bluetooth cassette adapter (about $15-20 on the hamazon). It sounds really good tho I am no audiophile; I'm sure an audio snob would not approve. Just remember to remove it and charge it once in awhile. The battery has lasted through the entire 400-mile slogs to my camper, about 7 hours. There will be a wire with a pinchy switch on it to turn it on and off sticking out from behind the motorized faceplate which does not seem to bother anything. I think it is supposed to work for phone calls but never tried it. I control the phone with my watch while driving to skip tracks.

From everything I've read, installing a 3rd-party head unit requires disconnecting the DSP.

I'm sure given its age that the cassette drive mechanism will die at some point. I'll deal with that when it happens.