Bavarian Auto Recycling may have what you need. They are a big BMW parts recycler in California and ship anywhere. You can buy used and re-built engines from them as well. They don't list the engine for the X5 on their website, but you can call and ask.

http://www.bmrparts.com/

You don't deem it enough of a potential problem to do a bit of preventative work to replace the part that might fail? Seems cheap enough to do it rather than risk destroying ones engine. I would think you could have BMW replace it under the goodwill policy.

Replacing it doesn't ensure you won't have a problem, but for a vehicle with 60,000 miles or so, it seems like a good idea to me.

The problem is worse with vehicles that don't get warmed up completely, meaning that the water vapour in the oil doesn't get boiled off. That water vapour then may freeze (more likely with a real cold snap), causing a problem (maybe), leading to a pressurized crankcase. That can cause oil leaks, and in some cases, enough trapped moisture that a hydraulic lock is possible. Most vehicles don't have a problem. Replacing the separator valve is a reasonable step, but ensuring that the engine gets hot reduces the likelihood of failure just as well.

I do agree that the design has room for improvements, and if the heated vent lines are available and BMW will provide them under a policy agreement, so much the better.

i've notice that milky thing on my 530i, hope the 6's don't have similar problem ?

They do. Stop making short-trips and that problem will go away, unless you have a failing headgasket.

Same. Bimmerfest forums list identical issues on '03 530i models.

I had my car brought to Sears Auto Imports, the BMW dealer in Minnetonka, MN. They kept telling me they would look at it and get me a diagnostic the next day. I'm patient and listened to this garbage for a week. Finally, I got fed up after a day of waiting for the fax that was coming in "ten minutes." I called the service manager, Jim, the next morning and told him how disappointed I was in their undelivered promises and informed him that I would NEVER bring my car back to them and that I would never even consider buying another BMW from them. By the way, the estimate that they gave me - handwritten on a piece of paper - was $3,140 for oil separator, valve cover gaskets, new seal, oil change and computer diagnostic. An additional $900 would get me a valley pan and new spark plugs.

So, I towed it over to ORR Motorsports in Eden Prairie, and for the same service plus replacement of the water pump it will all cost me $2655. I decided that once it's fixed I'll put it on the market for the loan value plus the cost of the repairs. If someone bites, great. If not, I think I'll be able to drive it for a few more years without much more going wrong - knock on wood.

BTW - Orr is getting this done by this Tuesday. They are the largest buyer of original BMW parts and the only independent dealer with BMW diagnostic equipment.

Good luck to everyone out there with this problem. I hope you find a good mechanic.

Crazy. $200 in parts and 8 hours or so of work.

I need to open discount shop :)
No wonder people want to get rid of BMW after that..

Here's a copy of the SIB that someone posted up in my thread (I'm the latest casualty it seems of a blown valve cover gasket, etc. b/c of the crappy-ass design of the cyclone/oil separator valve). If someone has actually had BMW share in all or part of the cost for a vehicle out of warranty please post up. I have yet to see this be the case and the # of DIY write-ups out there lead me to believe BMW doesn't care about the issue. I even tried calling BMW Canada this morning and the guy I spoke with acted like he had never even heard of the problem...go figure.

SI B11 08 03
Engine
February 2005
Technical Service

This Service Information bulletin supersedes S.I. B11 08 03 dated December 2003.

[NEW] designates changes to this revision

SUBJECT
Oil Separator - Cold Climate Conditions

MODEL
E39 5 Series, E46 3 Series, and E53 X5 with the M54 Engine

[NEW] SITUATION

Certain areas of the US experience extremely cold climate conditions during the winter months A small number of vehicles in the above series listed have experienced problems ranging from leaking or broken valve covers to complete engine failure.

[NEW] Cause

Moisture accumulating in the engine oil separator, hose to oil dipstick guide tube or the orifice in the dipstick guide tube can freeze. When this occurs, depending on the position of the internal valve, this may either cause high crankcase pressures (stuck closed) resulting in valve cover leakage/breakage or cause an oil hydro-lock condition (stuck open) which could result in engine damage.

[NEW] CORRECTION

In case of a customer complaint, replace the crankcase vent valve, crankcase vent hose and remove and clean the oil dipstick guide tube orifice.

[NEW] PROCEDURE

Repair/replace all affected components. Access to the oil separator is best achieved by removal of the intake manifold. Refer to Repair Instruction 11 61 050 for details.

1. Replace the oil separator and hoses (1) with the new insulated style (2).

2. The oil separator repair kit fits all the affected models. One additional hose needs to be ordered:

^ (1) E39/E46 PN 11 15 7 532 629

^ (2) 53 PN 11 15 7 532 628

3. Obtain a thin piece of metal measuring approximately:

^ = 2.50 mm

^ = 0.8mm

^ Length = 30 cm

Using a wiper blade metal reinforcement will be sufficient.

4. Remove the oil dipstick guide tube and clean the upper crankcase vent tube orifice using the metal device (1).

Note: The guide tube orifice can be restricted by a build-up of oil, water and ice. Using a brake cleaner solvent will aid in the process.

5. The lower end of the dipstick tube has a double-wall. The outer orifice needs to be cleaned using the metal device (1) as noted above and brake cleaner solvent.