We bought our X5 with full knowledge of what repairs cost. It would just be nice if they needed a little less, imo. We have put between about 15,000 to 20,000 miles a year on it since purchasing 4 years ago.

I am not sure how much preventative maintenance I could have really done to limit the vast majority of my issues such as window regulators (we don't slam doors), alternators locking up(???), fuel pump failing, (we use only Shell and Chevron premium grade from what appear to be reputable stations), thrust rod bushings twice (we drive slow over speedbumps and the roads are like glass in here), etc. These are just some of the repairs we have been faced with. Not to mention having to replace just about every engine seal imaginable including the valve cover gaskets twice in 60,000 miles. How could I have prevented my air conditioning evaporator core from leaking, the very common corrosion in the tail lights that causes the bulbs to stop functioning, my power steering hoses from leaking, my final stage resistor from failing, etc. I am not sure how I could have prevented much, if any, of that. As much as I like BMW's, this list should be much shorter, imo and it doesn't include all of the issues I have had like a complete overhaul of the cooling system and it's brittle plastic components. Luckily, the majority of these items were replaced under an extended warranty.

guess i better keep my fingers crossed then!!

To your point, my high maintenance costs on my X bought at 79k miles have something to do with catching up on maintenance that might have been deferred by prior owner (or maybe the reason they dumped it). Whatever the case I keep it b/c nothing else meets my needs as well as this complex machine does. But my M5 was, and my x3 is, comparatively bulletproof compared to the E53. This board continues to be a great X5 grief counselor. :thumbup:

im in for the long haul, so i guess time will tell,

oh i guess i should also say that i get paid $22,000 a year tax free to provide a vehicle (car allowance)

that makes it a little easier for me,

Yes, that will help tremendously. Hopefully you will have better luck than I.

I agree you really can't prevent alot of issues. But at least having some knowledge of what the problem is, you won't be taken to spend more money than you have to. Or even at times it could be a quick DIY. I'll go back though to having a trusted indy. My mechanic allows me to hang around the shop, watch them work, walk around look at other rides. I guess because the shop I go to is more bmw enthusiast oriented. These guys love bmw's and they take pride in working on them. If i'm not at the shop and they need to do something, he'll take a picture and send it to me on my phone or email me. How many bmw shops will do that?

I've heard that with the window regulators for example, it's good to roll your windows down once in awhile. I actually always roll my windows down first thing in the morning when I take the x5 out.

I would love to know what the OP purchased as a replacement for his E53. Guessing maybe a Hyundai Santa Fe w/ 100k warranty...

Or perhaps a 1984 308 GTSi. Probably similar in terms of care and feeding needed for an X5. :D

In fairness to the OP, X52002, has been a long time member of this forum, an extremely helpful contributor, and a long time ambassador of the E53. I wish him well with his vehicle.

Bigwave2255 is talking about about a 3.0d. It's a completely different thing to a 3.0i. It's almost as heavy as the 4.4i and has more torque.