For the person asking why the need to change the expansion tank:

Bmw engines run very hot and under lots of pressure. The expansion tank is plastic and pressurized, as you know. Those things combined cause the plastic to weaken over time and eventually they crack while in use or even explode. If you have no idea when the last time yours was changed, I would change it so you have baseline.

This must be a 3.0 thing?
My E46 M3 has the expansion tank off to the side and has 150k on it now and it is in great shape.

I am a firm believer, that when they're off to he side and not on the radiator like the M52/54 then they last.


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Just found another thing to worry about on my beast...
Is Saturday here already(New Zealand)
Now is too early,but in 2 hours i will start jacking up the beast and replace the oil in the diffs/transfer case too.

My first week of ownership and had to do a few things that had been neglected by the previous owner (was his extra vehicle so it sat most of the time).

• Changed the rear window washer pump that was leaking out all the fluid.
• Replaced the clip/plug on the driver door airbag that had been broken by dealership when they replaced the broken outside door handle last year. Reset airbag code and light.
• Replaced fuel cap and MAF to clear "service engine soon" codes.
• New cabin air filter.
• My first full exterior and interior detail.
• Installed a cheapo bluetooth to FM transmitter until I can figure out what headunit I want to upgrade to.
• Replaced faded BMW badges.
• Tire rotation and air pressure check.
• Installed Rolo low profile roof rack crossbars.
• Installed Bimmian aluminum running boards.

Up next on the "to do" list:

• Headunit
• Trailer hitch and wiring
• Fix sagging sunroof panel headliner
• Troubleshoot random morning belt/pulley/bearing squeal
• Air intake or high flow filter
• H or X pipe
• Dinan Stage 1 tune

Fishhouse4 I nearly bought one like yours mainly because I wanted the bumpers you have. sadly that guy had zero maintenance paperwork and wanted a premium for it... I haven't been able to find a good aftermarket or OEM supplier for those bumpers.. :(

Also I forgot I vinyl wrapped my door and dash trim to hide the dated wood grain. haven't decided if I want to do the center console as I'll have to rip the interior apart to get it out.. but the flat black vinyl looks good along with the gray interior.

And weathertech floor liners... so worth the money.

Yea man I've been drooling over the 4.6/4.8is for years. :D

I've saw a video of someone who wraps the door/dash trim. Mine are all cracked and I want to do something like that. Did you do it yourself? Would love to hear more about how you did it and how much!

I have had the Weathertech or Husky all weather floor liners in my last 2 Lexus SUVs and they worked great - need to invest in some of those for the X5 as well.

yeah man it was ezpz. just sand the pieces by hand to smooth out the cracks. progressively higher grit yada yada, clean with alcohol and apply your choice of adhesive backed wrap and use a heat gun to stretch it around the edges, trim the excess long and tuck it underneath (in case you wanna remove it and change or repair you got something to pull on... I chose a solid color so I didn't have to match the pattern or I'd lose my shit.

What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

I bought the BMW branded models from eBay brand new for about $60 all four and they have earned their keep many times over. From a gallon jug of a&w root beer to Halloween candy + sun shine to of course mud and snow galore.

I transport my Segway mini pro directly behind my seat and the wheels are a mess any time after rain or snow and the rubber mat holds 100% of the slop.

A good friend of mine bought an Audi Q5 and had a $100 voucher from the dealer and one of the options he had to get was a set of rubber mats.

He asked me for which thing he should get of 3-5 options. I sent him back a photo of what my floor looked like that very moment (1/2" thick mud/snow/slush). He got the floor mats of course

Replaced my front left door handle carrier today - the factory unit (which lasted 13 years) was broken last week (no idea how...other than the obvious...).

Not a bad job although I had a devil of a time getting the the new carrier seated in the door - it kept fouling on something. I think it was the lower rear edge of the glass trim. Eventually got it seated but then the door handle wouldn't work correctly - felt like it was "locked". Pulled it all out and had another go - it seemed to fit better the next time around and I got it all buttoned up pretty quickly after that.

Did the job with power on the car (hung the air bag to one side - carefully!) as I wanted to check the lock and unlock operation etc. before putting the interior door card back on.

Completed oil change. Service light indicator was on the last green light (or last 20%), “check engine oil level” came up intermittently in the last couple days. Dipstick however was totally dry. Coming from 4.4i, it was a little more time having to deal with oil filter from under the car.