DIY: Rear Sunroof Drain Repair - 2001 X5 4.4i (E53)
 

Here is my DIY on repairing a leak in the cargo area due to disconnected drain hoses in a 2001 X5 4.4i.

Since this is my 1st post, I should introduce myself.

I've been lurking here (and some other BMW forums) since the beginning of the month, when I bought a Pearl Beige Metallic 2001 X5 4.4i w/110k+ miles on it.


It is in very good condition, but being almost 12 years old (06/01 mfg) there are some things that need attention.

• License Plate Lights (fixed thanks to this and other forums)
• Tail Lights (fixed thanks to this and other forums)
• Pixels shot on radio (sent to VDORepairs, thanks to this and other forums)
• Fried Amp, due to this leak (now repaired!)
• Minor Oil Leak (I hope - TBD - plan on having an Indy diagnose and repair)
• Wear on some trim (not a big deal)
• Fluid changes all around - preventive (plan on having Indy deal w/trans and brakes, will do everything else)

These forums have been a great resource, so I am returning the favor. :thumbup:

I could not find this DIY fix on any of the 3 forums that I now frequent. So I plan cross-posting this elsewhere, hope no one minds!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-HF...it?usp=sharing

It was too large to attach here, so I used Google Docs. :D

Well done!

Nice writeup

Very nice! I'm sure it'll come in handy for a more than a few folks around here!

Holy crap good job. And welcome, and if we don't see a good pic of your car, it didn't happen.

Thanks, everyone! The funny part is that the write-up took more time than the repair (including the trip to the parts store to get clamps, as I never expected to find hoses without clamps).

I said it in the write up but, It is absolutely amazing to me that BMW did not clamp this hose! Not sure if this is as designed or if this was an assembly error during the manufacture of some vehicles. I cannot believe that BMW chose to simply press the hose into the sleeve! This is at best a $0.10 fix for BMW during assembly!
:dunno:

If anyone else does this, I'd really like to know if their X already had hose clamps. It just seems like such a ridiculous oversight. I mean, you have a hose carring water over your interior, with a likely drain point that includes your fuses, amp, cd play, nav, and potentially your auto-leveling suspension and your battery. I would think that BMW would do everything in their power to not allow water to compromise any of these systems.

repair sunroof X5 e53 2003
 

thank you man.
but i need to repair my sunroof, its not opened. i heard a voice like something broken when i tried to open it.
could you please send to me any link or document to how repair and fix the sunroof
i need to disassemble the sunroof, can you tell me how ???
my car is bmw x5 2003 e53, the same one you have.
also if you can reply me to my email : [email protected]
thank you

@amjad

This is the only resource that I could find quickly. It is for an E36 (3-Series), not sure how close this is to the E53's sunroof:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tech...78-Sunroof.htm

Someone else here with more knowledge about the similarities between the different models might be able to chime in on this.

@amjad

There's this too (also for a E46 - 3 Series), so there may be some variance between what is shown and your sunroof:

http://www.lincomatic.com/e46sunroof/e46sunroof.html

Great writeup