How to break your hood by fixing it.
 

My new hood locks came in, so I installed them, thinking this would solve the problem of the passenger side not fully engaging at times. The trunk locked, and it was then that I discovered the cable for the passenger side must be broken, because when i pull the lever, the driver side pops, but the passenger side doesn't.

If this truck wasn't so much fun to drive I'd ready to trade it in. No major issues, just stuff keeps breaking that never broke on any car I ever had. :P

Joys of owning a vehicle

Joys of owning a BMW

273,620 kilometers though .... Not that bad !!

Joys of the Ultimate Fixing Machine.

LOL @ ultimate fixing machine. Should hit 280k this week. :D

If you have to do a hood latch, why would you not do the cables as well? They're well documented as items susceptible to failure from corrosion....even more so for a vehicle subject to Canadian winters AND nearly 15 years old. Imo, it has nothing to do with being a BMW or what not, and everything to do with the people who buy these trucks and want to cut corners (on the cheapest items none the less) in basic preventative maintenance, then bitch about all the issues they have. Repair it right, repair it once.

I agree whole heartedly. You gotta pay to play. If you would be happier in something with less maintenance and such, then just trade out. Get a CRV. Personally, I want something more refined. And if my budget demands I get hands on to do that, I'm willing to. Doesn't make the truck a bad truck because I can't afford to have someone else fix everything for me.

270k klicks [around 170k miles] and 11 years in Canadian weather? Even garaged/cleaned in the winter, I'd think you would be due for exterior latches/cables work, no matter what you drove. Even a Mercedes w123 diesel would likely have this and more problems at this stage! Count your blessings! :)

I sold mine 2.5years ago with 215k miles ... :nanana:

+1 LOL @ ultimate fixing machine

I was just thinking this morning.... which requires the most love & attention?

A new puppy
A new kitten
An 8 year old E53

Less than a week ago, my mechanic replaced the coolant temp sensor, and gave her a coolant flush.... and this morning my wife pulls into the driveway, and... drip.... drip.... drip, right about the same place as that temp sensor.

But it wasn't. Popped the hood and it took me less than 2 minutes to find the culprit. The windshield washer pump. Thankfully this looks like a DIY I can handle myself, and the parts aren't at all expensive (I ordered from Autohaus).

And thanks to Xoutpost, I was able to find the correct name and order a part that I'd been searching for a while. Trunk Lid Grip. Link in case anyone else is looking for it also. The part number on the original wasn't helpful at all.

BMW E53 X5 M54 3.0L Search Trunk Lid Grip - 51137170676 - Trunk Lid Grip (Black) - ES#78256

Heh, true... it's just the annoyance of stuff breaking that never broke on any other car I've ever had. ;)

I hear ya. Before the X5, I bought a MB E320 in 1998. I finally got rid of it last year with 120K miles. That car had half the mechanical issues compared to the X5... in 15 years vs 8 years for the X5.

When it came to to replace the E320, I decided to lease this time. It was close between the 5 series and Audi A6. Audi made me a lease offer that BMW wouldn't even come close to matching.

Congrats on the A6, it's a slick lookin ride!