Looking for advice on E53- >E70
 

Hi,

Our 2004 E53 3.0 was written off (everyone walked away), and I'm left undecided on determining if I should replace it with another E53 or E70?

I'd prefer the E53, because it shares so many engine related parts with my E46 however there were a few things that were annoying with the E53.

The items at the top of the concern list are:
- avoid panoramic sunroof - Is the E70 version better, or still breaks?
- avoid V8 4.x L engines, total disasters - still avoid V8 with the E70 ?
- "rust" issues on the bottom insides of the doors and rear tailgate area, such a disappointment on the E53.
- x-drive brain box moved from under rear seat -> trunk area , apparently has a habit of getting wet there, and wire chaffing?

I'd also really enjoyed the 3.0 as it had the GM transmission - my previous experience with "ZF" transmissions has been nothing but bad. When they fail, they do so in a epic fashion, where you have to pull down the transmission for a rebuild, at less than 200,000 k. Both my sisters E46 ZF, and A6 4.2 both failed in spectacular fashion to which I wanted to just set them on fire and walk away. Do you have to be *very* gentle on the E70 ZF's ?

eg.
5HP/6HP - pressure regulator crushes the drum, also #2 problem, reverse drum breaks.

As far as I can tell the 3.0's on the E70 series have a 6HP transmission - how well does this hold up to "spirited" driving? In the e53 I would not hesitate to hit the kickdown at all, multiple times if needed on a commute.

Do all of the E70 have this silly LCD screen that pops up in the center - Are there any options for an older look with real buttons like the previous gen?

I've read through a few posts others have asked, but nothing much in terms of the above is addressed.

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...opinion-2.html

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...e53-e70-2.html

We're looking to spend upto $10k CAD on a replacement sav, there are some super low km E53 available (less than 100,000 km on it), or some ~200,000 km E70s in the $6-10k range.

thanks for any insight / advice
Jonathan

Not a lot of data on the ZF6s, although it doesnt seem alarming.

"Spirited" driving and not being able to downshift yourself? Hmmm. luck of the draw

Keep in mind that by 200k, most X5s will never have seen a ATF change. [shudder]

Not a TON of sunroof complaints...im going to say they have addresses much of it.

They still havent figured out how to address water drain from the sunroof into the rear electronics bay... basically the drains get blocked with debris, leading to water frying modules

LCD screen doesnt move. It is fixed in the middle of the dash

V8s still a disaster.

Buying a $65k car for $6k and hoping it will go years without expensive repairs is prolly not a great plan

Some people are luck, some are not. Hard to guess which you will be

thanks Ard, that was very... succinct and exactly what I was looking for.

Of course, it goes without saying, that it would be unrealistic to buy any vehicle on that scale, and not expect to encounter any problems :)

For the most part, there seems to be enough information to make that decision, or trade off if you will, say E53 rusties for E70 electric water pump.. yep, ill take changing the electric water pump over rust and body work, even if it costs $400 every whatever-km the interval is.

My wife's 01 e53 M54 has averaged $80/ mo in parts. My 01 e53 M54 had averaged 40 /mo in parts. I do the work.

I tell everybody of you can do the labor I wouldn't shut away from the E53 especially the 3.0.

I'm such a fan of the X5 I have no interest in switching to a different platform so eventually that means E70 so I'll be forced to make that transition at some point but I plan to get another 140,000 mi out of mine first. I keep an eye out for a nice 05-06 low miles I can use as a stepping stone that will delay the inevitable.

Im not sure what year you have to get to get the 8 speed my 2013 has but its a DREAM to drive. That transmission is enough of a reason to go with the E70 over the E53. I have both a 2005 3.0 and the 2013 turbo 3.0 and they are completely different animals.

The E53 is mechanically very simple in comparison to the 2013 E70. So for reliability and ease to work on the E53 wins hands down. The electric waterpump is the main worry for me.

But when it comes to power and the awesome 8 speed automatic my E70 is more powerful and pleasant to drive than the E53.

Its really weird after owning so many bmw's where the rpm's stay at 2k and above driving down the road and then to have the E70 with the 8 speed doing 1100 to 1200 rpm at the same speed.

Its like going from a 4 cylinder to a big block v8. Its a torque monster that has tons of grunt down lowww rpm wise. Really strange.

The 6HP is much better than the 5HP. They do have occasional solenoid issues but those can be changed by dropping the pan. Lots of people have cranked up the boost on their turbos and the 6HP does fine.

Sounds like you are shopping for a 3.0L. Just watch out for oil leaks and you will be fine. Water pump, thermostat and starter will all fail around 100k.

Hunt for the 8HP it is MUCH better than the 6HP :)

You've got a good point here, why delay the inevitable.



thanks for sharing that, I didn't realize the 2013+ 3.0's were the turbo engine. That's tempting too, wonder how well the setup does reliability wise.


Of course that's why were driven to DIY. And also I'd like to avoid buying the "suv" my wife is interested in - with a CVT continuously failing transmission only option.



That sounds pretty good. My 5HP nightmares can disappear. I do expect some work, but I hate it when that work is must drop transmission to rebuild. What a pain, and those problems always happens in the middle of winter, at least for me it seems. I really hate dropping the transmission in the freezing cold. Yup that's about it.

Our 1st X5 was a 2001 4.8i v8 E53. We loved it, even though it spent so much time in the shop (under warranty) that we rarely had to wash it ourselves :)

After the E53 was totaled in a 60MPH rear end, we reluctantly bought a E70 2009 35d (build to order). It is a bit bigger and has more complicated electronics. But we couldn’t be more pleased. Our E70 35d has been astonishingly reliable. During the warranty it was only in the shop for routine maintenance and recalls. Now that It’s out of warranty, I do all my own work — with the help of Xoutpost members’ advice and DIY posts :)

Funf Dreisig

The E70 is a big fat pig in comparison to the E53. The N52 is an amazing engine that will give you years of dependable service. I cannot speak for the N55 as I refuse to own one.

Technologically it is superior in every way. There are no rust issues with an E70. There shouldnt be any rust issues with any BMW but everyone has different definitions of taking care of their vehicles.

All BMW V8's are junk. Well, they aren't junk, they're just awful.

The pano roofs are ummmm, temperamental as these get on in years. They always seem to get temperamental when the weather is below freezing and your asshole navy seal husband decides to push the vent function.

I drive the piss out of my E70's. Adaptive drive and load level suspension makes these things untouchable in the corners. I always smile when I push the accelerator down in curves, especially when I'm next to some douche in a fart can civic that cannot seem to shift properly. The Transmission (6-speed) is pretty spot on but you will find your RPMs are up there at highway speed.

As the ever-wise ard stated its all about maintenance. Chances are that the 200K X5 is on its 3 or 5th owner and was traded into a Chevy dealer because the moron who bought it off of Honest Abe's Used Luxury Cars Buy Here Pay Here lot had absolutely no clue how to take care of these things and could not afford to do the regular upkeep.

Thanks for all the input.
I forgot to ask how the seats are? Our X5 had very comfy seats with the side bolsters.
I've read there's 3? options for seats in X5 E70:
- regular, sport, and 'active'.

Is there any difference in the seats regular and sport regarding the cushions seat, and back rest / bolster portion?

I know the active seats, have the ventilation cooling feature, but apparently are quite rare to find ...

Jonathan

I have the Multi-Contour seats which I believe are in addition to the Sport Seats (or as a stand alone option). They adjust at the top and side which I don't believe the Sport do.

that sounds more like what I'm after. Do they have any of the perforated leather or cooling? Perhaps only as another option...

No, I believe those are the Active ones.

Maybe they're all lumped into different seat names, but looking at our option seat we have S451A - Active seat for driver, which is where the seat portion moves like a terrible massage to keep your legs from getting restless.

Other separate options for S456A - comfort seat, S488A - lumbar support, S494A - heated seats. We also have the cooling/vented seats but I'm not seeing the option for that.

On the sunroof....ours occasionally refuses to close from the vent position. Which seems to be a problem on all BMWs. Sometimes it'll close the first time, sometimes the second, sometimes it's 30 min later with me occasionally trying. I don't see it jamming like is shown in youtube videos, it's almost like a pinch sensor where it closes, then reopens.

Every Single E70 I have had does that. Every spring I open the roof fully and lube the piss out of the tracks and guides. It will then happen less frequently. Now the asshole doesn't want to slide back when you are @ speeds greater than 50MPH.

We're just going into our second summer with it, so lubing it up will be on the to do list. I don't think it's jamming like most of the videos I see, I think it's just old and worn and either a sensor or the current draw is saying something is wrong and it just reopens.

My latest trick was to leave it vented, lock it, then hold the unlock on the fob so it goes through the window down procedure, but since the sunroof is in vent, it needs to close then retract. I call it a trick, but really I'm only 1/1 so far haha.

Close...but the e70 seat names for the US market are; regular (basic), sport, and multi-comfort/multi function. The "active" and "ventilation" features are additional options that can be added to the multi-comfort seats.

TIP: a quick way to tell if an X5 is optioned with sport or multi-comfort seats (when you can't see the entire seat)...is to look at the shape of the headrests or thigh extension. The extending thigh cushion is rectangular on the sport seat...and the thigh extension is angular on the multi-comfort seat. The multi-comfort seats have a manually articulating neck feature.

Have you guys "re-calibrated" your sungroof? Start the car, put the sunroof in vent (not sure that step is required) then push up and hold the button (like you are putting it in vent) for what seems like forever and the sunroof will go through its dance and eventually close.

I have tried. But maybe my definition of forever was not long enough

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