XSeries-forum

I bought a pre facelift 2003 3.0d in April with189,000 miles on it and the engine is as strong as any I have driven.  I am planning to have it mapped and have no qualms regarding the mileage.  That said I have no history with the car regarding what has been done prior to my ownership.

There is no magical point or mileage where a car becomes worn as many low mileage cars I used to work on that had constantly travelled short journeys were shot at sub 50,000 miles.  There are so many variables that can affect this that there is no right or wrong mileage whereby it is safe to remap.

Someone I know used to own a 1989 5 series it was a taxi, it was regularly serviced & had just under 600k miles on it when it finally died! That was the same engine from new!
So just goes to show how long these engines can go on for if looked after properly! 

If its of any use for my 3-penneth worth....
My D-Sport has racked up 35k in the last year alone & now tops 155,500 miles.
The gear box was iffy when I got it a year ago with a whining torque converted & a bit vicious onbthe change between 1st - to - 2nd, so I do this change manually & always pull away gently in 2nd, then flick to auto.

I had it remapped 25,000 miles ago + a bolt on map unit into the OBD port...

If I desperately need it, the torque is so powerful I can almost feel the box begging for merci....

I have managed to destroy a rear diff which now whines like a bitch... because I towed a US military Hummer for 80 miles...
So...
All things considered & a spare diff with new seals on it all painted in the front porch waiting for the inevatable...

MAP IT.... these machines are a lot tougher than we give them credit for...
At the mileage we both have, stuff will fail whether be give it a beasting or not...
And lets face it... X5s are a lot of pleasure for the money any way.

The engines are good for 250k, we know a box can fail any time from 90k onwards, diffs - take youre best guess, suspn is simply about how brutal you are off road...

If you have the extra torque .... you WILL use it, its irrisistable...
You can get a rebuilt exchange box fitted for under £1000 at a dedicated indy...

So, simply put £1000 to one side for a box (which is inevatable at our mileage) and enjoy the ride with the extra power.

Regard to all.
Grant B

excellent reply. Care to name where we can get a box for £1k ....... ?

Smee

Abc transmissions in Coventry did my e53 box rebuild for £1100 a few years ago.

Hi Smee,

Look on ebay for E53 gear box  replacement.

These Indys specialise in rebuilding boxes..
They will generally do a 2 day turnaround & take thebold box as an exchange.
Prices range from £850 - £1,000...  plus a torque converter if you need one.