Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    1,120

    (SOLD) 2004 E53 X5 4.4i – 130,000 mi – $10,500 (Family Special)

    GONE; ended up trading it in for a red 2012 Traverse!

    So it has come time that the wife & I need to move to a larger family hauler (2012 Chevy Traverse), so the X5 has to go! We plan to simply trade it in at the dealership, but thought we'd give the Family a shot at it first.


    (ZHP not included)

    (These're the only two pics I have at the moment; better pics forthcoming!)

    Specs:
    • E53 2004 X5 4.4i (N62B44)
    • 129,7xx mi (daily-driven family hauler, so expect ~130k)
    • Sterling Gray over black leather & dark wood trim
    • ZCW – heated front & rear seats, heated steering wheel, headlight washers
    • Panoramic sunroof *(see below)
    • BMW Business CD radio
    • BMW Assist (Bluetooth)
    • BMW HomeLink UGDO
    • BMW towing hitch


    We bought it with 89,053 mi on 20 February 2010, & I have every service record since then, including DIY'd maintenance per Mike Miller's "Old School Maintenance Schedule" (fresh BMW oil as of Thursday!). It's only major issues so far have been leaky VCGs (replaced by BMW twice, at 90,279 & 117,641), & leaky power steering lines (replaced by BMW at 90,279 & leaking again). The transmission has, luckily, been problem-free for us & hasn't been replaced / rebuilt, as far as we know. The panoramic sunroof fell victim to the (very common) failure of the rear glass lifting mechanism around 91,000 mi; we were quoted $4k for replacement of the entire sunroof cassette. Instead, I found & executed a DIY to (irreversibly) remove the catch tab that engages the rear lifting mechanism; that leaves the rear glass seated & stationary while allowing the larger front portion to operate normally. 90% of the solution for 0% of the cost!

    We had the factory towing kit installed & have pulled about 1,500 lbs in U-Haul during two moves & the ZHP during another move (as depicted above).

    Its overall condition falls squarely in KBB's "Good" category; the exterior is about 7/10, interior 8/10 (it looks like it's an 8-year-old DD family hauler). KBB values it at $11,245; with the Family discount (& with no maintenance on the transmission), we're asking $10,500.

    Let me know if you have any questions!
    Last edited by Crickett; 09-18-2021 at 07:43 PM. Reason: no longer available

    Travis | ’04 ZHP sedan 6MT | WeĭssLĭcht AEs | BMW clears | Plasti-Dipped grilles | BMW Perf. intake | TMS Power Pulleys | DIY aux-in | !CDV
    Sprint Booster w/Sport button | Mich PS AS4 (245 sq) | M3 front sway | Z4M LCABs | Beisan VANOS rebuild | GAS DISA rebuild | BMW diag. PC

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Grand Forks, ND
    Posts
    686
    It looks good in that color.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Long island, New York
    Posts
    1,493
    Good luck, nice e53

  4. #4
    nike001 Guest
    Did you purchase your Traverse already? A salesman at the BMW dealer I work at has one and it seems like he isn't too fond of it..

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    1,120
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike V View Post
    It looks good in that color.
    Quote Originally Posted by echo46 View Post
    Good luck, nice e53
    Thanks, fellas.

    Quote Originally Posted by nike001 View Post
    Did you purchase your Traverse already? A salesman at the BMW dealer I work at has one and it seems like he isn't too fond of it..
    Haven't purchased it yet, but we've done all of our due diligence & still decided on a Traverse. I know it's certainly no BMW – a step down in fit & finish, & driving "feel", to say the least – but, circumstances being what they are, it's the vehicle for us. (I was very disappointed that the E70s third row "seat" can barely be called that.)

    Travis | ’04 ZHP sedan 6MT | WeĭssLĭcht AEs | BMW clears | Plasti-Dipped grilles | BMW Perf. intake | TMS Power Pulleys | DIY aux-in | !CDV
    Sprint Booster w/Sport button | Mich PS AS4 (245 sq) | M3 front sway | Z4M LCABs | Beisan VANOS rebuild | GAS DISA rebuild | BMW diag. PC

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Grand Forks, ND
    Posts
    686
    Quote Originally Posted by Crickett View Post
    Thanks, fellas.



    Haven't purchased it yet, but we've done all of our due diligence & still decided on a Traverse. I know it's certainly no BMW – a step down in fit & finish, & driving "feel", to say the least – but, circumstances being what they are, it's the vehicle for us. (I was very disappointed that the E70s third row "seat" can barely be called that.)
    The Traverse update for this year actually looks pretty nice. My brother in law has a 2010 Traverse and it's very cheap looking on the outside. They got rid of the ugly taillights and also made the headlights look much better. His car has tons of room in it. When we're all together, we pile 8 people in that thing. The Traverse/Acadia/Enclave are nice alternatives to those who are anti-minivan.

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