A Surprise Under the Hood: The 2001 – 2005 BMW X5

Unexpected Performance

BMW is renowned for precision engineering and has the admirable distinction of being one of the Big Three German automakers alongside of Daimler-Benz and Volkswagen. As such, many people expect only the best in terms of quality and performance and are sorely surprised when their new or next to new E53 gives them problems. Such was the experience of one driver by the name of Nathan who shared his displeasure here: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/x5-e53-forum/77175-extremely-horrible-x5-transmission-experience-long-time-multiple-bmw-owner.html

An Uncommon Problem?

Many people would like to discount Nathan’s experience but just take a look at the various BMW and X5 forums on the internet and you’ll see that  BMW X5 gearboxes from the 2001 through 2005 model years were rife with problems. Yet another example of the issue can be found at this UK-based forum. Time and again it seems the X5 gearbox begins to delver clunky performance, evening causing it to lurch into gear when upshifting. So, what is an enthusiast and devoted X5 owner to do? As you will discover by doing a simple Google search, BMW will not warranty these problems now that more than nine years have passed since the last iteration of the E53  rolled off the line but their are a number of companies dedicated to rebuilding and upgrading these gearboxes.

Independent Shops – Your Knights in Shining Armor

Whether you’re located in the US, the UK or Europe, your local independent shops can quickly solve your E53’s transmission problems for you at a fraction of the cost of dealership prices. Although we don’t have the time to devote to reviewing the work of individual shops at present it is safe to say that your best bet is never to bring your 2001-2005 X5 in to the dealer for work on the gearbox as it could easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

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