| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2003 BMW 5-Series repairs by problem area
Engine (43%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (3%)
Brakes and Traction Control (4%)
Suspension and Steering (17%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (22%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (7%)
Other (4%)
Chart based on 277 repairs.
2003 BMW 5-Series engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (3%)
$1000 - $2499 (19%)
$500 - $999 (16%)
$100 - $499 (42%)
< $100 (20%)
Chart based on 111 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2003 BMW 5-Series
Engine not specified
| 172000 mi US $500 |
overheating |
| 90000 mi US $1025 |
valve cover and oil filter gaskets replaced |
| 109000 mi US $180 |
coil pack bad |
| 113000 mi US $560 |
Third radiator put in the car! |
| 113000 mi US $130 |
Fan clutch went bad |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Wagon
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 69000 mi £1000 |
Hoses failed, not wear: heating and air-con failed as result. |
| 71000 mi £280 |
Air Intake hoses had come loose and caused EML/emissions notification. Car failed to respond properly to throttle. |
| 88000 mi £300 |
misfiring cylinders, eventually all 6 coils and spark plugs replaced |
| 115 mi €200 |
Valve Cover Gasket Leaked |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Wagon
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 96000 mi US $50 |
Replaced valve cover gaskets to cure an oil seep. |
| 104000 mi US $330 |
Replaced gasket for the oil filter housing. It was leaking. It may still be leaking. |
| 107000 mi US $800 |
Redo of cooling system, water pump, radiator, hoses. |
| 107000 mi US $25 |
Replaced rubber boot between MAF and Throttle Body extension. Had a tear in it in the bellows section. Emissions crapola once again. Thing was becoming a $600/month repair bill. I was tired of getting it fixed (my mechanic was getting tired of fixing it, too). |
| 90000 mi US $350 |
Replaced crank case cover |
| 110000 mi US $75 |
Service Engine Soon light came on. Fault Code P1112. Replace the temp sensor at lower radiator hose. |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Wagon
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 76000 mi US $2400 |
Worn clutch and flywheel. Replacement required |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
394-horsepower 4.9L V8 6-speed manual RWD
| 64000 mi US $140 |
O2 sensor |
| 73000 mi US $50 |
Right valve gasket found to be leaking oil. |
| 74000 mi US $50 |
Catalytic converter (bank 1) found to be defective (car threw an error code). Replaced under warranty. |
| 75000 mi US $314 |
Front exhaust mount (at rear of transmission) was cracked, causing resonance and vibration. Also, rear exhaust clamp was loose, creating a rattle during acceleration. Replaced the mount and the clamp. Neither was covered by CPO. |
| 78000 mi US $160 |
Dealer traced a vibration throughout the rev range to worn left and right engine mounts. Wanted $800 to repair, declined. Oil filter housing bushings were worn out. One of the three bushings failed completely. Dealer wanted $160 to fix. Declined. |
| 53000 mi US $1000 |
Replace spark llugs |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
290-horsepower 4.4L V8 6-speed manual RWD
| 160400 mi US $80 |
Leaking valve cover gaskets caused slight oil drip on exhaust manifold burning smell. Misfire. Replaced one ignition coil with used one. |
| 221340 mi C $100 |
Expansion tank also failed in this car. Local parts store had one in stock. |
| 114000 mi US $2000 |
belts, hoses, tensioners, pulleys,plugs, filters |
| 112000 mi US $350 |
Oil leak. Diagnosed as valve cover gaskets, replaced gaskets. |
| 75000 mi US $600 |
Replace leaking radiator |
| 85000 mi US $850 |
Overheated. Dealer replaced water pump |
| 91000 mi US $600 |
Air Flow Sensor |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
290-horsepower 4.4L V8 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 109000 mi US $1700 |
Valve cover gaskets, valley pan replacement with coolant tubes, spark plugs, and belts |
| 135000 mi US $4500 |
Replace timing chain guides & oil separator |
| 70700 mi US $50 |
Intake manifold flapper valve rebuild-repaired it myself with a rebuild kit-dealer wanted to replace entire assembly. |
| 72500 mi US $245 |
Pinhole in radiator in plastic part next to upper hose. Common problem, probably a design flaw. Replaced radiator, water pump, thermostat w/housing. |
| 67000 mi US $25 |
Replace valve cover gasket |
| 86000 mi US $16 |
Replaced broken oil filter housing support. |
| 110000 mi US $140 |
waterpump blew up |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 215000 mi US $3400 |
radiator over flow tank, thermostat and lower radiator hose temperature sensor and associated fender/tire shield assembly |
| 47000 mi US $100 |
Replaced thermostat |
| 98000 mi US $600 |
Coolant leak |
| 123000 mi US $2000 |
Replaced the radiator, hoses, thermostat, reservoir tank, water pump |
| 162200 mi US $40 |
Replaced idler pulley. Noise remains. |
| 162300 mi | Replaced belts, noise gone. |
| 163000 mi US $1000 |
Radiator and hoses replaced due to leaking. |
| 120000 mi US $500 |
Oil pan gasket. |
| 127800 mi US $700 |
Bad DISA valve leak caused vacuum leak and misfiring. Replaced. |
| 70000 mi US $3300 |
Belt tensioners needed to be replaced. |
| 81000 mi US $350 |
Check engine light, codes related to fuel/ignition, also rough idle especially after hard stop. DISA valve replaced. |
| 86000 mi US $2060 |
Wet hissing sound heard at the end of 30 or more miles of driving. Hose failure related to crankcase or crankshaft. Hose and fittings replaced. Water pump making sounds indicative of imminent failure. Pump replaced. |
| 121000 mi US $285 |
Both belts. Oil filter block gasket, & valve cover gasket. |
| 130000 mi US $450 |
Overhaul the coolant system. Replaced leaking radiator, 2 main hoses, water pump, & fan clutch. |
| 12000 mi | Replace ignition coils |
| 91100 mi US $120 |
intermittent hot start problem. replaced fuel pump relay |
| 94000 mi US $200 |
replace pulley tensioner |
| 91000 mi US $300 |
intermittent hot start problem. replaced MAF, gas cap and crank position sensor |
| 95000 mi US $300 |
intermittent hot start problem. replaced ignition |
| 95000 mi | Sold with intermittent hot start problem. |
| 60000 mi US $1200 |
Oil leaks, pan mount, etc |
| 79000 mi US $300 |
"Check engine oil level" warning on for months, level detector device stuck or broken, $200 part plus $100 labor to fix, decided not to repair, check oil level with dipstick as needed. BMW advertising $ >> than engineering budget! |
| 94000 mi US $350 |
Leaky right side valve cover gasket replaced to stop oil leak. |
| 110000 mi US $268 |
Coolant hose ruptures spontaneously while car was at idle in the dealer shop. Dealer was checking out the cause of a Service Engine Soon light. |
| 112000 mi | Leaking oil due to multiple gasket failures. |
| 87000 mi | Oil leaking from below car, traced to oil filter housing/engine block leak. Estimated $750 for repair (parts/tax/labor) @ BMW dealer. As leak is minor, I will wait for funds before fixing, and just carry extra qt of oil. |
| 110000 mi US $2100 |
Oil filter cover and gasket |
| 118700 mi US $1900 |
Gaskets froze pulling a vacuum and sucking in gas in areas including exhaust |
| 141000 mi US $1600 |
Leaking thermostat housing fixed. Engine air filter and Oil Change. |
| 168000 mi US $12 |
Oil filter housing seal. |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
225-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 123000 mi US $83 |
DISA Valve (intake manifold) found to be inoperative after car lost power intermintenly on highway. DISA was rebuilt with a kit that replaces internal parts with aluminum. OEM plastc part gets brittle at higher mileage. Common E39 fix. |
| 185000 mi US $450 |
Radiator. Water pump went. Replaced thermostat and above. Flushed and filled. |
| 187300 mi US $185 |
P2098 rnAll O2 sensors replaced m |
| 189000 mi US $200 |
Oil filter housing leaking. Gasket replaced. |
| 189500 mi US $350 |
Fuel pump died. Replaced assembly as whole. |
| 125000 mi US $200 |
DISA valve on intake manifold was failing and causing hesitation in throttle response. Rebuilt the plastic parts of the valve with aluminum pieces from German Auto Specialties. |
| 128000 mi US $250 |
Variable valve timing hydraulic actuation system (VANOS) was worn out and had to be replaced. Symptom was extreme hesitation at low rpm but smooth running above 3000 rpm. I purchased a remanufactured VANOS assembly from Dr. Vanos. |
| 129200 mi US $220 |
Crankcase ventilation (CCV) system failed resulting in massive oil burning and a stalled engine. Replaced CCV, all hoses, dipstick tube, and distribution manifold. Idler pulleys for serpentine belt were also replaced due to worn bearings. |
| 135300 mi US $250 |
Secondary air injection system failed and car would not pass emissions inspection in NJ. Check engine light was set. Air pump OK. Exhaust valve and vacuum line were bad. Replaced them and CEL went off. |
| 143300 mi US $250 |
Coolant leaking from radiator expansion tank and water pump. Thermostat also failed in open position so car will not warm up completely. Decided to replace all hoses, thermostat, and water pump due to high mileage on this car. |
| 125000 mi US $250 |
valve in intake broken, vacuum, leak, bad coils |
| 156000 mi US $200 |
Bad ignition coils caused misfires |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 82300 mi US $460 |
Camshaft sensor |
| 83200 mi US $150 |
In addition to the serpentine belt and the AC belt, I replaced the two tensioners/rollers and the idler pulley. |
| 84000 mi US $800 |
Oil filter housing gasket replaced |
| 73300 mi US $400 |
Oil filter gasket failed causing oil leak |
| 76000 mi US $311 |
Service engine light came on, replaced oxygen sensor |
| 43000 mi US $65 |
Replaced the valve cover gasket due to burning oil smell. |
| 51000 mi US $100 |
Fuel purge valve had to be replaced. |
| 61200 mi US $15 |
Replaced leaky oil filter housing gasket. Was leaving spots on the driveway and making engine compartment very oily. |
| 72000 mi US $160 |
Leaking water pump. After pump replaced, coolant tank began to leak and was also replaced. Coolant was also replaced at this time with BMW coolant. |
| 79000 mi US $230 |
Replaced radiator and thermostat. Electronically controlled thermostat housing was leaking, as well as minor leak in the plastic tank of the radiator. |
| 102500 mi US $120 |
Finally changed my spark plugs and waiting so long probably ruined a coil. I had to replace the coil on cylinder number 5. |
| 100000 mi US $150 |
Rattling belt tensioner and idler pulley had to be replaced. Repalced belt also. Had to replace the leaking valve cover gasket again. Seals get hardened and oil was dripping from back corner of engine. Burning oil smell from oil dripping on exhaust. |
| 112000 mi US $200 |
Trying to chase a troublesome check engine light. Replaced the intake boots and cleaned the DISA valve. No joy. Check engine light, most likely due to DISA valve. Never repaired before the sale of the car. |
| 88000 mi US $2200 |
Intake manifold and all associated crankcase hoses replaced |
| 88000 mi US $500 |
Replaced serpentine belt and associated pulleys. Bearing in idle pulley seized, other pulleys replaced as preventative measure. |
| 109740 mi C $300 |
fuel pump and fuel filter |
| 117800 mi C $500 |
refreshed tensioners and belts too. they were on their way out, noisy and rough. |
| 125860 mi C $1000 |
WATER PUMP FAILED, belts shredded |
| 128960 mi C $2000 |
valve cover and gaskets, vanos |
| 60000 mi US $1000 |
Leaking value cover gasket |
| 81000 mi US $820 |
failed idler pulley; replaced replaced head gasket |
| 92000 mi US $750 |
air mass flow meter failure |
| 93000 mi US $1000 |
Ignition coil, $500 |
| 97000 mi US $550 |
Thermostat failure |
| 99200 mi US $500 |
failed radiator oil leak |
| 105000 mi US $60 |
pulley bearing failing |
| 108000 mi | Sold with defective pulley bearing. |
| 170000 mi US $1000 |
changed spark plug |
| 69000 mi US $1100 |
Unable to start car. Had it towed to BMW shop to have fuel pump replaced. Part took 2 days to come in. Total cost was @$1100. |
| 78000 mi US $1500 |
oil filter assy leaking |
2003 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 78000 mi US $83 |
"Service engine soon" warning light came on. Problem traced to leaking gasket on fuel cap which caused a false sensor reading. Problem corrected by replacing fuel cap. |
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