2003 BMW X5 Service and Repair Manual

This factory service and repair manual for the 2003 BMW X5 spans six trims, from the 3.0i through the 4.4i Formula 1, Lujo and Top Line cars to the 4.6is, with three DOHC gasoline engines behind them: a naturally aspirated 3.0L inline-six and the 4.4L and 4.6L V8s. One body style, the four-door sport utility, carries all of it, so the differences that matter in service are engine-specific, and fueling, cooling, tightening sequences and diagnostic values are stated for each unit in turn.

Engines covered

• 3.0L inline-six — DOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline
• 4.4L V8 — DOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline
• 4.6L V8 — DOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline

Body styles covered

• 4-door sport utility

Trims covered

• 3.0i
• 4.4i
• 4.4i Formula 1
• 4.4i Lujo
• 4.4i Top Line
• 4.6is

Known issues on the 2003 X5. Three recalls are on the federal record, two of them for driver air bag inflators that can rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin when the bag deploys. The third is a routing problem: too little clearance between a brake line and the steering shaft joint lets the two touch, and the line can be damaged and corrode until fluid is lost and front braking falls off. Owners logged 114 complaints, 25 on engine and cooling, 18 on air bags and 17 on the electrical system.