Latest Posts

Morning Roger My wife's brother lives in Iver so we come up every now and then if that helps I will let you know when our next trip up is Dave

Morning Alan Welcome to the Forum If my old brain is functioning your car has a combined ABS/ASC unit and from memory again I didn't think there were alternatives (but I am old) Just had a quick look at ISTA and my old brain is working😅 There was only one part number for your model 34511090911 if you have the correct part number the only thought I have is that as the Unit is combined ABS/ASC one of the valves is sticky so you get the intermittent fault. Do you still have the original ? try swapping the electrical (brain) part or send it off to someone like ECU Testing who specialise in repairing these units Good luck Hope this helps Dave

If it is stuck shut, then push out the left hand grille and get a hooked tool to pull sharply on the cable or push the release mechanism away. That’s how I managed to open the e53 x5.

Fingers crossed and do let us know if it has successful done the job. Thanks for sharing this info, very useful to other members

Hi Dave For me post initial BM3 flash that failed, I had a few successful flash attempts with the ECU communicating but since I replaced the battery and got the ECU back I've seen these new error messages. I have yes, though no expert in ISTA very much learning through others and YouTube. Though in regards to the Flexray bus, I'm seeing that as the ZGM module which is built directly into the FEM module in the passenger side footwell With work being busy I've not been able to look at the car since, but have ordered a few leads to attempt point 3 of yours Rav

Afternoons thanks for the response. I'm looking to replace my previous one that got written off. Now I know more about them it's very difficult finding an honest one huh. Hoping this is the place to find my forever baby.

Hi Boreas If you find a car and can note the Vin Number check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of the Vin into the search box it will call up that model. Then search the engine type my old brain cant remember when the change front chain to rear was done 2012/2013 I think it may help when checking things Dave

Didn't even know they did an X8. Look good in the gold though. Starting price??£££££

Had same thought re, LHD. I'll explore the made up cable idea. Cheers

Thanks Dave, much appreciated.

Thank you! Let your mates know about it please 🙏

Thanks Trevor Try as I might I just cant get the mpg over 42.2 - I'm sure on the return of the first journey we managed 42.9 Make no mistake, no complaints...only that we paid Euro 1.53 litre in Greece and Euro 2.00 in France... That car will get us from Ancona to Essex on two tanks!

Hello Trevor, thanks reply and very good point - we put the X3 through main dealer for a full check and diagnostic for peace of mind. Initially they suspected an oil leak from gearbox or engine. They gave the engine and gearbox a jet wash and said come back in 500 miles. No sign of any leak. Still looks clean and dry almost five years later. We put a new set of CrossClimate2 on for the winter treks down to Greece. We would only end up doing that again! A decent power wash of the underside and replace any sensor/brake hoses looking a bit aged is definitley on the to do list.

I have found some information, the flywheel does not require timing as the ECU measures the reluctor so my remaining issue is the crankshaft holding tool alignment.

Thanks Stu I will have a look at the head unit later today

ah,never knew. Cheers.

Morning Ricky Welcome to the Forum Tasty motor hope your enjoying it First check would be Battery Voltage check it at the charging point under the bonnet key out engine off you should see 12.5v engine running 14.5v + If you have less than 12.5v at rest then the battery either needs charging or if 11v or lower replacing. When the car is started current draw is high and the cars many control units shut down functions to protect them or save power. If the battery is good then you could try taking out the switch panel and cleaning it and it's plug with a good electrical contact spray, if that doesn't do it a diagnostic scan should point you in the right direction Hope this helps Dave

I have just had mine serviced, as when I bought it the box was buttery smooth. I could, lately just feel a bit of a change on the change down. As it was 6 years old and 50k miles decided to get it done and now back to buttery smooth. The old oil definately needed changing. There is also a filter in the gearbox, so surely that needs changing at some point. BMW say its lifetime, but will offer a service on it for about £1500. ZF say 6 yrs/60k miles. So I went to my local indie and had it done for £415. I guess it depends how the car is driven light or lead footed and motorway or town, and in some small measure luck of the draw.

Do you have any Battery Management messages appear when you start the car? My start/stop has never really kicked in as Sytner BMW should have really put a new battery on it before they sold it me. Mine only works if I have done a long drive (100+) and it's not too cold, and all the other parameters are met. It will only work on mine (G21 320d) in Comfort and Eco mode, Sport disengages it. Even a slight drop on the battery seems to stop it kicking in. When I first got it I drove in Eco mode all the time, and as my battery is "tired" it didn't really charge up enough. I believe it has an “intelligent” alternator so will only pull on it when really required. Eco prioritises exactly that - fuel economy - so will have alternator disengaged as much as possible. I know on my Golf when the start/stop has turned the engine off, the child can start it up by turning the A/C button on. Try charging the battery up over the weekend and see if that makes a difference. I'll be honest I find start/stop a pain in the ##### and usually turn it off. But it is annoying when a feature doesn't work properly.

Morning Peter First lesson don't go to BMW 😅 Have you used www.realoem.com to get the correct part number then use the Internet to search for the best price, check out the Specialist BMW dismantlers like Quarry Motors. Or there are now companies who will clean the original DPF if it is cleaned the software will be needed to be reset so the car knows it has a clean DPF Dave

Morning Charlie Welcome to the Forum As the thread is almost 6 years old and not closed out ?? However try the simple things first (1) Check the position of the adjusting switch if it to the right (Driver side adjustment) the nearside mirror should not dip on reverse. If the switch is set to the left to allow nearside mirror adjustment when reverse is selected the mirror will dip. If the problem persists check the Drivers door switch connector clean it with contact cleaner. If that doesn't do it then diagnostics are needed Dave

Excuse my typo/autocorrect that should be needs a dpf

Hi Paul, welcome to the forum. Try a Torx bit as greydog said. Where are you based? I’m in the wolds

Have done a smoke test and no leaks until it gets to the valve on top of the rocker cover, very new to ISTA but not diagnostics so still working through it, will try again tomorrow evening as England playing tonight. thanks

Morning Hamzza Welcome to the Forum I have read some stories about people having difficulty finding anyone who is capable of working on hybrid transmissions. You need to search www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model then search the gearbox section then you will have the part number. I believe some of these transmissions were in house BMW built so parts and service may tie you to BMW £££ But try the Transmission Specialists you may hopefully find one who can help Good Luck Dave