All Activity

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

Morning Astonred Primary Filter suppliers to BMW Europe are Mann and Hengst, back up suppliers are Mahle and Bosch

Hi, I would always give any "new" car I buy either private or trade an oil and filter change, along with fuel and air filters as you can never tell. I thought OEM was Mahle?

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 Ray Welcome to the Forum Seems you have the right tools with ISTA I would still want to confirm the FEM DME signal The fact you have 51 permanent faults indicates to my old head you have some Bus issues which are preventing communication BMW are fond of using a twisted compressed joint system sealed in a clear soft plastic sleeve. Over time they can sweat and corrode internally if you expose a join and it looks black that's corrosion (attached is a picture of the Bus system in my X5) the pic with my hand in shows the Bus system Green and Orange wires I spent a morning remaking and soldering the joints and sealing them in shrink wrap. Once all the loom communication is back you may have more success with clearing stubborn faults. Check the continuity FEM to DME all pins Good Luck hope this helps Dave

Hi everyone, I’m chasing a stubborn "No Communication with DME" issue on my UK-spec 2014 BMW 4 Series Coupe (420i, N20 engine, manual transmission, RHD). This all started because I re-flashed (BM3) before my MOT after sitting over the winter and suffering a severe battery drain, the car went into a hard no-crank, no-start state (everything else seems to work fine) When hooked up to ISTA+ (using an ENET cable to USB-C adapter, hence why top-right KL15/KL30 fields show standard ENET dashes), the DME remains solid RED on the Control Unit Tree. The car has a total of 51 permanent faults after clearing historical noise. Almost every responding module (FEM, DSC, EPS, ICM, REM, KOMBI) is healthy but throwing network errors stating: "No message... transmitter DME/DDE". Additionally, there is a hard active fault for ⁠8040B1⁠ (Wake-up line to the intelligent battery sensor IBS: Short circuit to B+ or line disconnection). To isolate this issue, I have performed extensive diagnostic steps with the following definitive outcomes: A brand-new 96Ah Exide AGM battery has been installed and is kept charged using a CTEK charger. DME Hardware is GOOD: The DME was removed from the car and sent to a bench specialist (Martyn at ECUWorx). It powers up and communicates perfectly on the bench rig, ruling out internal board failure or water damage. However due to not having the right harness he was unable to validate the Key to FEM to DME communication. Integrated Supply Module (IVM) is NEW: Replaced the engine bay IVM module completely. Zero change; DME remains entirely non-responsive on the car's loom. IBS Sensor Isolation: Unplugged the 2-pin black data connector at the negative battery terminal to check if a shorted IBS chip was dragging down the wake-up line. The DME stayed red. Engine Ground Circuit is GOOD: Ran a heavy-duty jumper lead directly from the chassis factory grounding stud on the strut tower to a clean, bare aluminum structural section on the engine cylinder head. Rerun of the ISTA vehicle test showed no change (DME stayed red), completely ruling out a snapped or corroded lower engine ground strap. Main Under-Car Power Cable is GOOD: Tested the main B+ bolted power supply terminal in the engine bay compartment using a power circuit probe. It reads a clean, live 12V, proving raw battery juice is successfully travelling from the boot to the front of the car. All Module Fuses (FEM, REM, EBox Fuse Panel, Trunk Power Distribution Box) are GOOD: Probed every individual blade and maxi-fuse, all fully intact and passing voltage correctly on both sides. Current Status & Next Steps: Battery power is available, the block is perfectly grounded, the fuses are good, and the DME hardware functions perfectly on a test bench. Yet, when plugged into the car, the engine bay remains a complete communication dead zone. My next steps are to cleanly isolate the DSC (ABS) module plug to ensure a fried module isn't choking the PT-CAN line, and to check if the Terminal 15WUP (Wake-up) 12V signal from the FEM is actually reaching the engine loom. however struggling to disconnect the ABS Harness. Has anyone encountered a similar issue on their f-series following a failed flash or where the FEM fails to send the wake-up voltage to the DME while leaving the rest of the car awake? Any guidance on specific wiring pins or hidden fusible links to check next would be incredibly appreciated! ISTA screenshots attached for additional context, more can be sent too.

Hi, I have recently purchased a 2013 X5M50d. The centre console buttons, specifically Auto hold, camera button and downhill descent don't always work when pressed but DSC is ok. They seem to work whenever they decide to and also the Auto hold decides to turn itself off whenever it wants, normally the next time i get in the car. There are no signs of anything spilled or damage as far as I can see. Has anyone come across this before and how was the problem resolved? Thanks

Sorry, I have had time to sit down. The camshaft sensor can fail and cause sporadic issues. There is a pulley on the front of the engine which can split and cause the forward/ backward motion and misread the sensor. Check this by pulling the pulleys toward the radiator / front of car. They should not move!

Camshaft sensor or pulley! … sorry, I’m a rush!

Hi Roger I am in Horsham and have a very old laptop in the garage with a copy of BMW 1.4.0 on it if you get down this way you are very welcome to borrow it as I now use a different laptop with ISTA. The Diagnostics are very good so if your stuck just shout Dave

Dear Dave many thanks for your comments, it’s very much appreciated. Coils and plugs have all been checked and also swapped around. The vacuum lines too, we found a split in one of the air input tubes so replaced that. I understand that all accessible electrical connects have been checked and cleaned too, a BMW specialist did this. I really appreciate you asking generally if there is someone relatively local to SW London who might want to have a look - that could prove helpful because I’m at the point where I’m just guessing and don’t have access to diagnostic equipment. Thank you once again, and have a good weekend. Best wishes Roger

Morning Roger Welcome to the Forum As the issue is erratic I would suspect either coil packs or plugs if there are no Vacuum leaks, as the car is used little I would start with a can of good Electrical Contact cleaner and make sure all sensor plugs are good and clean, then all coil pack connections. Check all the Vacuum lines for signs of cracking or splits those are the simple practical things but Diagnostics are the way to go. I wonder if there is a member on here who is close to you? Dave

Hello everyone - I’m new to this forum. I have a year 2000 E46 323ci that has an engine that is running really erratically and unpredictably. The car is hardly used, it passed its MOT in February this year but the running poor issue has been evident for over a year. The issue: sometimes the engine will start fine - no warning lights - smooth and lovely as it should be - drive it for 30 mins or so in local city traffic and without warning the engine starts to run really lumpy - all the warning lights come on and the car will hardly pull more than 10mph - pull off the road - turn the ignition off - wait - start again with the same problem - do this a few more times - then the lights go off and the engine runs fine again - for 30 mins or so. This can also happen in reverse - the car will be running smoothly - park at home - start the following day and it’s straight back to lumpy running with all the warning lights. I have had the throttle body replaced, twice, the ECU cloned and replaced, a new air input ducting - all carried out by a BMW specialist but the problem continues. the specialist is unfortunately now not answering calls. I’m not a mechanic and I’m fumbling around in the dark here - when it’s running well it’s a lovely car - when it’s bad it’s really undrivable. my next thoughts are the vanos unit and/or solenoid valves - or as the car is worth so little - scrap it! can anyone on this forum suggest anything - I don’t have access to code reading software - it would be great to speak to an enthusiast who might have some ideas - it can’t be a massive problem to solve as it can run really well - but just occasionally! any help or advice would be greatly appreciated - or if there is someone in SW London who might want to have a look that would be fab - thanks in advance. Roger M

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

Hi, Did you ever find out what was causing this issue as i am having a similar one with my 2004 320ci Thanks

Hi I have a 2013 X5 3.0m that needs a DPF but cans find any on aftermarket. New one fitted costs £3,700 and car worth £5,000 (high mileage) does anyone know where I could find a used one I’ve tried a few breakers but they are difficult to find this part Thanks

Excuse my typo/autocorrect that should be needs a dpf

Hi I’ve got a 2013 x5 that needs a dog replaced. Cannot find any aftermarket parts at all and bmw charge £3k for new one Car is worth £5k so hard to justify such a shame to scrap it. Any advice would be appreciated Thanks

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

Hi Kev Welcome to the Forum With ISTA you have the right tool it should let you get to the bottom of the problem. Have you checked fuel pressure could be a dodgy pressure sensor? Checked all Vacuum lines and hoses on the inlet side to make sure there are no air leaks ? Carried out a smooth running test using ISTA ? Throttle body OK ? Just thinking out loud for things that could give a mis-fire Hope this helps Dave

Hi Paul Welcome to the Forum That's a surprise maybe the sliders are Imperial (can't for the Life of me see why) that would make 5/16 or maybe 3/8 Unless of course they are Torx fitting T40 maybe ?? Hope this helps not hinders Dave

my 2007 325i has a habit off running weird, ticks over fine blip the throttle and engine runs lumpy, feels like running on 4-5 cylinders and popping through the exhaust rev engine to 200-300 revs runs fine again, read codes cyl 1 misfire and map sensor changed plugs and coils on all 6 to be sure, still the same reread codes cyl 1 misfire was recommended changing injector so changed for new one, coded it in ran fine until i blipped the accelerator back to rough running, rev to 200-3000 runs fine again, no engine light or codes now, using ISTA, any help appreciated,