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Evening sir! Welcome to the world of bmw…. It’s addictive! we are a friendly bunch here so ask away and don’t be shy on the pictures of the lovely car!

Hi all, I'm new to both the club and BMW ownership having just bought my first of the marque. Looking forward to the experience of owning such a capable car and also the benefits of being a part of an owners club where you tend to find the best in open and honest conversation about the good, the bad and the ugly of car ownership. The car I have is a 2018 335d Touring in what Ive been reliably told is Marlborough Red. A 1 owner car from new covering just over 67k miles when I bought it only 3 weeks ago. Full BMW service history including MOT's and even wiper blade changes. I'd spent around 7 months searching for the right car so patience paid off I feel. It was specified with most of the right factory options including digital dash, HUD, memory seats and Pro Nav. It was even de-badged, something which I didn't realise was an option?! it doesn't have adaptive dampers though which I initially thought would irritate, but I've quickly learned that the car is beautifully damped in standard form regardless. The car isn't completely standard either with some subtle changes made to it. It has Eibach lowering springs (which is where I appreciate just how good the standard dampers are), wheel spacers, Rohana 20 inch black alloys on Michelin PS4S tyres and what I think you would call a stage 1+ ECU and gearbox remap to 404.5bhp and 746nm of torque. The net result is something which I know all of you will already know. I get it too now. The car is just about the most complete thing I've owned and I love it. They really are as good as everyone says they are. My job involves a lot of time away travelling but knowing`I have that to arrive back to in the UK makes me very keen to get plenty of miles under my belt! I've only taken a few photos so far but will get much better quality pictures uploaded when I can get around to taking them. I'm looking forward to picking your much more experienced brains about the good and bad bits of ownership. Thanks all! Coxy

Morning Chris Don't run the pump the washer fluid has to go somewhere 😅 And at the moment it isn't on the back window Dave

Morning Jerry Check www.realoem.com the small exploded drawings can really help understand where things are and how they fit. Make sure parts swapped are correct, also check the intercooler I have seen 2 that were full of oil and had split Don't just check the boost side check all the vacuum lines as well it doesn't take much to upset smooth running How did you get on with the suspension refurb Dave

evening car playing up friend listened to car said air leak when I rev ,no boost could be causing juddering ,I've just changed short boost pipe and air intake breather pipe it sounds worst ,looks like I'm on it again in morning any pointers cheers j

Thank you so much.... its got me baffled, must have had a new tailgate at some point

Hi Chris Welcome to the Forum Sorry can't open your Video However if you check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model then check the vehicle electrical system section it shows the rear wiper assembly complete with Spray Nozzle You will also see all the part numbers if you need to buy one you should find it under the rear spoiler above the back window I believe Good luck Dave

Hi all, Ive just fitted a new rear washer pump which is now working as I can hear it... went to the back to see if jet was blocked only to find it is not fitted with a rear washer seems very strange !!!20241010_100129682_iOS.heic

Thanks again Dave, great tips

Morning Alan Welcome to the Forum Makes you wonder about the service book is it really for the same car? Then again with extended service periods the oil will get very black and thick. If the engine is running well first job would be drain some oil then add an engine flushing agent run the engine to clean as much crud as possible then drain and new filter, add cheap oil and more flushing agent and repeat after a couple of flushes it should be much cleaner inside then Filter and a Good Oil Dave

I am looking to buy a B47 engine. I have found a X3 with 72k on clock with very good BMW service history according to the in car service record. It has 10 stamps roughly one a year. Generally the car appears mechanically sound. But when I check the oil it is jet black, like nothing I have ever seen before. No translucency at all. According to the service record BMW changed the oil 7 months ago at 68k. Is it normal for the oil to be this black after only 4k miles? .

Morning Oliver When I rebuilt my 4.6is there was enough room to get a Stilson pipe wrench on the boss at the back of the pulley. That worked for me As you will be fitting new belts another tip is wrap the old belt around the pulley and clamp it tight with a pair of Mole grips the loose end of the belt clamp to the front subframe that should give enough of an anchor to torq things up don't reuse the old bolts as they are already stretched. Good Luck Dave

Thanks Greydog, cardboard angle is a good idea. Any tips on stopping the pulley moving without buying an expensive tool that I will only use once

Hi Oliver There are many bolts that require Torq plus a Degree tightening sequence so best to stick to the sequence or you could over stretch the bolts and end up with them failing I have a 1/2" drive degree tool but you can cut a circle of cardboard and mark 0, 90, 180, 270 off in pen then mark 3 equal sections in each segment. Torque to 40Nm then put your card in place mark the 0 point on the car with tippex. Now you can turn the bolt 90 plus one segment (30d) for your 120d, always tighten in a diagonal pattern Dave

On refitting the crankshaft pulley it says torque up the 4 Torx bolts to 40Nm and 120deg. Can a larger torque value be used and if so does anybody know what it would be

Morning Tony Welcome to the Forum First start with a search for the correct part number for your car use www.realoem.com (if you are not aware it is an online BMW parts list) put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model, then search the Exhaust section (is your car EU3, EU5, EU6) Once you have the correct part number use it to find the best supplier/price (£300 to £400) would be my expectation remember you may have to add clamps and gaskets to the price. If the part is correct fitting should be straight forward it will however need setting up. Depending on labour cost I would guess the whole job to be £800 to £1000 depending on what additional parts are needed Remember you can't just bolt it on, the ECU has to be set up to know the car has a new DPF (your garage should know that) Also make sure the Glow plugs and Controller are working correctly or the Regen cycle wont work correctly. Hope that helps Dave

Got a duff DPF filter on my 316D touring my mech says that apart from it being blocked its not regenerating! also its now broken at the exhaust output which is causing the exhaust pipe to wiggle around a bit and he a says we need a replacment one as it can't be welded as such. I don't doubt what he says its just the replacment one, seems new ones are around a grand or more but a wide range on ebay and quite a few suppliers from Germany like Autodoc.. Now not suprising seeing their German suppliers but in recent times he's had a lot of greif with spare parts from most all motor factors and the like i've seen some of the problems he had had with other cars like a clutch place that just didnt work! another suppliers did!, turbo for a range rover would spin and then stop something inside jammed up so what apart from the BMW new one anyone recommed a decent supplier either ebay or a breaker or a German supplier?. Car is fine otherwise its 2102 vintage done around 136,000 miles?. Thanks for any advice..

Hi Paul, Out of interest does you wireless charge tray actually charge your phone? Or does it just turn it into a small heater that get hotter than the sun, causing the phone to shut down due to overheat and put a very small amout of charge in it as mine does?

Thanks Dave. That's great detailed information. You're right, we do tend to replace rather than mend (if possible) and I'm all for saving a few pennies!! This will keep me busy next week. ATB

Morning Paul I would expect a Dealership to understand the Diagnostic programme, however as they say "never Assume" As an old (very) engineer I was always taught to treat a fault as a symptom rather than the actual cause. Sadly modern thinking and diagnostics have lead to a part swapping culture quite often at the Clients cost. I would start by getting a really good electrical contact cleaner, then first disconnect the battery unplug the Footwell module (also called FRM) and clean and check all the plugs and pins, if all good put it back and repeat with the Junction box (JBE) if all good reconnect the battery carry out a diagnostic. Record any faults then clear the active faults if there are any. The screen shot below shows the cars control unit tree not shown is the JBE the Yellow and Blue lines at the top come from there, the JBE manages the 2 main communication lines. On the left 3 down is the CAS (Comfort Access System) second line at the bottom FRM (Footwell Module) third blue line is the Most bus Infotainment In the screen shot you can see the IHKA in yellow (investigation shows Aux Water Pump) far right the DDE is yellow as 2 glow plugs are not working. The control tree for your car will depend on the original build sheet for equipment but at least you can see how things are linked. As your issue is intermittent my thought process is more loose or corroded pin on one of the connection plugs on either the JBE (on the side of the fuse box) or the Footwell module Hope this helps Dave

Thanks again Dave. The diagnostic check was done at a main dealership so I assume it will be as you suggested. I'll call in at my local garage in the morning and run through the things you suspect could be the cause. I appreciate your help with this.

Hi Paul As the fault is intermittent it always a mission to track down, INPA/ISTA will show faults present and faults not present but recorded in the history. So if INPA/ISTA was used I would have expected the fault to be seen Many garages just clear faults then see what comes back (not helpful at times) The fact that your radio seems to be linked to the fault occurrence makes me think the issue is with either the Footwell Module or Junction Box as these modules are the ones that link the two systems (Radio is on the MOST Bus circuit Doors are I believe K-Can) Dave

Thanks Dave. I have recently had a diagnostic test on the vehicle as there was a fault with the tcu battery, which needed replacing. Would the door unlocking fault have shown during this or not due to it being an intermittent issue? Thanks again for your help

Hi Paul I would from that description suspect a Footwell Module or Junction Box fault a diagnostic scan with a good BMW capable system should confirm (Best is BMW INPA/ISTA) Dave

An update to the intermittent fault. The issue with the passenger door, rear doors and tailgate not unlocking only happens if the radio doesn't turn off when the engine is off and the driver's door is opened!! Very odd. All settings in the idrive are for the radio to turn off and all doors and tailgate to unlock when the engine is turned off and driver'sdoor is opened. Anyone out there who has experienced anything like this? Thanks.