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Hi Eduan Welcome to the Forum First place to check is Sub Frame mounting Bushes, on a 19 year old car they will be tired. In Order to check rear suspension bushes the Air suspension has to be deflated not a difficult task but essential. Again I would expect a 19 year old car to have a lot of wear and is probably in need of a refresh. Tip if refreshing the suspension get new camber bolts for adjustment mark the old ones position with a bit of Tippex so it all goes back as original. If the suspension is good then drive shafts, diff, Propshaft are next for checking Dave

At 45 mph my BMW will start to shimmy it seems like in the rear right tire also going down Interstate mashing the gas sometimes it will do it as well.It had a bent rim at one point in time and that's when it seemed like it started could it be a baron transmission mount or the rim still might be bent any information would be grateful.co could it be a fuel pump going bad or could it be the tires I'm at a loss hereMaybe a CV axle never experienced this with a car like this before but like I said it all started when I hit a hole and it bent my rims had them fixed but don't know if it messed up like a bearing or something like that thanks. Brandon

Morning Steve Welcome to the Forum Quick look at realoem shows both 155A and 185A alternators were used for your car Part Number 12317521178 is the 185A was OEM The 155A shows as a Remanufactured replacement alternative. Realoem also states that the Aluminium Screws are use once so will need replacing part number 12310392568 set of 4 shows Good Luck Dave

Hi oldnotbroken My E53 2006 started doing exactly the same thing today for no apparent reason. Any chance you managed to find the source of the knocking? cheers!

Does anyone have or know of where to acquire a Hard Top roof and fitting kit for my Z3 Would appreciate if anyone knows of one or has one and especially the fitting kit for sale - just message me through here initially, Thanks

Does anyone have or know of where to acquire a Hard Top roof and fitting kit for my Z3 Would appreciate if anyone knows of one or has one and especially the fitting kit for sale - just message me through here initially, Thanks

I was wondering if I can install the 185A alternator vs. 155A - would.the 185 ampersand "overload" the system? Seems non OEM after market manufactures offer both version for this car - and for a convertible I am quite surprised the original alternator is just 155A - doesn't the CONVERTIBLE ROOF draw much amps? Thanks in advance, Steve

Morning Nigel Damn Bambi 😅 we just don't eat enough Venison in the UK 😅 Totally agree with you if it's on the car it should work and it bugs me if it doesn't. I brought my copy of BMW INPA/ISTA a long long time ago (can't remember where now) but a friend of our son brought a copy last year from www.djwwautodiagnostics.co.uk he paid £90 and it works really well (save him blocking my driveway while he uses mine 😅) The best software is BMW INPA/ISTA which will give you full Dealer level access to your car for diagnostics and repair information, it also contains Wiring diagrams and Workshop information Apparently the company are UK based and give full back up, though I personally have not used them but he is a happy bunny Hope this helps Dave

Thanks for that Dave. I have a friend with a magic box but I don't think it's up to the job. I am taking your advice and will let main agents tell me exactly what's wrong. Thinking back I think it was OK untill a deer decided to hit my bumper. The bumper etc was replaced. Maybe it needed resetting. All will be revealed. The park assist is something I am afraid to use (probably twice in 28000miles)😆 but if it there I want it to work. What is the software I could get for future use. Thanks nigel

Thank you so much, Stu. I will buy that right now. 🙂

https://ebay.us/m/3fUFeF there you go!

Page 124 of the Owners Handbook plus the actual control panel.

Yes, that's the one. The missing one is bottom of the right hand column of four buttons, the one with the rectangular shape and three bent arrows. Thanks.

Do you mean this one??

Hi Bob. can you post a pic of the button please. have you tried quarry motors?

I have a year 2001 e39 BMW 525i saloon. The on/off 'rocker' switch for the heated rear window has gone missing during a valet. This is switch number 14 on the diagram on page 124 of the Owners Handbook, bottom right as you look at the controls for the heating and air conditioning. Any suggestions please on how to find a replacement. BMW main dealers and scrapyards both seem uninterested in my enquiries. Thank you.

Morning Nigel Welcome to the Forum A diagnostic scan will confirm the issue so before spending your Hard Earned that would be my course of action. Either find a BMW specialist or a good independent garage that has BMW capable diagnostics (Foxwell, Autologic, iCarsoft) Or if you are a DIY fan then buy your own Google BMW Diagnostic Software for less than the cost of a single visit to a Dealer you could have your own. Dave

Park assist no longer detects parking space. I think I have narrowed it down to Park assist control module. I have a used replacement. Is it plug and play or will it need to be programed. If so how. I hope I don't have to take it in to BMW. thanks. Oh,just remembered is there an easy way to get surround off luggage hook in boot so I can remove panel?

Morning Chris Welcome to the Forum That's a lot of water 😢 I fixed a 5 series for a friend of our son his was no where near that bad though. With the 5 series the rear door card had been removed at sometime and the vapour barrier was missing that added to the drains in the bottom of the door being blocked. The bottom of the door was just full of water. When it rained or he went through a car wash it overflowed and filled the footwell. I cleared the door drains a lot of water was held in there I dried it out with a heat gun (checked the roof drains as well they were OK) Fitted a new vapour barrier took out the carpet and sound deadening thick pad which was sopping, gave them a spin in the washing machine then dried in the sun. While they dried I jet washed the car to check for leaks (none found) so I replaced the Door Card sound deadening and carpet he has had no issue over the last 3 years. With luck that will be your problem 😁 If it isn't then you have a serious leak under the car or in a seam Hope this helps not hinders Dave

Looking for some advice, every time it rains my rear passenger footwell floods really badly. Took approx 6 litres of water out yesterday. Can’t seem to find the source and wandered if there are any areas that are prone to leaks? The water seems to appear from nowhere, the door seals, window seals, A/B/C pillars, boot, front footwells and roof linings are all bone dry. Even the footwell above the ankle level are dry, indicating water isn’t coming from the door area. The water gets in even with the car being stationary. The only two things I can think of are the sunroof drains (as I believe they expel water in the region of the rear footwells) or the aerial (but would assume both footwells would have some water in, not just the passenger side) any pointers would be much appreciated as it seems to be getting gradually worse. TIA.

Hi Enthusiasts! I'm the third owner of a 2003 BMW 318i SE Touring Car, 110,000 miles, that I bought from used approved Peter Vardy in Edinburgh in 2010. I've absolutely loved it! But it's coming to the end of its life, I fear. In particular the offside rear bracket holding the brake hose has completely corroded, so the garage (BM Motorworks in Stockport) has had to 'improvise' to attach it to get it through the MOT. There's some paint 'bubbling' over the wheel arches and general oil leaks - the usual for a car of that age. But it just got through it's MOT for another year, although with a load of advisories. I think it has a full service record - I got the inspections done at BM-Tec in Salford, and then last one at BM Motorworks last year. It's still a great drive, the interior is in great condition and all the electrics (apart from CDP) work great. So it pains me to let it go. But I don't have much mechanical knowledge and I think it's getting to the stage where, if it keeps going, it needs someone who can give it some TLC. I want a car I don't need to worry about. So I'm writing to ask if there's a forum where enthusiasts might be interested in buying it, someone who knows what they are getting into with one of these great cars? Any advice welcome! Thanks, Max

Many thanks Dave it’s a minefield isn’t it! the calliper and ABS issue was sorted by a family friend who used to be a main dealer Service Manager, now gone independent. Paul - please do let us know how your daughter’s situation gets resolved?

Morning Nellie and Paul As far as I was aware and have read the issue is with the ABS unit or to be accurate 2 ABS units (ATE MK100 and ATE MK 25A) that were fitted to quite a few models (not just BMW) between 2011 and 2020 and shows more often on cars with DSC. The big problem is the rate of failures compared to the number of cars with the unit fitted is small so BMW avoid recall on safety grounds, plus it seems (as far as I know) to only seems to happen outside warranty ie. over 3 years old leaving repair cost with the Owner. BMW will also argue that a car serviced by their Dealerships would pick up the fault at Brake Service and advise repair. Always expensive as BMW will replace units not repair them. BMW will also wash their hands if a repair or service is carried out by a Non Franchised Garage (But they are not alone here just about all Main Dealers and Manufacturers are the same) That doesn't mean all is lost there are a few Repair Specialists in the UK who repair (and improve) these units one I have used is ECU Testing who are very good. Now the calliper sticking? is the the ABS pump not releasing all pressure after braking or a fault with the calliper its self? it needs checking with a BMW capable Diagnostic system which would identify if it was a calliper failing/sticking or ABS issue. Also it is good engineering practice if a calliper sticks to either service both callipers or replace both If replacing Fluid only use BMW Spec fluid. It is sad to read tales of woe like this as generally the X1 is a good car and there is nothing wrong with Independent Garages other than some do not have the specialist knowledge or equipment If you are not able to DIY then I would find a BMW Specialist close by I am not a BMW garage just an enthusiastic car owner who loves to service and maintain my own cars plus some friends and families. Over the years I have amassed a strong collection of tools and knowledge including Diagnostics which allows me to work at Dealer level on several makes (Volvo, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW) Dave

Hi Paul BMW insisted that as the brake fluid was touched by the independent garage who did the 45,000 service, then it was not a BMW problem. BMW eventually changed the brake fluid and retested, and NFF. Daughter had to suck up those costs plus the repairs to get her car back. Update: probably unrelated, but worth noting. coming back from the Lake District in the rain (June 2025), the O/S rear brake seized. Car was recovered back to Reading. Independent garage replaced calliper and pads, then ABS system, as they discovered a known fault with these brakes in that the ABS senses when the wipers are working and applies slight brake pressure to clear any potential water from the brakes . . . .