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thank you all, great advice, right foot does misbehave mind of its own,

Found it by searching BMW Owners club on Google. Also am finding it difficult to use. Obviously BMW is faster than I am.

Morning Steve From memory the locks are cable operated from the central solenoid. So it is possible that the cable has become dislodged or broken. I would look at www.realoem.com to see how it goes together it should be possible to get some grips on the cable inner after removing the trim panels on the inside. Dave

Hi Phil Are you taking the figures from the on-board computer? If so, I would question their accuracy. A habit I picked up when employed and running company cars is to maintain a spreadsheet of fuel purchases including mileage at the time of the fill-up. Even though now retired, I still do this and find there is ALWAYS a difference between the car computer figure and spreadsheet calculations. Sometimes this is quite significant. OK, call me a saddo for still doing this but remember a decline in fuel consumption can be an indicator of engine or brake problems. Hope this helps. John

Drive my X3 M40d in sport mode all the time. Didn't buy it to poodle abouit and watch the mpg..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykag3LTRPRM&t=14s

The roller in the centre of the two middle outlets is showing the red dots isn't it? In the engine bay right hand side as you look in there is a twin solenoid that controls heat left side right side they often go sticky or just stop first time I just unplugged it and re-connected all good. But after the engine rebuild I had to replace it to get things toasty in the cabin.

Hi Barrootz .... welcome to the Forum What a superb low mileage Zed, and definitely an appreciating classic Good to have fellow Z3 owner onboard Cheers, Trevor

I think if you do the transmission fluid, coolant and brake fluid you should have covered the urgent stuff. I'd also check the flexible brake hoses when time permits. It's a nice looking car. All you need now is sunshine. Upt'North.

Morning Barrootz and Welcome to the Forum Wow what a find, lucky man You have started the process definitely change brake fluid (brake fluid is hydroscopic so absorbs moisture over time this can give spongy pedal or worse internal rust on brake parts) coolant again I would change as a matter of course. Transmission I would talk to a ZF specialist for advice as the miles are so low, I would also inspect the suspension bushes carefully they are rubber just like tyres they can perish with age. For parts information www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box it will bring up your model. Also look at www.newtis.info this one is a BMW Technical Information site the same information that Dealers use. I notice the steering wheel is on the wrong side so there is also a US site www.pelicanparts.com they have some great "How Too's" and good information with pictures. ENJOY Dave

I was looking for some way to connect with more people.. even Facebook has become quite divisionalised.. or it always has been.. either way.. it would be cool to get to know peeps on the other side of the pond. Sharing videos about cars and car related stuff. You know what to do....

Hi Steve That will teach you to go upgrading stuff !!! In answer to your question Yes you have to go through the pairing process again. Normally press the pairing button and hold it for 3 secs while holding it put the key in the ignition and turn it on after 5 to 10 secs release the pairing button and you should see Bluetooth Pairing in the display, then search with your shiny new phone and enter the code. If not you can use BMW 1.4.0 or INPA to force pairing. Remember your ULF can only pair with 4 phones when its memory is full you will need to clear it to be able to add another. Dave

Morning Mark The BMW straight six is one of the worlds great engines in either flavour. My brother inlaw has a 530d touring he commutes into Holland every week it is approaching 300k his previous 525d touring went beyond before he changed it. Both cars were/are BMW history to 100k then his local independent Garage plus we have the odd fiddle if something stumps them. As Trevor says at 140k is no mileage for these engines if they die it;s normally abuse not use. If I were you no matter what the book says I would give it a full service (engine, gearbox and diff) plus check the suspension shocks springs and bushes. Life for the bushes seems to be around 80k in my experience. Good Luck Dave

I suppose the philosophy here is that it has already done 140k miles then it probably won't go wrong now. Also, being from 2004, an era which produced good quality cars its unlikely that there is too much to worry about. Always worth staying on top of any maintenance tasks and should go on forever.

Welcome Nigel First congratulations on the X3 second the worn Cruise Buttons demonstrate it has been a Motorway warrior spending plenty of time at constant speed/revs which is kinder on the engine and drive train. I assume the service history is good as well. Have a look at www.realoem.com it is a BMW online parts list as used by Dealers, open the site put the last 7 digits of your Vin number in the search box and it will bring up your model. Then search for the part you want it will give you the part number plus an indication of cost in dollars. At least you will know that (a) the part is available or not from a Dealer (b) An indicative cost Hope it helps Dave Also look at www.newtis.info a BMW technical information site which will help with "how too's"

Morning Rebecca Thanks for the additional information, as you service the car twice a year all should be sound, the DPF probably needed a regeneration cycle, turbo issues are not unusual on short journey cars sticking vanes and actuators, glow plugs and controller again not unusual at around 100k from what I have read. As the "experts" as you term them are struggling let's try some old fashioned logic. First there are many, not all but many young garage mechanics out there (and at my age thats any one under 50) who have grown up with "diagnostics" and this may sound harsh they become reliant and stop actually analyzing what they are seeing. They stop fixing things and just change parts until the issue goes away.Your issue is (a) intermittent ((b) If I am reading correctly once fault codes are cleared it runs OK until your next starting problem. So any recorded fault codes point to a control module, if the module or one of it's sensors had a problem the fault could not be cleared, yet it seems yours can be. What is often forgotten and ignored is the wiring loom, I would be checking it for continuity giving it a twist and turn while doing it and also checking the earth points a loose or poor earth connection can cause a lot of issues. I would logically begin with the essential starting circuits. Ask them if it could be a faulty earth or loom? Fingers crossed for you Dave

Hi Ian Welcome to the Forum All Manufacturers all like to put up a Myth that their cars are only serviceable by themselves and that only spares from their stores are going to fit and work !! Don't forget they brought those parts from someone? The X3 mechanically is quite simple the clever part is in the electronics. However it doesn't make them difficult to work on they just require a good diagnostic tool and a little more thought when fixing issues. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill available through the Forum and other sources. Diagnostics: I use BMW 1.4.0 which is loaded onto an old laptop along with other diagnostic software which I keep in the garage just for the cars (current stable are Subaru Outback, Toyota Avensis and my BMW X5) other folks use Carly for BMW, INPA,Autologic and others we pay our maoney and make our choice. It is important to have a BMW diagnostic as it can interrogate each control module for an issue rather than just getting a general code. BMW 1.4.0 explains the issue in English and the program is available for a few pounds so not a wallet buster I also use a BMW parts web site and BMW technical site both free which provides the same information as the Dealers use. The X3 mechanically has a front diff a centre transfer case at the back of the gearbox and a rear diff as long as the engine gearbox and the rest of the drive train are serviced regularly they are pretty tough. Suspension is conventional with rubber bushes needing service/replacing as and when. Tyres on 4x4 cars are critical as the rolling radius across axels and front to rear have to be within tolerance to avoid destroying the transfer case.there are to many 4x4 of all makes which are sold on with damaged transfer cases through having mismatched tyres fitted. The early small N43 diesels have some well documented issues but later N47 engines are much better, the six cylinder petrol and diesels are pretty much bomb proof. So bit long winded but don't be scared off thinking they are complicated they actually self diagnose a lot of issues, remember computers are binary and work in a logical fashion, if we also use simple logic they are not much different to a series 1 or 2 Land Rover just a hell of a lot more refined and fun to drive. Dave

Morning John When I brought my first X5 it suffered from the dreaded lurch (a hard change into 1st when slowing or stopping) the BMW dealer (and I have discovered from other forums they are not alone) at that time was saying "new Gearbox" as they can't be serviced they are sealed for life!! I contacted ZF UK in Crick who first asked what mileage and recommended a service and software update, they gave me the name of a ZF agent near Dorking not far from me who carried out the work. The Agent told me the box should be serviced every 60 to 80000 kilometers, seems "sealed for life for BMW means the end of the Warranty. It rang faultlessly afterwards, current X5 had it's first ZF service at 75k and is now booked in for it's second service 146k I know I could get it done cheaper or even do it myself but I guess I am paying for peace of mind. My advice would be Google ZF services UK and find your closest centre they will have all the right kit to plug in and test all components in the box, cycle all the solenoids in the motronic unit and give a comprehensive analysis plus update all the software. Fingers crossed it is a simple fix and not wallet busting Dave

Have a look at www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model then look for the Water Pump it will show a simple exploded view and the OEM Part Number Then check www.newtis.info for How too's also check Pelican Parts web site it;s a USA site but apart from the steering on the wrong side some great information plus pictures. Good Luck Dave

Morning David Welcome to the Forum BMW recommend only * rated tyres to avoid possible damage to the drive train, in particular the transfer box. So your budget will dictate. If you can, stick with a premium brand * rated tyre. Your car has the same size front and rear which will make the choice wider, those with a staggered set up (wider rear wheels) have to take more care in selection as differences in rolling radius front to rear cause the transmission problems. Enjoy your X Dave

Morning Take care with the tyres X3 and X5 are known to be sensitive to different rolling radius tyres front to rear or side to side. There are many posts on other sites about damaged diff's front centre and rear due to transmission wind up, none are cheap fixes. Does your X3 have a staggered set up? If it does it is even more important than ever to have the correct size tyres. BMW themselves recommend only * rated tyres by a few premium brand manufacturers. I change all 4 when they are getting close to the wear indicators and while I don't use premium brands I check out the deals available (my X5 runs a 20" staggered set up) currently running Yoko's with no ill effects. Symptoms will be jerking or grinding clicking noises when on full lock going slowly forward or in reverse Dave

Hello, I am a new user to this forum. I was hoping someone could help me to track down a used Alloy wheel the same as the one in the picture . I had a blow out on the motorway the other night and the wheel is obviously Caput. Was very lucky that no further damage came to me or my car. It's a 3 series coupe 2007 Would much appreciate it