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Morning Paul Wow that stirs the old grey matter I take it your familiar with www.realoem.com check the Classic section or BMW have a Classic section try their Customer services (I am told they can be slow) If I recall alarms were not a standard fitting back then so you may find Baur fitted it when they retrimmed the car Maybe a question to Baur in Stuttgart I am sure they will have an Archive Good Luck Dave

Hi Hamid Welcome to the Forum First check the engine bay side there is a distribution valve and Auxiliary water pump make sure it's working. Then inside the car if all fans and controls are working check the Final Stage Resistor (used to be a common fail on E53 X5's) Have a look at www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it should bring up your model, then check the Heater section you should find the FSR (Final Stage Resistor) in the blower motor. You will now have all the part numbers you need to find a replacement at a sensible price. The FSR on X5 E53 models was a fiddle to change but not beyond anyone with a bit of sense Dave

After many months of messing with door i decided to try, again, the key in the door after about 10 tries THE DOOR OPENED!!! So I can finally get door panel off to access and replace the actuator. Thank you to everyone that responded and tried to help me. And to Greydog...I found the lever you were talking about.

Morning Phil First thought "is it a genuine wide body or an aftermarket kit that's been fitted" I would check one of the Vin Decoder websites using the Vin number to see what the original build sheet tells you. As it may be a rare customer special order One of our Z car owners may have more thoughts Dave

You have a "list of jobs" too 🤣 I tried confusing her by starting at the bottom I thought if she saw ticks near the bottom 😅 Top tip it didn't work 🤣

Hi all, just an update to my previous post. Finally resolved my problem, with no help from BMW…… Had to replace the generator/starter/alternator unit to sort the problem, having 1st replaced the 48v battery to eliminate that from being the problem, which it wasn’t. So just over 3 years old, less than 70k on the clock and the MHEV system started breaking down. As time went on the issue got worse and resulted in numerous unexpected ‘shut downs’ whilst driving and on one occasion a complete electrical failure due to a flat 12v battery which wasn’t being charged. Lesson from that episode was that I constantly charged the battery when not in use to avoid a si,liar situation…. Hearing more and more people with the same problem and BMW parts confirming they are getting numerous enquiries every week for the component, so clearly BMW have a longevity issue with the system. Going to be a lot of unhappy customers. BMW of course denied there was an issue , weren’t willing to resolve the problem and instead said ‘take it to a main dealer have them identify the problem and if clearly a BMW design or manufacturing problem, they might consider a contribution to the cost’. I could see running up a huge bill at main dealer rates and then getting a minor contribution from BMW if I was lucky so opted to get it fixed by my local independent who was excellent with it. Fortunately, the vehicle was fixed and drove like a dream again, I forgot how good it was! But as the title says MHEV owners beware!1

Just a quick update. Managed to find a second hand front passenger seat in the correct trim. 1o mins to remove ols seat, 10 mins to fit replacement. No Airbag light issues, and seat belt indicator system, working as expected. 😃🤘 Thanks Guys for you suggestions.

Hi guys, turned out it was the 'Idler Pulley' in the belt. Local autoshop figured it out. $100 repair. Thanks again for your help, appreciated! Norm.

Lol… @Greydog just pops out and strips two cars … I managed to find a matching pair of socks! success all round!

Morning All The X5 is back on the road front calipers changed so no more binding brakes As the sun was out I also fitted new front bushes and rear drop links to my wifes Subaru Outback must be the warm weather 😅😅 This morning I feel like an Old Bloke who spent yesterday rolling around on the garage floor 🤣 🤣 Now cut the grass hedges and tidy the garden Dave

Hi Andrew Welcome to the Forum First the Dealer is a business and will try to generate Profit where it can. If you are capable of changing Oil and Filters yourself do so and keep all reciepts as part of the cars History Spark Plugs these are normally mileage based for change or if of course showing signs of failing the same applies to coil packs Micro Filter and Air filter these items I change annually as the cost is so low If you are not into DIY then Google the Register of BMW Specialists these garages normally are BMW trained technicians with all the equipment to maintain your car but their hourly rates are often about half that of a Dealership (someone has to pay for the Free coffee) With the BMW Specialists many can register your service records held on the BMW servers and update them. When servicing my own cars annually I buy Mann Filters Air and oil (OEM suppliers)and Castrol Magnatec 5-30 oil which meets BMW LL04 standards cost is around £70. I carry out the work near to MOT time so I can check the car over. I have my own BMW Diagnostics allowing me to rest any service points and of course find and reset fauts Dave

I agree with Dave, back in the day most alarms were retrofit and Hella being an independent company supplying electrical relays and associated switches to fit to Baur and other styling houses of the era. I would be tempted to track the wires individually to see where they go to - I would imagine one or two would go to the starter motor and ignition switch / coil, etc Let us know how you get on with it all

Oooooh that’s nice!

Hi Jock. Is the car 4 wheel drive? 4x4 centre bearing? that would be my first guess. does it make the noise when stationary?

Hi Dave Thank you. I will give the guy who looks after my car and get it booked in for a diagnosis. No warning lights and to be honest I haven't noticed an increase in fuel usage either. My daughter has a 2025 BMW and the grill on that certainly opens and closes. I will post the outcome for my car once it's been looked at. Thanks again for your help

Mileage is154k and MoT to Aug 2nd 26. Sorry for earlier mistakes.

Hi Paul Just contact https://www.ecutesting.com they are in Derbyshire they offer and excellent service and I have used them several times they also Warranty all their work Worth contacting them and talking through what you need Dave

It’s linked to the vanos sensor. but firstly, check the oil cap is the correct one and there should be an insert in it.

Morning Lissa Welcome to the Forum I guess the first step is getting an estimate of cost to repair, then measure that against cost of changing the car One of our sons (a tree surgeon) had his pick up written off by driver who claimed it was parked in a dangerous spot ?? Straight road two wheels on the grass verge and warning signs out as they were working as well, Police checked the guys phone records he was texting at the time ?? Hope you find away to get the car sorted Dave Sunny Sussex UK (and it is today 😊

Hi Greydog, Thanks for your time checking on the i-Carsoft unit! I will be looking to obtain a copy of the ISTA then! Best, JC

My thought is that the maf sensor is working correctly. did you reset the adjustments and parameters after replacing it? I agree with @Greydog. check the inlet pipe between the maf sensor and the throttle body for any cracks, especially on the elbow part. Throttle body could also be the issue. my x5 has the 3.0i engine and was all over the place with idle and cutting out etc. it was the throttle body which was faulty , but while I replaced it, I found the inlet pipe had little splits in it at the elbow folds and was leaking in air, confusing the mixture as the new maf sensor was saying one thing and the air ratio was another. The old maf sensor was reading a lower value and the engine had over compensated for it. Check for splits, reset the values and see where it goes.

Well….. the drop top pug is getting kicked out soon… I went on eBay and made a cheeky bid. off to pick up a nice 4.5 v8 Porsche cayenne up on Saturday !! ironically I won it while I was registering my wife on a speed awareness course 🙄 let’s see how many times the X5 is going to have a hissy fit when this one turns up. 😂

Hi. If you have any issues with insurance at all for a change of tyres then please feel free to drop me a line. Regards, Dan.

Morning Richard If it is an option offered by the Manufacturer it isn't a Modification would be my argument My E70 runs non-run flat tyres due originally to availability the car was originally offered with either run flat and Non Run flat I also have a set of Winter wheels and tyres. Dave

I just been looking at photos of my bmw e 36 and put the registration in and noticed it is still on the road. I put a lot of work into this car and this car was the best car I had and we love to be able to speak to former keeper and see how it’s doing after all the work I put into it with all the interior etc and just to see how it’s doing hope this message can find its way to my old car. The registration is P7 6AAB.

Gave the car to my mate who gratefully took it for his young family. he took it to his local garage and turns out the camshaft timing sensor was clogged up and misreading. I had changed the inlet and outlet cam sensors but not the camshaft sensor. an engine flush and clean, new oil and spark plugs, a good service and it’s off like a scalded cat! Cost wise it was about £300 to sort. happy days!

I have one! 👍🏻… gearbox is a 5 speed manual… quick on the acceleration but top end is a bit rev hungry. enjoy it!!!

Great little cars Stu A neighbour has one and she loves it they do need a good annual service though, seen several that were unreliable due to not being used much and waiting for the service indicator to tell them it needed service? One was 5 years between services? You will also need a good code reader Dave

Morning Steven Welcome to the Forum If you have the original pump and module I would send it to ECU Testing (Derby/Nottingham area) if it is repairable it won't need coding when it goes back on. Brake bleeding is a straight forward procedure I always start at the nearside rear (furthest from the master cylinder) I use a vacuum pump bleeding kit (mine is old but they are about £20 or so) to pull fluid through. Make sure the Master cylinder is above Min at all times, once clear no bubbles or murky fluid lock it off and move to the offside rear and repeat. Then nearside front and finally offside front make sure you are using the correct brake fluid and as said never let the master cylinder drop below the Min mark. Now the only tricky bit is you will need the help of someone who has a BMW capable Diagnostic tool if you don't have your own to activate the ABS unit, job done. If the original can't be repaired the next point to check is "the unit that is fitted is it the correct one for your car" is/was it New or purchased second hand? check the part number of both the Pump and Controller carefully if they are the same as the OEM part then it should have been plug and play. If the unit was (a) Second hand is it faulty? (b) If it is an incorrect part then you will struggle to get it to work. However if it does need coding then again you will need the help of someone who has a Diagnostic program that is capable of doing it Hope this Helps Dave

Hi Dave, Many thanks for your reply, yes i would always DIY this … I am fully aware of realoem and have indeed been researching a replacement front diff. anything i’m looking at will be factoring in new oil seals to be fitted also, along with the correct spec diff oil.. will keep this post informed of the outcome.. Dave 👍

Hi Cameron From your description and the additional information it sounds like transmission wind up, probable cause is the rear tyres being new have a larger rolling radius than the front that is putting strain on the transfer case and also the diffs. I would check them carefully tyres are much cheaper than a new Diff or Transfer Case Dave

Hi Philip Welcome to the Forum If I recall the Power Steering Fluid was originally a Febi part not sure if it was the Green one to protct seals etc Try taking a look at www.realoem.com Classic section or even ask your Dealer Parts dept they do some good deals on older models Dave

Hi Dave, It appears that my Ista+ was out of date and the idrive(ecu) software in the vehicle is running the 2018 version, therefore, reading the vehicle with the up to date remote ista from the dealership shows there is nothing wrong with the car. It's already booked for a software update with the 2025 version Thanks!

Stu, this is tremendously helpful, can't thank you enough. I've ordered the unit from AZ. I'll update you on the results. Thank you. Norm.

News to me! Thanks Dave. A wee quick drive 120km to the coast. Apparently there's a place in Benidorm wot copies them. Probably next to a pub that sells beer at £1 a pint. Whoopee...

Thanks Dave, the original map company don’t have a clue what could’ve happened as the garage shouldn’t have been able to do anything. I’ve got it booked in tomorrow somewhere else to take ECU out, see if the map is still there/gone dormant and remap if needed. I’ve just done a 500mile round trip fishing at the weekend to wales so I know for certain it’s not driving as it was and the fuel consumption for this journey I do 2-3 times a years has gone up as well as the car being lethargic. As for the headlamp washers…thanks, I’ll get new ones fitted.

🤣 They may have their own Whats App Group 🤣🤣 scary who knows with AI Guess that means we are in trouble Dave

I know that feeling Dave, same thing after rolling out from under my Z3 at the weekend and the realisation that I'm not 21 anymore 🙂

Well….. all I can say is, if the oil leaks onto the ground and you drive forward… then new tyres ain’t gonna do much good! get the oil leaks fixed first, save your engine from blowing up, save money on replacing oil and then get new tyres.

Well all done. If you need to do this you need an extractor to get the injectors out I made my own. Welded an M14 wheel nut to an M12 nut so I could use my Slide hammer 1 2 and 3 popped out really easily 4 5 and 6 no way? Then I talked to a Truck and Plant mechanic he told me they use an air driven vibrating tool to get injectors out. Back home and with the help of one of my sons and an SDS hammer drill with a blunt chisel attachment against the underside of the Slide hammer and it worked. It took the best part of Saturday to get the last 3 out but out they came. All back together battery fully charged plugged in the diagnostics and cleared fault memory then reset the Injector adaptions, then 30 seconds of cranking and she burst into life Dave

Morning Barry Welcome to the Forum Take a look at www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of the cars Vin into the search box it will bring up your model then search the body section. You should find all the information you need you should find exploded drawings that indicate where stuff goes and the part numbers which will help in your search. the bonnet I believe is just mechanical alignment and hinges with gas strut assistance. Once you have the information Google BMW Specialist Recyclers/Dismantlers and you should then be able to contact them to see who has what you need Good Luck with the Project let us know how you get on Dave

OK, so had the stethoscope test done and yes, water pump had gone. Not a bad life to be fair, 97K mls. New one installed and also had the belt changed as well. Onwards.......

Morning Joe Welcome to the Forum What a strange anomaly For years we had a place in Portugal and I kept a car there but have to say 10 years ago it was simple Bluetooth connection for calls. I guess have you talked to Apple to see if it is something they can help with? maybe clone your Spanish phone so at least you have your data Good Luck Dave

Hi Daniel The only electrical connection is the under handle LED on the outside door handle. The door handle has a Bowden cable that connects it to the actuator, the actuator has electrical connections to communicate with the cars control system the actuator is bolted inside the door, the inside door handle is also connected to the actuator by a second Bowden cable To work on it you will have to take off the inner door card then carefully peel away the water membrane. Once the actuator is exposed you can get your hand behind it and unhook the Bowden cable then remove the outer handle and unhook the other end of the cable. Fitting the new cable is obviously the reverse Dave

Thanks Paul I will trawl my notes and contacts to see if I can get any information for you Dave

Morning Bruce Hope the Test Drive goes well and Welcome Back Dave

Hi Shaun Welcome to the Forum I have read several times about this problem though not seen/suffered one myself From what I read the only solution is change the unit two choices, first BMW I have read £1k+ quotes and long wait times for parts. Second choice a used replacement first use www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model get the Part Number for your car, double click the part number and it should show a list of any alternatives if they are available. Then Google to find the part and check prices Apparently it isn't a major issue to swap a DIY job then get your Mech friend to clear and reset codes Good luck Dave

My 2019 BMW 2 series GT 220d gearbox has gone on 60k miles. Getting it refurbished at present and costing around £4k. BMW absolute scum

Another year coming to a close 😁 Wishing everyonea Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Hoping nothing wears out or drops off and the same goes for your cars Dave

Morning Darren Living in the land of 20mph speed limits certainly isnt going to help, to get the Soot burned off even though you have triggered it with Carly will need a bit of Help. Engine revs need to be at around 3000rpm Engine needs all Glow Plugs working as they are used to achieve high combustion temperatures, if 1 is not working the Regen Cycle may not work. Hope this helps Dave