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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

Morning Stephen Happy New Year As the Dealer has accepted responsibility and is offering a courtesy car while repairs are carried out you are in the hands of their Insurers not your own. So If their insurers say like for like your OK, if they say "a courtesy car" it will be pot luck. My own Dealership is using mainly EV Mini's at the moment. Good Luck Dave

Hi Folks, Had my E24 a while now and working on some slight convenience improvements whilst not changing anything permanently. I've got a magsafe phone holder/charger where the ashtray used to be. To do this I bought the outrageously expensive official BMW ash tray replacement storage box (just a small black plastic box that slides in to replace the ash tray £50!) I then bought this item which is a 3d printed magsafe phone holder designed for the BMW iX https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/336310951793 Then bought a standard sized magsafe charging puck. Insert puck into holder Double sided gorilla tape the phone holder to the front inside edge of storage compartment Plug into cig lighter and slide into place (later I will work out how to wire a permanent 12V to a USB C connector and plug the magsafe puck into that so I can loose the ugly cig lighter charger. Works great and can be undone just by pulling out and replacing original ashtray. I believe the E30 shares same ash tray as E24 so should work on old 3 series too! I am in touch with the ebay seller who made the magsafe holder and he's even looking at making a single unit which would be the ashtray replacement storage compartment and the magsafe holder which would be great and safe a lot of cash.

I was wary about taking it to someone without knowledge of how these older R12 based systems work and how to work out the correct R134 oil and gas levels. Found a great guy Paul https://pwautoelectrical.co.uk/ He worked on 80's BMWs when new - doing the aircon installs for dealers as in those days you could either order the car with aircon or get it done at the dealer once delivered. Definitely recommend him for anyone wanting similar. He tested it, found a leak, had to replace a couple of seals and rethread a connector, All good now just need the warm weather :)

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

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 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.

Morning Gary Welcome to the Forum At 17k I would suspect that the Bushes are OK but check that the Upper Control Arms are torqued correctly The supplying garage should take care of that with no argument even if it means new upper arms, as these are faults that were are present at sale. Even if it is outside their 60day warranty the sale of goods act is on your side as clearly the car in its current condition isn't suitable for purpose Push Good Luck Dave

I think my X5 was built by the same man….. same loom, same year, same car… different wiring and colours!

Got to bring it to mechanic i use all the time ....showed him 'report' ...he just started laughing ...he has seen same thing twice already in last 6/9 months with other bmw owners coming from SAME main dealer !!!!!!! guessing they must have surplus damper pulley stock ......

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

Hi Dave, Thanks for the reply and the welcome. Car has only done 33k miles with full service history - never any issues. The tuner in question will be DMS automotive, I believe they are established and have done various things with Carwow and Top Gear. Slightly on the higher end price wise but believe it would be stupid to cheap out on something like this. I also don't plan on being a boy racer, I just want the extra power for the odd over take and to prevent the delays from the automatic gearbox. Thanks again for the help! Seb

Morning James Google the Register of BMW Dismantlers (Quarry Motors have always been useful). For my E53 4.6is I used a local Carpet Fitter he made up a full set for me all edges trimmed and including non slip velcro patches. He used the OEM mats as patterns and off cuts from a Dark Grey High Quality Wilton carpet he had fitted, cost was less than half OEM gave the car a new smell for ages. 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 👍

Update on this. It was a terminal in the plug. Terminal was not making a good connection with one of the pins on the o2 sensor plug. Extremely annoying but fixed

Ha...I just sold my Porsche (2001 Boxster S) and now have a 420D convertible (with remap). The Boxster was a beautiful car and very energetic but my body is getting old and decrepit and falling out onto the pavement to get out was a pathetic display ! Anyhow, we now have a cockapoo and she has her own back seat now !! Wish I had bought a 435D in hindsight but lets see what a year or so in this girl will decide !!! PS Good luck with your new Porsche !!!

Hi, thanks for your input, but I've finally found a lens in Australia. It's exactly the right one, so good result. Phil

Morning Chris Welcome to the Forum Spoilers are and always will be a matter of personal taste, if you were buying from a BMW Dealer they would want to fit a M sport item but if thats what you prefer it looks fine to me not OTT and Boy Racer ENJOY YOUR BEEMER Dave

Decided on reflection, that from these red flags and service history/MOT concerns, I'm not going ahead with the purchase. Thanks for the advice!

Morning Mike Welcome to the Forum Sadly we do live in times where extra protection is needed The good old Stop Lock is an excellent visual deterent. Whether the investment in a ghost immobiliser as well is worth the money no one can say untill it is needed. Personally the Stop Lock would be my choice (I use one when we are away from home) 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.

Good morning all, So, having had my car for a little over 6 months I decided to give the transmission an overdue service. Parts obtained from Autodoc for £205 for ZF service kit, a fill plug & mechatronic sleeve (Just in case) Job wasn't that bad to do. I even found the source of an intermittant rattle from un undershield. Once done I cleared the adaptions & drove up the road, instantly the shifts were noticeably smoother, not that they were too bad before, just slightly less refined. ZF recommend it to be done at 60K I believe, my car has covered 79K miles. I might do just a fluid flush at 100K miles, we'll see...

Good morning Dave True, the one I got ad 79k, full BMW service history and I had to replace almost all gaskets, o rings, hoses, abs sensors, seals, and I still don’t have a fault free car. Although I have just serviced the car, it looks that I should replace the oil sensor just to be on the safe side, I am using the car for family holidays so the last thing I want is to be stranded. Thank you for the support. Very much appreciated!! Take care Dimitri

Morning Stu Ouch!! Fuel pressure check would be my starting place. From memory (old and dodgy) should be around 50psi any thing lower will give the symptoms your getting If I remember Pelican Parts did some great write ups on Fuel delivery and pressure plus stuff on injector testing worth a look at their site I have been told it only hurts when you laugh 🤣 Get well soon Matey Dave

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.

On your advice I have left a message with Ash Motors North Wales. Many thanks again

Morning Stu The fact you have a wiper issue would point me away from the Cluster initially My thoughts are Footwell Module it's in the left hand footwell (well it would be 😅) Run a scan it should show up any issues. The Footwell control module on the 4.6 caused all sorts of odd stuff radio that would randomly turn on/off odd light issues seat controls. BMW say you can't swap them it has to be new and set up by them (wrong of course) I changed mine for an upgraded unit second hand it took longer to remove the old unit and swap it than it did to re-program it cured everything and probably stuff I hadn't found 😅 Dave P.S I wont let the E70 on Whats App or Face Book just in case 🤣

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

is the new battery coded to the car? Does the car try to start or does it click once? If it clicks once, check the starter motor.

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 Paul Sorry Paul it's been a crazy end to the shooting season From my notes nothing I am afraid but from a BMW contact apparently the sequence is "Ignition on all lights show as part of the self check, Crank and start and they should go out apart from seat belt if it isnt plugged in" Dave

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 Ken It shouldn't be possible to fit an OEM or OEM style replacement wrongly as the joins are 3 bolt flanges. So my guess would be either it is an After Market exhaust or a support hanger is broken/missing If you are not aware take a look at www.realoem.com its an online BMW parts list, go to the Classic section then the model your considering check the exhaust section which will show both front and rear parts are fitted and supported. Dave

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

Many thanks once again Greydog Dave . I haven't yet contacted my auto electrician friend but when I do I'm sure he will find your information useful and interesting. He will take a while to visit me because of ill health but when he does I will contact you. Many thanks and a happy new year.

Happy new year sir! thank you for your wisdom and knowledge throughout the year. enjoy a beer or two