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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 Sam Not sure what Diagnostic you used as I can't find that code ( use ISTA/INPA BMW specific) the only 480 codes I have seen are DPF driven so really odd. As for the ABS you can remove the control unit from the pump (4 Torx Bolts) without removing/disturbing the Hydraulics then send it to someone like ECU Testing who repair them. Before doing that it's worth checking the loom for damage Hope this helps Dave

Afternoon all, Just collected the X3 from the local (and brilliant) independent - the wing mirror switch over and lens transplant completed - all good and I ended up with a bill for an hour's work which am completely satisfied with. Have just bought another wing mirror for the right side so that will be switched also and will have the plastic cowling both sides re-sprayed to match. Superb job again by AP lads in Colchester.

Sorry Stu Just back in and had a rummage the seat adjuster must have been binned last clear out If your seat has memory the part number52108240108 item 4 in the drawing it was used in the E series car plus the Z4 so the Bay should have one Dave

Morning Stu First engine running and Voltage check at the charge points the alternator should be providing 14.5v min (normally 14.6v) so battery will be slowly drained. But as you know low voltages can throw up all sorts of issues. Battery at rest 12.5v is OK healthy battery, alternators are tough so I would suspect the Voltage regulator Looking at your scanner the throttle body is sticking so needs a clean out Not unusual for the Drivers seat control unit to go AWOL on the E53 and that does affect other functions (steering wheel adjustment if electric) so that needs a look and maybe unrelated Good Luck lets hope it's the simple fix Dave As for the Porker tyre, I have a small compressor and a Tyre Plug repair kit (tempt fate now) I have used it 3 times all on friends and neighbours cars not mine and it works really well. The last time was on the shoot in the middle of nowhere a Disco with a flat front tyre and like most modern cars no spare we could see the puncture (a screw). Let the air out of the tyre pull out the screw clean the hole with the tool in the plug kit insert the plug with the tool provided and trim it off pump up the tyre, job done and we didn't even take the wheel off the car that was last year and he is still driving on it. Though the kit does advise get it fixed properly. All of the 3 I have fixed have driven on the repair until tyre change time. That would be the route I would take, I have seen compressors for around £20 and my plug repair kit was £10

welcome to the club Joe!

Delayed with my update I had the spindles changed by a local (and excellent) independent specialising in German cars Excellent job, great price and highly recommended if you are in the Colchester area happy to pass on details I sometimes amuse myself with a few opening and closings just to listen to the almost silent and smooth action

Thanks again Dave I had never heard of the VIN Decoder site, looks as if the brakes were an upgrade. Have heard from BMW 7mm on pads and an overall inspection showed no warps. They said to monitor as car has been stood a while, thanks again for ur time

I did see transmission fluid dripping the other day so let's keep our fingers crossed it's low on fluid and coming out that sleeve

2024 G80 M3 Competition 12,600 miles Isle of Man Green Silverstone Interior Ultimate Pack from factory Including… Comfort Pack Technology Plus Pack Visibility Pack Carbon Pack (With carbon bucket seats and carbon interior trim) Extended Merino leather Harmon Karden Sound system Paint work ceramic coated from factory Femto ECU Unlock R44 Performance Titanium exhaust with carbon tips Scorpion Catless Downpipes MST Performance Air Intake MHD Stage 2 Map Eibach front lowering springs Carbon Factory Carbon rear spoiler Carbon Factory Carbon front splitter Carbon Factory Carbon front canards Ghost Immobiliser Factory fitted tracker Scorpion Thatcham Approved tracker Run in service completed on time @ 1200 miles Interim oil change completed @ 6500 by BMW approved centre (For personal preference) Next official oil change due in 2000 miles All original parts available to come with car except factory Carbon spoiler as this was sold Car has never been launched (Pritty sure this can be verified somehow by logging into the car) Immaculate inside and out Non smoking and no pets

Welcome James. Enjoy the new motor. We are a knowledgeable and friendly bunch here, so feel free to ask questions and make some friends. Where in the world are you? Stu.

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.

Morning Bob Welcome to the Forum It is safe to fit Non Runflat tyres to Runflat Rims, the benefits are a wider choice of tyres and costs been doing it for years with my X5's However, if it's only cost then you may well end up with compromised handling/road holding cheap tyres are cheap for a reason. Potholes are a real problem in the summer months easier to see but in the darker months when they are full of water a real issue and danger. Fitting tyres with a deeper sidewall may be possible but may also give clearance issues so check carefully. An alternative is to fit a smaller rim with a deeper sidewall tyre Good Luck 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

Thanks for the quick response Dave. Just started my journey with this F31 had an E46 quote some years ago. Hope I dont regret it. May just take a gamble with some so called oem msport compatible ones. Cheers Dave

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

Hi Dave Thanks for the reply, very much appreciate it. I've done just that and found a few garages relatively local so will start to work through them. Hopefully it can get resolved now, its been stood a while. Thanks - Paul

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 😊

Morning James Welcome to the Forum If you can get a Diagnostic Scan done using a BMW capable system it will help a lot and probably save changing parts that don't need changing. For your model I believe has I-bus so software like BMW 1.4.0 is available and really cheap (about $20) its easy to use and will actually give you Dealer level diagnostics and programming (if needed) Just load it onto a lap top and it will as said allow so much information and test ability. However as you get an attempt to start, the place I would begin is check/test the Fuel Pump relay and it's loom back to the ECU. See if you can download a Pinout for the ECU to check which pins need checking testing Hope this helps Dave

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

Well… finally got round to taking a pic this morning before I left for work.. the lady next door just rolled up in her new purchase… she said she looked at a Porsche, but as I beat her to it she went for another option! 🙄🙄🙄…

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.

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!!!

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

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

Hi Seb Welcome to the Forum First make sure the engine is in Tip Top condition and well serviced (don't forget Transmission and Diff) if it is then you should have no issues. I would ask how many they have done and see if you can talk to other owners Most problems occur when ECU tuning is carried out on a mechanically sad engine and it then gets heavily used, result an engine failure with the tuning blamed. Most issues are heavy right foot is my experience Dave

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 👍

It shifts!!! 😂😂😂

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 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

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!

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

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.

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.

Thanks for all the help Dave. I have finally sorted it! I removed the Telematic Unit and took a closer look. The 4 terminals that connect to the fin were twisted and not aligned correctly. I fiddled around a bit and managed to sort these out. Next I checked the battery. The terminals were not actually touching the contacts when the lid was closed. This was mainly due to the fact that the clip on the lid had broken off and the lid was not closing fully to push the battery onto the contacts. So I bent the contacts out slightly, and stuck a piece of card on top of the battery and closed the lid and taped shut with some masking tape! Replaced the unit, connected the three cable connectors, and closed the tailgate. Waited a while and switched on the ignition and all the codes had cleared on there own!! No need to clear any faults. After checking all faults, nothing found!! After thinking that it could cost me a new Unit and Fin costing megga bucks, it cost nothing more than a new battery (£25) and a bit of elbow grease. Boy am I pleased!! I

For anyone else, found a great youtube footage on a fix for this, which is to use a self adhesive foam pushed between the 'eyebrow' and headlight which seals that route for water. You can then get lamps out use hairdryer to dry light out an a wire rid with cloth to clean the inside of the lens before putting headlight bulb back and back into service. Looks like a good fix, needs patience but best I have seen. Here is the link.