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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

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

I see an issue here… Comes with a filter though!

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

Morning Nick Just looking at those initial screens I am not surprised your having problems 1st screen tells you that several control units are not communicating correctly as they have faults stored light brown colour and one greyed out and another is red not operating at all 2nd two screens show a list of faults and an explanation of what they are Your first job is the Control units they should all be in the Green. You need to investigate each one in turn to fix the faults. Once a Fault is repaired the fault will remain in the memory unless cleared by you. Clearing a fault doesn't fix it though it may allow normal running for a period until it returns Next stubborn faults remaining may need further investigation. ISTA is a very powerful program but it can't fix things you have to do that. ISTA will give you a test plan to rectify it also contains workshop information and wiring diagrams plus pictures of components and where they are located it will even list tools required. Dave

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

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

BMW M Sport Coupe Cream leather interior in great condition, no rips or tears. Drives beautifully - smooth handling, quick acceleration, and excellent on fuel. Recently had a full MOT and service (June 2025) and runs perfectly with no mechanical issues. - M Sport Package - Heated Full Leather Seats - Cruise Control - Steering Controls - Automatic with Paddle shifters - Low mileage for its age Plate is private and will be removed upon sale - original plate is PJ13HKO. A well cared for car in great condition inside and out - ready to drive away. Any questions please feel free to contact me - Swansea SA1 Marina

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

I agree. I've also used a square configuration in the winter and found it to be very effective, particularly in the snow. In addition to making life easier, going a little narrower with the appropriate offsets typically results in cost savings.

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 :)

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

Oooooh that’s nice!

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

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.

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.

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

Hi Greydog, While I had some troubles loading INPA from my laptop, I want to report back that I have successfully re-coded the RDS module using Pro Tool. Now all is working perfectly! Thanks for all your previous help! Best, JC

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

Good morning! My widebodied Z3 is on a W plate (Feb 2000) and it has the 2.0 straight 6 cylinder engine. As far as I know the 4 cylinder was fitted to some of the widebody models (I saw one in a garage recently) but not sure why you would want to go with the 4 cylinder over the 6 cylinder as they are worlds apart and the 6 cylinder will go on forever with makes for a much more exciting drive. Plenty of Z3's on the market at the moment and they are certainly increasing in value so pick one up soon before the prices get out of hand. I would recommend you look very thoroughly at the metalwork as rust is an issue with some, but by the time the widebody Z3 came in, they seem to have sorted a lot of issues. Let us know how you get on with acquiring one and if you need any further info then just let us know.

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.

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!

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 ......

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 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!!! 😂😂😂

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

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!

Well got the 240 back yesterday, have to say excellent service from the main dealer repair centre. New wheel looks great, top pic. Wish I could afford the other 3! Going to see who can match the other ones properly. A front one pictured, not that bad I suppose. Alignment all checked etc. Glad it's back

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

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.

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

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

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