Leaderboard

Evening all, So after a bit of surgery on my Achilles, I decided to get wheels refurbed whilst I couldn’t drive. Decided to get them done in gloss black and diamond cut. Had new boots fitted to match the rear Michelin PS4’s and new TPMS with black valves. Tyres replaced the Bridgestone Turanza S001’s that were worn on the shoulders and seemed to give the car erratic steering feel. Also treated it to new self levelling centre caps & a MOP. 7.5 hrs to wash the exterior. Washed, clay barred, polished with BH cleanser polish, then with Poorboys black hole and a wax coat of Dodo juice purple haze. Only got a couple of pics that I thought I’d share. Hoping to get it 4 wheel aligned again at the weekend. Refurbed wheel prior to new boots.

It turned out to be some bad connections in the wiring and it now works as it should, thank you to all for taking the time to help Rgds John

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 🤣

I didn't mention it tbh as thought of a new battery on top of a major service bill wasn't appealing. I generally just run the car on eco locally but am confused if the stop start works on any other drive setting?? Today it decided not to work at all during a 100 mile round trip. No warning lights or anything. I think I can live with it for now tbh, more irritating than anything. Thanks tho

Morning Zek Welcome to the Forum Not done this for a few years but as long as the replacement has the same part number registering to the chassis should work. With an E53 some years back it needed the ECU and EWS to match if you have a donor car you should be OK Dave

Morning John As it is illegal to watch while driving in the UK, BMW I believe have software in place to stop it being seen on the front screen Dave

Ok… so the only thing that stops the signal to the ignition is if the internal relay is activated by either the doors or the bonnet/ boot becoming active. Once the car has started then I guess the relay is activating and cutting the ignition feed?

Hi it stopped retracting a few weeks ago. I can’t see anything that might have got lodged but I’ll take another look and thanks for the heads up over the 2nd hand boot canopy

I had Hankook on front and Michelin Pilot 4 on rear, which were pretty good with road noise, I then got a set with Bridgestone Turanza on rear and Perelli P7 on front (didn't choose them came with alloys) I think they sound noticably louder. All run flat and on 18"s. I would look at noise rating for the tyres when you change. Try having a look at tyre settings in the car TPMS, I think mine is set to "comfort" I think it just means less pressure than "Eco" mode, so I I would assume they would be a bit quieter and softer for the what apparently my local council have the nerve to call roads.

Morning Adil Did you have the fluids changed or did the supplying garage ? Is there a receipt that shows which fluids were used ? Was a software update done ? A diagnostic scan is needed to confirm the fault it could be software related or the pump failing, fingers crossed its a simple fix Dave

HI, the E46 650i has just clicked over 100K and is 20 yrs old this year. The attached video shows the likely state of the oil seals on various parts of the engine, namely oil cooler and this is from the basket seals on each side of the engine. Just look at how brittle they become!!!! Also the oil cooler seals went the same way. Good to have captured this and what is really good is that mechanically the engine etc looks fab bmw seal VIDEO-2026-02-10-09-35-35.mp4

Thanks Trevor, always trying to help as this group is a mine of fab information.

Just picked the car up from having the gearbox and differentials done. One of the studs on the gearbox oil pan was just spinning, so had to be drilled and a nut and bolt fitted. I’d got a fuel filter from main dealer, but had the wrong filter in the box, so went and got them to change it for me on the way home. I’ll have that fitted in the next few weeks when I have the power steering and brake fluid changed. Total cost for differential oil was £212, and the gearbox filter and oil was £591. Labour was £400. Now, I’ll save up and replace the wheel bearings and brake backing discs,radius arms, wishbones, rear subframe bushes and suspension. Anyway, driving the car now, the gear changes are smooth, and feels much better. Bet you’re all running round trying to get rid of your x6’s now!😂 When I bought this, I knew I’d have to pay out big due to the mileage. At this mileage, it would be advisable to refresh the suspension and handling, as by now, the stock gear is way past its use by date, and the engine work Im having done is both preventative and will give many miles of trouble free driving.

Yay great news Tino You cant keep a determined man down 🤣🤣 Dave

Hi Dave, car is booked into a local garage for Tuesday 10th. The guy who owns it is an ex BMW mechanic. 🤞I can finally get sorted. I will update you ☺️

New tensioner has been fitted, the noise has now stopped! Thanks for coming back to me.

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

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

welcome to the club Joe!

Haha… I can guess you have never owned my X5 then! Welcome to the forum!

Morning Nick Welcome to the Forum ISTA should give you a Test Plan ? just changing the EGS may not be the fix (sadly most Garages change parts to quickly at customer cost) I would first use a good Electrical contact cleaner on the EGS and Loom connector and test continuity on the loom. If the loom and its connections are good check the Internet for EGS tests If after checking everything out it still points to the EGS then there are some things to consider. Early "E" series cars the EGS had no internal ISN (Internal Security Number) Later "E" series cars the EGS with ISN are Grouped with the DME/DDE and CAS so if changing the EGS you will need a Matching DME/DDE and CAS plus polish your skills with ISTA P Hope this helps more than hinders Dave PS. You posted in the 7 series section not X3

Hi everyone and Happy New Year. After did some further investigation I have managed to find some further information regarding the alarm. Turns out that the Hella Alarm was sold as an aftermarket product in a lot of motor accessory shops as well as being offered and fitted by some BMW dealerships. By chance I found someone selling one on Ebay Australia and I contacted them twice!! to ask if they would be willing to sell me a copy of the wiring diagram which I was happy to pay them for but sadly they never responded. I have attached a couple of photos so you can see what the item looked like. In the meantime I have been tracing the wires to see where they go and this is what I have got so far. Hn 1 x Brown wire to horn Hn 1 x Brown wire to horn 3 x pairs of Brown with Yellow Stripe could be lights and doors, bonnet and boot locks T+ and T - . 2 x Brown wires to MK (Master Key)? 1 x Brown with White Stripe S? 1 x Solid Red wire (30 or 31) goes into a loom maybe onto starter or battery but nothing direct to battery lead that I can see. Also nothing going to coil. Also checked an on/off switch located in the glovebox which I thought maybe the alarm arming operation turned out to be just for the light and a spare feed. I need to do more tracing and check around the ignition switch just in case there is something there The main reason for me doing this is because i read somewhere that these alarms can allow the car to start and then cut out the engine to prevent them from being stolen? Whether this is true or not I have no idea I just want my car to run again without cutting out!!

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

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

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 will do an update if I find anything

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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 ......

It shifts!!! 😂😂😂

Hi Conmil. Try Jack at Royal Steering Wheels - albeit they normally will only re-trim and perform cosmetic alterations on customers wheels. I am not sure about the paddles bit though ! worth a search and an E'mail inquiry. he did an amazing job on a 1st Generation Mercedes SLK 230 Auto for me a few years back - flattening the bottom and putting thumb grips above the spokes on the wheel. I had a 2004 registered Face-lift and did not like the huge central boss - the swap was easily carried out and it totally transformed the car. The steering wheel came from a 1st Generation SLK 230 - the end result is pictured below.

here is a link to all bmw owners hand book pdf file free to download http://bmwsections.com