X5smw

Can you try a different key? My key lost its transponder and the car just cranked. I ended up changing the dme unit and buying new keys and barrels and coding them etc.

Sorry, but no is the answer. have you tried quarry motors in Sheffield?

Check for a bent track rod on the front left. Also broken spring? swap the front tyres and see if there’s is any difference. Then do the same with the rears. Did you get the tracking checked and 4 wheels aligned?

Good evening and welcome to the e53 club! I have a fairly rare 3.0 petrol version with manual 5 speed box, which makes for fun acceleration but 70mph needs 3.5k revs…. Love it nearly as much as it loves fuel. many issues, come and shout. Greydog is very, very knowledgeable and between us all, we can usually answer questions.

This sounds like there is air in the system as Greydog suggests. bleeding the system is a straightforward job. check the bleed screws are tight afterwards to stop leaks re occurring.

Check lights are off and not set to auto? Turn off the stereo before removing the ignition ? Check the bootlid is closed properly? do you have a scanner?

Looks like the touchscreen needs recalibrating. Have you followed the on screen arrows with your finger? Maybe it’s just a case of the screen lost its programming?

Evening Julian. go for an x5, you will have a great time! are you getting it for yourself or on lease through your company? my boss just got a diesel one and his tax and payments are ridiculous. if it’s for yourself, just be wary of the economy mode… there isn’t one! 😂

I would get the car scanned at a garage with the correct equipment. It will save a LOT of head scratching. possible injector fault or split inlet hose or faulty maf could cause lumpiness at low revs. It sounds like some sort of misfire

…. So…. I took the x5 out for a spin as I finally get a go now…. Got a letter from the police politely informing me I did 69mph uphill and they are about to lighten my wallet. 🙄😂

Well…. I thought it would be a good Christmas present, so I bought my wife Kedma a private number plate. I couldn’t bare to part with the x5 plate, so she got a car to put it on! Lol. again… not a bmw, but it’s cheaper and does more than 17mpg so we are both happy… and it means I get to use the x5 more 😬👍🏻 i got it for a bargain price with a full mot but it had a bad dent in the boot lid. Sourced and sprayed a second hand one, just waiting for the badges to arrive. not bad for less than a grand including boot, paint and plates… still not an m3 though

Afternoon all. Could it be that the alternator is on its way out? The battery will keep the lights on etc but is it getting recharged? my first thought about the grinding noise was alternator bearing or power steering pump, but obviously that was solved! can you check the alternator output? is the belt ok? The aircon clutch can also an issue causing grinding and dragging, it’s not on the same belt if I remember. what car is it? the older cloth roofs sometimes jumped a tooth on the 3 series and caused sticking. See if one side moves before the other?

Check the timing pulley. My e36 had this issue where the pulley had perished and moved forward and back, stopping the sensor from detecting the timing, causing a misfire. Also worth checking the aircon pump bearings.

Hi kev. what car and engine is it? I had an issue similar and it turned out to be the cam timing sensor on the pulley on an e36 petrol engine. car wouldn’t see the sensor and wouldn’t start when it was hot, also lots of misfiring. also, I cracked my thermostat housing which caused overheating and non starts and stalling. I fixed it by getting a new car😞

Hi Joyce. do you have two keys? If so, try the other one, see if the transponder is not working. a common issue is the ignition relay? Located on the steering column behind the ignition barrel. As greaydog posted, try and get a live scan done. I found my car (x5) had in intermittent starting issue and with the live scan I could see the key wasn’t always being read by the car to engage the immobiliser. Without the live scan I was doomed. I used bmw 1.4.0

Hi judi Check the battery terminals are tight. possible battery issue?

hi Paul. how about a Dodgy sticking starter motor? @greydog mentioned somewhere about bad starters pulling too many amps and killing batteries. Not sure if it affects your model though? Could you try attaching your car to another running one with jump leads and try to start it? If it starts fine, then I would be inclined to say battery, but if not, I would look at the starter motor.

Hi all. success! it was indeed a leaking left airbag. I would do a write up but there is loads on YouTube. the whole job changing both sides took 2 hours and 2 people. It’s easier if you have 2 trolley jacks, one lift the car and one to lift the axle, part came out easy and replaced with a straight swap. cheers for the input Dave. Once again your knowledge is invaluable, albeit a mid judgement on my ability! 😂

I agree with Dave, get the bmw 1.4.0 … it’s saved me a fortune! I would bet you have a failed lead or coil. Easy to check.. run the program and it will tell you which cylinder is off. Swap the lead with the next working lead (at both ends) and see if the issue moves, if not, do the same with the coil pack.

Cheers Dave. just had a look and it’s like the leaning tower…. Good news is I can feel the car rising on the left although not fully and the pump working, so I would agree a failed bag on the left. …. Now, where to get an airbag on a Saturday morning….

Hi all. following the wife home yesterday and I saw the car was leaning to the left a bit. This morning the rear lhs suspension was definitely low. any quick tips I can check before hopefully not handing over to a garage. I am off to Germany on Sunday and my wife will need the car while I’m gone. really not the time for this to play up!

👍🏻 Thanks matey . 😊

Hi all, my mate has an f31 and needs the service lights resetting after a service. Could I use my bmw 1.4.0…. Service programme that I use on the e53 series? if not, what do I need? cheers

Hi Gareth. welcome to the forum