X5smw

Silly question but as an experiment, could you swap the front wheels? Or are the sensors calibrated to the wheel and not location?

Got a puncture the other day and on further inspection of the boot, I realised I had a removable westfalia towbar strapped in… so I removed the blanking plate on the bumper and found electrics and everything… fitted it and tested it, all the electrics work so how do I test a towbar? …. Success I say! … now I own a caravan! 😂🙄🙄🙄

Evening all.. my friends mini 1.6 just failed its mot on emissions. can someone point me in the right direction. Does this sound like lamda sensor failure or cat failure? thanks! stu

Hi all, hope you are all well. I am looking for a ACC switched positive wire in the engine bay if anyone knows where I can tap one from. E53 3.0i I have found a permanent positive but I need a switched one too instead of tuning a wire through to the back of the dashboard… cos I’m lazy and time is not on my side. any suggestions please.

Yeah, your right about the pre 2002 lights.. they changed to a near on unbreakable glue called secure flex or something in 2003 just because they wanted to… and stop condensation… and nuclear fallout getting in. I think I’ll get a dremel and maybe a couple of days away from the kids and invite the inventor of the glue over… Maybe it’s karma from when I put tiger seal on my mates tyres for a laugh and he burnt his clutch out trying to move the car … ended up sawing the tyres off the floor! … it didn’t have much torque 😂😂😂

Hi all… basically the glue on the headlights is not shifting. I have fired a heat gun enough to melt the light fitting and tried to bake it…. Just cooked the light…. anyone got a solution to split the light so I can fit some halo lights for the wife. Its a pre facelift model. 2002. Lights are 2003 I believe. either that, or does anyone have a standard set which have been split?

What size are they? are your sizes different front and back?

Hi mate. Not sure about the carpet removal, but I assume the seat rails and subframe will need to come out. bleeding the heaters is a fun job but it needs to be done correctly to get rid of airlocks etc loads of guides on YouTube and I assume it’s the same as an e36 3 series.

It spent its evening on the driveway, covered in its own oil and a spare tyre fitted…. kind of similar to how my 21st ended!

Hi mate. I would assume as it’s a massive water leak the pump is working. make sure you keep topping the water up in the radiator and keep an eye on engine temp! Im guessing a split water pipe is the more logical option but fill the coolant system and keep the engine running to spot the leak. hoses and clips are easy to replace. is the water coming from the engine bay? Any damp in the boot area? also, check the thermostat housing hasn’t failed. It was an issue on the 3 series e36’s

The battery should be running around 12v. Does the car crank? Or just click? If you get it to start, check the alternator output.

Happy birthday to my X5! …. Not me… I’m waaay past that. born today in 2002!

Yep! I concur. sounds like the diff. The clutch etc is at the front of the car… quick way(but not recommended) is to get under the car… from the rear…. And get your friend to put it in 1st gear and slowly let the clutch out. … see if the transmission /prop shaft rotates freely. That would tell you straight away where the issue lies. … or you get run over…

Good thinking greydog. I have had an issue with abs where the speed sensor is faulty and the brake switch on the pedal shorts, car thinks it is braking…. Was on a French thing though, so it may have just surrendered. …. Can you tell which brakes are being applied? Do you have an automatic handbrake?

Could a failing abs circuit or ers stabiliser cause this? If it thinks the wheels are sliding or yaw out of kilt, then it would apply brakes etc?

Where is the car stored? Could you get a trickle charger or a solar panel to keep the battery topped up? I would cover it and have a small solar panel personally.

Is it only at roundabouts? Is it from a standing start? What are the revs doing? my x5 had a weird hesitation at roundabouts and when coming to a stop the revs would drop a bit, therefore when setting off while rolling, the car was jumping and sluggish setting off. … weirdly it turned out to be a dodgy battery. Have you tested the battery yet? the alternator would power the car while running so no issues, but as the engine slowed down, not enough power down to the battery and the alternator would smuggle with the load. I replaced both after the alternator failed, no issues since

Hi Steve. Can you post a pic of the car? e46 saloon e90 saloon @greydog will be along soon with what you need. 👍🏻

It sounds like the compressor relay is sticking? That would be my first place to check.

The remote may just need resetting to the car. It’s easy to do and there are loads of tutorials on the net. Just google key fob ews programming. hopefully it starts the car…. That’s the hard part.

Hi mate. welcome. can you show me where in the engine this is, photo from further out? mum not familiar with the 6 series but looking at it, it appears to be venting from the exhaust manifold area. @greydog , on this engine, does it have an engine preheat plug? Is this the visible object of the heat shield? silly question, but was the aircon on going to Ireland? good luck! Stu

Right, you are running 16” wheels. change the rear shocks and springs. Get a used set from quarry motors or another breaker. Get standard ones for your model.

Wow…. They do look small! can you check the tyre size. The last number will be the wheel size 16 or 17. jack the car up and check the spring condition. It does seem a little low, but it could be that the wheels look small, giving it a lowered look. im going out on a limb here and saying the spring could be shot? Does it make any clunking noises?

LOL… love the editing when I type in the French marque!

Hi all… not sure if this has been done, but I’m bored… list your car history below… I’ll start. peugeot 309, Peugeot 205 gti 1.6, bmw e36 316,bmw e36 m3,bmw e34 520, bmw e34 525, bmw e34 518, french poo Laguna 2l, ford streetKa, bmw e90 320, bmw e46 316, bmw 3.0 e53 X5, Peugeot 307cc…. company cars…. ford escort van, golf tdi, golf gti, Hyundai accent, Hyundai lantra, rover 220, rover 620, Skoda Octavia, Skoda vrs, Audi TT, ford transit van, seat Leon, Vauxhall Astra, hyundai Tucson, Vauxhall combo, Audi A3. I think that’s it as well as our 2 motorhomes and a yamaha 125 motorbike. everybody…… GO!