X5smw

Is there a 12v socket in the trunk? Can you remove the rear lights and input 12v that way?

Hi Andy. my first thought is a dead battery cell. Either replace the battery or check the alternator for correct output power. cheers. stu

Hi Paul. Don’t get me started with bmw glue and headlights! we used to drill a little hole in the rear of the units to allow a little airflow to remove condensation. Not sure if your units are factory sealed? if you can get the lens off, then sealing them with silicone is easy. … getting the nuclear grade sealant off is the hard bit.

Hi. Is the car fitted with a ski hatch in the boot? Can you unlock the boot and charge or replace the battery?

I agree with Greydog. have a look around the MAF sensor. A split between this and the engine block will give erratic air mixture. also, check the battery voltage … my x5 sometimes starts rough idling and revving when it’s a bit low and throws a throttle position sensor fault at me.

Does it have a misfire? Does it sound like it’s stuttering? that would be my first guess. apart from idle, does it run smoothly?

Good morning Andrea. welcome to the forum.

Hi Jae. welcome to the forum. where are you based?

Hi there. it could be a loose shock/ top mount/ but that sounds like a steering rack or very very dry track rod . get some Ed and spray the top of each suspension strut to see if the noise goes… its very noisy and would lead me to a steering issue.

Hi Kenny. what scanner do you have? a generic ‘cheap scanner’ will not pick up every code I have found in my experience. a garages equipment is much more advanced. my mates mini failed in emissions badly and was told the whole cat, exhaust and sensors needed replacing… a full tank of premium fuel and a couple of bottles of redex, followed by an hours run before the MOT sorted everything 😀 how handy are you with spanners? I wouldn’t have thought it would be that difficult to replace.

Hi rik. a good dyno remap should see ok gains. for 5k i would guess a low pressure turbo kit wouldn’t be too far out of reach? how handy are you with the spanners?

Check for any split in the hoses after the maf sensor.

Quick update after a long pause….. filled it up with premium unleaded and redex and took it for a run…. Did this all week til it ran through the fuel and then repeated. Took it for an hours drive before the mot and it passed its emissions test. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Solar panel trickle charger? we have one in the motorhome which keeps it topped up. …. granted, ours might be a bit big to fit on the dash but they are good!

In all honesty, you can pick up another mini for that price. I would look for another and then eBay the old one with a reserve of its scrap value or search for another engine. Depends on how much the labour costs are?

The very same to you Dave. have a happy new year, wishing blessings and peace to you and your family.

Merry Christmas Dave and all the rest! thank you for all your help and knowledge and words of encouragement throughout the year. All the best for the new year and I’ll see you in 2024.

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.