JusticeEmpire

I'd love to see a diagram of that retaining clip, as I think that's going to end up being my solution too, by the sounds of things. It's rear left (curb side) that I'm sure is the problem, haven't looked at the other side. I have tried to rock it, and it doesn't want to budge. I've got the actuator unit loose, so there is more slack on the cables, but that doesn't seem to have made a difference, so I think I need to disconnect the cables from the actuator. I vaguely remember seeing a video of that when I was trying to find out what the problem was, so that's my next hunt

That sounds like it could well have happened it...... I can't get the wheel to turn, I've been underneath and unbolted the handbrake unit to give it some slack, but still nothing, so I think I now need to disconnect the cables completely, and then surely I can encourage the wheels to turn enough to get to the adjuster screw/rotor.... That's my plan anyway, if it doesn't work then recovery on the credit card, but everywhere seems to be full booked for over a week as well

Hi Dave, Yes I think you may well be right there. I've found the cable, and it appears to do nothing......some info suggestion it might need some force, hence the red tool (which of course I don't have either), but I've given it everything and nothing happens, so I suspect that may have been used in the past too. If I can get it back home, then I'm comfortable doing pads/discs etc.....If she needs some TLC to get her healthy for another 50K that would be good, but I can't afford to spend 1000s on her.

OK, I have a bit of an update..... I managed to get hold of a replacement front diff from Silverlake.....came next day, and looks fairly healthy, 6 month warranty. However, the very next day, as I was getting kids in the car for breakfast club, there was an almighty screech from the rear left as I shut the door. Get in the car, "Parking Brake Failed" error message, and the wheel is firmly locked..... Spoke to the garage I was going to take it to for the diff replacement, who are busy for over a week, stating it's a fairly common but expensive fault. I've attempted to free the wheel up, using all the methods that Google/Chat have suggested, to the point where I simply cannot get the brake disc off, and I didn't want to cause further problems where the car is. So, I am investigating recovery, but where should I go? A ) Recover to garage and wait until they can look at both problems B ) Recover to home, see if I can get the disc off or get a mobile mechanic to assist C ) Recover to home, see who can look at it soonist, and then re-recover to there Any other ideas and/or suggestions appreciated, Many thanks in advance

Hiya, I've got 275/40 R20 front, 315/35 R20 on the rear, brand new Michelin Latitude Sport3 all round when I got it. That being said, I have no idea how long the diff issue has been there prior to me. Software, yeah I was referring to the infotainment system, only because it's got a 2012 date on it. Certainly not looking to start messing with anything else at the moment, and not looking to buy any software. To be honest, I've used Google Maps on my phone as a SatNav for years, and have been thinking about upgrading the unit for a Android one (I'd get cameras too while I'm there). There's a guy near me that seems to specialise in them, https://www.bavarianwizards.co.uk/ , that I am planning to get in touch with. I spoke to Quarry Wood, and unfortunately they don't have any diffs for me at the moment :( but if they do get one, I'll ask about the handbook. I downloaded a couple of BMW apps yesterday and have found a pdf version, which is better than nothing I guess.

Hi Dave, Thankyou very much for your detailed response. Annoyingly I didn't get a handbook with the car, but I will have a look and see if I can find out what tyres it should be running. I did find the info on the tyre pressure sticker on the pillar and can confirm they are the correct sizes. Really useful tip for future reference though thanks. I am on the Quarry Motors site now, and that looks like a great option so many thanks again for that shout! While I was with the car, I checked to see if I could see the LED on the handle, which I could, so I will use that site to have a look at getting that sorted too. Is it worth me updating the software on the car? I noticed it seemed to be quite out of date, but obviously don't want to mess anything up. Thanks again, Rhys

Hiya, First time owner, first post etc and I'm here looking for a bit of help please. Bought a 2012 BMW X5 40d (125k miles) from private seller just before Christmas from private seller with FSH etc. However, on the drive home I'd noticed a strange noise...... Long story short, the front diff has gone (leaking oil) and I clearly need to get it replaced as it's very noisy and the smell of oil into the cab is horrible. I can't justify a brand new OEM part, and I'm nervous about getting a chinese one off of eBay. So I thought I would put a post out to see who people would recommend within the UK? I've seen a couple of companies that do reconditioned ones, but I'm not sure that my existing one would be any good to return for a surcharge refund. I am also slightly confused with part numbers. The place I took it to to have a look for me were very helpful, and gave me a print out, but it lists two part numbers : 31508635861 (I believe to be a discontinued part?) and 31508635860 There's also a couple of other niggly bits with the car I'd like to get sorted: Rear wiper mounting split - I'll either fix or replace Drivers door handle light - advice needed, where to buy and how to fit Front Window Washer jet - end one has broken, I've made a temp fix for now Unlock crack - sometimes when I unlock, I can hear a cracking noise on the rear left, seems to be around the wheel/handbrake Obviously those smaller bits can wait until I've got the bigger problem sorted out. If there is someone out there who could point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance