Greydog

Morning Emma Don't be frightened of the transfer box it is as tough as old boots the common issue is the actuator gear and motor mounted on the side of the Transfer case. Inside it is the actuator gear it is made of a nylon material and the teeth strip. New improved gears are available and your mechanic friend should be able to change it easily, there are several you tube "how to's" that will help. I have just (yesterday, well it was raining) carried out this repair on a friends 2007 E70 He brought the transfer repair kit from Ebay for £18 delivered to remove the actuator clean it u

Morning Jack Welcome to the Forum That looks like the Thermostat housing alright Is, was the thermostat still stuck in the head? If not then someone has had an issue and rather than replace it has binned it ?? Helpful !! not. If you are not aware www.realoem.com is a BMW online parts list put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box and it will bring up your model. There are small exploded drawings which may be some help plus you will have correct part numbers for ordering. Another site that may help is www.pelicanparts.com great how to's with pictures. If my old

Morning Emma First how old is the battery ? Get it checked a lot of issues are caused by low or erratic voltages, you should be seeing 12.8 volts ignition off 14 + volts engine running. Your X5 should be charged from the charge points under the bonnet same with jump starting. Never jump or charge directly at the battery. So with either a fully charged battery or a new one in place reset all codes. The 3 Gearbox related codes are TCM, Transfer Box and Gear monitoring so before driving check the Transmission Fluid level (It is quite possible that your X5 has a good service history yet

Fingers crossed they can code the seats in Good Luck let us know the result Dave

Hi Dave The M135i has a timing chain not a belt. The chain is cunningly positioned at the back of the engine I have read that changing just the chain is around £1000 These engines also have a reputation for being noisy due to the direct injection, plenty of go though. Service history is paramount I would say I would do the research though remember these sites generally have posts about issues what tends to be missed is people check how many where sold in that model against the number of issues. Good Luck and Enjoy if you buy Dave

Afternoon Andy Welcome to the Forum Looks really tidy you obviously forgot to list car cleaning as your hobby 🤣 Enjoy Dave

Hi Ray Yesterday I spoke with a friend who is a an Independent BMW Specialist he raised some questions (1) I series only had powered Drivers seats when they were fitted. (2) Was the correct wiring loom used ? Or has power been taken from somewhere else ? He says if retro fitted a powered driver seat should be straight forward. The seat airbags being disconnected while the battery is still connected will trigger the "airbag" light. Heated seats again did the car come with them? Or are they part of the retro fit? I would disconnect the seats and do the research, check the seat ele

Morning Ray First thought where was your key fob ? If the unlock button is pushed and held (sat on) windows will open or close if the lock button is held If your in the south at least it was dry overnight. Second thought could this be linked to your seat issue ? Dave

Morning Ray First which car did the powered seats come from? Check realoem.com (if you haven't already) put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box. Were electric adjustment an option for your car? Make sure the seats you have correct for your model. Was the loom correct under the seat? Assuming they are (If I recall some only had electric drivers seat) then depending on the software version your car runs the seat may need coding to your car. Let us know how you get on Dave

Morning Richard My response was aimed at BMW and their Engineers and Marketing guys. They have made some really dumb decisions over the years to list a few, simplex instead of duplex timing chains? Plastic guides? Moving timing chains to the rear of the engine? I know they are not alone this seems to have been a trend but that doesn't make it right. BMW have a loyal following but come on BMW who want's the most powerful tractor in the street !!! If you can make a smooth powerful QUIET diesel do the same with the i35i Dave

I understand the explanation of the noise due to the Direct injection pressure's. However is the noise necessary? The engineer in me challenges the response, to me it's almost as though the BMW engineers consider it OK until customers query it then justify it by saying "direct Injection"? After all DI has been around on diesel motors for years and they have actually got quieter plus Mitsubishi were producing DI petrol engines late 80's So how do Mercedes and Audi/VW achieve a quiet engine that develops the same power ?? Dave

Morning MT Welcome to the Forum My neighbour works for BMW UK and has had one as a Company Car, he tells me it's the Direct Injection injectors and one of the most common queries they get. Time will tell I guess, so probably the Dealers will say "they all do that" my personal feeling as an "old Engineer" is it shouldn't!! The AMG A35 doesn't nor does the Audi A3 both simmilar power output. Dave

Hi Brad Scary some of the BMW Dealers !! First take a look at www.realoem.com it is an online BMW parts list, put the last 7 digits of your vin into the search box it will bring up your model. Then search the relevant sections they all have small exploded drawings so you can see where stuff goes. It also gives price indication which has embarrassed more than one UK dealer. If the car is out of warranty I would be looking for a BMW independent specialist there must be some in the USA in the UK their hourly rates are about one third of Dealer's. Plus most are ex-BMW Tech;s so have all

Morning Martin I am the wrong man to talk to about economy my V8 averages 19 mpg but with a little concentration and effort 😈 I can get single figures with ease. X1 is the X3 baby brother X5 is the X3 big brother X3 will have 5 doors slightly bigger boot and more range of engines, 2.0 2.5 3.0 petrol and 2.0 3.0 diesel. We have a friend who runs an X3 with the 3.0 diesel very impressive and she see's mid to high 30's around town and into the 40's on the motorway If economy is high on your list the forget the X drive cars as they are permanent AWD not switchable and general

Morning Martin Welcome to the Forum First the sun roof not sure about an answer to this question? There used to be several Companies in the 1960/70's that did sun roofs but haven't heard of any for years. Personally I searched for an X5 without the sun roof as with Air conditioning I never used the ones in previous cars for years. One less thing to go wrong. Engine wise BMW use the N47 diesel in two flavours Single turbo and Twin turbo. The N47 had some well documented timing chain issues but 2009/10 onward's seem engines seem better (no personal experience of these engines as