Greydog

That's a shame Alan when was the Brake fluid last changed from your description that it is intermittent that may clear a sticky valve ? Looking at ISTA that unit was used on 5 and 7 series of the same vintage so maybe try the specialist breakers like Quarry Motors Dave

Morning Roger My wife's brother lives in Iver so we come up every now and then if that helps I will let you know when our next trip up is Dave

Morning Alan Welcome to the Forum If my old brain is functioning your car has a combined ABS/ASC unit and from memory again I didn't think there were alternatives (but I am old) Just had a quick look at ISTA and my old brain is working😅 There was only one part number for your model 34511090911 if you have the correct part number the only thought I have is that as the Unit is combined ABS/ASC one of the valves is sticky so you get the intermittent fault. Do you still have the original ? try swapping the electrical (brain) part or send it off to someone like ECU Testing who specialise in repairing these units Good luck Hope this helps Dave

Hi AP Welcome to the Forum Err Chaps if I am reading this right AP has closed the bonnet but it has only latched on one side ? and now he can't get it to release. I would first push down on the latched side while getting an assistant to pull the bonnet release. I have seen this once on a 5 series this method worked. Turned out the owner had shut the bonnet while some tools where still under there and one latch was out of alignment The only other thought is taking out the Kidney grills to see if you can access that way Good Luck Dave Nice choice of motor by the way

Hi Boreas If you find a car and can note the Vin Number check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of the Vin into the search box it will call up that model. Then search the engine type my old brain cant remember when the change front chain to rear was done 2012/2013 I think it may help when checking things Dave

Morning Boreas Welcome to the Forum As an old engineer I have never been a fan of extended oils changes which just about all Manufacturers have advocated since the early 1990's around the same time the use of plastics for chain guides also became common along with simplex chains instead of duplex. With extended oil services (sometimes 30k) all these things have lead to chain stretch and guide wear BMW engineers didn't help themselves by moving timing chains to the rear of the engine ??? Common issues I have heard of are (1) Chain Stretch my feeling is this is avoidable if frequent oil changes are carried with good quality oil. While stretch is going to happen it can be delayed and top chains can be split and changed in situ. (2) Chain tensioner failure is often confused as chain stretch so fitting a new tensioner (around £30) with an annual Oil and Filter change I believe is good practice. (3) Chain Guides these are plastic and will always wear over time and use but regular oil changes with good quality Oil and Filters will help extend their life My brother inlaw runs 5 series and is on his 5th as he has a business based in Holland he travels extensively in Europe and all his cars have exceeded 200k one 300+ they have also all been ECU tuned from new, they have all been 6 cylinder models and Oil is changed every 5k religiously His current car is a 540d xDrive with well over 400hp he also uses the cars to their full and has had no chain issues. All the 1 series engines 3 cylinder 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder now have the chain at the rear, so if there is any noise, misfires or misfire codes on a diagnostic scan walk away ( unless you are able to DIY). If mileage is low and service history is good with evidence of at least annual oil and filter changes the risk is low, my first job would be an oil and filter change with the tensioner Hope this lengthy post helps not hinders Dave

Morning Dave Welcome to the Forum In my long car owning history I have never been a convertible fan in fact both my X5's don't even have sun roofs 😅Air Con rules for this old bloke. Having said that I just did a quick general search on ISTA parts section and from what I can see you may need the complete release mechanism ?? When you brought the parts did you use www.realoem.com and your Vin number ? Dave

Morning Kevin The Star mark for BMW approved Tyres is more relevant to cars with 4 wheel drive it ensures that 4 tyres of the approved size from that manufacturer will have rolling radius that match the AWD system requirements and not cause damage to the drive train. Most Marques who have AWD have similar tyre requirements. If your 435 does not have AWD (X drive) using tyres of the correct size but not star marked is far less of a problem As an Aside I have Hankook tyres on my X5 E70 (non run flat) as they are far quieter than the Michelin run flats it came with Dave

Morning Rav To try and answer your questions in order If communication is disrupted it certainly would cause the re-flash to fail Haven't you got a Wiring Diagram in ISTA ? I believe your car has the Flexray Bus system normally very reliable but the terminal connectors can fail I have read but not had one to play with. I believe the Diagnostic Connector is linked to the FEM and DME by the D-Can and KL30 - KL15 links (Check ISTA for terminal locations mine were in the boot on the drivers side) I have made up several short connection leads with a pin connector on one end (1 male and 1 female) with a crocodile clip on the other. I can then test each pin individually following the wiring diagram Dave

Morning Ricky Welcome to the Forum Tasty motor hope your enjoying it First check would be Battery Voltage check it at the charging point under the bonnet key out engine off you should see 12.5v engine running 14.5v + If you have less than 12.5v at rest then the battery either needs charging or if 11v or lower replacing. When the car is started current draw is high and the cars many control units shut down functions to protect them or save power. If the battery is good then you could try taking out the switch panel and cleaning it and it's plug with a good electrical contact spray, if that doesn't do it a diagnostic scan should point you in the right direction Hope this helps Dave

Morning Astonred Primary Filter suppliers to BMW Europe are Mann and Hengst, back up suppliers are Mahle and Bosch

Morning Ray Welcome to the Forum Seems you have the right tools with ISTA I would still want to confirm the FEM DME signal The fact you have 51 permanent faults indicates to my old head you have some Bus issues which are preventing communication BMW are fond of using a twisted compressed joint system sealed in a clear soft plastic sleeve. Over time they can sweat and corrode internally if you expose a join and it looks black that's corrosion (attached is a picture of the Bus system in my X5) the pic with my hand in shows the Bus system Green and Orange wires I spent a morning remaking and soldering the joints and sealing them in shrink wrap. Once all the loom communication is back you may have more success with clearing stubborn faults. Check the continuity FEM to DME all pins Good Luck hope this helps Dave

Hi Roger I am in Horsham and have a very old laptop in the garage with a copy of BMW 1.4.0 on it if you get down this way you are very welcome to borrow it as I now use a different laptop with ISTA. The Diagnostics are very good so if your stuck just shout Dave

Morning Roger Welcome to the Forum As the issue is erratic I would suspect either coil packs or plugs if there are no Vacuum leaks, as the car is used little I would start with a can of good Electrical Contact cleaner and make sure all sensor plugs are good and clean, then all coil pack connections. Check all the Vacuum lines for signs of cracking or splits those are the simple practical things but Diagnostics are the way to go. I wonder if there is a member on here who is close to you? Dave

Morning Peter First lesson don't go to BMW 😅 Have you used www.realoem.com to get the correct part number then use the Internet to search for the best price, check out the Specialist BMW dismantlers like Quarry Motors. Or there are now companies who will clean the original DPF if it is cleaned the software will be needed to be reset so the car knows it has a clean DPF Dave