Greydog

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

Morning Charlie Welcome to the Forum As the thread is almost 6 years old and not closed out ?? However try the simple things first (1) Check the position of the adjusting switch if it to the right (Driver side adjustment) the nearside mirror should not dip on reverse. If the switch is set to the left to allow nearside mirror adjustment when reverse is selected the mirror will dip. If the problem persists check the Drivers door switch connector clean it with contact cleaner. If that doesn't do it then diagnostics are needed Dave

Hi Kev Welcome to the Forum With ISTA you have the right tool it should let you get to the bottom of the problem. Have you checked fuel pressure could be a dodgy pressure sensor? Checked all Vacuum lines and hoses on the inlet side to make sure there are no air leaks ? Carried out a smooth running test using ISTA ? Throttle body OK ? Just thinking out loud for things that could give a mis-fire Hope this helps Dave

Hi Paul Welcome to the Forum That's a surprise maybe the sliders are Imperial (can't for the Life of me see why) that would make 5/16 or maybe 3/8 Unless of course they are Torx fitting T40 maybe ?? Hope this helps not hinders Dave

Morning Hamzza Welcome to the Forum I have read some stories about people having difficulty finding anyone who is capable of working on hybrid transmissions. You need to search www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model then search the gearbox section then you will have the part number. I believe some of these transmissions were in house BMW built so parts and service may tie you to BMW £££ But try the Transmission Specialists you may hopefully find one who can help Good Luck Dave

Morning Guy Remember BMW like most Manufacturers have thousands of parts suppliers around a 38% in Germany another 30% in Europe around 15% in the USA and 17% shock horror in China I ordered suspension bushes from Febi a couple of years ago (best price) and they came in BMW labelled boxes 🤣 So if you are not aware use www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model. Then search the sections for what you need once you have the part numbers search the internet for best price and supply. The gearbox is the only part where you may need outside help as it is a ZF manufactured item which BMW fit as a complete assembly service parts are available though. Good luck hope this helps and things go smoothly Dave

Morning Paul Sorry that doesn't look like a BMW part number just looked on my copy of ISTA and to try and get it right I have chosen mid 2010 as the manufacturing date and it seems there are 3 choices and dependent on the lighting package here is what I have found Vehicles with lighting package S522A Bi Xenon Headlamp Left Part No 63127262721 Right Part No 63127262722 Vehicles with lighting package S522A or S524A Bi Xenon Headlamp Left Part No 63127262725 Right Part No 63127262726 Vehicles without lighting packages S522A or S524A Bi Xenon Headlamp Left Part No 63117199603 Right Part No 63117199604 You can check what lighting package your car has by using a BMW Vin decoder online however my guess would be you have S524A with adaptive lights Hope this helps Dave

Morning Paul Welcome to the Forum Check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model then sear the Lights section for the part number. Once you have the part number search the Internet and BMW specialist dismantlers for a match and best price there should be no issues if the partnumbers match Good Luck Dave

Hi Ted Then I would suspect a loom problem if the signal is sent and assuming the sensors are OK then there is a reason the signal isn't arriving. So my logical old brain would start testing continuity checking all plugs and connectors cleaning them with contact spray I would also check the clutch air gap just to be safe if the garage that checked the compressors and clutches tested them by applying 12v to the terminals but in the car only 5v is applied ?? Do you know what Voltage should be applied to your cars compressor or do they? A quick look at the parts list in ISTA for a 2012 F31 tells me there were 2 types of Compressor 1 uses a magnetic clutch 64529216467 - RP A/C compressor the other with a Magnetic coupling p64506805025 - A/C compressor if I understand it these are replacement parts so require the correct Clutch or Magnetic coupling to be moved over So is the part correct for your car ? If you can't check yourself then you may need a good Auto Electrician or AirCon Specialist Dave

Hi Ted Just the weather to have aircon issues 😅 You say anew compressor was fitted but did they fit a compressor complete with clutch mechanism or did the clutch get transferred to the new compressor ? Has the loom to the compressor been tested for continuity they may seem dumb questions but all to often it's the dumb stuff that catches us out. Ask if the clutch airgap was checked and what it measured? I have seen 3 compressors with sticking clutches 2 of them just needed the air gap adjusting (to large and the clutch won't activate) to have them operating and 1 just needed a squirt with WD40 I am not an AC guru but I have fixed enough of the simple things. Check the airgap you can do it with feeler gauges should normally be between 0.3mm and 0.8mm the gap can be adjusted with shims check the internet for Vids and how too's Hope this helps Dave

Morning Guy Way back (early 80's) when OBD diagnostics were basically simple code generators life was simple. All you needed was a code and some detective work. By the early 90's things had progressed where manufacturers developed their own programs that while allowing a standard OBD reader to access basic information kept many systems dark and unreadable. I started collecting Manufacturer software as I have always worked on my own cars in my home garage I have an old laptop that runs diagnostic software for Volvo, Mercedes Star, VW/Audi, BMW, Subaru and Toyota. My investment was driven by as diagnostics advanced Dealer costs shot up and they stopped repairing things and began replacing complete units ?? My local BMW Dealer labour rate is north of £200 ph the Mercedes Dealer makes that look like a bargain 😅 So after the Warranty period is over all my servicing is DIY plus there are very few repairs I have found that cant be done at home. Both Mercedes Star and BMW ISTA/INPA include Workshop Information with pictures which is a great help Hope your new software works for you let us know how you get on Dave

Morning Guy Welcome to the Forum I have read that iCarsoft have a reader that can have different Manufacturer software loaded check their websiteI have tried iCarsoft for BMW it works quite well however I have BMW ISTA/INPA which allows me Dealer level diagnostics plus gives Workshop information which is much better There are several others Foxwell, Autologic Maxwell but the more makes on a reader the price will go up I am sure Good Luck Dave

Morning Rick Your transmission is made by ZF a check of their website should let you know what their recommended service intervals are from memory 60k to 100k dependent on use and climate. I have read that you can also get a shift control service kit Don't buy cheap get ZF stuff check out www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it should bring up your model then check the Gearbox section get the part numbers you need the use the Internet for best prices Good luck Dave

Morning Juli Welcome to the Forum Read as much as you can on all Forums just bear in mind most forums will highlight issues so don't just look at the number but look for specific Engine or Gearbox issues Good Luck with the hunt Dave

Why are the brake lines being replaced are the leaking ? or is it just that you want them changed ? BMW are not alone in fitting brake lines to a bare shell then putting huge assemblies like the rear subframe and axel in place to cover them up. My wife's car is a 3.0 Subaru Outback with a Perrin engine upgrade (400whp) she loves it and it has been a brilliant car 15 MOT's and it had it's first advisory this year. However she reported a soft pedal last year when I investigated I found signs of brake fluid leaking on the nearside rear. Now Subaru run the brake lines inside the car so they are protected brilliant, until they need to exit to reach the rear wheels they chose to do that in a place where they then mount the fuel tank ?? To drop the tank you first have to drop the Rear subframe (sound familiar) Cost at a dealer would be more than the car is worth (and she does love her car) so my solution run new brake lines inside the car into the boot area near the spare wheel well drill two holes for grommets and feed the new lines down and connect to the existing flexy pipes. A days head scratching and planning £30 worth of materials and brake fluid job done So a BMW dealer will have Labour rates north of £200 per hour so dropping the rear subframe will probably be 2 days work possibly with 2 techs for safety easy to see where the money goes. Personally I would run new lines in copper (no rust issues) and clip them to the rear subframe cut out the existing lines apart from where they are above the subframe. Same with parts Febi, Mehyle Bosch and many others are OEM parts suppliers to BMW who like all other Car manufacturers tend to make Bodies and Engines all the other thousands of parts are brought in. Buy those parts from BMW and you will find their markup is often 400% that's life. Maintaining our Beemers i top condition particularly the older models would become uneconomical very quickly if using dealers Dave

Morning Rick Welcome to the Forum By the description you give it would seem that the gearbox is ready for a full service and while it's out new clutch The poor old Gearbox is often the most abused part of the car Engine gets regular oil and filter changes while the gearbox is often never touched until it breaks Good Luck Dave

Morning Brian Welcome to the Forum After 10 years the suspension is probably due a refresh, my own experience is often the shocks harden and so your getting little bump or rebound. Start at www.realoem.com if you are not aware it is an online BMW parts list. Put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model then search the front and rear axel sections for part numbers. You will see part numbers for M sport and standard springs then search the internet for deals. Front suspension is normally a strut assembly so changing springs and shocks will require a set of spring compressors or often a changing a complete unit is as cheap and less work. Also consider tyres are you still on run flat tyres they can contribute to a hard ride Good Luck Dave

Hi Kirk Welcome to the Forum If I recall they have the same spigot ring size so should be OK I take it when you say mixed size you mean wider rear wheels than front ? If the 118d is front or rear wheel drive then wheels/tyres are cosmetic. The X drive cars need wheels and tyres that are matched rolling radius or drive train damage will happen quickly Dave

Welcome to the Forum Chris

Morning Chris Welcome to the Forum Not me (I drive a fat X5) but my Brother Inlaw is now on his 6th 5 series Touring he travels a lot in Europe. All his cars have been owned from new and serviced by BMW but with interim services/oil changes by us in my home garage, we change oil and filters at 5k intervals (for him that's monthly). All his cars have been larger engines (he likes the power) current is a 540d xDrive ECU tuned to 400hp, all his cars run to over 200k before trading in He has had issues early on BMW used to tell buyers Gearbox's were sealed for life ( we service to ZF standards at home) Infotainment system faults a whole list but not difficult to sort with DIY and a little thought Around 2007 BMW moved timing chains to the rear of the engine so any rattles here could be expensive as the engine has to come out ?? So as with any second user car Service History is key and the first thing I would do is carry out a full inspection and service check the oil drained from the sump with a magnet or pour it slowly through a paper coffee filter for any metal particles if there are any it could well signal issues to come Hope this helps Dave

Morning James OK phone is running Android 16 what is the Droid running can you connect it to home Wifi and check for updates? Not necessarily a wrong connection just not a clean connection so remaking them after a blast with a good electrical contact cleaner may well be the answer I spoke to my neighbour (330i Touring) he told me he had some connection issues between his Android screen (brought from Amazon last year) and his Samsung Galaxy which sound similar to your issue, Bluetooth calls would not connect properly or not at all, his wife's Motorola connected fine and she is the main user. He remade the Samsung connection several times apparently then noticed his address book hadn't uploaded (as his wife's address book is similar he hadn't noticed at first) He cleared all connections on the Android unit in the car and the remade the connections to his and his wife's phones. His address book uploaded so did his wife's and both phones have worked ever since he has no clue what he may have done different but everything works even Android Auto Good Luck Dave

Hi Chris Sorry don't trust the AA my neighbour broke down (BMW X5 E53) the AA attended plugged in and their report said no communication with the Gearbox no drive total gearbox failure. Your car Model is F10 the engine designation is M57N He waited to be recovered to home I plugged in my ISTA diagnostics Gearbox fine Engine ran gearbox selected drive and reverse checked underneath and the Prop was spinning? My diagnosis Rear Diff failed he brought a second hand diff (Ebay) and we fitted it on his drive, he still using the car 5 years on Me I would get a second opinion before doing anything drastic. Remove the undertray and get a socket on the Crank shaft bolt and turn the engine by hand that will confirm if it is seized or not. No crank could be a multitude of other things from the starter relay to an ECU failure proper diagnostics are needed Dave

Hi Chris That is sad news but for your information your car has Timing Chains no belts involved so if an AA man told you Belt he is wrong The engine in your car should be BMW M57N 3.0D unfortunately the Timing Chains guides and tensioner are at the rear of the engine requiring the engine to be removed for service/repair. So labour is high compared to parts cost What symptoms did you experience and for how long before the AA became involved ? Dave