Greydog

I guess you have checked Youtube and Google for tips and hints? Check www,realoem.com if you haven't put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model see what was fitted. Dave

Hi The 3.0d you have should be 218 bhp with an decent ECU tune you should see 250 bhp and with a few more tweaks 300 bhp is in reach and the motor stays reliable, but it's the increase in torque that is most noticeable especially in the midrange. Your Gearbox will be ZF GA6HP26Z BMW like a few other manufacturers started the "sealed for life" myth what they mean is sealed for their 3 year Warranty period 🤣 ZF themselves recommend Fluid and Filer changes at 80 to 100k/km so about 60k miles. BMW got a bit Red Faced and never ones to miss a profit sell the fluid now. The boxes are pretty tough the transfer boxes can be damaged quite quickly by wrong sized tyres causing Transmission wind up. So when you stop if you hear a clicking sound or if you reverse slowly on full lock and get a jerking that's wind up so check the tyres. If the transfer box is damaged it is a DIY fix and fairly straight forward. The best would be get a copy of ISTA/INPA and put it on a laptop (I have an old Win8 laptop in the Garage with BMW 1.4.0, INPA/ISTA, Mercedes Star and Volvo diagnostics on it plus a couple of others to help out the Kids and Neighbours. Once you get it up and running you will have Dealer level access I have seen complete laptops ISTA mounted on Ebay for £150 which is less than a Dealer would charge for a Diagnostic session. There are also others like Foxwell and iCarsoft Check your battery often the cause of Gremlins BMW are power hungry beasts if voltage drops it will start throwing warnings. Also BMW like common earth points make sure they are clean so a session with contact cleaner may help. Dave

Morning Kristian Welcome to the Forum The 3.0d straight 6 is one of the worlds great engines so as long as it has been well serviced (I would add interim oil changes) plus if the History doesn't show it it would be worth changing iff and transfer box oils and service the Gearbox. The X3 being AWD and like all AWD is sensitive to Tyre's and to avoid damage to the transfer case and or diffs stick to the recommended sizes. As you have the 3.0d I would think the tyres are staggered (wider rear) something like 235x45x19 front and 255x40x19 rear? When changing tyres try to change all 4 together and all the same make to keep the front/rear rolling radius the same If you are a DIY mechanic invest in a good Diagnostic code reader preferably BMW capable it will save you ££££ in the long run. Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy Dave

Hmnn I guess if you had never had a dipstick or like a few of our sons friends who didn't know their car had one anyway !!! Then you would trust the sensor me as an old engineer ??? Glad it's settled down, enjoy your Beemer Dave

Morning John Got to be worth a try, I did read somewhere that when burning the CD it needs to be done at the slowest speed Dave

Morning Alex I believe it is Dealer only for obvious reasons to try and keep history as real as possible. Talk to your BMW Dealer he should be able to check it's Dealer service history and update it any services outside the BMW network will not be logged so the only proof you will have is receipts for work carried out. Dave

Morning Kenny Yes Dr Tranny really does work, takes a few miles to get thoroughly mixed in One of the only "Snake Oil" fixes I have tried My X5 I fitted an external trans oil cooler with stat and engine wise I changed the main engine cooling fan for an electric one with an in hose stat. I did this as I would be towing a couple of Fat Horses in a trailer so wanted to make sure it all stayed cool. Dave

Hi John As far as I know your on the right track, is the software visible on a laptop ? I know there are several You Tube videos maybe one of those may help Dave

Morning Jason Welcome to the Forum Great choice (mind Estoril Blue is the fastest colour 🤣) my Brother Inlaw runs a 535d Touring basically the same engine. This is his 5th all his cars are brought new and he takes them to around 200k they all have a BMW history but neither of us are happy with the current extended oil service thinking (not just BMW) we carry out interim oil and filter changes every 5 to 10k depending on how busy he is. The current engines have the timing chain at the rear of the engine so any work requires the engine out so a massive job. Before starting put your hand on the engine make sure it's cold, then start it should be quiet and smooth no rattles or noises. So History History History with evidence of an interim oil change would help Just my thoughts Dave

Morning Mando Check real oem I think you will find that different wheel sets have varying off set values. Spacers will help fill the arch if that is what you want. Dave

Morning Lee Welcome to the Forum First why do you need to use the washers before you set off ? If it just to clear condensation the wipers will cope, or are you are clearing light frost as you drive the washer nozzles could be icing. When you run the washher's can you hear the pump running? There are fine mesh filters on the pump that can become clogged with a slimy sludge when the washers have been topped up with fluid that doesn't have an anti bac content so check the filters Dave

On the Black Plastic Body of the Headlamp unit you will find a BMW logo and a part number moulded into the plastic of the headlamp. The label and numbers you are trying to use are Hella Manufacturing and batch labels and don't relate to anything on realoem. I thought all the LCI lamps were Xenon so check carefully Dave

Morning I understand very well Halogen lamps have a setting on the rear that allows Dip Beam (Dip left for UK Dip right for EU) to be adjusted Bi-Xenon Dip but not left or right So check the BMW part number that is cast into the Plastic body of the lamp against realoem Good Luck Dave

Morning Malcolm May Help Key fob driver profiles BMW Key Fob function available in F/E/G-Series models. Have you ever had to change your seat position, mirrors, lights, air conditioning, door locks or other car settings after lending your car to your friend? Or maybe you have to do that everyday, as you share your BMW with your spouse? Anybody who has ever been in one of those situations knows how time consuming everyday car adjustments can be. Fortunately, BMW's from the last decade or so have a function called Driver Profiles, so that all of your personalized settings can be paired up to a certain key fob retaining all of your settings. So, for example, if you and your partner use separate key fobs, and your partner drives with the seat set very close to the steering wheel, the key fob assigned to his/her driver profile will remember these settings and automatically change the seat position from yours to theirs. An array of other settings such as navigation, last temperature adjustments, lights, door locks or mirrors (if they come with automatic folding) will also be stored in the profile. Hence, if both of you use completely different in-car settings and are often in too much of a rush to change up every detail, having two key fobs with different profiles may come out as a huge advantage. If you only have one key left and share your car often, you can easily order another fob from BimmerTech to take full advantage of driver profiles.

Whoop Whoop well done Max Only a couple of things to say 1. hide your licence 2. ENJOY !! Dave

If they are Halogen lamps just check the part numbers on www.realoem.com I know with the Xenon lights there was a BMW conversion lead to allow LCI lamps to be swapped into pre LCI cars Dave

Morning Malcolm Welcome to the Forum Seems the Key they key with the battery issue was not registered correctly or has some other issue, was it a BMW Franchised Dealer or a Specialist who changed the batteries. The car can retain settings for each Key things like seat settings, Radio presets, and Lock/Unlock settings the key you are currently using has been set to 1 push Drivers door unlock 2 pushes all other doors. I believe you can alter settings in iDrive Dave

Morning Bogdan Welcome to the Forum Is your car LCI or pre LCI ? Does it have Xenon or Halogen lamps ? I was under the impression that Halogen were adjustable for either use (can't be sure as I don't own a 5 series) For the pre LCI cars with Xenon lamps Left Hand Drive part numbers are 631271601193 (left) and 63127160194 (right) Right Hand Drive part number 63127160195 (left) and 63127160196 (right) Check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model, then search the light section for the correct part numbers. Dave

Morning Abdul Welcome (almost) to the Forum Starter sounds a little noisy engaging, try a new one in the Dealers so you have a base line. You could use it as a negotiating point Dave

Morning Philip Check you dont have a dip stick down the side of the engine I would never trust the level sensors Dave

Deep breath Pheww Sometimes it's simple things that cause us the most grief. Go through the adaption process a couple of times plus check levels after a few days running plus add a tube of Dr Tranny Dave

Morning David As before check the small exploded drawings in realoem for clues a good trim removal set will help Dave

Hi Max Welcome to the Forum Wowzer's not heard this one before?? What about Kit Car owners how do they insure? There must be away, what about trying one of their forums for insurance tips Dave

Brilliant Paul Got that filed away with Dr Tranny another one that works Dave

Hi Geoff The Dealer may have a habit of changing them at 3 year intervals perhaps. Enjoy your Beemer Dave