Greydog

Plus think of all the dosh you save on chiropractors 🤣

Looks tasty!! Ian used his first one for track days (Goodwood just down the road) the last one is all Hill Climb stuff

Morning Jack Try talking to some of the BMW specialists I dont know where you are but my Brother Inlaw has used a guy in West London (Hayes/Uxbridge) on several BMW's BW Tuning I think. Have a Google and talk to them is what I would do Dave

I have a friend who built 2 Caterham's he described them as his weekend adrenalin pumps. My son does have the right idea as he will probably get the beer out of my Garage fridge !!! Cheeky boy

Hi Neil Fortunately I have I have kept the Chancellor on side by her car being "special" the first was a 1600e with a Burton 1760 engine she also had T5s all chipped. Her current car is a 3.0 Subaru Outback with a Perrin engine So changing cars has never been an issue 😁 For looks/power/economy I don't think you can beat modern diesels (mid 90's on) my brother inlaw runs 530d touring he has had 4 current is 535d favour. All have been solid mechanically all have been ECU tuned seriously quick in the mid range and return 40+ mpg the 535 has 300hp and 800nm of torque. Not much lives with it from 40 mph onwards but still 40+ mpg Our middle son has just brought a 325d touring for £2k j56k miles but in great nick with 190hp making it very quick but economical. When I asked him what made him choose the Beemer he said "you have all the kit to fix it Dad and you run on Beer not money 😅

Hi Gary Welcome to the Forum I helped a neighbour change both front wishbones on his wife's car near side was bent he thought due to "pot holes" Take a look at www.realoem.com it is a BMW online parts list. Put the last 7 digits of your Vin number in the search box it will bring up your model the look at the Front axel section. You will be able to get the correct part numbers to get the correct replacement whether from BMW or from a Motor Factor or Auction Site. My neighbour changed both as he brought from a Motor Factor and wanted both to match. Good Luck Dave

Hi Mo Welcome to the Forum All AWD cars need the tyres front and rear to have the same rolling radius if they are mismatched then you will have all the conditions for transmission wind up to occur. Transmission wind up can and will kill Diffs, Transfer boxes and even Gearboxes very expensive. Are the tyres the correct sizes for the car. From your description you have the symptoms and have ignored them, if the front axel is turning at a different speed to the rear then the transfer case in the middle will be damaged. If you reverse in a tight circle slowly do you get a jerking? When you stop the car open the door or window as you turn off the engine do you hear clicking? As you already are experiencing no Sport mode my guess is the transfer case is damaged which could be way more expensive than a set of decent tyres. If your car is running 19" rims my guess is it runs a staggered set up tyres should be 255x50x19 Front 285x45x19 rear and originally run flats, though you can replace them with non run flat tyres At the very least the tyres should be replace as a set and all from the same manufacturer at the same time. A set of decent tyres will cost around £800 a new transfer case 3 x that Sorry if that's bad news Dave

Hi Kate Welcome to the Forum You don't say what smell Fuel, Electrical is it the car or something else in the garage. I do know someone who had a car parked up for some time, mice had moved in. One of the furry little pests had chewed through a live cable, result dead mouse. The smell was something to behold !! You wouldn't believe that one small rodent could smell that bad If it has been parked up since November has it been on a trickle charger? I hope if it has the charger was connected at the charging points under the bonnet and not direct to the battery. Dave

Welcome Neil My list of previous started in 1962 with a 1075s that soon got stretched to 1275 (The A series engines just wore out fast 😈) and between that and the Volvo era are a long list of "I should have kept that" car Your own list shows your a man who understands "power to weight" Enjoy Dave

Morning Ronald Welcome to the Forum BMW fit the Westfalia tow kits as OEM and here in the UK quote 750kg (1650ibs) un-braked 2100kg (4620lbs) braked trailer capacity. So I would get a Westfalia detachable kit fitted to match OEM. Here there are several aftermarket companies who will supply and fit the kit complete with the correct wiring harness. Hope this helps Dave

Fingers crossed Donna maybe you will get to enjoy your X5 soon 😁 Dave

Hi David Welcome to the Forum Very nice, and in the best colour too 😁 Enjoy your Beemer Dave

Morning Donna Did you buy private? or from a Dealer ? The scuttle area is under the bonnet ahead of the wipers. it has the engine main fuse relay and DDE in sealed box above the inside fuse box. The plastic tray/trim that houses it should have drains in the bottom check them. Check the pollen filter housing centre of the same tray/trim that is where fresh air gets in so if drains there are clogged or the filter is clogged/soaked it could be the source. For what it's worth my screen leak was tiny but the amount of water that came in wasn't Dave

How did they take it ? Did they clone the key ? When I had the last AMG there were 2 attempts, guys on the drive woke the dogs who woke us. After the first attempt I got a Faraday pouch to keep the keys in they can't be read and cloned then. When they came back they spent a few minutes but must have realised they had been spotted we gave good footage from the security cameras to the Police including the number of the car they came in but have never heard if anything came of it.

Hi Donna Welcome to the Forum Have you had the windscreen replaced ? I had the screen replaced on my X5 and a few months later first heavy rain and I was in a similar state Windscreen refitted FOC by the same company and no further leaks, just keep your fingers crossed water hasn't got somewhere it shouldn't and caused damage in the electrics Check the scuttle area make sure there is no build up of leaves and debris that could let water build up and get in through the pollen filter if clear I suspect the screen. Dave

Hi Andrew The 2 attached drawings upper and lower tailgate are both from www.realoem.com Put the last 7 digits of your Vin number into the search box it will bring up your model (not sure if the drawings below are for your exact model) the site is a BMW online parts list. The small drawings help identify what goes where in the drawing below on the right you can see the lower tailgate and it's locking mechanism Dave

Hi Craig Don't believe what you are told I have an issue at the moment with my X5 (failed LCM) Two specialists said main dealer only as it has to be registered to the car and you can only do that with a new unit. Guess what after some research I find that it is straight forward to re-code a second hand unit with the software I already have. Price quoted £1350 LCM + coding. Re-cycled unit (latest version) £80, time to remove old unit fit new unit and recode/code 50 mins To register units to your chassis your Vin number needs entering into the register box so I am sure you will find someone who can do it if BMW wont can you get any help from the insurance? Or even your home insurance? Dave

Hi Clive I believe they are backward compatible so you should be OK with 7 unless it is for 64bit I brought mine from a guy on Ebay he was very professional and spent time on the phone and on line to make sure everything was working. He is in the UK but it may be worth contacting him to see if he can help (see the attached link http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=djwwautodiagnostics&iid=203061387937&ssPageName=VIP:feedback&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2560 Hope it helps Dave

Morning Andrew Check realoem the drawings will give clues as to how the trim panels come off, to allow you to get to the lights. with the lower tailgate there are locks each side if water has got into the loom you could well have corrosion on the connections or just a sticking lock one side. Bit of detective work when the weather is warmer and dryer Dave

Hi Again The water shouldn't be there for sure, check there isn't a drain in the area that is blocked but my instinct says you have a leak. Normal suspects are rear light clusters or boot seal possibly sun roof drain blocked and water running from there. Dave

Morning Will Considering the battery prices you had and Dealer hourly rates (my local Dealer is close to £200) that seems a better price. Have you told them you are NHS and need a reliable car see if you can squeeze a bit more 😁 worth a try Dave

Morning Craig Welcome to the Forum Scum bags Short answer is yes, first make sure you buy the correct version for your car. Check www.realoem.com put your vin in the search box it will bring up your model. Then check the section you need for the part number, if you double click the part number it will show alternative numbers that can be used, if any are available. Then you need someone with the diagnostic software to register it to your chassis. BMW Dealers will say it can't be done unless it's a new unit £££ Try a BMW specialist or maybe a helpful soul on here Dave

Morning Andrew First as you have described water ingress finding the cause of the water getting in would be my starting point as any fix is likely to suffer the same fate as soon as it rains again. My 4.4 X5 suffered from water getting in around the rear lamp units took a while to find but the fix was silicon sealant when refitting. I had ha repeated PDC failures plus a Radio failure all due to water damage. Check the roof drains are clear all seals are good. If you are not aware look at www.realoem.com the small exploded drawings will give clues to where stuff is fitted and part numbers if replacement is needed. Good luck Dave

Hi Martin For every Yay there will be a Nay. The simple fact today is modern/new Diesel engines are very complicated mainly by the emission control systems which are where short journeys take their toll. The same is true of modern petrol engines which today have similar emission controls they just clog less as they produce less soot. Not opinion just science and fact, think about it the air filter on the engine, it is there to make sure the air entering the engine is as clean as possible. The filter is changed at service because it clogs, for an efficient engine keep it clean. Inside the engine after the fuel is burnt it carries all sorts bits into the exhaust some carbon some soot some unburnt fuel and oily deposits, the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) recycles some of these gasses so they are re-burnt. Helping to reduce emissions in Petrol and Diesel engines, diesel by the nature of the fuel also produces soot and oily deposits which at low operating temperatures tend to start to clog the system over time giving issues. The DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) is there to further clean the emissions (new petrol engines also have a DPF system) due to the amount of particulates that escape the EGR system. The DPF is a filter so like the air filter eventually becomes clogged, unlike the air filter changing it is not practical. The DPF therefore has a regeneration cycle where it reaches incredibly high temperatures to burn the particles trapped in it. Short journeys don't allow the engine or DPF to reach temperatures where it can regenerate. Not opinion not hearsay but scientific fact. All modern engines will produce excellent MPG figures combined with low emissions but only if the emission control systems are working correctly and maintained at a high standard. Me I stick with my big V8 it will see me out and my neighbours will never think I came home in a Taxi 😁

Hi Will The prices you have sound high side I would check www.realoem.com for the correct battery for your car then check out Halfords among others. I brought a new AGM battery 800cca 90a/hr for my X5 for £112 last year so the deals are there any garage with decent software can register the battery plus the AA/RAC Dave