Greydog

Cant hear anything (but then I am old and the wife recons I only hear what I want to!!) Is the noise in the engine bay or under the car ? Dave

Hi Mark Welcome to the Forum Dave

Mornin Brime Welcome your screen is telling you there is a fault, the engine management has put the car in restricted performance mode to protect it. You need the codes read and the cause of the problem sorted to avoid damage to the car. The smoke is quite probably over fueling when you plant your big right foot. As restricted performance (limp mode) can be triggered by many issues such as but not restricted to, throttle body, MAF sensor, Fuel pressure, Injector issue, cam sensor, crank sensor, EGR, DPF, even gearbox issue the list goes on. The only way to be certain is to get the codes read, BMW Dealer (obviously the most expensive option) BMW specialist, Independent Garage with the correct software (autologic or similar) There may even be a Forum member near you who is willing to run a diagnostic for you. Without the codes we are all guessing and if you start down that road you will need a fat wallet. Dave

Have you tried simply reversing the polarity on the micro switches?

Hi Paul OK it is an X5 so in front of the gear stick you will have a switch for the parking sensors when you have the beep is the green light on the switch flashing? If it is push it and it will stop, there is a fault with 1 or more of your sensors (unplugging them just makes the control unit think they are broken). If you just want to disconnect them under the spare wheel and under the compressor housing (2 bolts and 2 nuts) lift/tilt it up you will find the battery, radio (BM54) TV etc between the back of the car and the radio unit you will see a control unit with 3 connectors on the top that is the parking sensor control unit unplug the plugs. If you have a tow bar there will be 3 connector if not 2 connectors 1 for the front 1 for the rear. As you say if you sit on the tailgate it stops bleeping I suspect a short/broken wire. Have a look at www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box and it will bring up a parts list for your car. Look in the sections it will give small exploded drawings which will help plus part numbers if you need spares BMW a Dismantler or that well known auction site. Also look at www.newtis.info you will find a load of stuff there to help, if you don't already have a BMW specific code reader I suggest getting one as working on an X5 will become a bankruptcy starter kit with out the right information I use BMW 1.4.0 on an old laptop it only cost £15 from the well known web site As an example my code reader tells me I currently have a fault with my "centre right" rear sensor Good Luck

Morning Anthony realoem is a parts list the prices are in US Dollars and are just an indication. Laws in the US mean companies like BMW have to make information available that they can hide in Europe/UK So my thinking was get the BMW part number for the X3 then cross reference it with other models, 3 series, 5 series X5 etc. As BMW don't make wiper motors they just buy them If you can get the manufacturer then try their web site (probably Bosch or Magnetti) The mechanism may be more difficult though

Hi Paul when you say you have deactivated the parking sensors what have you done? Deactivated them in the software or unplugged the parking sensor control unit? The fact that if you load up one side of the tailgate (open I assume) it stops would point to a broken or shorted cable in my mind. First thing I would do is unplug the control unit if you still have the noise I would start tracing cables to find the short. By the way all BMW's beep it is a wallet alert Dave

One last shot! Have a look at www.realoem.com if you aren't aware it is a BMW online parts list get the part number for your model then cross reference it with other models see if there is an alternative in there. Like all manufacturers a lot of parts are used across the ranges of vehicles. Dave

Morning Mark Have a look at www.realoem.com it is a BMW online parts list when the site opens click the classic section then you can put the last 7 digits of your vin number in the search box and it will bring up your model look in the trim section for the parts you need. Once you have the part numbers you can search different models Coupe, Convertible etc for common parts. A lot of parts are still available from BMW and I believe classic's get a discount plus you can try the BMW specialist dismantlers. I have used Quarry Motors in Sheffield before very helpful guys. Welcome aboard Dave

Welcome Sam Tidy car with what is one of the great engines in the world ENJOY Dave

Worth a try, BMW are brilliant aren't they even Mercedes were willing to sell me parts. I had the rear diff go BMW response "its a sealed unit sir we only supply a complete diff exchange" (so the evidence disappears) I managed to find a rebuild kit from the USA but that took some searching. Have you tried any of the BMW specialist dismantler's I have used Quarry Motors in Sheffield before and found them very helpful but there are several around the country. Dave

Try Cotswold BMW they have come up trumps for me in the past cant remember the parts guys name just google Cotswold BMW parts

Morning Keith My sons Toyota pickup gets this from time to time the Dealer told him that it needed engine revs at 3k for 15mins minimum to generate the heat required in the DPF. Even in his truck that means 60+ in 3rd gear. The other thing to check is the EGR valve and all it;s pipework. Dave

Very smart looking motor Richard ENJOY Dave

Morning Paul Firstly there have been airbag recalls for some models check with your BMW Dealer they will be able to tell you if there are any outstanding recalls. Second from your description your "mechanic" hasn't a clue what he is doing which is scary when dealing with airbags and the SRS system stay away from him. If you can't do it yourself go to a Dealer or a BMW specialist at least someone who has (a) the diagnostic software to identify if there is an issue and (b) identify what it is plus reset things if no issue is present. From what I have read in the past if the passenger airbag has been de-activated due to needing to fit a child seat when fitted the airbag light will be on. I believe if you read your hand book there is a method for turning it on and off. This is taken from BMW Technical information site: Passenger's airbag deactivation If a child's seat is fitted on the front passenger's seat, the front passenger's airbags must be disabled. On EU vehicles, disabling is by means of an airbag switch. On US vehicles, disabling is automatic by means of seat occupation detection. Indicator lamp for passenger airbag deactivation The indicator lamp is activated and lights up when the front passenger's airbag is disabled. The indicator lamp is monitored by the airbag control unit. If a fault in the power supply or lamp is determined, a fault code memory entry is made in the airbag control unit and the airbag warning lamp in the instrument cluster is activated! Switch for passenger's airbag deactivation (EU version) The airbag switch can only be activated/deactivated by means of the ignition key when the vehicle is stationary and the door is open. Let us know what part of the country you are in and I am sure there are members here who can point you to reliable BMW Dealers/Independents/Specialists in your area. Someone who hasn't a clue could reduce your pride and joy to a smoldering heap, there is an old saying "If you think Professional is expensive wait until you have paid the full price for Ameteur" Dave

Morning Terence Welcome to the Forum First when you say the suspension is hard as nails it hasn't gone down has it? If it has then you have a leak as well as pump not running. Normally if the "susp inact" message is on the air bags are inflated and don't deflate so ride shouldn't change? The "suspension Inactive" warning most times is caused by low battery voltages, however if your battery is healthy and the charging system working properly then you can check the sytem which is not as scary as many think. Inside the boot right hand side check the fuses (1) 7.5a and (1) 30a my 4.4 kept randomly throwing the warning both fuses were fine but I changed the 30a no more issues ??? Check the air suspension relay located with the pump under the dome Check the level sensors your car like mine is getting on in years the level sensors have a knee joint if it starts to stick it can cause the problem as the car thinks one side is at a different level. WD40 to free it up then some spray grease to keep it free (chain lube) worked for me. Also if someone has worked on it and replaced them wrongly (the joint should point to the outside of the car) they cant work correctly and will throw the fault. Dave

Electrical gremlins can be a nightmare, asuming that there is no other cause water ingress/spill in the boot area there is a lot of sensitive bits in there. Most electrical issues with the X5 are caused by low battery voltages, even though you have fitted another battery. You say you "swapped out" the battery was that for new or another battery? Have you checked battery voltages since? You should have 12+ ignition on engine off and 14 or thereabouts engine running, even a new battery can fail, is the battery correct for your car it should be 92Ah AGM if the battery is correct and healthy but voltages are down is it an alternator problem? I cant recall the year when the battery needed coding/registering to the car this could be another cause. With my older X5 the odd behavior I tracked down to the main earth point in the boot the mounting bolt was rusty I cleaned and refitted it problem fixed. Dave

Well done Richard Sounds like a good buy Dave

Afternoon Robert Have a look at www.newtis.info it is a BMW Technical information site same as used by Dealers it should have all the information you need

Morning Ventzi I am not sure but thought in the Idrive settings you could enable streaming so shouldn't need the sockets, I could be wrong though. Try searching Google for a how too. Also have a look at www.newtis.info it is a BMW Technical Information site, same information used by dealers so may help from memory my brother inlaws 535 with I drive in bluetooth settings there were 2 tick boxes 1 for telephone and 1 for something like audio or streaming I can't recall which. If both are checked it should work his does. Dave

Morning Jap Welcome to the Forum With 20 miles on the clock that is "new" possibly a test drive under it's belt. Being inherently careful (wife says tight) I would go around the car with a fine tooth comb making sure there are no marks, interior the same and make sure everything works as it should. Try an squeeze as much out of the deal as you can, such as service plan extended warranty. Good Luck and ENJOY Dave

Very nice, certainly looks good from the initial pictures. If you aren't already aware www.realoem.com may help with part numbers it is a BMW online parts site go to the classic section put the last 7 digits of the Vin in the search box and it will bring up your model then search the sections for what you need. It will make certain you have parts that are going to fit. You could also try www.newtis.info its a BMW technical information site you may find more information and how too's there. Dave

You could pop the bulb holders out and get the wiring colours from there then hunt for them

£180 wow!! BMW are masters at charging aren't they sounds like a plan swapping plus keep an eye on Ebay you could also try Specialist Dismantlers like Quarry Motors in Sheffield

I believe that there was a "plug and play" kit from either BMW or PF JONES check PF Jones web site to see if there are reining diagrams, check www.newtis.info for wiring diagrams. Hope this helps Dave