Greydog

Stainless over mild steel even if it is OEM winner winner Dave

Morning Luke I may be wrong but if there is no Cat present it may fall foul of MOT rules even if the emissions don't. Why can't they just change the Cat?? My sons Toyota pickup needed a new cat the garage he uses fitted a 200 cell after market cat reset everything and all good, that was about 3 years ago.from memory the whole cost was about £200 Mind you if they are offering a full stainless powerflow system !! Just make sure it is fully compliant so you don't get caught out, talk to an MOT station or check MOT regs on line. Dave

Morning Mark While I haven't changed the front struts due to a crashy ride and odd tyre wear I decided to change front and rear. I did get a kit from the well known auction site which included all front control arms from memory it cost about £100. It took myself and one of my sons a morning to change everything (including tea/coffee breaks) I also brought anti roll bar bushes which we changed at the same time. I also brought a rear suspension kit and we did that the same weekend, a bit more involved as I had to make up a bush removal tool for the outer rose bush. So for around £250 I changed front and rear bushes then off for 4 wheel alignment. The difference was night and day drove and rode like new, still good 4 years on the biggest saving is Tyre wear. So I would do it Dave

Hi Mark From what I have read and my brother inlaws experience run flats give a harsher ride due to the firm side walls that give them their ability. They also seem to transfer/generate road noise once they become about 50%+ worn (brother inlaws 5 series experience) He goes through the run flats then fits standard tyres Bridgestone is his personal choice plus he carries some tyre goo and a small compressor just in case. He commutes in Europe so his cars are high milers and I don't remember him mentioning a puncture but he does prefer the less harsh ride and less road noise. Until your driving the car it is difficult to say it may be your happy with the ride/road noise, if not try a change to non run flat when replacement is due. Dave

Morning Steve Welcome to the Forum What tyres are on the car? BMW can be sensitive to tyres and pressures. I came from AMG's to the X5 and strangely found the opposite the X felt as though the power steering was not working by comparison. Hope you enjoy the Beemer Dave

Morning Dom Welcome to the Forum Recorded with storm Dennis eh! Difficult to diagnose but my guess would be in two areas 1. check all belts and tensioners 2. could be the fuel return valve. Good luck finding it Dave

Welcome Stephen Clearly a BMW fan great collection you have ENJOY Dave

Hi Javier Welcome to the Forum Well done on fixing stuff so far in case your not aware here are a couple of web sites that may help. www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box and you will have access to an online OEM parts list for your car. Also www.newtis.info this one is a Technical Information site BMW Dealers use the same information. Keep up the good work Dave

Morning Mark Welcome to the Forum One mans "sporty" ride is another mans bone shaker so without testing one you may never know until it's to late. My X5 4.6is runs standard 20" wheels with low profile tyres, depending on make the ride is always on the hard side but road noise levels can be quite high. By comparison my 18" winter wheels give a better ride and less road noise, also runflats are well documented for contributing to a harsh ride. ENJOY Dave

Morning Russel Welcome back Dave

Morning Alan I thought for your model the memory was set to each Key Fob ? My brother inlaws 5 series works this way First set the memory in the seat. Then you go to'Vehicle Settings' in IDrive and set the option in there. You can either have it move the seats when you unlock the door, or move the seats when you open the door. Then lock the car, unlock it with the other fob and do the same thing. Dave

Morning John Welcome to the Forum Great to have you on board ENJOY your new (to you) X3, Dave

Don't you just love a cheap fix 😁

Morning Geoff Welcome to the Forum Are your rear tyres Run Flats? They are well known for being noisy as they wear. On the subject of tyres also check they are not directional and wrongly fitted (my son had just that issue) Have you checked the diff for oil? Though a diff will make a lot of noise that will rise in pitch with speed. If none of the above then the wheel bearings are all that is left Good Luck Dave

Hmmm, do your seat and steering wheel adjustment work together? They do on my old E53, so if say I set memory 1 steering wheel, door mirrors and seat. Then if 1 is pushed they move to that position if they have been altered. I know that with the E53 seat memory when they are failing the first sign is no steering adjustment then needing to push and hold seat adjustment buttons. Dave

Morning John Welcome to the Forum Think about it logically the car manufacturers and exhaust specialists spend time and a not inconsiderable amount of money to achieve an efficient system. The OEM exhaust is a compromise between efficiency, sound and cost so can often be improved, however to do this you will have to change significant sections or all of the exhaust. Just changing a shiny piece around the end won't do it and will often always look like an add on, plus in engineering terms adding a cosmetic tip will make no difference to resonance or gas flow. If you want shiny trims BMW sell them and they will look right for your car. Remember these guys are selling a product, they are going to make all sorts of claims and in this modern world put all sorts of testimonials on their add's and websites, they are after your hard earned. Dave

Morning Gus Let us know progress, has the fault cleared? Dave

Morning Gus Good thinking on the code my old bus the code isn't needed as radio components are scattered around the car, I talked with my brother inlaw who has a 2014 5 series he said try this. Insert your car key into the ignition, leaving it in the "off" position. Depress and hold the "M" button on your radio. Turn the car key to the "on" position and turn on the radio with the "M" button remaining depressed. Write down the serial number that appears on your radio's display. Talk to your BMW Dealer they will need the serial number and in his case the Vin even though they service his car?? Or there are several code retrieval sites but they often carry a cost but are quick in my brother inlaws case quicker than BMW. If the fault code won't reset that is the place to start, check the connections. If it is an actuator fault there are several companies that rebuild/repair them at sensible cost many with next day return. Technology is a brilliant thing !!!! Good Luck Dave

Weirder Sounds like a short or loose connection in the drivers door module, take a look at www.newtis.info see if there is anything there. It is a BMW technical information site same info as the Dealer uses. Dave

Hi Gus Have you tried the old "disconnect the battery" trick works like a hard reset. Disconnect leave for half an hour reconnect, I have read it has cured some bizarre things worth a shot, Neg first then Pos some folks touch the two leads together. If your cleaning connectors make sure it's a good electrical contact cleaner not WD40, sensitive beasts we own. Dave

Morning Alan Welcome to the Forum Nice car but a weird problem, when you say "opened the drivers door" do you mean unlocked, or physically used the handle? There is a total opening/closing function on the key fob when the unlock key is held all windows will open, lock button held all windows close. Strange it is just 1 window? It could be a software malfunction in that lock/unlock setting which a BMW dealer or BMW specialist can reset or if you have a BMW specific diagnostic tool you could do your self. Try swapping key fobs see if the issue persists? Dave

Morning Gus Welcome to the Forum First what OBD reader are you using? Is it BMW specific, if not it may indicate the symptom rather than the issue, if the EML has been triggered normally a fault will be stored which will need clearing after repair. As an example mine will say something like "Thermal oil temp sensor fault not present", I then know there is an intermittent fault which needs investigation. As to the problem I would start with the simplest and cheapest as you say the light flickers I would check the engine loom for any signs of damage, move the loom see if it affects the EML. Check and clean all the connectors with a good Contact cleaner time consuming but not expensive. As your car saw very little use for a considerable time it is possible that moisture has got into connectors and there is corrosion on the contacts particularly if it was parked outside Just my thoughts hope they help Dave

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Morning Marc If your talking to BMW make sure you get the discount. BMW in the UK and Europe they give good discounts for older models. Dave

Morning Marc Have you tried BMW? Have a look at www.realoem.com go to the Classic section put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box it will show all types of wheel supplied for your model. If BMW can't help (unlikely) there are many replica wheel suppliers in the USA and here that will I am sure. Dave