Greydog

Morning Nigel Does the drivers door lock with the key? My brother inlaw has had this happen twice, first time BMW changed the diversity antenna, all was good for a couple of years then it happened again this time he found a BMW Specialist who took the antenna apart cleaned and dried it out tested it all good he then re-assembled it with sealant and so far 3 years and no issue. His car would aloow the drivers door to be locked with the key but wouldn't set the alarm or activate the central locking. Have a look at www.newtis.info it's a BMW technical information site same as used by dealers to see if there is any help there Dave

Welcome to the Forum Ross Sorry to hear you suffered at the hands of some thieving !Removed! The beemer is looking fantastic, enjoy Dave

Morning Nigel Have you tried resetting the Keys ? there is a process for that have a search online for the method. The other common issue with the 5 series was the Diversity antenna it is in the spoiler above the brake light they were a known issue ( my brother inlaw has changed 2) they were prone to moisture/water ingress problems. Again search diversity antenna issues for 5 series. Good Luck Dave

Happy New Year to you and your family John and Welcome to the Forum Sounds as though you have tried and changed the bits that normally give issues. With the X5 I had a similar issue with the drivers window it would auto down but not up? I had to hold the button. my issue was with the Drivers seat memory control unit first I noticed that the window control was playing up then the steering wheel adjustment had stopped working.After a lot of research everything pointed to a failing drivers seat control unit sure enough it failed completely I wouldn't have noticed but my wife went to take the car pushed the memory button and no movement. I managed to find a replacement unit with the correct part number on that well known auction site, fitted it and reset the master switch for the window and all back to normal. If you have seat memory on your E46 I would check it is functioning also have a look at www.newtis.info it is a BMW technical information site same as used by dealers it will give how too's and diagrams plus wiring diagrams then www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box and it will bring up your car search the parts you want and it will give the part numbers. I hope this helps Dave

Morning Rob How weird do the engine numbers match those on the registration docs? If they do then it would seem to me to just be a rogue engine that slipped through their QA program. I say that as not many home engine changers or garages come to that will inform the DVLA of changes. A cylinder head change or repair would be far more difficult to trace unless there are stamps/invoices in the log book or history, certainly if it was BMW warranty work they should have a record you would think. At least rebuilding the head yourself you know it is all as it should be. Dave

Morning Rob That is very strange I am well aware that BMW used the same Camshafts across a range of models and years (as do many other manufacturers) but to have a part that's not listed anywhere !!! The BMW straight 6 is one of the worlds great engines and renowned for being as tough as old boots so it needing cylinder head work before 20k seems doubtful to me, if however that was the case it would have been (should have been) warranty work at BMW so only genuine parts would have been used most probably a complete cylinder head assembly. Just asked my neighbour (he works for BMW direct) he has run a check and tells me that was an exhaust camshaft number that has been superseded used where poor fuel quality was an issue. He couldn't answer how it turned up in a European supplied car though, so it seems that cam number is OEM but outdated. Good luck with the rebuild Happy New Year Dave

Morning Mark Loss of coolant is always a worry but not always a head gasket problem, like wise condensation can show droplets and mayonnaise on the dip stick and filler cap . Often leaks are else where waterpump, secondary waterpump, hoses, transmission oil cooler seals all can weep and cause the sort of loss your experiencing. A garage can do a sniffer test on your header tank to confirm if there is a head gasket problem. Personally I would fight shy of additives that could well cause more problems long term than they fix short term. Hope this helps Happy New Year Dave

Morning Kev Can you not get an SOT lead which will plug into the cars harness and connect directly to your new radio/headunit. If not check out www.newtis.info it is a Technical Information site used by Dealers it has wiring diagrams which should help. Happy New Year Dave

Hi Hussein Welcome to the Forum, 3 series started in 1997 with the E46 this ran 97 to 2006 E90 2004 - 2008 E90 LCI 2007 - 2012 E91 2004 - 2008 E91 2007 - 2012 E92 2005 - 2010 E92 LCI 2008 - 2013 E93 2005 - 2010 E93 LCI F30 2011 - 2016 F30 LCI and so it goes, and it can be confusing. Go to www.realoem.com put your last 7 digits of your Vin number in the search box and it will pull up your model.then you will know exactly which version you have. With reliability how the car has been maintained will normally give clues, most modern engines die from abuse not use. Happy New Year Dave

Morning Bob Welcome to the Forum happy to help if we can, lets hope you never need us Dave

Morning Jack Welcome to the Forum I hope you and your family have had a peaceful Christmas and the New Year will bring stress free.motoring. Nice looking 3 series if you are a DIY man with your cars here are some sites that will help www.realoem.com this is a BMW parts site but there are small drawings which will give clues as to where things are, more important it will make sure if you are buying spares you buy the right one for your model. Just put the last 7 digits of your vin into the search box it will bring up your car. Next is www.newtis.info a BMW technical information site with "how too's" the same information used by Dealers. I don't know if or what if any diagnostic gear you have but to sort many issues with a BMW diagnostic's will take away a lot of guess work and pain. I use BMW 1.4.0 loaded on an old laptop that I keep just for diagnostics cost about a tenner from that well known auction site but there are others out there Carly for BMW as an example can be downloaded as an App for your phone though I don't know how it works with older models like ours. Enjoy your new to you BMW Dave

Hi Dan Happy Christmas and Welcome to the Forum Dave

I would check www.realoem.com for the gearbox type (ZF I believe) with my X5 BMW used to say "sealed for life" what they meant is life is the end of their warranty liability. After talking with ZF and a local ZF agent they confirmed a service should be carried out every 80 to 100 km my box is just coming up for it's second service in my ownership. A service on the 5 speed is about £450 at the ZF agent I know I could get it done cheaper but somethings are not worth going cheap on in my opinion. Enjoy your X3 and Happy Christmas Dave

You need a child to help !! They seem to use technology where us older folks try to understand it ? I guess you have tried Google? Happy Christmas Dave

41 mpg they are fantasy numbers for a V8 driver !! The ride we get used too I am in my 70's and haven't needed a chiropractor yet?? For information look at www.realoem.com it is an online parts list for BMW, put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box and it will bring up your model. Click on the relevant icon and you will see small exploded drawings and description and part numbers with any alternatives. I also use www.newtis.info it is a BMW technical site same information as used by Dealers. It will give all the information on swapping/changing parts You can also look at Pelican Parts an american site but excellent for how too's Happy Christmas to you and your family Dave

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year Dave

Check 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. Then check newtis.info for how to replace stuff. Hope this helps Dave

Normally you can get the DPF to regenerate by keeping revs at about 3000rpm (our son does it with his Toyota) does need a good blast with the engine at working temperature. The preset service intervals are probably at the bottom of the issue if they aren't reset correctly the DPF may be out of sinc. Good Luck Dave

Welcome Gill I too used to run Merc's 3 AMG E class and the last an AMG CLS, after selling our Horse Lorry I brought the X5 to pull a horse trailer. I noticed the heavy steering and the ride was equally hard compared to the Merc's but after a short while I sold the CLS and the X5 has been my daily drive ever since. It has it's problems but they are always forgiven when driving it. Enjoy your new ride muddy tracks and snotty farm gateways are a cinch even pulling a couple of fat horses. Dave

Welcome Rob Lets hope your issue is a simple fix Dave

Not sure what you are asking here Adam? Does the light come on and go off with pushes of the DSC button? When the light is on your 4 wheel drive system is compromised a bit like traction control off on a 2 wheel drive car. The light on can be caused by a lot of things unfortunately, ABS fault, Transfer case issue, Steering angle sensor to name a few. You need the codes read to be sure of exactly what the issue is or in fact if there is one at all. Dave

Whoop Whoop Enjoy Oh and Welcome Richard

Morning Rob Have you checked www.realoem.com ? Enter the last 7 digits of your Vin, I just had a quick general search and came up with the following, Part 11317567642 was found on the following vehicles: 3' E90   (02/2007 — 08/2008) 3' E90 LCI   (07/2007 — 12/2011) 3' E91   (02/2007 — 08/2008) 3' E91 LCI   (03/2008 — 05/2012) 3' E92   (05/2005 — 02/2010) 3' E92 LCI   (10/2009 — 06/2013) 3' E93   (09/2005 — 02/2010) 3' E93 LCI   (07/2009 — 09/2013) 5' E60 LCI   (11/2005 — 12/2009) 5' E61 LCI   (11/2005 — 05/2010) 5' F10   (02/2009 — 06/2013) 5' F11   (01/2009 — 06/2013) 6' E63 LCI   (04/2006 — 07/2010) 6' E64 LCI   (04/2006 — 07/2010) I dont know if you have owned your car from new or know it's history but I would be thinking that someone has either changed the head or engine. The part numbers you list seem to point to engines up to mid/late 2006 I would think it unusual for BMW to have engines in stock for 6 months to a year? Check out the above site it is a BMW parts site (same as used by Dealers) also www.newtis.info for technical information Good Luck Dave

Morning Dom The water in the boot is a worry as BMW took to hiding a lot of sensitive stuff in there at about the year of your car. I did read some time ago that the seal on the rear light clusters was a point to check also the boot seal it's self. I believe the system in your "7" is similar to the X5 and made up of Headunit, Radio, CD changer, Video/TV unit and Nav computer (CD or DVD) plus Telephone system. In the X5 it is all hidden in the boot apart from the Headunit of course. As the system is linked on the Ibus wierd things happen if a unit fails. One of the main suspect in the X5 is the BM54 radio module which is hidden under the spare wheel and just a small amount of water and it's goosed, it can cause battery drain and other strange behavior Take a look at www.realoem.com a BMW Parts list with small exploded drawings put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box and it will bring up your specific build parts list. Also check www.newtis.info technical information as used by BMW dealers. Also google Pelican parts an American site but it's only the steering on the wrong side!! Plenty of how too's and pictures on their site. Good luck, hope this helps Dave

Morning Andrew Have a look at the Dynavin website I used one in my 4.4 it was not cheap but worked really well and looked and fitted like an OEM set up. Dave