Greydog

Hi Simon Well with the weather this weekend it was better to be in the garage under the X !! All went well 2 Arnott air bags fitted, ride height sensor ball joints greased everything else underneath seems OK though the rear sub-frame bushes are looking crusty. The aux water pump is a PITA it seals on O rings which I couldn't get on Saturday, so on the case today. Still they are probably 15 years old at least!! Sorry to hear you are near the edge, as you say a shed load of money has been thrown at the car by the previous owners. I have read that there are cast manifolds on ebay that are really well priced and good quality that plus a refurbed turbo and you will know you have many miles ahead with confidence Dave

I think the key is the old carpenters adage "measure twice cut once" has to take presidents here. Are you doing the welding yourself, welding thin wall tube is not easy? Or do you have someone else doing it. if you are getting someone else would it not save some stress to find a Custom exhaust fitter who would have all the bits and skill to do a clean job it may also save money in the long run. Just my thoughts Dave

Morning Carol If the car has decided "restricted engine performance" a fault has triggered that. When you say "no codes showing" are you using a BMW specif reader/scanner, if not it will only give very limited information and general codes. Below is a screen shot from BMW 1.4.0 (the program I use) it gives fault information in English as against numbers which need to be compared to a fault list. Depending on it's build spec your X5 could have 3 pages of modules, sensors and control units. As an example my drivers heated mirror stopped clearing plug in and it tells me I have an open connection/broken wire in the drivers door mirror.It is cheap and can be loaded on a laptop, there is also Carly for BMW you can use that on a laptop or smartphone. If you or your garage are using a general code reader then fault finding can be difficult and costly as you end up throwing money at the problem, another example my Brother inlaws 535 estate had the EML his local guy said oxygen sensor a few hundred quid later the light is back when we investigated it was a perished vacuum hose. First I would check all the simple and low cost items starting does the problem happen when fuel levels are low 1/4 tank or less check the fuel filter the fuel filter (often forgotten at service) can restrict fuel flow. If the last owner had the egr replaced I would check it isnt blocked again so many of the engine fuel air delivery systems are interlinked that one faulting will have a knock on that masks the true culprit which is why a good code reader is needed along with a multi meter to test connections.

For a BMW specific reader you could try BMW 1.4.0 loaded on a lap top (that is what I use) I believe you can now down load drivers for windows 10 so becoming much more user friendly. Attached is a screen shot which shows all the different control modules (page 1 of 3) check on Ebay you can buy BMW 1.4.0 for about £10 including the cable, worth a look. Your engine should feel really smooth I would check out the rotating bits at the front Alternator, Power steering pump, AC, Waterpump and the belt tensioner's and followers Your auto box has lock up clutches in the torque converter your model should be 6 speed with Drive Sport and manual modes coupled to the straight 6 2.8i engine with 190hp or there about's should not feel sluggish 0-60 should be around 7 secs (a bit longer in the snow though) Proper Winter Tyres make sooo much difference even on a 4x4, not that we get much snow in the South of the UK. Dave

Sorry Eric The tech in my X5 is so old it has a needle!!! well not far off 😁

Definitely not seen any others like that you have created something unique. Here's the other side of the coin isnt great how diverse modding is?

In that snow and at those temperatures you will be going in circles?? What code reader did you get? it really needs to be BMW specific for the best results. There are quite a few guys in the UK using Carly for BMW as an app on tablets and smart phones it can be used with a cable or a bluetooth dongle. If your reader is BMW specific then you can see the individual control modules Engine, Gearbox, Instruments, Lights, etc etc it does narrow down were issues are. Dave

Welcome Eric Once the snow melts you will be able to enjoy the 3 series Dave

Welcome Shane Oooooo Shiny, enjoy Dave

Morning Eric Fingers crossed clearing the codes has done the trick, have you re-read the codes to see what if anything has come back? Dave

Morning Eric Welcome to the Forum Your problem could be a number of things or a combination of them, my initial thought is fuel delivery. It could be a clogged fuel filter, a fuel pump or regulator fault or a MAF or throttle body fault. and last but not least a vacuum leak. You need the codes read to give you some clues, Dave

Morning Simon We live in a world where some see maintenance/servicing as vital to improving the reliability and enjoyment of their car, but I fear today there are an ever increasing number who don't know or care where the bonnet catch is or what is under it. They just drive until it breaks then moan about the cost of repair. This isnt helped with Dealerships and a lot of Garages who do the minimum work at service normally just an oil and filter change. The poor old gearbox manual or auto is a classic example of rarely being serviced in their life yet the gearbox manufacturers supply maintenance schedules which are largely ignored.by Car manufacturers and Dealers around the world. My weekend is planned for me just had an Air spring fail so a pair ordered, plus the auxiliary water pump has developed a small leak, the MOT is not far away so good poke around and check everything to ensure we have another year ahead. What some see as a chore I enjoy and find strangely therapeutic especially if I can fix or better still improve something. Once your on top of all the little bits you will enjoy it more Dave

Hi Simon I have read that when the EGR is blanked off there is a small vacuum pipe that needs plugging as well, Also many others who have changed glow plugs have also changed the glow plug controller. Smoke or vapour from the oil cap is not unusual but with the cap of and engine running you will lose crankcase pressure which will effect idle. If your smoke at idle is white it could be an injector weeping or something as simple as the crankcase breather system at fault. Sounds like you are slowly making progress Dave

Morning I don't have a diesel but I think these will be breather pipes check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model then search gearbox and front diff to see where the breather pipes are. Sadly I think whoever you brought it from was telling massive porkies to get rid of the car. A 184hp 3.0d in standard form could reach 60 from rest in around 8.5sec, 50 to 80 should be around 7 secs so as I said no slouch if you have the 218hp engine obviously things will be quicker. Both engines can be ecu tuned to give quite large increases in power and torque. If who ever you brought it from did a service themselves and used the wrong fluid the box could be toast I am afraid, If they didn't follow the correct filling procedure and the box is low on fluid or overfilled damage can occur. My suspicion would be he was having gearbox issues and rather than get it fixed he did a fluid change hoping it would somehow magically fix things?? Unfortunately you are now in the difficult position of deciding what to do, do you spend money on a gearbox refurb? do you try to sell as is to recover some money? I would talk to citizens advice to get some legal advice about where you stand with this. Good Luck Dave

Morning Shane I don't know where/who you brought your X5 from (Trade I hope) but the 184hp 3.0 Diesel produces over 400 nm of torque most of it low down the rev range and they are no slouches, torque is what accelerates the car. Also what are you comparing it too? As an example I have the 4.6is X5 which has been breathed on and has close to 400hp and enough go in any gear to embarrass a lot of much newer sports cars but not much more torque than yours, yet compared with my wifes Subaru Outback (Perrin 3.0 twin turbo engine upgrade) it feels slow. The Subaru has more power and weighs less, a lot less so is really quick, Your car should reach 60 from rest in about 8.5 secs with strong mid range on kick down. By your description that "the engine revs like mad but no go" are you sure it isn't the gearbox at fault, have you tried the gearbox in all 3 modes? Lock up clutches in the torque converter would be my thought, you need a gearbox specialist with Autologic software to check the box for faults, As you say it's a recent purchase I would be talking to the seller to see if they will help with cost, or fix it, even give your money back. A full gearbox refurb I would think will be in the region of £2500 minimum so not cheap. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news I hope I am wrong. Good Luck Dave

Hi John Like you I do 90% of my own just using the Garage for annual service/MOT to keep the service records stamped. I am sure I read somewhere that there were some issues with the Mechatoric valve body solenoids with the early 6 speeds but can't find it now? A ZF agent will be able to plug in and diagnose accurately so you can make a more informed decision, good luck. Dave

Sorry John you were unclear in your post and didn't explain that your headunit is not OEM. From the screen shot you have posted it looks to be an Android based system. to get information regarding upgrades you will need to Google the manufacturer of your headunit. There are several of these on ebay most are Chinese/ Dave

Simple things first, battery condition has to be tip top. Make sure your battery is fully charged. Disconnect the battery, take off the door card and using a really good electrical contact cleaner get to work on all the plugs, modules and airbag connections behind the door card same under the seat for the occupancy mat. reconnect everything and reconnect the battery clear the codes start the engine and see if the codes come back. If they do swap the front door control modules if the fault moves you know it's the module if it doesn't it is probably the air bag unit. It goes without saying take care and make sure the battery is disconnected when unplugging or disconnecting airbags.

Morning Jamie Welcome to the Forum, White smoke normally un-burnt fuel, Black smoke over-fueling, Blue smoke oil!! The cause could be turbo seals wearing or valve stem oil seals. Your engine is fairly low mileage and I assume serviced annually so worn valve guides or piston rings should be lower on the culprit list, I would look towards the turbo with the intercooler. Any oil in the intercooler pipes or intercooler can get sucked into the turbo result blue smoke. The turbo lives a hard life so if a turbo oil seal is wearing it could let oil by and result in blue smoke I would get it checked by someone who knows their way around diesels. I hope this helps Dave

Looks really nice, an ABS sensor isnt the end of the world annoying and frustrating but a relatively easy fix. Dave

Morning Micheal I would check the discount tyre sites they often have deals going on that would help. Our sons friend runs Nexen on his X5 3.0d same sizes as ours and has had no issues. I think the trick is to (a) stand a rear and front side by side to see how close they are in diameter if there is little difference OK, if there is a difference (my Dunlops were nearly 10mm) but swapped the front pair with the wholesaler and virtually no difference as I said bit of a faff but in my opinion worth it (b) Make sure you get 4 wheel alignment checked and adjusted if needed after fitting to protect your investment. My current set of Bridgestone were £670 fitted just over a year ago and I am very happy with them., it could be that due to odd tyre wear (tracking) the previous owner changed tyres at different times putting the wear rate (and rolling radius) out of sync. Good luck Dave

Not a diseasel driver Liam, however on my Brother inlaws 535 he gets an orange coil symbol it goes out after about 10 secs if you wait. He never waits and the car always starts first turn his car is also now mega miles as he commutes regularly to Holland for business. So dont know if that helps or not Dave

Welcome Richard Great choice enjoy your New Beemer Dave

Welcome to the Forum Alexei A real Pocket Rocket, you may have trouble getting the dog in the boot !! It will be interesting to hear your comparisons between the 2 cars ENJOY not jealous at all 🤭 Dave

Hi Simon Do you have a code reader? Certainly a BMW specific code reader would pin point just were the issue is, I use BMW 1.4.0 (about £15 on ebay) which gives me a clear description of the fault in English. Others I know use Carly for BMW or INPA which ever they would tell you (a) if it is an injector issue or something else as changing parts can become expensive. My sons Toyota had an injector issue the Dealer wanted a small mortgage to replace them, he went to a Diesel specialist (he used to service our Horse Lorry) he sent them off for refurbishing less than a 1/3 rd of the dealer cost. Dave