Greydog

Just be sure that the area you want to restore is raw ABS plastic not painted or dipped if it has been coated it wont work. If it is plastic then mask off the painted are to protect it

If you have a heat gun try this, make sure the gun is on a low setting and never have it stationary on the plastic trim. Warm the trim and wipe it with a clean cloth. Warming brings out the oils in the plastic you will see a lot of gunk removed (old polish and plastic treatments) you can normally bring back most black plastic trim parts unless they are really badly stained. REMEMBER if you leave the heat in one spot you will possibly warp or damage the trim so don't rush it, in the case of heat on plastic more isn't good

That is all you need the diversity antenna and the key need to be synced. put your key in the dash the info centre should come to life with the dash lights. Remove the key and press and hold the unlock button now press the lock button on the key 3 times release the buttons the doors should lock unlock and your done

Very nice ENJOY and Welcome

Try this to reprogram the Key Method 1: 1. Working from within the vehicle and with the doors shut 2. Turn ignition to position 1 and back to off within 5 seconds. 3. Remove the key from ignition and press and hold the unlock button for 15 seconds during this time press the key lock button 3 times within 5 seconds. 4. Release both buttons. 5. Doors will lock and unlock to show correct programming has occurred. Method 2: To do this procedure you need to have one working key and one key that needs to be programmed. 1) Get in and close all doors. 2) Turn on the ignition and turn off quickly. (No more than 5 seconds) to start the process. Next action must take place within 30 seconds. 3) Remove the 1st key. 4) Hold the key up near your left shoulder (this is so it is closer to the remote receiver antenna. 5) Hold down the unlock button and press the lock button 3 times. Release the unlock button and the doors lock which confirms the operation. 6) Quickly repeat steps 4 & 5 for key #2 etc. If it does not work, try doing the keys in opposite order. Key 2 then key 1, vs 1 then 2. Method 3: Alternate if you do not have a working remote 1. Turn key to position 1 five times very quickly 2. Remove key 3. Hold unlock button then press lock button 3 times, release unlock button. 4. If you have another key do the same button pressing within 30 seconds 5. Turn on ignition to finalise.

One of the things you can do is to check out other models in the range to see what parts can be transferred model to model. With the X5 the main loom is pretty standard so adding little luxuries is pretty much plug and play. Good luck with the cigarette lighter LOL

Morning Andrew Have a look at www.realoem.com it is a BMW online parts catalogue put in the last 7 digits of your Vin and it will give you parts and assembly information for your model. As someone who knows one end of a spanner from the other it will be of great help understanding what is where and how it fits. You can also look at several diagnostic programs ( I have Inpa and BMW1.4.0 on an old laptop) Carly for BMW can be loaded on an Android mobile phone it will allow you to scan, reset and in certain areas enable functions as an example the dealer if they could activate auto folding of my mirrors there was humming and teeth sucking then they could book it in and see if it was possible, cost was similar to a new kidney!! Good old google and you tube it is a tick box in the program it took less than 10 minutes and I had to hunt for it. Guess how often I use the Dealer ??? By the way I to am an old bloke

Run flat tyres have a very stiff sidewall ( to support the weight if they are punctured) I have read and been told by others who have had them this can make the ride quite harsh. As I run an X5 on 20" wheels with low profile tyres and sport suspension I understand harsh and my tyres are not runflat!! I guess you dont have a spare just a can of sealant and a small compressor ( the X5 has a staggered set up and the spare looks like a bicycle wheel) touch wood I have never had to use it I have used the can of sealant and the compressor though.Many X5 drivers who's cars were fitted with run flats have changed to non runflat some quoting ride quality many quoting range available and price. So as far as I can tell the only major difference between runflat and non runflat is range available and price there seems to be no safety issue I have read about. As they say we pay our money and make the choice make sure when you get the tyres fitted you get a full alignment done to help make sure you you get the best from the tyres

Morning Chris Google www.realoem.com in the search box put the last 7 digits of your Vin and it will bring up the parts list for your model. Look in vehicle trim for windscreen cowl outer the drawings should give you a clue as to whether something is missing or not. Its a very useful site for part numbers so you can cross reference parts and costs when buying them

Morning Chris and Welcome good luck with the new car and most importantly ENJOY

Hi Emma Personal preference for me is to have the same Brand tyres front and rear do you have Bridgestone's on the front? Also as you currently have run flats that will restrict choice some what, you can run non run flat tyres quite safely which would widen your choice in available tyres and price. Good luck

Morning Emma and Welcome So many things have an effect on tyre life not least of which is driving style but will include tyre pressure, suspension set up and condition. Is the wear even across the tread? If it is then the answer may be in your right shoe!! If wear is uneven both edges worn shows under inflated and centre tread wear shows over inflated, If wear is on one edge then I would look at the suspension bushes and alignment all sorts of things will have an effect here from pot holes to general wear. The X5's are well known for chewing up tyres but with suspension in good condition I normally get around 20k + miles from a set of tyres Hope this helps

Morning Mark I just spoke with the BMW specialist I use he says that 9 out of 10 times it is the diversity antenna but says you can remove it open it and clean the pcb board with a soft tooth brush then test it. He said this normally works, when you put it back together make sure you seal the antenna case with a sealant to prevent water getting in again. He says he has done this on several cars with 100% success he has never seen a loom issue but doesn't discount it.

Hi Mark and Welcome The diversity antenna is in the spoiler behind the 3rd brake light my brother in-law had the same problem with his 530d he tried the old disconnect the battery trick to reset everything. That worked once but after a short time the issue returned apparently some get water ingress that damages them he had his changed at a BMW specialist cost about £300 from memory. I am told its not a difficult job just fiddly so you could get a diversity antenna and DIY Good luck

In my experience ECU tuning on a normally aspirated engine never shows big increases and in real world driving difficult to feel. Forced induction Turbo or supercharging is a very different matter. Moving to a 4.8 will give the extra power but may also potentially bring other issue's. So on the "better the devil" theme if your 3.0 is a good one stick with it would be my advice

Welcome Tony the ! series are great cars You shouldn't have any issues with the brakes all straight forward stuff. If you go online log onto www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your vin and it will bring up your cars parts list search brakes you will be able to get the OEM part number so you can cross reference if buying factors etc. Most factors have a part number cross reference program

Hi Paddy Welcome to the Club lots of help here should you ever need it (we all hope not) Good luck with your new wheels Enjoy

Verrrrry nice Welcome to the Forum Watch out for speed cameras !!! Enjoy that M3

Morning Matt Welcome to the forum I hope you enjoy your X5 There are many debates on oils but as long as it meets BMW LL ACEA A3 spec it should be fine. If I recall in the hand book it gives a pretty wide range of oils to cover all geographic locations. I use 5W 30 fully synthetic I have read that additives can cause lazy lifters but have no personal experience, I may go to 5W 40 fully synthetic now mileage is over 100k

Morning Ian I cant say I have noticed any difference at junctions etc but then I am on my second Beemer so if it is happening perhaps I have got used to it ? As there are so many BMW's on our roads now (well there are around here) I don't think anyone singles us out, but hey the world is full of strange people. If they are jealous of your new car just feel good about it. I did used to have a particular chap driving an Impreza who used to try hard to provoke a drag race when I had the last AMG never worked with me but one day with my wife driving we were exiting a roundabout when he rocketed past making some hand gestures. To much for her so she accelerated beside him hit race mode and floored it, back tyres lit up and he disappeared behind. She then slowed down and as he passed returned his gesture I was laughing my head off strange he never did it again. That and having a Porsche keyed are my only experience of car envy that I am aware of that is.

Oooooh Shiney Welcome to the Forum The car looks terrific ENJOY

Morning Phil If I recall (it was sometime ago when I loaded mine) firstly is your version of Win 7 32bit or 64bit ? It gets more complicated in 64bit. My old laptop is 32bit luckily. I made a new folder for the desktop and saved the software to the folder. Open the folder and check the drivers are there, makes it easier to locate them later. Now click windows start and select control panel In Control Panel select Device Manager Select Universal Serial Bus controller You should see BMW Scanner or similar Right click BMW Scanner and select update drivers from the drop down menu In the pop up Window select Browse my Computer for Software or Locate and update drivers manually (cant remember which) A new window should open make sure sub folders box is ticked then hit browse and select the folder where your software is stored. IIRC a window will open allowing you to select the drivers It will return you to the Browse window and you click Next at the bottom. Your drivers should load Now you should see a confirmation window saying best drivers installed or similar, click close Right click BMW Scanner and select properties to check all is OK I dont remember if a screen pops up when you start the program asking for administrator rights or saying allow this program to make changes to this computer click yes or agree. I think the usb lead has to be plugged in also for the drivers to load properly. Seems complicated when you write it down but it is simple enough. Now plug it into the car and start the program This should open with out problems Good Luck Dave

I remember reading some time ago when my X5 binnacle was acting up something about the dash binnacle on the Z3 where the loom to the unit chaffed behind the dash causing some intermittent dial faults and always eventual total failure. The fix was to check very carefully the loom repair any sign of rubbing or damage and secure it with ties to prevent re-occurrence. Well worth taking out the binnacle and checking as it costs nothing but some of your time if it works. There are also a number of companies that repair BMW binnacles a telephone conversation may spread more light plus if it needs repair they will be cheaper than a garage if you go direct.The binnacle on the X5's tend to suffer from pixel failure 2 screws pull the binnacle forward unplug and send it away mine took 48hrs and was under £100 (was awhile ago).

Looks really nice ENJOY Oh and WELCOME

Hi Mick and welcome The 330d is a great engine and round town should be low 30's Motorway mid 40's is what I would think you could expect to see Not easy to give an opinion here as MPG will depend on so many things. 1, How many miles has the car covered. 2, What it's condition is mechanically service history etc. 3, Brakes are they binding. 4, Diesels particularly cars fitted with a DPF need to regenerate them short journeys are not good as they never reach a high enough temp. The EGR valve could also be blocked. All of these will have a detrimental effect on MPG. Oh the last thing is your right foot !! Me, I budget for 15mpg and average over the last 30k is 19.8mpg thats mixed driving and towing a horse trailer so I am happy