Greydog

Hi the X5 is a big heavy car so suspension bushes take a beating and from experience are past their best at around 80k. The car has a lot of "gadgets" so make sure absolutely everything works as it should. I would also budget for a warranty just in case. Then enjoy

Oh no you brought the Taxi!!!

Hi My first X5 was a 4.4 with LPG the reason for buying was we sold our Horse Transporter (not used enough) and brought a Horse trailer so needed a tow car. We also have dogs so space and towing capacity drove the choice plus V8 X5's are cheap (around 2k cheaper than a Diseasal), big bonus. When looking make sure absolutely everything works as it should, don't fall for any "simple fix" bull sh*t. In my opinion in everyday use there is little to choose between 4.4 (320bhp) and 4.8 (355bhp) both are comfortable and great mile munchers..Remember these are big heavy cars so suspension bushes are suspect at about 60k plus, but that is normal maintenance When testing make sure you get to start the engine from cold, any rattles at start up walk away it will be expensive. Give it a good test drive and make sure the gearbox works smoothly in all modes, when you get back let the car idle for a time and then rev it any smoke from the exhaust could point to valve stem oil seals again expensive to fix. 4.8's have air suspension all round make sure it works as it should..With both I budgeted for a full service and oil changes for diffs transfer box and gearbox I also had wheel alignment checked. Be picky and hold out for the right car and enjoy that V8 rumble, plus your neighbours will never think you came home in a taxi!!

PS a Parrot or similar will also allow music streaming

If there is no phone cradle in the arm rest then it may be quicker and cheaper to fit a Parrot or similar in a discreet place to keep the OEM look

I think its the puddle lights in the door mirrors that give problem fading on. I would try them and let us know if they work

A second thought if you get smoke when you lift off then it could be valve stem oil seals

I would bet EGR system is clogged so when your at tick over any oils in the re circulation system accumulate instead of being constantly burnt, when you accelerate big cloud of oil smoke. This happens with many marques not just BMW,

Afraid so I did mine when I was down to almost empty on the washer tank. Both my filters were clogged with a white scummy gunge, not difficult to clean just a pain having to almost drain the tank. It was a year ago I did mine. You can see the filters on the drawing they push fit to the bottom of the pump

First check the pump is getting power then if its running the filter. If it is the pump then there are pumps on Ebay

Just looked on realoem your car has 2 pumps item 5 & 8 filters 6 & 9 It looks very similar to mine you need to almost empty the washer tank to save losing to much fluid (that or park over a drain) take out the pump and wash the strainer/filter and put it back straight forward enough job

Clogged pump filters would be my bet, some screen washes leave a scummy residue that clogs the filters not restricted to BM's I have had it with Merc and Volvo as well

They must have disturbed something. Good Luck

In the engine bay on the main washer tank they have filters that can get clogged so if your in there its worth cleaning everything

We have 4 different phones paired, my wife's HTC my Padfone and Nokia and one of my sons has an Iphone 5, The padfone and the Iphone were a pain in the proverbial's. I have read that quite a few new phones have reduced Bluetooth power to save battery power, Asus advised turning off Wifi and tethering the phone, Both phones connect with my wife's Subaru and my sons Nissan pickup after a little investigation the Bluetooth receiver in the Subaru and Nissan are in the dash/centre console area. The BMW its in the boot and the antenna is there too so it seems distance was the issue? I read that they would only work with later BMW ULF/TCU units mine is late 2003, so I tried pairing with the Padfone in the boot near the antenna it worked, but when moved to the front dropped the signal when I tried a call. So I moved the bluetooth antenna up behind the back seat so far so good. The big problem with the cradle fore the Iphone is which one do you have? Plus if you change/upgrade you may need a new cradle

How long have you had the car? Have you talked to the dealer who did the work? Is it the supplying dealer? If so get them to sort it under the sale of goods act. If they can't or wont ask for your money back. O2 sensors will rarely cause rough running, how ever a blocked cat will. Get them checked. You can also swap the cam sensor from Bank 2 to Bank 1 if the rough running follows the change you have your culprit. As they had the cam covers off they may have disturbed coil packs or wiring, worth a check as you say it runs rough unless you rev it

Have you been doing any work on the car lately? If it is a V8 both the Thermostat wiring and plug and the Cam Sensor and Vanos solenoid plugs (left bank) are at the top front of the cylinder head make sure all plugs are clean and connected. If the plugs haven't been disturbed I would change the Thermostat that should clear the map sensor. the cam sensors are interchangeable so you can swap left bank for right (inlet for exhaust on a 6) to see if it moves the problem, if it does change the cam sensor (or both for belt and braces) If it is a Vanos issue then you may need some more advanced diagnostics as it could be the solenoid or the mechanical unit itself. Fingers Crossed its a simple fix

Have you checked all fuses, right side of boot and glove box (Note the glove box needs a double jointed dwarf with very thin fingers) Next I would disconnect the Bluetooth unit beneath the floor on the left of the boot, leave it disconnected for at least 20 mins make sure the key is out. This should allow the unit to reset. If that doesn't work as Daz says you need some diagnostic help, or a new ULF/TCU

As Steve says first step cancel the codes (it works like a reset) then see what comes back I had similar codes on my Drivers mirror it was a broken wire where the loom entered the mirror housing solder and tape all fixed. Most of the codes I have found on mine are down to old age (the cars 11) and connectors need separating spraying with contact cleaner and re-seating clear codes and no return. Enjoy

Good luck. I think all the grills are Black Plastic so you may have to spray them to match if yours are Silver

I think the bumper has to come off, I have also been told it is easy to snap the plastic clips that hold them on so take care. have you tried Quarry Motors in Sheffield they are specialist BMW breakers and have helped me a couple of times with trim bits (mirror covers, PDC sensors) Have a look at their web site to see what they have in. Good Luck

Greydog Horsham

realoem shows 2 Cam Sensors Part Number 12147539166 (item 3) If it were crankshaft sensor then I doubt the engine would run at all so discard that for now. As the part numbers is the same there should be no problem swapping them if you do and read the codes the code should change PO021 I believe if it does you have a faulty sensor if the code doesn't change it could be a Vanos solenoid sticking or faulty on bank 1 Dave

May be a shot in the dark but have you checked the Alternator and Aircon/Waterpump belts if one is frayed it could cause a noise

There are 2 cam sensors on the V8 and 2 knock sensors. The knock sensors will throw the Check Engine light under load but can be reset and won't come back until the engine is under load again. Cam sensors will be your likely culprit, As they changed the MAF I would be checking the all the wiring and connectors on the left bank around the MAF. The wiring looking for any sign of breaks or damage. The connectors for correct seating, I would unplug each one visually inspect and spray connector cleaner then re-seat. It's just too much of a coincidence that it all happened after the work was done. I am assuming all was quiet and smooth prior to the work? If you get BMW 1.4.0 I used an old laptop that I had here and keep just for Diagnostics (Volvo, Subaru Merc, BMW) running Win 98 I have read of people having to faf about when loading it onto new machines. INPA apparently is more forgiving. Good luck