Greydog

Morning Joseph I have BMW ISTA/INPA and BMW 1.4.0 mounted on an old laptop (along with several other diagnostic programs) I also own an Autel 702 scanner For early BMW (up to 2005/2006 Ibus system BMW 1.4.0 is easy to use and gives Dealer level diagnostics. After then ISTA/INPA again gives dealer level access but also includes Technical and repair information I have friends who use Foxwell and Icarsoft systems with their BMW's I have never tried the one you mention Good Luck with whatever the choice is Dave

Hi Margo That doesn't read well for BMW have you contacted the Article publishers to see if they have in formation on what other models are affected? Maybe join the fray or at least print it off and give it to the Dealer ? Sadly often the Dealer has his hands tied by the Manufacturer as if they effect a repair the Manufacturer may not support it, it is then at their cost? Good Luck Dave

Hi Ray When my Mercedes had this seemingly random issue alternator output was always good. The discharge became more frequent I put a clamp ammeter on the battery and could see around a 5amp discharge so started unplugging things the discharge stopped when I unplugged the Voltage regulator a new Bosch regulator was around £50 from memory changed it no more problem. When I tested the old Voltage Regulator it had 3 diodes inside and one had failed allowing the drain. I would start with the regulator if your changing bits as it is much the cheaper part Dave

Morning Toni First dont dismiss the Key if it starts the car it is being charged when it's in the ignition. If it isn't communicating with the EWS or there is a fault with the EWS your issue could be in that area. Dave

Morning Joseph Welcome to the Forum If buy a Scanner make sure you get a BMW capable one a General scanner will see the major control units. A BMW capable one will give much clearer information Your issue could be plugs, Coil Packs, a vacuum leak, air leaks on the inlet, clogged fuel filter (often forgotten at service) A good service is the place to start Good Luck Dave

Morning Arthur Welcome to the Forum First check your battery and its condition a low battery will cause all sorts of spurious Fault messages. If charging make sure its done at the charge points under the bonnet. If it happens again try starting in N if that works it could be the inhibitor switch on the gear selector Good luck

Ouch I wonder if people like BBA Reman or ECU Testing could do anything ??

There is a standing joke BMW stands for Breaks My Wallet Great cars but you either need good DIY skills or very deep pockets, all luxury Marques are the same mainly due to cost of spares. Re read your own original post

Morning Dan Welcome to the Forum Can't help but a guess would be part of a Chid Seat perhaps ?? Dave

As I stated in my post Rocker cover gasket change BMW TIS (Technical Information System) states 2 to 8 hrs The gearbox is manufactured by ZF so any Garage will have to buy in the sump screws gasket and fluid you can get a cast alloy sump for some boxes in the range which is a good up grade. A ZF specialist often has the parts in stock so maybe quicker and less cost From your original post it seemed you wanted to save money but if your happy that you understand the process and time needed to do the job it's a case of choosing who will do the work and paying the bill Dave

Glad it worked out for you Dave

Just read your posts again I missed the Rocker cover one changing rocker cover gaskets BMW TIS quote between 2 and 8 hours.. The gearbox sump is a pain as there is no answer but to replace it. Try getting a separate quote from an Auto trans specialist. You will still have the cost of a Fluid and filter change but you will have peace of mind look for a ZF specialist Dave

If you tell them the issue will they actually investigate ?? Personally if I am seeking a second opinion I would not want their judgement clouded. I have known people to be told oil is leaking from the head and it is the Rocker cover. If you are confident in the BMW Dealer quote for work required then as my original post it will be expensive as to rectify the heads have to come off that is a huge amount of work involved, I know I rebuilt my 4.6is engine 5 years ago Genuine BMW parts seals gaskets etc cost over £2k BMW's quote to carry out the work was £11k. Mine was a complete rebuild sump up so your parts would be less. Labour is the killer when using a Garage a BMW Dealer in your area I guess is £200+ per hour so I would expect 8 to 10 hours (it could be more if complications are found) would put labour costs North of £2k + Parts + VAT. I would expect a Specialist or decent Independent to be somewhere around half of that labour wise Parts will still be dear as many will have to be OEM. Dave

Morning Greg Welcome to the Forum The mirrors are ratchet mounted obviously the ratchet is stiff enough to hold the big mirrors steady when the car is travelling at speed. That means if you want to fold them by hand they will take a good shove. However with my X5 on the rare occasions I use a car wash (mainly winter when I have been off road and the car is muddy) I don't fold the mirrors and have never suffered damage. Mostly it's Bucket and Sponge time. If your a DIY fan you could pop the rear cover on a mirror if the motors are there (they often are) you may only need a new drivers door master switch with the fold button and maybe a door loom and a fuse. You could then activate your own mirrors. I also have a wiring diagram for Fold on Lock Unfold on Open Dave

Morning hrytn Welcome to the Forum B W Auto Repairs have an excellent reputation they are in Hayes I believe With the repairs identified by the Dealer, is it actually the head gaskets or the rocker covers ? If it is the Head Gaskets it means major engine work so cost will be high even if you could DIY let alone a Garage doing the work due to labour costs. Gearbox sump pan is not uncommon when an over enthusiastic person has overtightened the sump and distorted it. Sadly if it is distorted a replacement sump is the only real fix If you take the car to another garage don't tell them the BMW diagnosis as they will just cost accordingly just ask them to investigate the oil leaks. Good Luck Dave

Morning Gerallt Welcome to the Forum Some dealers (not just BMW) just want to sell the car if it goes wrong offer a loan car ?? They seem to think that makes it OK. When they really should make sure the car is perfect before they sell not after. My simple approach would be walk away you will always wonder what next? There are plenty of other cars out there and there will be another BMW Dealer close by so spread the net. Legally the Dealer has to provide a vehicle that is "suitable for purpose" so you always have some protection in law. I hope you find what you want Dave

Morning Bill You coul disconnect it see if anything stops working ? A thought by one of my sons was a Music streaming device but then there should be something connected at either the Radio (BM54) unit in the boot or the CD player worth a look. Dave

Morning Frank First even an unregistered battery should receive "some" charge so your comment that yours isn't charging would seem to suggest a fault else where? Registering the battery is not difficult but does need a BMW capable code reader which many Garages have these days. Second, look at www.realoem.com this is an online BMW parts list put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model. Then look at the electrical system and Battery if it lists two battery types then either can be used (on some models it will list AGM only) the car obviously needs to know what is fitted to control charging. Lastly fitting an over size (rating battery) can sometimes shorten it's life as the system will never fully charge it Dave

Morning Bill Welcome to the Forum Never seen a unit like that before I would guess it's an aftermarket part fitted by one of the previous owners. If there is a Phone Cradle in the Arm Rest there should also be a bluetooth unit in the boot. As a thought does your car have the OEM radio/Nav screen? Or does it have an aftermarket unit? If it is after market that could be a bluetooth link (just guessing here) For what it is worth my X5 similar vintage was fitted with TM as standard along with OEM Nav screen. The TM subscription expired an 2006 and I removed the unit from the Boot everything else still works Nav, Radio, CD even the tape player behind the screen. Dave

See your General post Dan

Morning Dan Welcome to the Forum As far as I know the EPS gets it's information on the amount of assistance required comes from the control unit through the driver selected settings "Comfort" "Sport" "Sport Plus" Logic tells me that input will come from several sources "Gearbox" "Suspension" "Driver Settings" my thoughts initially would be a sensor failure or even a software glitch. A diagnostic session at a Garage with the right BMW capable reader would help pinpoint the issue I have not heard of a Rack failure in my circle of friends Good luck with pinning it down Dave

Morning Ryan Welcome to the forum BMW decided in 2007 to move timing chains to the rear of the engines their argument was they were designed to be "Maintenance free" between 2007 and 2010 they had some expensive and well publicised failures. They appear to have solved the issue My brother inlaw has a business base in Holland and travels huge mileages in Europe. His car of choice has been for sometime the 5 series touring, he has owned 4 since 2007 a 530d, two 535d and currently a 540d Xdrive (basically the same engine as yours). All brought new and serviced at BMW to ensure they would accept trade in at swap time. All his cars are ECU tuned as he likes to have the power and he does use it. I don't agree with the extended service intervals that all manufacturers preach nor does he so we have carried out interim oil changes at max 10k on all his cars plus a good check over all other stuff. The 530d had issues with the antenna in the rear spoiler, glow plugs and controller and Swirl Flap and EGR issues we fixed/modified and eradicated all problems the car was traded at a little over 200k Both 535d were absolutely awesome with only service items changed again well over 200k when traded, the current 540d is quite simply one of the best BMW have made already over 90k and still like new. A timing chain change after talking to a local BMW Specialist would be around £1000 to £1500 depending on model and parts as it's either Engine or transmission out to get at it guides and tensioners need changing as well. Hope this helps Dave

Morning Frank The E83 (later models) and E83 LCI need the battery registering to the chassis or it may not charge properly also check was the OEM battery AGM or not (your Yuasa will be AGM) again charging can be affected if a conventional battery is swapped for AGM type. Leads, in the boot when the battery was swapped was it Neg disconnected first then Live and reconnect Live first Neg last ? Check that none of the small wires connected to the live terminal have been disturbed/disconnected. If you can't test it yourself get an auto electrician to check alternator output as a surge can damage the Voltage regulator on the alternator.. OEM conventional battery should be either 80ahr or 90ahr dependent on equipment level. If it was AGM originally (2007/8 onwards IIRC) it should be 92ahr Hope this helps Dave

Morning Wafik Welcome to the Forum As far as I know if the second Cigarette lighter/power socket was fitted it was under the dash close to the transmission tunnel or I have seen one in the Arm rest on a 630 Vert. Are you looking for a power source? Or are you a heavy smoker 🤣 Dave

You are right about the N47 and M47 engines you are also quite correct that when you consider the thousands sold world wide the issue was relatively small. My brother inlaw has a business base in Holland and travels all over Europe his first 530d covered just under 300k he then traded it in at his BMW Dealer for the 535d same sort of miles covered then another 535d which went beyond the 300k and now a 540d if they are maintained they are really tough engines just don't do the dealer thing of 30+k between services as that could be a couple of years ?? My local BMW specialist recons to change the Timing chain and guides around £1000 his opinion is that timing chains should be serviced on all cars at around 100k Dave