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Hey guys, Hope you're all well. I'm new here, so hello! I'm after some points of view please if possible. So, I viewed a 2014 m235i today with 53k miles. The car looked gorgeous and ticked a lot of boxes for me. It drove well; steered straight, sounded delicious and went well. Gearbox precise, steering had no vibrations, no knocking sounds or other suspicious sounds etc. Albeit, a few things drew my attention. The salesman did point out the front bumper in all fairness, citing some orange peeling on the right hand (O/S) of the bumper and a small crack on the splitter. He stated that it may have had some damage to the bumper, but the car is hpi clear and there isn't evidence of any further damage beyond the bumper. I checked the front cross member and there wasn't anything obvious bar some small bubbling spots on the metal in places and slightly rusty looking bolts. He has offered for the bumper to be redone if it bugs me... The other thing I then noticed is the driver's door didn't close properly at first. Second attempt and harder did close it. Salesman was curious and did point out that it could be the seal; pushing it in did somewhat help, but he offered to look into it to see if the latch can be adjusted. I noted that the trim (coloured black instead of chrome) around the bottom of the window had flaked off in a certain spot and had some striations. The trim around the left side of the window had a small crack too. The passenger side seemed fine. The price, mileage and owners are all fine. Alloys immaculate and tyres brand new (Michelins), new brakes etc, plus the garage appeared clean, professional, and the salesman is a BMW enthusiast. So some positives. But am I right to be concerned that it's potentially had a knock (unrecorded)?

Hi Ken Depending what OBD reader your using will either give Generic codes or if it is a fully BMW capable one then you should get better results (I use BMW ISTA/INPA) First I would check near the front fuse panel on the side behind the trim you should find a Multiple Earth point (BMW love these) check it carefully they were a well known source of problems on the E53 and E70. If you have a wiring diagram it may help idntify which pins to check continuity on. As far as I am aware the JBE with integrated PDC is just that it may mean a complete unit which will need coding to the chassis. Unless of course someone like ECU Testing (Derby I think) can fix it but that may put the car off the road for a few days Or as my daughter once told me "you don't need all that stuff Dad there is a Thud when your to close" 🤣 Dave

Great thank you Dave. I assume if I have continuity from this connector to the wiring behind the bumper then there is an issue with the JBE itself. Do you know if there is a module or anything on the JBE that could be in fault or am I looking at a complete replacement unit?

Hi, I have a problem with my 2011 X5 front parking sensors. I have used an OBD reader to check the failure codes and it appears all 4 front sensors have a ground or open circuit fault. I have checked the wiring harness for the front sensors and the main plug behind the bumper and all seem fine with no damage. I assume this must be the PDC module as it’s all the front not the odd sensor. But I cannot find it anywhere. can any one help please?

Update! … bonnet and boot sourced and awaiting delivery from a very nice guy who breaks BMWs… Tim at bmw classic spares in Northampton. once they are on, I’ll set about polishing the whole car and try to hide the side scratches. It’ll be like a new un!

Hi Ben Without carrying out a full test on each TMS it is difficult to say. I would check the internet for any test criteria then start with the good one note the results then test the faulty one to compare. All I found on the TIS is it is likely to be the LED's (2 of them) how simple it is to change them I have no idea. As an Example I recently had a failed Halo/Parking lamp on my E70 checked ISTA says remove cover 3 screws remove 2 further screws and the lamp is out Ha Ha Ha. What i discovered in WIS was a note that says remove Headlamp from the car to access the screws. Dave

Hi Dave Thanks for your reply no can't seem to find any videos is it likely the angel eye led inside the headlight have failed then going by that fault code? Could it still possibly be the tms ? Many thanks Ben

Morning Ken Welcome to the Forum Depending on exactly when your car was built the PDC location changed. According to ISTA cars built before late 2010 the PDC module is in the Boot below the fuse board. LCI models and 2011 on it seems it was integrated with the Junction Box Module which is below the fuse board under the Glove Box the smaller plug A4010a is the PDC connector Dave

Morning Ben The TMS units are probably coded Left or Right when you swap it you need to initialise the Headlamp unit using ISTA or another coding application if you have it I have never done it myself so just reading TIS and WIS from my copy of ISTA which is good up to 2019 when BMW decided to pull the plug Is there no help on You Tube normally quite a few Video How Too's there Hope this helps Dave

Hi, I have a problem with my 2011 X5 front parking sensors. I have used an OBD reader to check the failure codes and it appears all 4 front sensors have a ground or open circuit fault. I have checked the wiring harness for the front sensors and the main plug behind the bumper and all seem fine with no damage. I assume this must be the PDC module as it’s all the front not the odd sensor. But I cannot find it anywhere. can any one help please?

Hi. If you needed any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line. Regards, Dan.

Hi Dave Sorry to be a pain if it was the bulbs how come when I swap the tms modules from one side to the other neither work but when I put them back in sides they come from originally then the passenger angel eyes work again Many thanks

Sorry to be a pain but what would cause both sides to no work whe I swap the tms units from one side to the other if was the bulbs?

Hi Dave many thanks am I wrong in thinking the bulbs are built in and have to break the headlight apart?

Hi Ben Back home again the code you have is pointing to the LED bulbs for the angle eyes are faulty. There are 2 in each headlight. Just replace them with new ones and make sure the semi transparent seals are there to avoid water ingress. Then initialize the headlights via ISTA and all should be good. Dave

Ok great thank you I've had it code read and it said fault code 805e3a daytime lights voltage lower than target value if that helps anymore?

Morning Ben You need someone with ISTA/INPA Diagnostics as that will also in WIS (Workshop Information System) and TIS (Technical Information System) I will look later but just back from the Horses and now off to Dog Training when home I will fire up the Garage Laptop and see what I can find Dave

Hi all sorry for the long posy I've got an x3 with adaptive headlights the drivers side Angel eyes don't work but passenger side do I swapped the tms unit over from one side to the other yesterday then neither worked so put back to how it was and passenger side still working does anyone know if the tms module has to be coded for each side and this could be the reason it didn't work when swapped over? Many thanks

Hey dealership states that the passenger side front seat heater relay sound is typical for this years car. Since the driver side doesn’t do it I am wondering if they just pawning off the issue. I really notice it when breaking. Definitely hear it only when heater is on and only on the passenger side.

Hi Alan I am sure you have thought of it but it's not just a case of bolting the DPF onto the car it will need recoding to make sure everything works as it should and you don't get silly error codes and messages. As an aside get the Glow plugs checked as the BMW system uses them to help achieve DPF Regen Temperature. I have known of a car (friend of one of our sons) having it's DPF removed/gutted because it kept clogging (short journeys) All the car actually needed was new Glowplugs and Glowplug controller Dave

Thanks for the response it’s much appreciated. I will check the car and make sure the EGR and cooler are still present before proceeding. A very good shout. Fingers crossed it’s there. I’m getting a quote to fit an aftermarket DPF to the car but still waiting on it coming through.

Hi Philip Welcome to the Forum If I recall the Power Steering Fluid was originally a Febi part not sure if it was the Green one to protct seals etc Try taking a look at www.realoem.com Classic section or even ask your Dealer Parts dept they do some good deals on older models Dave

Morning Alan Welcome to the Forum Iwould think if the Dealer realises the DPF has been tampered with then they probably won't touch the car at all. Have you checked to see if your car still has it's EGR and Cooler I have read that they are often removed with the DPF work. When the EGR is replaced checked the Dealer will need to run diagnostics and I would think that will tell the tale. Also if the MOT station suspect a tampered DPF it is a fail. Be aware that if BMW replace the DPF it will be a costly excersize I would think in the region of £2k Dave

Hello there. What steering wheel fluid do i add to an E39 2003 Petrol? I'm based in UK