X5smw

Bit of a long shot but does the phone start calling you and displaying your number? My company car started to randomly do this and then disconnect… turns out Siri on my iPhone was listening to the radio and reacting to words in songs! …. Bizarre but true and also very annoying. not sure about the gear issue. @Greydog Didn’t someone on here have a similar issue when the oil was low and the mechanic hadn’t flushed it properly?

…. And also, as the wise old grey one pointed out… my limp mode issue was in fact a dying battery. £90 and a trip to a well known orange signed auto spares place solved it all…. till the scanner found something else with the temperamental git

I have the same reader. It worked great for resetting my airbag light on the e46. I keep it in the e53 to get me out of any issues. The car used to jump into fail safe mode and misfire, so I could plug it in and erase the codes to get home. as greydog says though, erasing the fault codes are great for old issues that have been resolved but don’t be fooled by thinking the issues will disappear themselves. Find them with the tool and fix them so they don’t return. with my misfire episodes, I invested in pasoft 1.4 something or other at a cost of about £40 and it is much more than a diagnosis program. I found faults with the handheld, then scanned with the pasoft and fixed the issues. I still have the scanner in the car, great bit of kit 👍🏻

Water pump? Thermostat related or oil flow? im guessing it’s when the engine is cold, so could be oil distribution ?

I would check your battery and alternator. mine would randomly do it .. turned out to be a duff battery.

The battery should keep charged as it charges off the ignition barrel. the battery would not make a difference as the chip for the immobiliser unit is benign. The battery controls the remote central locking. I worked out why mine kept failing by using PAsoft. The diagnostics software showed the ews only reading the key chip intermittently. A great price of kit and very cheap. good luck and keep us informed

Our motor home has a wireless camera which shows on the mirror when you select reverse. it is powered from the 12v or the interior light and the camera and signal become active when I select reverse as it’s wired to the reverse light. Its wireless so no problems if you unhitched and forgot.

Try another key if you have one. Mine failed on the chip and the ews unit didn’t recognise the key. the remote locking will work as it’s a separate transponder. mid you can get a copy of pasoft or another diognosis tool, plug the car in and you can see the car trying to talk to the key. Mine would drop in and out of the comms and fail to start the car. I put the spare key next to the barrel and it read and started all the time. I bought a blank key and a programmer, got a local locksmith to cut the key and copied the chip contents onto the new blank. No issues since!

Can you check part numbers for the touring variant. I thought the headlights and mirrors were the same. I know the saloon and coupe are all different. quarry motors are as below 👍🏻

Surely quarry motors can supply compete units for cheaper? unless you want to keep everything original to the car. … I picked up a second hand x5 set for £25 quid.

Can you remove the stereo? I’m sure the yellow is a permanent feed for data and the red is switched on the ignition. tap a cable off the back of that into an inline fuse ? I did this on the x5 reversing camera and it works great. The camera only needs to be on when the head unit is working anyways.

Hi. Firstly check battery output and then disconnect the MAF sensor. the engine would still run with an oil pressure warning so I suspect the issue os not that. I had a similar issue with an e53 x5 and I replaced the dme and associated computers, it runs perfect now….. for now!

Hi Noel, welcome to the forum. 👍🏻

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bmw-3-series-e46-manual-coupe-m54-straight-6-/403456455439?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0 This looks nice and within budget.

Hi there. funny question but what is the battery reading? Is the alternator working well? When was it fitted? my car would stutter and go into limp mode and throw up all sorts of wires codes if either of them dropped voltage when moving. not sure if this would make the car switch to neutral, but it was always worse for me when the weather got cold.

Yep, that sounds right. Instead of pulling the stalk, try pushing it. That should make the high beam stay on. Pull it to turn it off.

Hi Mike and welcome! anyone with a beemer is welcome here and we are a helpful bunch. We might not know where your local dealerships are but we can always come and have a look! 😂👍🏻

My first thought was split in the intake hose or throttle body failure. Unplug the maf sensor and see what happens.

£10k….. you can buy mine! seriously, I paid £2.5k 2 years ago and mines a 52 2002 model. It’s ULEZ compliant due to it being petrol and it’s age, so I don’t get stung if I have to go into London ( I just get stung getting there!) as Dave says, have a look at lpg converted models but think about where to fill it if you are heading to Greece (not too sure of their infrastructure) or just run it on proper fuel. power wise, they are more than capable of the job and I would be happy to tour round Europe in it. lhd models might be cheaper to find in Europe as it’s the norm.

Yeah, I agree with Dave. I have the 3l petrol and it’s very fuel heavy. Average 17mpg. Try and get a 6speed gearbox or auto version. I have the 5 speed manual and it is high on the revs at 70mph. It really needs another gear in there for cruising. It’s a very well built and comfy car with everything we need, loads of space and rear seats have good leg room for adults. It’s definitely one of the best cars I have owned.

If I remember, the clamps that hold the windows in are prone to perish and the window jumps in the track. try putting the window Galway down and then pulling it up and toward the front of the car and see if it moves or clunks.

Hi Martin, firstly….. what kit do you have?? 😂👍🏻 surely just put the roof down and put the drums in. I used to be able to fit my full Pearl export into a e36…. Without the rest of the band, they would have to walk. In reality, the x3 is ok but how about a 5 series estate? the boot space would be about the same, if not a bit larger? Also it’s lower so the bass drum will be easier to load and it will be better on fuel as it’s not 4 wheel drive. I have an x5 e53 which is great, but the boot shelf is a little high if I want to lift large stuff in. The x5 boot will easily fit a standard kit and pretty much the full studio in. worth a thought 👍🏻

Hi all. My e53 has blown one sidelight and the indicators illuminated as per normal. now, I have replaced the bulbs and the fault warning has cleared, but the lights are not on and the indicators are still lit. Any ideas if there are any fuses or some other cause? I will have a better look tomorrow but time is against me on this one…. Basically I have one day off and the wife has three hundred jobs as per!

Yep, I agree. My 3 series was blocked too. I just removed the plastic bottle/ reservoir and pulled the pump from the bottom. Cleaned both the pump and filter with hot water and refitted good as new.

Happy new year to you all. Hope you had a good un. I just got back from São Paulo via Dubai….. 24 hours of flying each way with a pregnant wife and a toddler is not fun! Anyway, back home. All good. 👍🏻🥳