X5smw

Any more issues?… my bmw ownership is like trigger’s broom. … let’s see what tomorrow brings!

Yeah… if I’m getting one it has to be the 4.8 V8 version… if not, I would just buy a VW 😂

Another little patience tester….. went to the car on Saturday morning and the door wouldn’t open. Handle was sticking out a little and would not release the door. All the other doors were fine so I tried the inside.. door opened fine. after a bit of head scratching and googling, I came to the conclusion that the door handle retainer had broken. A Quick Look on Amazon and £25 and 24 hours later I had the part. there are a couple of vids online that show you how to replace it. It’s a bit fiddly but after a brief amount of swearing and an hour the door now works again! success! …. Until the next episodes… I think the cars got the hump with us since we made it pull a caravan and talked about getting a Porsche cayenne 😂

Hi all… back again! e53 3l petrol 2002 model. I thought it was down to a battery issue, but it’s fully charged and checks fine with my tester and a yuasa battery tester. No bad cells or anything… the car randomly goes into limp mode and the three lights of brake, abs and stop start come on. Took the car for its mot and it was fine. Started at the garage and went nuts… reset it and all good for a few minutes before playing up again. code keeps saying throttle sensor issue and calibration tolerance exceeded and now a new one saying maf to throttle position incompatible or something… am I right in thinking a throttle body replacement is on the horizon? no splits in any of the intake pipes and no leaks around the maf. I stuck some carb cleaner in there but I’m thinking the throttle position sensor might be on its way out. anyone had this issue before?

… and there we have it! £25 from the main dealership. RHD bonnet release mechanism. not listed on realoem or any data sheets according to the parts guy…. He found it by ‘googling and guessing’! lol ….also answers my other question about running a cable from the engine bay to the dash! #winner!

Update! turns out i was not being silly! the actual Uk part number is 51238402614. it is specific to RHD cars and not on the parts lists. ( bmw have it as 615 showing the LHD version, which is all people seem to stock. ) picking one up from my next local dealership this week for £25! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

As my old company motto said… ‘ nothing is impossible, it just costs a lot more’ I have seen a rover P1 with a 27 litre tank engine in it! 😂

Hi Dave, thanks as always! its definitely the unit that has failed. I broke the cable stop part off trying to frantically open the bonnet.. I’ll also replace the cable as that has seen better days. I’ll give quarry a try, no seller online seems to understand left and right? It can’t be the same part as it must fit mirror image. I don’t get on with my local dealership after they found my car had been written off and dodgy repaired and told me it was worthless…. They sold me it a month before (that’s another story) and gave it a 100,000 point check or something! anyways… I’ll be sorting it myself….. now to open the bonnet again!!

This bit! …. Basically, this bolts to the footwell and the lever attaches to the cam. Pulling the lever (cam will go clockwise if it’s on the left) will pull the cable and release the bonnet. if I mount it on the right hand footwell, I would have to push the lever in, not pull it… or there must be a mirror image part for Uk spec?

Hi Dave… basically when the expansion tank blew last week, I pulled the lever in the footwell a little too well! 😂…. What has broken is the cable end stop on the mounting plate in the footwell… the white plastic thing. I will have to replace the inner and outer cable too, but that’s an easy bit. the websites all show the part with the lever on the right of it, pulling the cable clockwise to open. The Uk version needs to go anticlockwise as it’s on the right hand side. hopefully it makes sense now.

Afternoon all.! silly question, but I have snapped the mounting plate for the bonnet release catch. looking online and realoem shows a part but it’s fitted on the lhd model, which would surely work back to front on the Uk spec RHD model? I can’t find another rhd part code or replacement part. am I missing something, or do both parts fit ?

Time is money sir! 😂😂😂

Hi. I would have no issues using second hand parts as long as they are straight and clean. where are you based? Check realoem and put your vin number in to get part numbers for the pan, then eBay or the likes.. in the Uk, I use quarry motors for most of my bits. I’m sure they would post worldwide if needed. good luck

Hi bud. the easy way to tell is to put your mobile phone on record and leave it in there. … I would assume the switch is on the inside of the clip, the female part in the dash, rather than the male section on the door, there would have to be wires to it so it wouldn’t be on a hinged door. How quick does it drain the battery? how are you checking the amps on the battery?

The new part is back in and ready to go. What’s the correct refilling procedure for the coolant system? I have seen many conflicting ones online. I’m sure with the e36 and 46 I had to turn the fans on full and the heat on high without stating the engine.

Yeah….. found the issue!

Welcome to the club!! I too have an ongoing project known as my X5… must be the silver ones!

Another eventful night out… went to a marriage retreat for the weekend and Thursday night , we checked in, had a quick meet and greet and then me and the wife went off for a takeaway. …. First time child free for 5 years! Absolutely needed…. sat in the car, watching aeroplanes coming into land over our heads, just relaxing in silence and then….. pop! steam all over and water running down the road. opened the bonnet to see what had happened, but it was too dark, so put the bonnet down and drove it 100 yards to the petrol station so I could see what was going on. …. Then the bonnet stuck shut! 😂. Only solution was to risk driving it back to the hotel at the next motorway junction… car went about 300 yards before the temp gauge went up to top. Stopped on the hard shoulder and rang the rac. quoted me 7 hours wait until someone could come and look at it 🙄 the police soon arrived and got highways to move me as the battery died so I had no lights and I couldn’t get the triangle out of the boot as I couldn’t open it. anyway…. Got back to the hotel at 5am and the rac arrived at 9am to take me home (100miles away) … left the wife at the hotel so she could at least have a spa and go to some seminars and stuff only to then jump into my people carrier and go back to the hotel to carry on with my break…. Anyway, got home last night, managed to open the bonnet and take a look and it’s the expansion tank with a big split on the side… new one ordered and I’ll have another job to to this week! … as well as work out why the bonnet stuck and recharge the battery. great break from the kids… a much deserved rest! 😂😂😂

Hi. what state is the battery in? Charge it fully and then clear and recheck the codes. my x5 starts throwing up wired and wonderful things like angle sensors and the like when the battery is a bit low.

Welcome!! Enjoy your beemer. @Greydoghad good advice regarding fogging lights the other day, using them silica bags in the light holders. the stereo is either the wire or the speaker. Should be an easy job. the seat bolster could be something on the subframe moving or your hip? lol.

…. I have had more BMWs than I have hair now! fault finding is a loss making business! 😂😂😂

Hi all… can someone confirm I’m not being stupid please. our French people carrier is doing my head in! its abs light is on and I’m trying to pinpoint the issue. plug the computer in (proper autel fr704 french poo jobbie ) and it tells me 1 fault is abs P2FOD code… now, it tells me to refer to the service manual, which tells me nothing else. So I put it on live data and turn each front wheel.. I’m getting a read out on the speed. Both seem good… both rear wheels are not giving any live speed readings. If I disconnect the lhs rear sensor, I get 2 faults.. one is the original and one is telling me the left is disconnected. Remover the right and only one fault, rhs disconnected…. Thus if I’m correct, the problem must be the rhs abs sensor. The module must be ok as it can distinguish if I have disconnected the sensor. … I have now changed the sensor, the brake disc, which has the reluctor ring on it and the holding plate for the sensor on the rhs, but I still get the one fault. It’s going for its mot next week I’m about to have a nervous breakdown with it! what am I missing? …. Clearly it’s not a bmw, which is a good enough reason! … never had this issue with my X5 lol.

Is there a 12v socket in the trunk? Can you remove the rear lights and input 12v that way?

Hi Andy. my first thought is a dead battery cell. Either replace the battery or check the alternator for correct output power. cheers. stu

Hi Paul. Don’t get me started with bmw glue and headlights! we used to drill a little hole in the rear of the units to allow a little airflow to remove condensation. Not sure if your units are factory sealed? if you can get the lens off, then sealing them with silicone is easy. … getting the nuclear grade sealant off is the hard bit.