Greydog

Morning Stephen I would check www.realoem.com often there are repair kits available from BMW. I would try a good electrical contact cleaner with a sliver of emery board (my wife loves it when I cut bits off her nail boards!! not) If the connectors are beyond saving then it is only 2 wires so a new connector should be 10 mins with a soldering iron and some shrink wrap Dave

My thought on the mechanism is something has made it wear oddly in the first place. Have a look at www.realoem.com it's a BMW parts list put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box and it will bring up your model then search for the part it gives exploded drawings and part numbers helps to make sure it will fit. Also www.newtis.info it's a BMW technical information site as used by Dealers good for how too's etc Dave

Morning Andrew And Welcome to the Forum Sounds as though the heat shield around the Cat is loose and he has tacked it in place. Flickering lights is a sign of something loose(earth or power feed) I would check and clean all light connections (take care if you have HID) Your Mechanic is quite right if your battery is on it's way out that alone will trigger spurious codes. When you say "blanking plate" is that the EGR? or Swirl flaps? Good Luck and Enjoy Dave

Definitely looks like dead battery at 9 volts it should be 12+ at rest 14 with engine running and charging. I suspect that with very low voltage even getting an accurate code read will be difficult. I read codes with the engine running, clear and reset any codes then turn off and leave the car to go to sleep, in the X5 it takes around 15 mins for the car to go into sleep mode (all systems off) the gear selector light is the key with the X5. Once it's asleep I restart and re-read the codes if any have returned they are the ones I investigate and fix, most codes with the X5 have tended to be caused by electrical connections poor earth being the most common with mine. My X5 shows 2 at the moment Aux Water Pump and Open Circuit Drivers Door Mirror so Suspension swing arm bushes then go digging for the cause of the codes, lifes never dull with a Beemer.if my wife doesn't have plans the car does. Dave

Morning Micheal and Welcome to the Forum Very Pretty and just in time for Spring. With regard to the window issue replacing worn guides will never harm it have you taken off the trim to make sure that nothing is loose or out of kilter with the mechanism. Enjoy Dave

Morning Simon If the result is like my sons Toyota you will have smoother running engine and improved fuel consumption. I have just had to change the rear suspension air springs (1 failed) and then a water pump. While I was under neath I noticed the swing arm inner bushes looked a but frazzled so have ordered a set (BMW say you have to change the whole arm !!) so with the weather improving it looks like I might have a few weekends working through the suspension bushes. An X5 is not a car to let you rest on your Laurels it will keep you busy Dave

BMW's are famous for being power hungry beasts a low battery will trigger all sorts of spurious and seeming unrelated codes and warnings. So if your battery is on it's way another may solve a lot of issues. Dave

That's why you need the codes to point you in the right direction otherwise it's change parts and hope which is a wallet busting way to try and fix things. The list of possible culprits is long fuel filter, fuel pressure sensor, MAP sensor, MAF, Fuel pumps Dave

Morning Ian That's a new one, have you tried starting in neutral in case it is something like the inhibitor switch. To be sure you will need the codes read, no other lights or warnings? Dave

Check www.realoem.com search the model the parts lists all have small exploded drawings that will show where stuff is. www.newtis.info will also help. the Pelican Parts web site is also great for information how too;s and parts. Fingers crossed it's a simple fix Dave

Is something unplugged ? I would make sure the battery is fully charged then read codes and back track slowly over whatever I have done checking all connections and earths Dave

Good luck and good call with an MOT garage your right they see them all Dave

Hi Zach I just had a quick check on www.realoem.com BMW parts site (put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box it will bring up your model) and www.newtis.info this is a technical information site used by Dealers (but not yours it seems?) Your engine does has an electric coolant pump, so it makes sense that after engine switch off the coolant circulates to aid turbo cooling, time would probably be sensor driven until below a certain temp. I am not certain but it seems logical to me Dave

Morning Zach, Welcome to the Forum When you say Dealer is it a BMW Dealer? if it is then that really doesn't give much confidence fr the future? The noise could be a turbo cooling pumps moving oil and coolant around ? just a guess but something similar I would suspect Dave

Is it because you have Bi xenon lights? The inner lamps maybe just flash? I believe they did this as sudden start On/Off actuation of Xenon lamps could kill the ballast. As I understand it Bi-xenon lamps are on full beam all the time but have a shield/flap that cuts off light scatter on low beam setting. When the high beam is switched on the shield/flap is raised giving full beam, and supplemented by the halogens. Daylight just the halogens flash. I can't think of another reason, my X5 has xenon dip beam supplemented with halogen main beam only.

Sounds like a plan, certainly looks as though Carista is a better system. Check out the water pump connections as well last thing you need is no heater??

First action reset all the codes then see what comes back often the codes are just left in the memory. A lot of codes can be triggered by a low battery voltage, I would clear the codes and check what comes back. The Vanos is the key to fixing your stalling issue I would start with removing and cleaning the solenoid not unusual for them to become sticky. The rest of the mixture codes will likely be linked to the Vanos The others look like earth or connector cleaning so happy days. Anderson's sail boat isn't in that league, but great fun he just thinks he is Captain Hook when he gets out there must be his Viking ancestors??

Hi James Welcome to the Forum Great find, such a low mileage car, I have a Glaswegian friend who say's Scot's are not tight just careful he also say's a Yorkshire-man is a Scot with the generosity squeezed out !! To help in your Quest for value and correct parts, I use www.realoem.com search by model or put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box it will bring up a complete list of parts for your car. I also use www.newtis.info for how too's and technical infor mation. Once I have the correct part number I can search for the best deal (see not just Scot's are careful) I use Eurocar parts plus their Offer codes when they are on to get filters and oil ahead of needing them. Coolant and Brake fluid changes I get done by my local BMW Specialist don't discount BMW dealers for parts as they often have deals on our "older" models. Like you when I got my X5 it had a complete history yet many service parts had clearly never been changed, on the X5 the fuel filter is behind a cover under the car by the amount of mud, crud and debris when I removed the cover it had never been changed. Like wise the cabin filter mine was black and literally fell apart when pulled out yet it easy to access, doesn't make sense sometimes. I use Magnatec 5-30 oil which meets BMW spec with the gearbox and diff oils BMW say "sealed for life" ZF who make the box in my X5 say service every 80-100k Km (60k miles) so I found a ZF specialist and had the box serviced, I drained and refilled the front and rear diffs and the transfer box. I hope this helps Dave

Absolutely, mechanically everything is in the same place, I would start with the free stuff and clean the solenoids when I did mine I removed them took off the "O" rings carefully then washed them in petrol to remove as many deposits as possible, then blew them out using a small air line attached to a spare wheel. Then put it in a tray of clean engine oil so it could get oil back where it should be. then lubed the "O" rings put them back on and reassembled back on the car. Then on to the next, I do one at a time so my old brain doesn't get confused. Remember to clean the electrical connectors as well. I have been out on the Lake some years ago in a sail boat with an old business friend who lives in Ann Arbor, he keeps his boat in Marquette. Beautiful country and it's an inland sea not a lake a lake you can see the other side!!

Hello James Welcome to the Forum Many car manufacturers and their Dealers are very protective of their brands stating strongly that "only OEM parts should be used" and I understand their position, however they seem to forget that their own OEM suppliers also sell to the wider market. They also don't like to recognise that all the components that make up our cars are made to a price, or"shock horror" that someone could improve a part!! Glad you have fixed your small issues and can enjoy your BMW, checkout www.realoem.com it is a BMW parts list, you can search by model/year or just put the last 7 digits of your vin in the search box and it will bring up your model it has small drawings and part numbers. You can also use www.newtis.info another BMW specific site same Technical information used by BMW Dealers. Good Luck with the Beemer and enjoy Dave

BMW fitted automatic advance and !Removed! of camshafts "Vanos" a sticking solenoid could cause the symptoms you are getting. I believe with your model you have solenoids on both exhaust and inlet camshafts. The Code you have is a general code BMW specific code will Identify the exact issue such as 2A9A intake cam sensor signal invalid, or 2A82 Intake vanos stiff or mechanically jammed. I would start by cleaning the solenoids as you are in the USA have you checked Pelican Parts website. Many guys in the UK use the site although it is specific to cars with the steering on the wrong side?? Their how too's are great and supported by pictures just did a quick search try this link www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/BMW-3-Series-E90/FUEL-VANOS_Solenoid_Replacing/FUEL-VANOS_Solenoid_Replacing.htm symptoms of a Bad BMW VANOS System Loss of power and torque, primarily in the lower ranges, typically below 3k RPMS. Engine hesitation and bogging in the lower rpm ranges. Rough idle with frequent hiccups. Increased fuel consumption or poor fuel economy. Cold start issues and stalling in cold weather It would be great to see some pictures the biggest "Mountain" near me is 750ft above sea level not exactly a challenge. Dave

Take care with the Xdrive cars as the star rated tyres are supposed to be more consistent in they're rolling radius, in particular if you have staggered wheels (fatter rears) it doesn't take much difference with Xdrive cars to cause transmission wind up and damage. Technically the tyres are the same the "star" rated tyres are made in batches to ensure they are consistent (or so I am told) With my X5 20" 275 front 315 rears I have run non star rated tyres with the help of a local fitting centre we stand front and rear tyres side by side to make sure they are close in rolling radius and have so far avoided issues. Dave

Morning Dan Sorry to read about your problems. I would guess that a previous owner has had the DPF removed and probably the EGR either due to problems (normally short journeys/town work) or as tuning software has been in place . As Eric says removing the DPF is an immediate MOT fail so best avoided in my opinion. I know there are many out there without DPF's that with some clever software pass MOT's but is it worth the risk?? There are a few BMW specialist breakers around just google them, Quarry Motors I have used they are in Sheffield from memory. Also as has been said DPF's are on Ebay so worth a look. For information my brother in-laws 535d is way past the 200k mark the only part not standard (to my knowledge) is the swirl flaps have been removed and he has had the car remapped for some time (300+ bhp and 40+ on a run) and apart from a sensor issue on the DPF no problems (well there have been many but not drive train related). I can fully understand the BMW Specialist as they don't know where they are starting from, and their diagnostics can't find any issues as they will probably be masked by software hiding the fact the DPF isnt there. They will need a base line to work from and in their case they need a standard car, you may find an independent garage that is prepared to dig around to sort the issue but every time they test something it will cost if not in parts in time. Sorry if this is negative and I can't be more help Dave

Snow Rain Fog Spooky Mountain Roads hells teeth I feel lucky to live in Sunny Sussex now !! Seriously good fix though Eric now you can enjoy your Beemer. Dave