Greydog

Hi Carl Service history as ever is paramount with any used car,there were some well documented timing chain issues with the 2.0d engine but I believe BMW have issued an enhancement notice for a timing chain upgrade. Could be worth checking if the car your considering has been done? I am a petrol driver so other than that not much help, Good Luck Dave

Morning Jordan and Welcome As you have discovered you need BMW specific software, Carly do an App for smartphones which from what I have read will do the job. Or a member near by with Inpa or similar other than that it's a Dealer or BMW Specialist. Good Luck Dave

Morning Nigel Sounds like the same symptoms as my Brother inlaw my money would be on a failed diversity antenna. Fingers crossed it's a simple fix Dave

Hi John Welcome back to the Forum Nice choice of car, with regard to the water leak 3 possibilities spring to mind first is water pump not unusual on the V8 starts as a weep from the bottom of the pump. Check with a mirror under the pump for signs of coolant stains, second (drove me nuts this one) the auxiliary water pump on the X5 it is mounted beneath the oil filter housing behind the near side headlamp mine had failed and developed a leak at one of the snap on hose seals. Both these left more of a damp stain than a puddle mine were at the front of the engine bay. The third is the dreaded valley pan seals though water loss with these is high (I have been told) puddles normally at the rear of the engine under the gearbox. Finally of course is check all the water hose connections and clamps, any swollen or soft hoses I would change.All the above jobs sre DIY options just depends on how handy you are with spanners or how freindly you want your local garage to be with your wallet. Good Luck and Enjoy Dave

Wow Andy, not good as you say if it had happened at speed on the open road !!! Never read or heard of this before keep us posted on the outcome please Dave

Morning Mehmet and Welcome to the Forum. Depending on mileage and journey type I would expect one service a year (20 to 30k) Service and maintenance carried out at the dealer will always be more expensive due to their hourly rate (almost £200 p/hr + parts) at my local dealer. If the car has an Auc Warranty maybe worth using the dealer to maintain warranty integrity. If not I would find a good BMW Specialist as they are normally BMW trained and have all the specialist tools and software that a dealer has (my BMW specialist is £70 p/hr). I do most general maintenance jobs myself (with the help of my sons, younger and bendier) only using the garage for things I can't manage. I have BMW specific software for Diagnostics on an old laptop so checking and reading fault codes and resetting and clearing them is a simple task (my local dealer charges £90.00 for a code read only). I have found it invaluable on the X5 plus a few friends I have been able to help out have been grateful. I would look the deal and check out local costs and compare the 2 stamps in the book are paramount to maintain the value, mine still has an annual service and stamp at the specialist at MOT time. Good luck and enjoy your Beemer Dave

Morning Martin Have you tried www.newtis.info it is a technical information site the same as used by BMW dealers. It has pictures and how too's and instructions on replacement and fitting most parts. Hope this helps Dave

Welcome Joe As Trevor has said I would check under the boot floor that nothing is loose and all the tools etc are clipped in properly. Took me ages to find a rattle in the cargo area on mine turned out to be the pull out luggage blind not clipped in properly. Dave

Morning Steve Welcome to the Forum Most modern cars are extremely power hungry without the engine running so will kill a battery in no time. First thought is how old is the battery? There is a date on it, if it is the original which is quite possible then it may be dying and need replacing Dave

Morning Nigel Does the drivers door lock with the key? My brother inlaw has had this happen twice, first time BMW changed the diversity antenna, all was good for a couple of years then it happened again this time he found a BMW Specialist who took the antenna apart cleaned and dried it out tested it all good he then re-assembled it with sealant and so far 3 years and no issue. His car would aloow the drivers door to be locked with the key but wouldn't set the alarm or activate the central locking. Have a look at www.newtis.info it's a BMW technical information site same as used by dealers to see if there is any help there Dave

Welcome to the Forum Ross Sorry to hear you suffered at the hands of some thieving !Removed! The beemer is looking fantastic, enjoy Dave

Morning Nigel Have you tried resetting the Keys ? there is a process for that have a search online for the method. The other common issue with the 5 series was the Diversity antenna it is in the spoiler above the brake light they were a known issue ( my brother inlaw has changed 2) they were prone to moisture/water ingress problems. Again search diversity antenna issues for 5 series. Good Luck Dave

Happy New Year to you and your family John and Welcome to the Forum Sounds as though you have tried and changed the bits that normally give issues. With the X5 I had a similar issue with the drivers window it would auto down but not up? I had to hold the button. my issue was with the Drivers seat memory control unit first I noticed that the window control was playing up then the steering wheel adjustment had stopped working.After a lot of research everything pointed to a failing drivers seat control unit sure enough it failed completely I wouldn't have noticed but my wife went to take the car pushed the memory button and no movement. I managed to find a replacement unit with the correct part number on that well known auction site, fitted it and reset the master switch for the window and all back to normal. If you have seat memory on your E46 I would check it is functioning also have a look at www.newtis.info it is a BMW technical information site same as used by dealers it will give how too's and diagrams plus wiring diagrams then www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box and it will bring up your car search the parts you want and it will give the part numbers. I hope this helps Dave

Morning Rob How weird do the engine numbers match those on the registration docs? If they do then it would seem to me to just be a rogue engine that slipped through their QA program. I say that as not many home engine changers or garages come to that will inform the DVLA of changes. A cylinder head change or repair would be far more difficult to trace unless there are stamps/invoices in the log book or history, certainly if it was BMW warranty work they should have a record you would think. At least rebuilding the head yourself you know it is all as it should be. Dave

Morning Rob That is very strange I am well aware that BMW used the same Camshafts across a range of models and years (as do many other manufacturers) but to have a part that's not listed anywhere !!! The BMW straight 6 is one of the worlds great engines and renowned for being as tough as old boots so it needing cylinder head work before 20k seems doubtful to me, if however that was the case it would have been (should have been) warranty work at BMW so only genuine parts would have been used most probably a complete cylinder head assembly. Just asked my neighbour (he works for BMW direct) he has run a check and tells me that was an exhaust camshaft number that has been superseded used where poor fuel quality was an issue. He couldn't answer how it turned up in a European supplied car though, so it seems that cam number is OEM but outdated. Good luck with the rebuild Happy New Year Dave

Morning Mark Loss of coolant is always a worry but not always a head gasket problem, like wise condensation can show droplets and mayonnaise on the dip stick and filler cap . Often leaks are else where waterpump, secondary waterpump, hoses, transmission oil cooler seals all can weep and cause the sort of loss your experiencing. A garage can do a sniffer test on your header tank to confirm if there is a head gasket problem. Personally I would fight shy of additives that could well cause more problems long term than they fix short term. Hope this helps Happy New Year Dave

Morning Kev Can you not get an SOT lead which will plug into the cars harness and connect directly to your new radio/headunit. If not check out www.newtis.info it is a Technical Information site used by Dealers it has wiring diagrams which should help. Happy New Year Dave

Hi Hussein Welcome to the Forum, 3 series started in 1997 with the E46 this ran 97 to 2006 E90 2004 - 2008 E90 LCI 2007 - 2012 E91 2004 - 2008 E91 2007 - 2012 E92 2005 - 2010 E92 LCI 2008 - 2013 E93 2005 - 2010 E93 LCI F30 2011 - 2016 F30 LCI and so it goes, and it can be confusing. Go to www.realoem.com put your last 7 digits of your Vin number in the search box and it will pull up your model.then you will know exactly which version you have. With reliability how the car has been maintained will normally give clues, most modern engines die from abuse not use. Happy New Year Dave

Morning Bob Welcome to the Forum happy to help if we can, lets hope you never need us Dave

Morning Jack Welcome to the Forum I hope you and your family have had a peaceful Christmas and the New Year will bring stress free.motoring. Nice looking 3 series if you are a DIY man with your cars here are some sites that will help www.realoem.com this is a BMW parts site but there are small drawings which will give clues as to where things are, more important it will make sure if you are buying spares you buy the right one for your model. Just put the last 7 digits of your vin into the search box it will bring up your car. Next is www.newtis.info a BMW technical information site with "how too's" the same information used by Dealers. I don't know if or what if any diagnostic gear you have but to sort many issues with a BMW diagnostic's will take away a lot of guess work and pain. I use BMW 1.4.0 loaded on an old laptop that I keep just for diagnostics cost about a tenner from that well known auction site but there are others out there Carly for BMW as an example can be downloaded as an App for your phone though I don't know how it works with older models like ours. Enjoy your new to you BMW Dave

Hi Dan Happy Christmas and Welcome to the Forum Dave

I would check www.realoem.com for the gearbox type (ZF I believe) with my X5 BMW used to say "sealed for life" what they meant is life is the end of their warranty liability. After talking with ZF and a local ZF agent they confirmed a service should be carried out every 80 to 100 km my box is just coming up for it's second service in my ownership. A service on the 5 speed is about £450 at the ZF agent I know I could get it done cheaper but somethings are not worth going cheap on in my opinion. Enjoy your X3 and Happy Christmas Dave

You need a child to help !! They seem to use technology where us older folks try to understand it ? I guess you have tried Google? Happy Christmas Dave

41 mpg they are fantasy numbers for a V8 driver !! The ride we get used too I am in my 70's and haven't needed a chiropractor yet?? For information look at www.realoem.com it is an online parts list for BMW, put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box and it will bring up your model. Click on the relevant icon and you will see small exploded drawings and description and part numbers with any alternatives. I also use www.newtis.info it is a BMW technical site same information as used by Dealers. It will give all the information on swapping/changing parts You can also look at Pelican Parts an american site but excellent for how too's Happy Christmas to you and your family Dave

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year Dave