Greydog

OK digging further with a little (well a lot actually) help from an old business buddy in Barcelona it seems the Spanish have 2 sets of what we term "Construction and Use Regs" UNECE and EU, UNECE are United Nations regs for world approvals and EU obviously take precedence in Europe. Jose sent a couple of links 1st http://www.f2i2.net/VehiculosComponentes.aspx?lengua=En clearly shows that headlamps must comply with Regulation 112 2nd Is regulation 112 which I have attached in PDF format but as I read it it is clear that light units that are EU conformity marked and have a "passing" beam pattern are legal in all EU states. All Xenon lights do apparently and most can be set to Right or Left hand drive. Jose works with Nissan in Barcelona and they don't have different light units for vehicles shipped to the UK the UK dealer adjusts them? So the can of worms gets fuller ?? Jose says " set the lights to left hand drive say nothing and take it for a test " Good Luck Paul R112r3am1e.pdf

Just to add to the confusion, I have just searched www.realoem.com BMW online parts catalog and it shows the same part numbers for headlamp units both left and right hand drive?? In headlamp components it shows a part number 10 on the list as the Alignment element? Paul I don't know if you use realoem just Google it and put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box then search headlight and see what you come up with. What a can of worms

And all because Europe drive on the wrong side of the road ?

Depending where you are in the country someone may have a set of winter wheels/tyres that you could try. I have a set of 18" fitted with Wintrac extreme non runflat not sure if they would fit the F25 though? Due to the young age of your X3 you may compromise warranty if it turns up at the dealer with "non standard" tyres fitted. With my X5 the tyres are low profile and are harsh and noisy on all but the very best surfaces the winter wheel have a deeper side wall and noticeably quieter and less harsh. Check out ebay I brought my winters from there with tyres fitted for just over £200, worth a consideration and if it fixes the problem you can then measure ride comfort against the warranty risk should there be a drive train issue.

Runflat tyres ? Hard side walls there are many posts on other sights stating harsh ride, road noise etc from runflat tyres

Certainly modules or functions could be activated or switched off on earlier BMW models using Inpa, BMW 1.4.0 or similar. I believe Carly do a software app for Smartphones now which uses a Bluetooth dongle in the OBD socket though I have now experience of how good/bad it is or what can be achieved using it. Good luck and enjoy your 4

Morning Barry Try www.realoem.com enter the last 7 digits of your Vin and have a search you can also search manually the E36 would be in the Classic section I would think. It is a BMW online parts catalogue so if it was fitted or an option it will show up. Being BMW though it isn't always logical which section they put things in so have a good poke around. Good Luck Dave

Maybe it just needs a good clean? A neighbour with an X3 has just had her car Terracleaned she had white smoke at start her car has a full BMW Dealer history from new BMW told her it was due to the cars age and her low mileage (about 25 miles a day) The deep clean has fixed it, well for now anyway, she also says she is sure the car is quieter first person I know who has actual experience of it.

The X5 Diesel had an engine breather filter that was prone to clogging (earned its self a nick name of the bog roll filter) if your car still has one of these old filters it can cause the white smoke cold starts and after idling. Most have been changed to vortex type filters which superseded the early ones. The pre heaters can also fail giving white smoke at start though this normally clears when up to temperature Fingers crossed it is a simple and economical fix Dave

Morning Emma Ouch !! Is your garage a BMW specialist ? Can they take a pressure reading at the rail ? At least it would take away some of the guess work. For the actual pump I would look at www.realoem.com put in the last 7 digits of your vin and search fuel system you should get the part number plus any alternates. The good old Google and Flea bay are a source to find a good used or re manufactured pump that does save a lot then find a friendly mechanic or garage to fit it (being sexist here as you may be very competent with spanners) Fingers crossed for you Dave

Welcome Very nice, enjoy the miles may they be smooth and trouble free

That's a great outcome Lee, not the cheapest but certainly not the most expensive either. Now you can enjoy your Beemer. I use www.realoem.com for part numbers then look for the best price for the part I need online. Just put in the last 7 digits of your Vin and hit search. That way I cut out a lot of guess work Good luck in the future

Good news on the sniff test (your wallet will like that result) Don't forget the auxiliary water pump Lee if it is running it will help self bleed the system and save a lot of grief. With the X5's if it is sticking or not running the job is a whats the word beeeeech, also no heat to the feet. It performs the same function for your car I believe.

As Clarkson said "Diesel" fuel of the devil welcome back to petrol

First question Lee is it manual or auto ? If its auto then there is a thermostat located at the bottom of the rad under the expansion bottle plus the thermostat in the water pump. If its head gasket a sniff test at most garages will find out quickly. For your cabin heater you will have an auxiliary water pump in the system trace the pipes from the bulkhead and you will find it not unknown for them to clog or burn out, put your hand on it and get someone to turn on the ignition you should feel it running if not very little heat in the cabin. Fingers crossed the sniff test is clear

My son did exactly what you have done and put in an additive which Toyota said had clogged the low pressure pump and filter, there was just enough fuel getting to the high pressure pump to allow starting and normal driving below about 2k rpm as soon as he went above that fuel starvation miss fire and engine cut out. So my money is on the low pressure pump and filter. The BMW 3.0 engine is one of the strongest out there and capable of some monumental mileages with good maintenance so I would have no worries about you enjoying your car for a long time to come. Remember what Clarkson and co did with a 140k 3.0 D stripped out the interior fitted a cage and then raced it in an endurance event at Silverstone !! 6 hours flat out and finished in the placings. So ENJOY

I would go further back in the fuel system one of my sons had an issue similar with his Toyota truck it turned out to be the low pressure fuel pump. enough there to run normally at low revs, but as soon as he gave it any load it cut out due to fuel starvation No codes showed up the Toyota dealer changed the fuel regulator, pressure sensors and MAF but still it happened. Then one of my sons customers (a farmer) diagnosed it as he had seen it several times with his machinery, the dealer said no chance but my son brought a low pressure pump and problem fixed. So I would check the fuel system and filters from front to back also check the turbo variable vanes are working freely

Welcome the the Forum Is your car an E70 or E70 LCI ? When you say the boot doesn't open do you mean power open or it doesn't unlock? If your car has the power open option then there will be a close button on the tail gate it's self. If you have the simple remote unlock (all do) then I would suspect the micro switch in the tailgate where the lock/number plate lights are as they are known to suffer from water ingress. If you have the power open option I would be checking all fuses, I would also get the codes read to check for faults..If your key is functioning as it should in other respects that would be low on my suspect list, if you have more than 1 key try them all. Good luck and Enjoy your X

Not sure about your model but in the X5 the microphone is in the overhead console above the rear view mirror. It is just un-clips un-plugs simple to change it is a common cause of echo in the X5

Hi and welcome Don't rattles get to you when you cant pin them down. I don't want to teach Granny what to do with eggs but are you sure it is the parcel shelf/luggage cover? The luggage cover is a crude affair for such an expensive car first are all the little gear wheels in place at the end of the support rods? One missing or broken will cause a rattle, if you retract or remove the cover completely does the noise stop? The upper tailgate stops are adjustable and a known source of noises (cured my rattle), also the rear seat catches can be a source of rattles. Have you checked the storage cubby's either side for anything loose, same under the floor are all the wheel changing tools clipped in and secure nothing loose I put the draft excluding tape suggested by Trevor under all the bits in the boot makes the clips tight but no chance of a rattle. The most difficult to track down on my 4.6 was a rattle that sounded like it was in the dash somewhere eventually tracked it to 2 broken securing clips on the pollen filter housing under the bonnet at the bottom of the windscreen.

As I said earlier the 3.0i 6 cylinder engine has 2 thermostats it also has a temp sender in one of the hoses and I believe (but could be wrong) one in the cylinder head. These drawings and Part No's may help you see where they are. If you are sure there is no contamination in the coolant then I would change both thermostats as a precaution. If your EML is still on then I would say you need the codes read by a BMW specialist or a Garage with Autologic software to see what the issue is. 3.0 i Petrol Water pump.pdf Rad Header Tank.pdf

Which engine do you have ? 3.0 petrol 4.4 V8 4.8 V8 or 3.0 Diesel The X5 has more than 1 temp sender 1 at the thermostat on in the lower water pipe the Engine Management uses an average of the 2 that is why the needle sits in the middle most of the time. My money would still be on one of the thermostats being stuck closed and restricting circulation, beware as the rad and the header tank have plastic parts and once split will have to be replaced not repaired. Water pumps also have been known to loose the impeller so externally look fine but actually move very little water. As your EML has been triggered I would have thought a fault code would be logged so getting codes read will help in diagnosis. If your car is a 6 cylinder Petrol or Diesel you have 2 Thermostats 1 at the water pump and 1 at the bottom hose connection under the header tank if either is in a failed condition you will have a problem if both have failed a big problem. If your car is a V8 you again have 2 thermostats in the system plus a temperature sensor in the lower main hose.

Hi Baz What engine ? 3.0, 4.4, 4.6, 4.8 or 3.0 diesel. A garage can do a sniff test on the header tank which will tell you straight away if there is a gasket issue (not unheard of but quite rare). Was the purchase from a garage or private? If a sniff test confirms gasket failure then I would ask the seller for some support, difficult situation as it will be difficult to prove it was an existing condition. I would check the thermostat and water pump if its is failed or thermostat failed closed then that will pressurize the header tank (not good when it's plastic) Check the colour of the coolant it should be changed every few years as part of the maintenance. Hope this helps Dave

You say you suspect the Vanos is not working but don't tell us what symptoms? What engine? Vanos can fail but generally are pretty tough, if they do fail it is normally either the Vanos solenoid or the seals. If you are a competent DIY mechanic there are seal kits available even full rebuilt Vanos units and how too's on You Tube. If not then you will need a specialist to help google will be your best mate there. Try Mr Vanos they may give more advice

Normally the bluetooth microphone is fitted in the roof console above the mirror, the connector may be folded back and taped up check carefully. You can also check www.realoem.com put in the last 7 digits of your Vin Number and check all the parts needed and their location Hope this helps