Greydog

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 Most have been changed to vortex type filters which superseded the early ones.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

Quite often if cheap washer fluids are used there can be a build up of waxy deposits in the reservoir they can clog the filters on the 3 pumps they can also effect the level sensor. So I would drain the tank and take it out then clean it out thoroughly take out the level sensor and make sure its operating OK. It may be the sensor has failed but I haven't heard of one going before but always possible. Have a look at www.realoem.com put in the last 7 digits of your Vin number and look in Electrical systems scroll to the bottom it will show you a diagram and part numbers if you do need a new one. Good Luck

There are some good buyers guides on here read those but as a rough guide here goes. 2004 was the facelift year so before (2000 2003) X5's came with 3.0i 4.4 and 4.6is petrol and 3.0 diesel engines, there were a few manual boxes but the vast majority will be 5 speed auto boxes. After 2004 power increased for the 4.4 V8 (286 up to 321) the diesel also got a power increase the 4.6is was dropped and replaced by the 4.8. gearbox was replaced with a 6 speed automatic. Engine wise the 3.0i and 3.0 diesel are strong units that with good maintenance give long service 4.4 and 4.6 V8's produce good power but they do have some weak points (search chain guides) the 4.8 is better but not perfect. BMW in their wisdom decided to say the gearbox is sealed for life!! the early GM boxes were not good the 2002 on ZF boxes are stronger but ZF advise service every 60k Interior is generally tough but drivers seat squab will show signs of wear (I brought a passenger seat from a dismantler £80 and swapped the squab) So when buying 1st before you do anything open the bonnet and make sure the engine is cold if it has been run before you get there wonder why, check the oil? Turn on the ignition and check all lights on the dash come on wait and see if the cycle off (right display)then start the engine it should start with no rattles, knocks or smoke (diesel or petrol) if its petrol and there are rattles or knocks walk away it will not be cheap or easy to fix. With the engine ticking over check that all the buttons and switches work as they should cycle all of them at least twice (again no cheap fixes) Look for any missing pixels on the display check nav and other stuff if it has it make sure the heater and aircon work as they should. If your still happy go for a good drive, gear changes should be smooth and hardly felt even when pushing on so should the down changes (any jerks or strange behaviour walk away box repairs are minimum 2k. There should be no shakes rattles or clunks from underneath though suspension bushes only last about 50/60k before they need replacing check for odd tyre wear rear inside edge is a giveaway I would budget for a complete re-bush front and rear and a 4 wheel alignment just to be sure. Re-bushing is a DIY prospect the difference it makes is huge. There are a lot of X5's out there some are better maintained than others good ones are great a bad one is a money pit. I brought our first one (a 4.4) to tow a horse trailer the current one is a 4.6is my experience says take out a warranty, good luck Dave

Morning Jerry If memory serves not to bad a job on the 4.8 as the alternator is "normal" early 4.4 and 4.6 have water cooled ones which makes them a faddle to change/service. Have a check on www.realoem.com to make sure which alternator type. I would also check youtube for any video how too's then make a decision whether to sacrifice some skin or beer tokens to get the job done. Good Luck Dave

I believe Meyle and Lemforder have been OEM suppliers and are good quality. Is your transmission Auto or Manual (my X5 is Auto) Auto will probably be ZF so don't dismiss their kits also their long life trans fluid is a reasonable price.