Greydog

Morning Gerallt Welcome to the Forum Some dealers (not just BMW) just want to sell the car if it goes wrong offer a loan car ?? They seem to think that makes it OK. When they really should make sure the car is perfect before they sell not after. My simple approach would be walk away you will always wonder what next? There are plenty of other cars out there and there will be another BMW Dealer close by so spread the net. Legally the Dealer has to provide a vehicle that is "suitable for purpose" so you always have some protection in law. I hope you find what you want Dave

Morning Bill You coul disconnect it see if anything stops working ? A thought by one of my sons was a Music streaming device but then there should be something connected at either the Radio (BM54) unit in the boot or the CD player worth a look. Dave

Morning Frank First even an unregistered battery should receive "some" charge so your comment that yours isn't charging would seem to suggest a fault else where? Registering the battery is not difficult but does need a BMW capable code reader which many Garages have these days. Second, look at www.realoem.com this is an online BMW parts list put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model. Then look at the electrical system and Battery if it lists two battery types then either can be used (on some models it will list AGM only) the car obviously needs to know what is fitted to control charging. Lastly fitting an over size (rating battery) can sometimes shorten it's life as the system will never fully charge it Dave

Morning Bill Welcome to the Forum Never seen a unit like that before I would guess it's an aftermarket part fitted by one of the previous owners. If there is a Phone Cradle in the Arm Rest there should also be a bluetooth unit in the boot. As a thought does your car have the OEM radio/Nav screen? Or does it have an aftermarket unit? If it is after market that could be a bluetooth link (just guessing here) For what it is worth my X5 similar vintage was fitted with TM as standard along with OEM Nav screen. The TM subscription expired an 2006 and I removed the unit from the Boot everything else still works Nav, Radio, CD even the tape player behind the screen. Dave

See your General post Dan

Morning Dan Welcome to the Forum As far as I know the EPS gets it's information on the amount of assistance required comes from the control unit through the driver selected settings "Comfort" "Sport" "Sport Plus" Logic tells me that input will come from several sources "Gearbox" "Suspension" "Driver Settings" my thoughts initially would be a sensor failure or even a software glitch. A diagnostic session at a Garage with the right BMW capable reader would help pinpoint the issue I have not heard of a Rack failure in my circle of friends Good luck with pinning it down Dave

Morning Ryan Welcome to the forum BMW decided in 2007 to move timing chains to the rear of the engines their argument was they were designed to be "Maintenance free" between 2007 and 2010 they had some expensive and well publicised failures. They appear to have solved the issue My brother inlaw has a business base in Holland and travels huge mileages in Europe. His car of choice has been for sometime the 5 series touring, he has owned 4 since 2007 a 530d, two 535d and currently a 540d Xdrive (basically the same engine as yours). All brought new and serviced at BMW to ensure they would accept trade in at swap time. All his cars are ECU tuned as he likes to have the power and he does use it. I don't agree with the extended service intervals that all manufacturers preach nor does he so we have carried out interim oil changes at max 10k on all his cars plus a good check over all other stuff. The 530d had issues with the antenna in the rear spoiler, glow plugs and controller and Swirl Flap and EGR issues we fixed/modified and eradicated all problems the car was traded at a little over 200k Both 535d were absolutely awesome with only service items changed again well over 200k when traded, the current 540d is quite simply one of the best BMW have made already over 90k and still like new. A timing chain change after talking to a local BMW Specialist would be around £1000 to £1500 depending on model and parts as it's either Engine or transmission out to get at it guides and tensioners need changing as well. Hope this helps Dave

Morning Frank The E83 (later models) and E83 LCI need the battery registering to the chassis or it may not charge properly also check was the OEM battery AGM or not (your Yuasa will be AGM) again charging can be affected if a conventional battery is swapped for AGM type. Leads, in the boot when the battery was swapped was it Neg disconnected first then Live and reconnect Live first Neg last ? Check that none of the small wires connected to the live terminal have been disturbed/disconnected. If you can't test it yourself get an auto electrician to check alternator output as a surge can damage the Voltage regulator on the alternator.. OEM conventional battery should be either 80ahr or 90ahr dependent on equipment level. If it was AGM originally (2007/8 onwards IIRC) it should be 92ahr Hope this helps Dave

Morning Wafik Welcome to the Forum As far as I know if the second Cigarette lighter/power socket was fitted it was under the dash close to the transmission tunnel or I have seen one in the Arm rest on a 630 Vert. Are you looking for a power source? Or are you a heavy smoker 🤣 Dave

You are right about the N47 and M47 engines you are also quite correct that when you consider the thousands sold world wide the issue was relatively small. My brother inlaw has a business base in Holland and travels all over Europe his first 530d covered just under 300k he then traded it in at his BMW Dealer for the 535d same sort of miles covered then another 535d which went beyond the 300k and now a 540d if they are maintained they are really tough engines just don't do the dealer thing of 30+k between services as that could be a couple of years ?? My local BMW specialist recons to change the Timing chain and guides around £1000 his opinion is that timing chains should be serviced on all cars at around 100k Dave

Hi Paul I had a Gearbox issue with an AMG Mercedes the dealer couldn't understand my frustration as they had me driving an ML loaner?? Lovely car but not what I brought Lets hope they get it sorted with out hitches Dave

Morning Frankie All mechanical stuff wears out at some point that is a fact BMW designers decided that they would design the Timing chain system to be "maintenance free" !!! Why a supposedly clever engineer would think that is beyond this old engineer. BMW like many other manufacturers had moved towards Plastic guides in an effort to reduce internal friction to achieve more efficient engines why would they think these would be maintenance free?? Timing chain maintenance isn't cheap or quick on any engine. Short answer to your question is from early 2007 N47 4 cylinder and M47 6 cylinder engines had the chains at the rear of the block. From what I have read most failures seem to have happened between 2007 and 2011, later cars seem much better as do those that were repaired so history is important. My old "engineers head" combines not just the moving of the timing chains with extended oil change regimes that don't help. With our family cars and my brother inlaws oil services are every 8 to 10k which means every 2 or 3 months for my brother in law his 4, 5 series touring have all covered huge mileages without issue If the car has a good history and is quiet in operation (hot or cold) and its what you want negotiate hard and get what you want and enjoy it Dave

Morning Christian I have seen several offers for upgrades out side the BMW envelope which of course BMW hate. I have heard and read all sorts of comments from BMW and their Dealers about bricked systems. I use Sat Nav upgrades maps (DVD) in my X5 have done since 2012. My brother inlaw has used them in both of his 535d Touring and I know a couple of guys on here have used them without complaint or reports of "bricked systems" This isn't an endorsement simply a comment that they have been around a long time talk to them if your uncertain stick with BMW Good luck Dave

Morning Paul Not sure about your car as I haven't had one to play with, BMW traditionally store Miles covered in 2 places (1) in the FCM/LCM and (2) in the IKE (Instrument cluster) it may be different with the new models but it will still be in 2 places to give anti tamper protection. Clearly at least one is not recording distance covered which with smart battery charging these days could explain part of the issue. Lets hope the 3 wise men scratching their heads can fix it for you in a timely manner Good Luck Dave

Morning Christian Welcome to the Forum You have 2 choices either BMW or the aftermarket someone like Satnav Upgrades Good Luck Dave

Morning Paul Technology is great until it "knows more than we do" or it malfunctions be good to know what the cause is My brother inlaw had a weird glitch with his latest 540d Xdrive Touring 2 consecutive mornings no power at all, Battery check at the charging points showed full power got back in started as though nothing had happened, next morning same again BMW could find nothing 1 year on no re-occurrence. Damn these smart cars Dave

Hi John Have you dropped the exhaust centre section? We had to to get his out Dave

Hi Paul Welcome to the For Looking at the message I assume either the alternator has malfunctioned or the drive belt has gone What happened? Dave

Hi Dave Welcome to the Forum Check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box then check the relevant sections to find what you need. There are small exploded drawings that help with location of parts. Dave

Morning Mo Welcome to the Forum That looks like the MRS cable so getting something wrong could fire Seat belt tensioners or Air bags or it could be the IBS trigger lead My instinct here is change the cable to avoid issues you will probably have the airbag lights to reset as its been disconnected. Do you have access to INPA/ISTA you may find wiring diagrams there. Check realoem if you haven't already to see if you can get part numbers that may help I have changed the complete main battery lead on a 1 series where the IBS had been triggered and fired the tensioners but fortunately no airbags so didn't need diagrams just replce parts and reset with INPA Dave

Morning John Welcome to the Forum First is your car LCI or Pre-LCI ? The mounting brackets are different so are they all free, are all sensors ans pipework clear. On my brother inlaws LCI we had to remove the centre silencer to get room to break the gasket seal even with the clamp off it stuck like stuff to a blanket. There are 3 brackets from memory one on top two under neath. Once the gasket ring gave in it could be wriggled out. We replaced it with a refurbished one he brought in Germany the original had covered 150+k the car was 200k + plus when he traded it for his 3rd 535d Touring and that is the only DPF issue he has had Hope this helps Dave

Morning Razvan Welcome to the Forum Can your Dealer service Manager not help ? I can't be much use as I have never been an Apple fan/user sorry Dave

Morning Yes the tax for the bigger engines is higher if I recall my Brother inlaws 530d was £180 (have to check) but with it ECU tuned he had an Estate that could scare the pant's off some serious sports cars (not that he would ever do that !! 🤣) and still return high 40's on a run. So depending on your budget and space needed in the car don't dismiss the 1 series a friend of one of our sons has a 2005 118d 5 door he has a young family (2 children) and a fat Labrador all 5 of them fit comfortably and a roof box takes care of luggage when they go away. If looking at high milers say 150k up then in my experience the poor old gearbox and Diff's tend to be the bit that gets forgotten. Engines get regular oil and filter changes but rarely do people change Gearbox Fluids and filters or Diff oil so check carefully in the paper work for evidence. If you like the car but are unsure about the gearbox and diff suspension etc to DIY I would think around £500 would fund all the parts to service suspension and drive train if using a Garage about £1000 to £1100 so that would be a negotiation point for me. Dave

Morning Larry Welcome to the Forum Check for leaks starting with the Airbags then the pipe work in the Boot the is an air distribution valve that also has an exhaust capability so check all connections and its operation. Dave

Morning Frankie Welcome to the Forum 17 mpg from a 3.0 Jag yikes !! My big fat X5 V8 4.6is averages just under 19 around town mid/high 20's on a run including towing a couple of fat horses in a trailer. As with any used car History History History don't forget MOT history always a good indication of how well looked after the car has been Around 2006/7 BMW moved the timing chain to the rear of the engine (supposedly maintenance free) early engines either failed quickly (in warranty) or some seemed to last it took 4 years for BMW to acknowledge the issue and get on top of it. 2011 onwards cars seem much better. Make sure everything works as it should if it doesn't and the seller gives the old excuses of "you can get that for a few ££ on Ebay" or AC just needs a recharge walk away there are plenty out there. If fixes were that easy why haven't they done it, two answers in my mind 1. they had a quote and it scared them, 2. they just don'y care about their cars. Check the tyres carefully for odd wear an indication of wearing bushes in the suspension. Last thing you need is to be spending your hard earned a few weeks or months after purchase. Fuel wise our son inlaw has a 32d touring on a 65 plate he averages in the 40's with mixed driving and a heavy right foot Don't dismiss the 2.5 and 3.0d engines loads of grunt and still capable of mid 30's around town and high 40's on a run. Plus they will feel as powerful (maybe more so) as your Jag particularly mid range. My brother inlaw is now on hi 4th 5 Touring all have been 3.0d variants he travels a lot and all have gone beyond 200k. His current car 540d xdrive touring with ECU tune is over 400hp and still gives mid 40mpg Last but not least beware of "modified cars" EGR delete DPF delete seem most common just remember that under current MOT regulations if it had these as part of the emissions control at build time an MOT Tester can fail them instantly if they are not fitted now. Dave