Greydog

Morning Heather Welcome to the Forum First thing to check/get checked is the battery, the X5 is a very power hungry car drawing huge amperages at start when the car is waking up (systems loading) and the starter turning. So first charge the battery a fully charged battery should show 12.8 volts at the charge points under the bonnet. With the engine running the voltage should be 14.8 volts checked at the same place. A competent garage or auto electrician will be able to do that if you can't yourself. So if your battery has been on charge overnight and is reading less than 12.8v I would suspect the battery is dying. If the engine is running but you are seeing below 14.5 14.8v suspect the alternator. Again not necessarily the alternator it could be a failed/failing voltage regulator on the alternator and Auto Electrician should be able to check/change the alternator. Take a look at www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin number into the search box or search manually look at the alternator (Engine Electrical System) and you should see part numbers If you Google BMW Specialists you should find one near you who can help if you don't have a trusted local garage. Good Luck Dave

Morning Henry Welcome to the Forum A few questions (1) how old are the tyres and are they a matched set (same front and rear side to side) (2) You say you checked the wheel bearings ? How did you do that? Normally a wheel bearing will make groaning noises at all speeds louder under load My guess would be Propshaft Your Propshaft has Rubber couplings either end and a propshaft centre bearing. There should be no movement in the centre bearing bothe rubber couplings should be free of any cracks/splits and all nuts and bolts present and tight. The Diff check for excessive movement (backlash) also check its mountings. Driveshafts check couplings at either end for movement there should be none Suspension is reliant on rubber bushes they will all need checking they don't last for ever (80 to 100k) include the rear subframe bushes. Hope this helps Dave

Morning Wayne Welcome to the Forum How are things in the land of the long white cloud (North or South ?) Dave

Make sure you have the correct part check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin in the search box it will bring up your car/model then check the section you need. When you have the part number double click it and you should get a list of any alternatives available. Also check the loom is in good order in case you have a damaged cable shorting against the chassis. Good luck Dave

Morning Stephen Aren't Salesmen great "Life of the car" normally means the end of their warranty responsibility 🤣 In reality this is one of the worlds great engines and with good maintenance and regular oil changes they are capable of Star Ship mileages. I have some experience of the N52N version of this engine which one of our sons friends has in a competition/(Drift Car) when he brought the car it had covered 140K we took the engine out and we stripped it and rebuilt it the only new parts were gaskets lower chain and oil pump we changed the lower chain and oil pump as a precaution due to the thrashing he would be giving it. 2018/19 and over the last 2 years he has hammered the life out of the engine just about every weekend he changes oil regularly is his contribution to it's long life. Lord knows how many miles it has covered now but the last few years have all been at maximum attack So if the history is good the car runs sweetly and absolutely everything works as it should I would have no qualms I would howver sqeeze the Salesman for an extended Warranty as part of the deal or money off to get your own then you are covered. Dave

Morning Rik Welcome to the Forum Certainly I would go back and check all connections and supply voltages also check all earth connections With the fuse replaced what happened? A scan with some thing like BMW 1.4.0 or INPA/ISTA would give a more accurate picture as they communicate with individual modules. One of our sons has a Toyota pickup he had a failed fuse on the lighting replaced it 2 days blew again replaced it a few days later pop. As I was going to the local motor factors I asked for some fuses, we replaced the fuse again 2 years later no issues ??? Dave

Morning Mark Welcome to the Forum It will depend on registration. If it is on a 55 plate it will be £330 ish if it's on an 06 plate it will be at the £600 end of the scale Hope this helps Dave

Morning Becky An aftermarket air filter alone wont achieve much of an increase in power it will give more induction noise so it might sound faster 🤣 If your engine is in good condition it should be producing around 170/180bhp, so if I were spending my money it would first be on an ECU remap. Depending on who does it you should see a 20% to 30% increase in power and more important Torque (that's what gets you down the road) If you added a KN type filter in the standard air filter box it would be closer to the top end increase. My next spend would be on the chassis ie, better brakes and suspension. Hope this helps Dave

Morning Sarah Unfortunately there are a lot of folks who once an issue is fixed forget to let us know what the actual fix was. My own knowledge base has been built over 60 years of playing with all makes of cars and motorbikes as a hobby and the last 18 years of BMW ownership (my own X5's and family members and friends and neighbours cars) The X5 is a tough car but there are a few common issues that I have seen (1) Suspension bushes, once they start to show signs of age/wear bite the bullet and change them all it will improve the ride/handling and save a fortune in fuel/tyre wear. The first signs will be odd tyre wear (2) Electrical issues, First place to check is Battery age and condition. BMW's are power hungry beasts so short journeys often start to drain the battery it can take a good 15 to 20 min run to replace the start drain so over a period the battery gets a hard life. I have a C-tec intelligent charger that I plug in once a month to boost and recondition the battery (Note always use the under bonnet charge points) The BMW designers use a Common earth point system around the car when I had some strange behaviour I traced it to two of these earth points that had high resistance. Took them off cleaned the mounting and smeared it with electrical contact paste all fixed. I have also found this on 1 series and 5 series cars. I have also seen FCM/LCM (Footwell Control Module or Light Control Module) failures on 3 X5's and 2 5series. Symptoms were radio having a mind of its own (wont turn on or off) no indicator warning click, car not going to sleep causing battery drain. A BMW dealer will want a body part as a deposit and try to convince you that only pre-programmed parts from the factory fitted by them will fix the issue. When my X5 suffered LCM failure BMW quoted £3k + with lots of teeth sucking they also warned that if it wasn't done properly (by themselves) it could write off the car !! As always total rubbish I purchased a second hand unit from a newer model and reprogramed it myself. It actually took longer to swap the units than reprogram the replacement. Engines are strong with good maintenance and frequent oil changes capable of huge mileages. Gearboxes often abused as BMW in their wisdom declared them sealed for life, like the engines they need fluid and filter changes ZF say every 80k. Drive train front and rear diffs tend to be robust unless mismatched tyres are fitted causing transmission wind up. A rear diff from BMW will be around £1k part only and the 3.9's are like the proverbial Rocking Horse stuff to find. Transfer boxes there are now many kits to rebuild them but not cheap. Thee Moral is fit decent tyres as a set in the correct sizes are much cheaper than replacing diffs etc. Bit war and peace but I hope it helps the bottom line is they are great cars they don't need more fettling/fixing than any other make. So whether you are a DIY fan (like me) or whether you use a trusted Garage/Mechanic with good maintenance they last. My X5 4.6is is now beyond 160k and running well Dave

Morning Alan Welcome to the Forum Dave

Morning Eddie Welcome to the Forum Great Car but to low for my old bones been a passenger in one and getting out was worth a you tube video as I rolled onto hands and knees !! 😂 Good heads up for other owners Thanks Dave

Morning Sarah Welcome to the Forum A diagnostic scan would help as a starting point a good independent garage with BMW capable equipment or a BMW specialist (Best Option) Or someone with a multi-meter checking the battery and charging system. Dave

Morning Evgeni Welcome to the Forum Simple things first as rear windows generally get less use try a silicone spray in the runners in case they are sticking Then try checking www.realoem.com to see if the small exploded drawings help or maybe www.pelicanparts.com look in the articles section they have some brilliant "How Too's" with pictures Dave

Morning Dominic Welcome to the Forum Looks good bound to be some hidden issues though. I would check one of the sites like "How many are left" which will give a feel for how rare it is. Then talk to some of the specialist Vintage car auction houses to get a feel for the market value (upper and lower) As ever if two people want it at auction the price will go up Good Luck Dave.

Back to realoem I would think to check the bulb and holder Dave

Hi Paul Good news next time try the "Fast acting WD40" 🤣 Dave

More information about the car, what engine? how many miles? what service history? Stu has probably nailed it as an oil distribution issue, when the engine is off oil is draining back to the sump so no pressure in the chain tensioner or lifters or both. Try turning the engine 2 or 3 times but not letting it fire to build pressure see if that helps. If it does then you could try 5-40 grade oil that may help short term, but the only real cure is an engine out job to fit a new oil pump and pressure switch plus chain tensioners Dave

Hi Becky As your car is X-drive are all 4 wheels and tyres the same size (square set up) or are the rears wheels/tyres wider (staggered set up) ? Run flat tyres can be very sensitive when near their end of life, they are also famous for having a harsh ride. Make sure all tyres are the correct size and same make, that may help the handling problem. Tyres should be something like 225x40x19 all round if you have the Square set up or 225x40x19 Front and 255x35x19 Rear if the staggered set up. The knocking on lock is likely to be CV joints (the joint that provides drive to the front wheels and allows them to steer) Good Luck at the Garage you may find the CV joints just need cleaning re-packing and refitting (not difficult but a messy job) if they need replacing you may find the Warranty Company claim wear and tear let the garage deal with them as they will know the language to use if claiming. Dave

Morning Becky Welcome to the Forum ENJOY your BMW Dave

Has the car overheated ? If you have topped up the coolant has is cured the issue? A bit more information would help is it Diesel or Petrol? A scan would help pin it down as limp mode can be triggered by Transmission or engine issues Dave

Well at one time or another we have all been there, that Dohhh moment At least now your sorted Have a great weekend Dave

Morning Chris Welcome to the Forum Awesome car which model does it have X drive ? Are you asking "How big can you go?" or what is the largest OEM recommended size? The largest OEM I believe is 245x35x20 front and 275x30x20 rear which I would think you probably already have. If you have X dive you need to make sure that the rolling radius front to rear is matched or you can cause serious damage to the drive train (much more expensive than wheels and tyres) I have read of people fitting 21" and even 22" wheel and tyre sets but have no knowledge of the effects on ride etc ENJOY Dave

Morning Keith Welcome to the Forum It sounds as though the RDC Module is recognised but not Registered to the Chassis correctly rather than using the Autel tool have you tried with the OBD scanner you registered your battery with ? If the OBD scanner can't see the Module something is wrong. What scanner are you using is it a BMW capable unit? Dave

Morning Thomas Welcome to the Forum On the back/engine side of the rad at the bottom on the right side of the car you should find a Tap with a Red screw cap, put a flat head screw driver into the red cap and turn anti clockwise You could try looking at www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model. It is a parts list but it's exploded drawings are a help when seeing where stuff is. Also look at Pelican parts web site their articles have some great how too's with pictures Hope this helps Dave

Morning Sandra Welcome to the Forum Always difficult as if you find the right Collector/Buyer then you will get the best price I would check the Classic car web sites and Auction Houses to get a feel for the market. If you have a Classic car specialist near by maybe ask for a valuation. My guess would be £5000 in good condition maybe as high as £7 or £8000 in pristine condition Hope this helps Dave