Greydog

Morning Rick Welcome to the Forum The BMW straight 6 engine is one of the worlds great engines in petrol or diesel flavour. The 530d, 535d and indeed the 4.0d and 550d M engines are based on the same 530d unit with changes to inlet, exhaust, number of turbo's etc etc My brother inlaw is on his 5th 530d the last 2 have been 535d he travels a great deal in Europe (his business is in Holland) he has a heavy right foot so all his cars have a good workout. All have a complete BMW history plus we do interim stuff when they visit. All have been ECU tuned the 535d variants are capable mid range acceleration that scares Porche drivers while still returning high 30's mpg So if your a white haired hooligan like my brother inlaw or more sedate the 535d will give more Smiles the 530d more miles Dave

Morning Kenny I don't think your BMW head unit can cope with Bluetooth Video transfer (some struggle to stream music) My brother inlaw struggled until discovered that the settings he needed were not in Phone Settings but in multimedia. On the screen you select multimedia then (if my brain is still OK) Connected devices, your phone should come up showing the Phone symbol highlighted and an Audio symbol greyed out. Select the phone and you should get a series of check boxes one is Audio. Check and close and you should be able to stream music. Video you may need a wired connection Dave

Morning Oliver Welcome to the Forum When you say the mirrors don't move do you mean the glass can't be adjusted or do you mean they don't fold ? Have you checked the fuses? Have you checked the connectors? If you have and they are OK then you need to dig deeper if you use a garage it could be costly due to labour rates. If you can DIY it would cheaper without diagnostics it's a case of testing first the door unit each mirror and possibly the seat adjustment unit plus all the wiring a break in the wiring for one mirror could effect both. Dave

Morning Ben At such low mileage and with a full history, I take it that is Annual BMW inspections ? Did they do any work OIl Filters etc. or just carry out an annual inspection? As you have recently brought the car I would be talking to the supplying Dealer Dave

Hi Kristian How are you trying to connect INPA some models will need cable only connection others will accept bluetooth? Quick question there was a BMW recall for the Drivers airbag has your car been done? Worth checking. If it is outstanding then talk to them and get it done The slip ring/clock spring are normally pretty robust the steering angle sensor is further down the steering column. I don't know if your diagnostics is capable of resetting the SRS faults I think INPA is your best option for diagnostics and fault clearing Dave

Morning Keith Welcome to the Forum I take you mean the windscreen A pillars Check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model then search the relevant section if the seal is available you will find it there and the Part Number then search the internet for the best price. Good Luck Dave

Morning Conrad I have heard of people doing it but not tried it myself I just got the side bolster repaired Check the internet and www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model then check part numbers Dave

Morning Gary Now you know why they say BMW stands for "Breaks My Wallet" 🤣 I take it you have cleared the Bluetooth memory in the car (there is a limit the number of phones that can be connected) If your phone is connected it should be just the Audio that needs turning on. I remember my brother inlaw going through a bit of a Faff with getting streaming working on his last 2, 5 series. From memory you have to go into Mutimedia on the iDrive then Connections I think then select your phone to the right there is a Phone symbol (highlighted) and Music symbol probably not highlighted. Hit options on the iDrive controller, then configure device from memory the should be a check box to enable audio and your done. By the way he has an iPhone and she has a Samsung same process for both Have a check online it took two old blokes a morning to crack the first time but only a couple of hours with his new one trying to remember how 🤣 Hope this helps Dave

Morning Neil If I recall if your car has the USB port then you need the Microphone and Bluetooth antenna and someone with BMW friendly software to turn it on. If you don't have a USB equipped car then you need the Bluetooth unit plus the other stuff, or you may find it quicker and cheaper to fit a Parrott unit or similar. The 116d is a great little engine 116hp and really low emissions plus around 70mpg on a run made it a great buy for the business market. If your a DIY mechanic who will do jobs yourself then get a good BMW diagnostic suite it will save £££ and hours of head scratching Dave

Morning Kristian There should be a hole like the one in your second picture on each side of the wheel, when you slide a release tool/screwdriver in you can push down to release a tab while using a trim removal tool to lever up the Airbag. Once you have lifted one side repeat on the other, the airbag should lift away be careful there are 2 connectors underneath. The hole in the picture looks a little used/abused so if it has been off a few times something may be a bit "err" worn inside so you may have to fish around to depress the tab. Goes without saying make sure the battery is disconnected. You will need a BMW friendly Diagnostic programme to reset the airbag light Dave

Morning Philip Welcome to the Forum Thats a new one, could be the sensor control unit or simply a loose connection to the video unit. I would try unplugging the connectors using a good contact cleaner and re-connecting A diagnostic scan should identify the cause so you need a garage or friend who has BMW capable diagnostics to help My X5 has reverse camera and sensors and as my Daughter told me "waste of time Dad there is always a thud when your to close" 🤣 Dave

Morning Mike First make sure the battery is correct for your car (same as the old one) or check www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box and it will bring up your model. The site is a BMW Parts List so you can check what was fitted OEM. Your battery needs registering to ensure correct charging everything should work OK but registering the battery makes sure Any decent garage should have software to register your battery or if you want to DIY then Foxwell iCarsoft, Autologic are all capable just check their specs before buying or get a copy of INPA/ISTA and put it on an old laptop then you will have your own copy of BMW Dealer level diagnostics Dave

I will do some digging John never looked at this before so the Gauntlet is down Dave

I guess you have checked Youtube and Google for tips and hints? Check www,realoem.com if you haven't put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will bring up your model see what was fitted. Dave

Hi The 3.0d you have should be 218 bhp with an decent ECU tune you should see 250 bhp and with a few more tweaks 300 bhp is in reach and the motor stays reliable, but it's the increase in torque that is most noticeable especially in the midrange. Your Gearbox will be ZF GA6HP26Z BMW like a few other manufacturers started the "sealed for life" myth what they mean is sealed for their 3 year Warranty period 🤣 ZF themselves recommend Fluid and Filer changes at 80 to 100k/km so about 60k miles. BMW got a bit Red Faced and never ones to miss a profit sell the fluid now. The boxes are pretty tough the transfer boxes can be damaged quite quickly by wrong sized tyres causing Transmission wind up. So when you stop if you hear a clicking sound or if you reverse slowly on full lock and get a jerking that's wind up so check the tyres. If the transfer box is damaged it is a DIY fix and fairly straight forward. The best would be get a copy of ISTA/INPA and put it on a laptop (I have an old Win8 laptop in the Garage with BMW 1.4.0, INPA/ISTA, Mercedes Star and Volvo diagnostics on it plus a couple of others to help out the Kids and Neighbours. Once you get it up and running you will have Dealer level access I have seen complete laptops ISTA mounted on Ebay for £150 which is less than a Dealer would charge for a Diagnostic session. There are also others like Foxwell and iCarsoft Check your battery often the cause of Gremlins BMW are power hungry beasts if voltage drops it will start throwing warnings. Also BMW like common earth points make sure they are clean so a session with contact cleaner may help. Dave

Morning Kristian Welcome to the Forum The 3.0d straight 6 is one of the worlds great engines so as long as it has been well serviced (I would add interim oil changes) plus if the History doesn't show it it would be worth changing iff and transfer box oils and service the Gearbox. The X3 being AWD and like all AWD is sensitive to Tyre's and to avoid damage to the transfer case and or diffs stick to the recommended sizes. As you have the 3.0d I would think the tyres are staggered (wider rear) something like 235x45x19 front and 255x40x19 rear? When changing tyres try to change all 4 together and all the same make to keep the front/rear rolling radius the same If you are a DIY mechanic invest in a good Diagnostic code reader preferably BMW capable it will save you ££££ in the long run. Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy Dave

Hmnn I guess if you had never had a dipstick or like a few of our sons friends who didn't know their car had one anyway !!! Then you would trust the sensor me as an old engineer ??? Glad it's settled down, enjoy your Beemer Dave

Morning John Got to be worth a try, I did read somewhere that when burning the CD it needs to be done at the slowest speed Dave

Morning Alex I believe it is Dealer only for obvious reasons to try and keep history as real as possible. Talk to your BMW Dealer he should be able to check it's Dealer service history and update it any services outside the BMW network will not be logged so the only proof you will have is receipts for work carried out. Dave

Morning Kenny Yes Dr Tranny really does work, takes a few miles to get thoroughly mixed in One of the only "Snake Oil" fixes I have tried My X5 I fitted an external trans oil cooler with stat and engine wise I changed the main engine cooling fan for an electric one with an in hose stat. I did this as I would be towing a couple of Fat Horses in a trailer so wanted to make sure it all stayed cool. Dave

Hi John As far as I know your on the right track, is the software visible on a laptop ? I know there are several You Tube videos maybe one of those may help Dave

Morning Jason Welcome to the Forum Great choice (mind Estoril Blue is the fastest colour 🤣) my Brother Inlaw runs a 535d Touring basically the same engine. This is his 5th all his cars are brought new and he takes them to around 200k they all have a BMW history but neither of us are happy with the current extended oil service thinking (not just BMW) we carry out interim oil and filter changes every 5 to 10k depending on how busy he is. The current engines have the timing chain at the rear of the engine so any work requires the engine out so a massive job. Before starting put your hand on the engine make sure it's cold, then start it should be quiet and smooth no rattles or noises. So History History History with evidence of an interim oil change would help Just my thoughts Dave

Morning Mando Check real oem I think you will find that different wheel sets have varying off set values. Spacers will help fill the arch if that is what you want. Dave

Morning Lee Welcome to the Forum First why do you need to use the washers before you set off ? If it just to clear condensation the wipers will cope, or are you are clearing light frost as you drive the washer nozzles could be icing. When you run the washher's can you hear the pump running? There are fine mesh filters on the pump that can become clogged with a slimy sludge when the washers have been topped up with fluid that doesn't have an anti bac content so check the filters Dave

On the Black Plastic Body of the Headlamp unit you will find a BMW logo and a part number moulded into the plastic of the headlamp. The label and numbers you are trying to use are Hella Manufacturing and batch labels and don't relate to anything on realoem. I thought all the LCI lamps were Xenon so check carefully Dave