Greydog

Morning Richard The Michelins have had som good write ups and there seem to be some good deals going as well When had the 4.4 it was LPG converted to the spare wheel is still in the garage full size 17" never seen the light of day let alone the road 😁 I carried a small compressor and a can of tyre goo in case of punctures. Still got those in the back of he 4.6. Tempt fate now in 18 years and a lot of miles I have used it once. Dave

Hi Antony Michelin pilot were at one time BMW tyre of choice but Continental, Bridgestone , Pirelli have all appeared as OEM supply. Whether they are RunFlat or not my personal feelings are 3 things are critical on our cars Steering, Tyres, Brakes "Buying Cheap" on any of them is putting you and your pride and joy at risk. So I always use a good recognised brand of Tyre's, (currently Yoko's) Brakes, (Brembo Pads and Disks) Steering, OEM parts. As i tow a horse trailer with two fat horses during the summer it is good to know it will stop. Dave

Morning Gary They look great don't they, bet your chuffed. As for a spare check the rolling radius of your existing 17" spare (or one that has just been removed) 17" were the original choice of spare on the E53. Make a small chalk mark at the bottom of your roadwheel and the road, roll the car forward 1 revolution and mark the road then do the same with your spare if the calk marks line up you already have your spare. I still have the spare wheel (17") from my first 4.4 X5 sitting in the garage unused, the car came with a staggered set of 19" wheels the spare was 17" so worth checking. My 4.6 runs 20" wheels and has a skinny bicycle wheel spare that only comes out when I am working/checking on something in the boot. I carry a small compressor and tyre goo in case of problems. ENJOY Dave

Morning Dan Top man, almost there. I don't know if you are aware of www.realoem.com it's a BMW online parts list, put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box it will call up your model. The search the relevant sections for the bits you need that way you know a the correct part number and that it will fit. Dave

Hi Philip How is the suspension adjusted on the 335d? I know the tracking and wheel alignment can be set/re-set which is good practice at every tyre change. Also as long as tyres are within the BMW specification why would you have to inform insurers, bearing in mind wheel/tyre combinations are available from 18" to 20" in a range of width combinations and tyre widths as standard OEM equipment dependent on customer order. This of course does not include Winter wheel and tyre combinations which are non runflat yet an OEM fitment with no recommended changes to the suspension shown in BMW TIS I agree Insurers would want to know if the wheel tyre combination were outside the OEM specification. But if every time a new set of tyres are purchased ?? Dave

Morning Jason Welcome to the Forum Sorry cant see/hear your video so cant even guess at what your issue is. If looking for a Garage check the Register of BMW Specialists for your nearest one they will have the knowledge and right tools and on the plus side generally a lot less than a Main Dealer Dave

Morning Richard Same technique as the brother inlaw, the stupid thing is even after doing a few oil changes on his car I haven't checked !!!!! How amateur is that I will feel a real plank if there is one. His current ride is a G31 B57 540d x drive ECU tuned 380 bhp and its an awesome bit of kit he had it de-badged so no one is sure what it actually is. Its covered 130k so far without issue Dave

Hi Craig Welcome to the Forum You need someone with BMW diagnostic software to scan the car, there is a Register of BMW Specialists Google and find the nearest to you. Unless you are able to DIY? If you are then get yourself a copy of BMW INPA/ISTA or Carly for BMW, iCarsoft or Autologic the investment will save you a fortune in the long run Your stalling could be a clogged fuel filter, failing fuel pump, MAF sensor, Throttle body the list is long so diagnostics are important. Nice Car Dave

Welcome to the Forum Antony There is a Register of BMW Specialists so depending on how deep your pockets are at service time they generally will be considerably less than the Main Dealer but will have all the right knowledge and kit. Having said that don't dismiss the Dealer as they often give well priced incentives. Hope you enjoy your Beemer Dave

Morning Kenny First get yourself a tube of DR Tranny it is one of the "Snake oil" remedies that I have found that actually works it may help while you work out the best course of action When I buy my gearbox service kit i always surf the Net last one came from an Ebay supplier correct ZF fluid filter gasket and bolts £132 18 months ago. Takes about an hour to do (I have a big shallow plastic box/bread tray with no holes to catch the old fluid in (there is still a fair bit comes out when you drop the sump caught me out first time) If you get good proof that the box was rebuilt that sounds a bargain I would think it has been drained for shipping so you will still need fluid and worth doing a filter change as well. OK cruise = constant throttle setting, that would lead me more towards checking for air/vacuum leaks on the inlet side. Dave

Morning Steve Off the top of my head Not a Clue !! Try taking a look at www.realoem.com Dave P.S. Hang on doesn't your car have electric power steering ?? I thought they were sealed, again you need to check realoem

Hi Kenny When you say surging in cruise control if you turn off cruise does it come out with a jerk and slow? If it does get the throttle body checked any air/vacuum leaks could be your cause. If it has been stripped to clean the EGR always use a new "O" ring. (3 guess's how I learned that) check all the Vac lines as well Normally any faults with the ZF mechatronics or valve body inside the box will throw a fault with the gearbox controller. Did they do a filter and fluid change ? Often you will find that a Fault code will have a knock on that triggers others due to interrupted or corrupted signals over the Bus system if you try to clear the knock on fault it won't reset due to it still thinking there is a fault up or downstream. So I reset all codes then visit each module individually to clear down any memory/shadow faults. BMW Thermal Oil level Sensor they are a complete PITA as to get at it you have to drain the sump. I would wait till oil change time then change the sensor at the same time. AUC sensor is part of the HVAC system again a part that either works forever or never !!! Easy to get at and change just make sure you get the right one. Check the main battery connection/charging point under the bonnet they cause all sorts of hard to trace issues if someone has undone it for some reason and not tightened it up again. SRS fault the favourite here is the passenger seat occupancy sensor. A scan with INPA?ISTA will nail it down. PDC it will be one of the sensors again a scan will tell you which one (4 front 4 rear) By the way BMW PDC systems hate jet washes and car washes mine go on strike if I use them. Dave

Morning Rachael O2 sensors measure the ratio of air to unburnt fuel in the exhaust before and after the Cat so the engine management can make adjustments, so you have 2. An air or vacuum leak can trigger the EML (engine management light) as can EGR issues If I were you I would Google the Register of BMW Specialists and find one near you as they will (a) have the equipment to diagnose your cars issues properly (b) they are not going to be any more expensive than the Garage you just used. I hope this helps Dave

Morning Kenny That is quite a list but the only reading for the transmission says "No Faults" ?? First if you examine the fault list many are repeated suggesting they were triggered probably by low voltage at the battery at some point and held in the memory. Also many are related an obvious example is the CID and IKE (instrument cluster) and LCM (light module) faults. Autologic doesn't identify between Fault present and Fault memory. The result as you see is repeated faults. Question did they clear down the faults and re-scan (I doubt it) the first action should be clear all faults and a re-scan that will show only present/actual faults. Your LCM faults trigger faults upstream and down stream, Do your instruments work OK and light up? Does the HVAC work? Now the gearbox was it/has it been slipping or making hard changes? Or did you just put it in for a service? The box in my X5 deals with similar torque to yours plus a bit more HP it lives a hard life towing a couple of fat horses about during the summer and a fair bit of off road stuff. Tempt fate now, it's covered close to 160k (regular Fluid changes) they told me the TC was on it's way about 50k ago (showing Lock Up Faults) I treated it to a tube of DR Tranny and yes the TC is getting noisy but it still drives well all changes up and down are smooth (oh and TC lock up fault hasn't returned). So how does it drive? what errors/warning lights are on the dash? If I were you I would get myself a copy of INPA/ISTA, you can buy a copy already mounted on a laptop should be about £150 or so, probably about the same as the cost of the list you have? It will give you the ability to scan your own car it will interrogate ALL modules and you have the ability to reset and rescan, plus it should have a copy of TIS (BMW technical information) you will learn that a fault code can be a symptom not always the cause. One of our sons has a Toyota Pickup the EML popped up so he came around and used a scanner O2 sensor pre-cat was the fault. As it was going in for service he didn't reset the light, the Garage rang him "new O2 sensor needed he picked the truck up drove 5 miles EML came on. Back to the garage (Toyota Dealer) must be a faulty sensor so changed again off he went only for the EML to come on?? On the Saturday morning we found 3 perished Vacuum lines on the inlet side we replaced them all no more EML I would just not trust their diagnosis particularly if your cars driving OK Dave

Morning Joey Just looked back at my notes when we did it, First there is a cover strip that runs across the top of the front bumper/nose above the grills, this needs lifting and prising out. Then the rubber closing strip that covers the joint with the inner/outer wing needs removing. Now the two trim strips either side can have the plastic rivets lifted 6 aside from memory then the trims can be removed. In the wheel arch there are torx bolts 3 each side holding the liner, peel back the liner. There are 2 bolts holding the bumper to the bumper iron, now undo the screws above the grills and the bumper lifts forward. Careful of electrical and washer connections. Support the bumper (we put a blanket over it to protect the paint). Now there are just 2 really fiddly to get at torx bolts that hold each headlamp in place move the headlamp forward and change the bulb !! SO SIMPLE !! Having done it once I guess I could probably do it in 30 to 45 mins now, it was the head scratching working out how it went together/came apart that took the time. My local Dealer's hourly rate is close to £200 per hour (someone has to pay for the free coffee) so a Diagnostic session £130 is about par for the course.

Morning Catherine Welcome to the Forum From what I have read just about all the "Plug in Hybrids" not just BMW to achieve the "Quoted" mileage on battery only conditions have to be perfect and all accessories turned off. So Radio, Climate Control, Heater, Lights no phone charger plugged in. Then drive really slowly below the threshold where the engine kicks in. Even then you may not get the "Quoted" distance's like published MPG and CO2 emissions these are often achieved in laboratory not on the road so the conditions can be optimised. I have neighbours who have had Lexus Hybrids for years (His n Her's) then he went all electric with a Tesla. In the real world they both joke that the battery is to leave home without waking anyone up !! The Lexus will give 8 to 10 miles battery only so more for sitting in traffic than driving and the Tesla 280 miles Quoted and he has never achieved better than 180 real world he does love it though. They keep the Lexus for long distance's after a very fraught journey in the Tesla finding a couple of charging points not working!! Like the early laptops and phones there is a way to go yet in their development. As an engineer the fact we haven't yet worked out what to do with the batteries at end of life is a concern, Tesla proudly proclaim that 60% will be re-purposed/recycled? what about the other 40%? For me batteries are not the answer to costly to the environment in manufacture and disposal. We need more investment in Fuel cell technology that will be the way forward. Enjoy your Beemer Dave

OK Matey Let me have a dig in the garage tomorrow I think I should have a disk somewhere Dave

hi Paul Check www.realoem.com Dave

Morning Bill Welcome to the Forum First from your description and the fact a local specialist has quoted "new Amp" suggests he has seen it a few times before? There are several companies that repair this type of Unit BBA Reman, ECU Testing and Cartronix are all people I have used in the past good turnaround. However as the Amp is Plug and Play I would ask the Repairer for a cost and check it against second hand unit cost and maybe just change it and put your original unit back so you retain Bluetooth. Dave

Morning Stephen The summer wheel/tyre set up on my X5 4.6is is Front Type 87 91/2 J ET45 Rear Type 87 101/2 J ET30 tyres are Front 275 x 40x 20R Rear 315 x 35 x 20R Winters are 18" square set up 255 x 55 x 18 Wintrac Extreme My 20" Star Spoke type 87 are OEM that came with the car. Looking at the offset range you quote are these Aftermarket wheels ? Dave

Morning Joey Welcome to the Forum I have done this on the Brother Inlaws 535d Touring my politest description would be a total PITA of a job!! Not BMW's best effort it took quite a bit of head scratching to work out which pieces of trim had to come off just get access (be careful with the plastic rivets or have spares ready) it took two of us a Saturday morning there are some really fiddly to get at bolts holding the headlamps so keep the swear box handy 😆 Good Luck Dave

Morning Simon Take advantage of the "deals" at your main Dealer £450 is a good price (my main dealer is almost £200 per hour labour so I would question exactly what is done?) and never be shy about asking for discounts (at the Dealer or the Specialist) My Brother Inlaw is on his 4th 5 series touring 2 530d and 2 535d all have been ECU tuned, his current 2018 car is quite capable of embarrassing some high end stuff in the mid range acceleration but still gives good MPG (he has a big grin most of the time to) Dave

Morning Steve I take it you want to change to LED replacements, 4500k to 6000k would give the same look as the headlamps? I believe the LED bulb type is H11. Space is tight so check they fit if you can before buying, also check if they are sold as "Canbus Error free" if not you will need inline resistors (one for each lamp) to avoid bulb failure errors popping up. A google search should find you a supplier Dave

Yay bonus Richard Be interesting to know just which engines have and haven't got them? Brother inlaws 535d touring 2018 hasn't got one but next time they visit I will have a dig. Dave

Hi Welcome to the Forum Most Manufacturers have so called "condition based" service programs yet most are in reality time/distance based in the cars onboard computer. With modern synthetic oils most now stretch servicing to minimum once a year some two years?? Your history shows 5 oils changes so around 20k interval (personally I do mine twice in that time) plus the other time based items (brake Fluid etc) so Yes service history looks pretty much complete. If you are an engineer like me it is fun to tease the BMW service manager by asking him how the car measures oil viscosity and acidic content? Basic principles should apply tempered by common sense if you are covering high miles service more regularly if lower miles a minimum of annual servicing to make sure for MOT time. I would use a BMW Specialist as costs will be more sensible. A tip if you need to use the Warranty let the Garage talk to them as they will be well versed in what to say to get the right outcome. Enjoy your Beemer Dave