I found that the last set of Diamaris tyres had uneven wear around the circumference and also more wear in the centre (I've found this with other Michelins on my E46) so I changed these out for Latitude Sport 3. Pressures 2.2 bar; check at least every two weeks. I got 26k front and 18k rear from the ...

Definitely get the tool or have one made based on a balljoint that you buy. The critical area is where the wheel carrier gets really close to the top of the balljoint - the tool must have a notch or flat so it seats correctly. I used some penetrating oil, but even then after eleven years the tool ...

My 2005 diesel has needed £5,500 in maintenance over 11 years. It's just starting to get painful now - ahead of MoT I'm about to replace rear wishbones, ball joints, integral links and who knows what else once I get the lower arms free! I can't complain about the cost - it's a great car, very ...

It seems like part of the system is losing one of the power lines. I know from doing a retrofit install on my E46, and fixing my current E53 screen that there's a rats nest of cabling here... WDS says Fuse 75, 5A looks to be the power to the monitor - worth double checking. This connects to pin 7 on ...

I've had 3 bad glowplugs on an E39 525tds. They were correctly reported as faulty at 169,000 miles, and in winter it got bad and hard to get the car to start. However, once the car ran for a very brief time (seconds) there was no lumpiness. The glow plugs are there to start the engine, not to keep ...

Congratulations on the purchase - nice car :-) Regarding the fuelling, I'd be tempted to look for obstructions as well. I find diesel fuel pumps to be pretty temperamental - occasionally they click off really early. One thing you may wish to try is rotate the nozzle - some click off at certain ...

Brake fluid change due January 2015
Inspection due in 1750km

Long shot but check the mating surfaces - where the steel hub touches the alloy wheel. These should be clean, very lightly greased and free of corrosion. Contamination or refurb residue can cause a problem. Before you remove the wheels, do the spin test and look at the inner as well as outer rims ...

For the TV tuner you can go for a conversion service at about £250 or watch for a module from a breaker. For the BM54 amp repair, I went to Baris at Carphonics and he did a great job for £99. The audio is genuinely better on fix, and not just because the speakers all work! For the DVD drive you know ...

1. In my car the positive terminal is on the bulkhead, near side, and with a black plastic clip cover which has a + symbol upon it.
2. Mine has the near side dip when reverse is engaged, but switching the mirror select does not make the rhs mirror dip.
2005 3.0d Sport manual

[quote="X5Sport"]
[quote="Don Coffey"]
So it now handles like a dream and goes like stink, all for £2.99.

Don
[/quote]

More likely it handles like it stinks and only goes in the owner's dreams......
[/quote]

Hahaha! Thank you for making me laugh out loud!!!!

My dealers rarely stamp the service books these days. It's all on the central system, and you can persuade dealers to print the record out if you need it. As suggested, it's "progress"!

Also - 33mpg average over 123,000 miles for my manual E53 Sport 3.0d. Economy seems to strongly relate to use, in my experience. I get 23mpg from the E46 M3 and (so far) 31mpg from the 23sDrive Z4.

I got 204,000 miles out of my E39 525TDS and the only under bonnet excitement was losing 3 glow plugs at 160k. Diesel turbos run cool, just change the oil more than BMW recommend - I change the E53's midway between services. I have no experience of petrol turbo cars - yet. I'm a curious watcher as ...

I found that buying individual spare wheels with unused tyres made a good method to put together a spare set of wheels. I got a full set for about £225. Works if you are patient, these wheels come online from time to time.