Newbie with a couple of Q's :)

[Chrispy]

Hi all,

Picked up a Black Sept 2011 LCI 3.0d M Sport last month after trading in a 2010 320d SE Touring.  Got the 7 seat option which was the main driver behind the replacement as we have a 3rd child on the way, so our 2x 8 year olds (we had one each from previous marriages before anyone tries to do the math) can jump into the back making room for the car seat   Missus wanted a Disco 4 but we don't live in Emmerdale and I wanted something that was more reliable, less thirsty and drives better than those.  Other option was a similar age Q7 but those things are simply huge, give really poor MPG from what I read and are a bit too drug dealer-esque for my liking......  The E70 IMO was the safest bet, based on my previous experience with BMW after owning an E30, 2x E36's and the E91.

Otherwise it's nice to have some equipment as the E91 SE was truly poverty spec.  Heated leather, Xenons, Nav, the aforementioned 7 seats etc - makes it feel like a sizeable upgrade and going from the 2.0d 184 to a 245bhp 6 pot feels much more grown up too.  Reminds me a little of my old E36 320i M50 in some respects, just doesn't like to rev the same....  I do miss getting 47mpg without even trying admittedly (this thing seems to get about 33 on average and that's driving conservatively), and much cheaper insurance but this is the price I've paid I guess.

Anyway, the car has a few things that need sorting so I figured I'd enquire on here for advice

1. I need 2x new inner rear light clusters and seals.  The N/S one is cracked in an obvious way so needs replacing, and I replaced the foam seal on the O/S one on Saturday as it was steaming up, only to find that it was cracked too down one of the seams where the plastic is moulded together.  Out came the clear silicone sealant as a stop gap.  As such I need a pair of replacements.
Spoke to a BMW stealer and they wanted £184 for the N/S one alone, but I've been looking at non genuine ones as an alternative, such as on eBay etc.  Are there any recommended ones that look / feel as OEM as possible but don't cost the earth?

2. I need a new boot luggage cover as mine is missing.  I didn't use it much in the E91, just now and then but I've realised that not having it at all in the E70 is pretty annoying.  Most likely the previous owner took it out with the 7 seats being in use and forgot to put it back in / lost it (I didn't notice when buying the car and got it from a car dealership).  Where can I pick up one of these, used, again not paying new money?  Mine is the standard black interior so I assume the replacement is black / grey?

3. RFT's.  I ditched these on the E91 as they tramlined more than a tramliney thing and didn't help the ride much, although the squishy SE suspension kinda soaked most of that up.  But on the E70 the ride can be downright atrocious and it's only on 19's.  I assume dropping these for non-RFT's is as beneficial as I'm expecting?

4. I need a new head rest stem catch thingy for one of the 3rd row seats - the thing that you feed the head rest into and have to squeeze to pull the head rest out.  I've looked on ETK but am not sure of the exact part I need so any advice would be appreciated

5. The car had a tow bar on it prior to me - that much is clear as there's a 2" cut out in the rear bumper.  To avoid having to get a whole new bumper for now, is there a little cover or piece of trim that can be obtained to make it look a little less obtrusive?  Say for those that don't want to have the tow bar on year round and don't want the gap there when not attached.

6. Tempted to change the air filter.  There was no "set" service interval for this on the 2.0d and I know when I did it the car was noticeably better on fuel etc - just didn't have to be worked as hard really.  However I'm not sure what kind I need as on ECP there are a couple of different types and none match the guides I've seen on YouTube etc on replacing it, which looks like you have to dismantle part of the intake manifold to do it.....

7. The boot 12v socket doesn't work.  The ones in the back of the arm rest / centre console work fine (which I believe share the same fuse?), as does the one in the front of the car but not this one.  I do wonder if it's related to there being a tow bar on there at some point so if anyone has any experience of solving this any advice would be appreciated

That's all for now!

Cheers,

Chris.

[Nictrix]

Cant help much with most of your questions but sometimes you can get lights from ECP and they seem to be from the same manufacturers as OEM.
For your luggage cover, have you checked in the boot under the floor? It may be a stupid question but you may not have looked.

[Chrispy]

Ok cheers, I'll try ECP for the lights.

Re the luggage cover - I've got the 7 seat option so have no under boot floor space as such, just a little cubby

[Spandex]

For the rear lights, I stuck to Magneti Marelli units when I replaced mine. I'm not sure who made the original e70 light clusters, but Magneti Marelli are a BMW OEM (for example, they made the original rear lights in my  old e61) so I trust their quality. They were re no more expensive on eBay than the no-name models.

Bear in mind, I was looking at pre-LCI - I don't know what options are out there for LCI.

[X5Sport]

3.  Non RFT tyres are a slightly softer ride that the hard RFT version.  Just bear in mind that the BMW X cars can be very unhappy - to the point that the diffs/transfer box can break - with non ‘*’ marked tyres on staggered wheelsets.  It doesn’t happen to all but more and more failures are being reported where owners have saved money on the tyres and then had a significant repair bill for a new transfer box or diff.

‘*’ marked tyres have matched rolling radii front to rear thus preventing transmission wind up due to circumference differences.

Any sign of rumbling or jerky motion at low speed on full lock are classic signs of trouble.  Unfortunately it means you are limited to premium tyres (your car being a premium model).

[allanhelen]

For the lights try carparts 4 less or Eurocarparts there are always discount codes that make these decent value. I got one a few months ago and was around £60. Fitting them was quite easy there are guides on youtube in fact i let my son fit mine for me.

my luggage cover was missing too but there are loads on ebay, just one point unlike the e91 where all but the poverty spec cars came with the luggage net this was an option on the e70 so don't go paying a premium for one if you don't have the net fixing points in the roof

[Chrispy]

Thanks guys, I'll try Magnetti ones (saw some of those on eBay I think and they were about £60 each IIRC).  I'll also see what ECP have and see if that manufacturer comes up. 

Re the tyres, currently running on Bridgestones which I think were the original fitment?  I do have the staggered setup but would assume that replacing a like for like size in pairs would handle the correct rolling radii?  Or due to the extra "sag" does it mean all 4 would need replacement at the same time?

As for the luggage cover, my E91 had the built in net (and little sockets in the roof lining) so I'll check to see if mine has that before ordering

EDIT: The star rating on tyres is a new one to me - just been reading about it now.  Will possibly make tyre replacements interesting when the time comes.

EDIT x2: Just checked, all my current tyres are star rated - Bridegstone Dueler H/P sport jobbies

[Barroni]

Bridgestone Duelers would likely been original factory fitting.  With seven seat mode you wont have space for a spare wheel so staying with run flats might be preferable to you?

[CondorX5]

While non RFTs were a quick and easy solution to harsh ride quality on E53 models, don’t make a quick judgement on the E70 as there are real issues with transfer boxes and non star marked tyres (there are no star marked non RFTs in E70 sizes AFAIK)
The staggered wheel setup is particularly prone to destroy transfer boxes if the tyres are changed away from star marked ones.  My transfer box was replaced (thankfully under warranty as its an AUC) but not withut a lot of faffing about by the dealer as far as tyres and wheels were concerned - luckily these were OEM and star marked- if they are not, and the inevitable transfer box issues pop up, they will definitely refuse to replace / contribute.

Also, 7 seaters have absolutely no room for a spare wheel - RFTs are definitely preferable in such cases, I would think, especially if you have little ones aboard.  E70s really do need premium star marked tyres, unfortunately. 
But of course you will get some naysayers pop up and tell you how they have used some chinese ditchfinders without any problem.    I guess you have to make your own choices - I have chosen to stay with star marked RFTs, but others have not,  its your car, your family, your choice - but then I am not much of a gambler when it comes to tyres.

We also have our old X5, an E53 4.8is, which has never had star marked tyres in the 10 years we have owned her, but the transfer box issue is definitely an E70 one, not an E53 one.