XSeries-forum

Hi , i'm new to the forum so please be gentle, i'm not a mechanic nor even mechanically minded (just tried to disconnect my battery and smashed my hand up ! )

Anywho........... Bought my X5 3.0i 2003 last week and since have found quite a few problems, the most worrying one being the dreaded ABS trifecta !  been plugged into 2 different scanners (my own ebay special and a local garages snap on )  Both coming up with no codes relating to abs system ?  only stored code is P1619 maf cooling control circuit.
How can this be ?  Is the scanner not reading the car or something ?
I don't really have the ready cash to be throwing money at it hoping to solve the abs problemand was hoping somebody on here might shed some light on what it could be.

The wife wants me to get rid before it ends up costing us a bomb , already at over £200 just for todays work.

Many thanks in anticipaton of your help.

Silly question..
Have you turned the wheels from lock to lock?

Sometimes the car doesn't see the steering sensor position correctly..

You need to do this when ever you disconnect or fully discharge the battery!

You can try cleaning the maf off yourself but be careful.
Take it out and use some carb cleaner may help.
But make sure you put it back the right way, not forgetting to plug it all back in again.

They can cost you a bit, but if you are spanner savvy and don't mind doing some research (and searching and asking on here) then they can be no more expensive than any other car..

To me the driving experience always made up for the hassles it caused..

You will probably find that the previous owner did what you are thinking of doing. There seems to be a lot of this happening, your bound to get various problems with a 13 year old vehicle that maybe hasn't had as much TLC as it should have had. Stick with it, you'll learn as you go along and as Steamyrotter says the driving experience is better than most at the price you will have payed. Good luck.

[quote="benscab"]
Hi , i'm new to the forum so please be gentle, i'm not a mechanic nor even mechanically minded (just tried to disconnect my battery and smashed my hand up ! )

Anywho........... Bought my X5 3.0i 2003 last week and since have found quite a few problems, the most worrying one being the dreaded ABS trifecta !  been plugged into 2 different scanners (my own ebay special and a local garages snap on )  Both coming up with no codes relating to abs system ?  only stored code is P1619 maf cooling control circuit.
How can this be ?  Is the scanner not reading the car or something ?
I don't really have the ready cash to be throwing money at it hoping to solve the abs problemand was hoping somebody on here might shed some light on what it could be.

The wife wants me to get rid before it ends up costing us a bomb , already at over £200 just for todays work.

Many thanks in anticipaton of your help.
[/quote]
According to a google search or two, this seems to be a problem fault o other BMW's, can be just a wheel sensor, but usually a fault code is generated. A couple with faulty were faulty ABS modules , located behind one of the headlights/ airbox. When the scanner can't see the module to recover a fault code because  it's goosed.
The trouble is these cars were expensive when new, but still can come with expensive repair bills. Sounds like someone's off loaded a problem on to you. Good luck with getting it sorted.

If not currently getting anywhere with efforts thus far I advise tnat yku find a good BMW independent.

I note your concerns re outlay.....in all honesty if you are considering bailing out after a £200 bill you may get twitchy in future ownership. Many of us with older E53's owned for some timd have spent many hundereds even thousands sorting issues. If paying bills of this nature every few months is an issue then this may not be car for you.

Not suggessting you or your wallet not worthy of the car but I would allow £1k every 10 k miles for maintenance on  an eaely car that has some mikes under its belt. That figure is balllpark......you might not need spend a penny for months once ABS sorted but it is not unknown for folk to have to spend thousands sorting issues. Cost to sort brakes and rearr bushes will be several times more than your £200 spent thus far.

I accept that many get rid of anything that requires some significsnt spending on it but do consider that residuals partially reflect the likely outlay incolved in keeping these maintained. If you do move it on privately then pleaase consider being honest re issues it has.....as you know it is not good to be left with un wanted bills. Chances are next owner may be buying with last of their available funds.

If otherwise car is relatively sound then it may serve wel!.

If after a reliable cheaper to maintain 4x4 then perhaps consider japanese offerings that may (but still may not) offer less risk of unexpected significanf bills.Toyota a fair bet Hi-Lux or RX300 witbout air suspension good shouts for under £5k used.

If you do sell it on, be totally honest. Also, weigh up if what you are likely to lose in reselling is less than the cost to fix. Also, if it is a sensor issue, why not get a used part? Sensors that cost £200 can be picked up for £10. If you can switch them over yourself, or have a helpful friend, that's a no brainer.  Good luck

Thanks for your replies. I wouldn't pass the car on without telling the new owner of its problems. I really want to keep the X5 , it's her indoors who doesn't like spending money on repairs ( well I suppose nobody LIKES it ) , but I think us men are more accepting if the fact that when you buy a used car, you might have to spend a few quid getting it up to standard. The only reason it worries me is because I personally have no mechanical skills to speak of which means paying out for just about everything the car needs doing to it. If I were more spanner savvy ( and had more tools than a very rusty old pair of long noses pliers ), I would even attempt some if the jobs myself (YouTube assisted). I think after consideration I am going to persevere and keep the car and just have the jobs done one at a time (she might not notice the cost as much that way ).

As this is a very good and interactive forum you will have a lot of knowledge at your fingertips.
It is highly likely someone on here has had any fault you would most likely get (that's not a challenge to find a new one!!!)

Where abouts are you as someone who is spanner savvy may be close enough to assist and help you learn???

We all started somewhere.

I accept that tools are key to success with d.i.y. but many small jobs can be tackled relatively easily.

eBay , Car boot sales & some charity shops are good sources of secondhand tools.


Changing bulbs, wiper blades replacing switches all easy.

Coolant oil, filter &  battery changes are really quite easy.

Many sensors or switches are pretty much plug and play.

For the other stuff requiring more ability or skill there are tutorials online on forums or you tube. If not motivated to go down that route then start networking......

Do you know anyone in the motor trade, maybe someone that works in a bus depot on commercials or at a dealership who does private mechanic work at weekends....ideal for say getting discs or pads changed, maybe a cv boot swapped or a balljoint changed. Personally I don't push my luck with corroded suspension parts as I have limited tools and skills.....not my idea I fun ending up with an undriveable car in bits with sheared bolts or siezed rounded fastenings/bolts etc. Facebook, asking around or chatting in local pub should open up some options for contacts.....speak to people, learn from people & importantly look after decent contacts where appropriate.

I also except that sometimes coding or proper diagnostics are required.

Me clear what you can do, what a spanner monkey could do and what needs doing by someone more skilled or experienced with working on your particular type of car.

If you can decorate a house, hang a currain rail, wire a light fitting, change a light switch, make a roast dinner then chances are you an work your way through simple car related repair or plug and play tasks.

If in past you haven't done much on other cars the chances are you overlooked stuff, accepted niggles or simply but the bullet at m.o.t. time.

Basically don't underestimate the journey ahead but it needn't be feared if you are sensible and have realistic expectations.

.....alternatively buy a 2004 era CRV, accept the nav will fail and cross your fingers !

Thanks for your advice guys, I've decided to keep it and try do some if the repairs myself.  I live in Bridlington on the East Yorkshire coast if anyone nearby would be willing to lend a hand . My first objective is to find a decent scanner to bring up fault codes and go from there.

Reading codes is one thing - interpreting them and maybe knowing how to work back to an issue and sort it is another. I use a peake code scanner - sourced secondhand. Idiot proof albeit I confess mainly used to identify issues for repairs usually done by someone else unless relatively straightforward.

Not local to you sorry.

Auto logic or GT1 used to be best independent specialist Code readers.

No substitute for a good BMW specialist who can quickly identify and sort issues based on their repeated similar experiences with similar cars

[quote="AW8"]
No substitute for a good BMW specialist who can quickly identify and sort issues based on their repeated similar experiences with similar cars
[/quote]


Which unfortunately usually doesn't include main dealers!!!!

>:D

Hi

With regard to getting a code reader there are several types about although I've not used any of them

The Link below may helps a bit as it mentions the INPA and a BMW scanner 1-4-0
http://xdrivers.co.uk/forum/index.php/t ... #msg114427

Also I think if you send a pm to shadrack who is up that way he may know of a good BMW Indy in that area who can help.

Hope that helps
Graeme

This is a very interesting and helpful post, On a more light hearted note and this is aimed at AW8, I consider myself a half decent mechanic (debatable) but I can assure you that you wouldn't want to have a munch on my Sunday roast :-[

Crikey