Seeking a forum diagnosis is can often prove inadequate for the following reasons :
1) The car cannot by physically seen by those whose opinions are sought.
2) The knowledge skills and experience of those responding can be varied.
3) A described symptom may be attributable to one of a number of issues.( e.g noises or a yellow dash light could be down to any number of issues).
Folk seeking online info may wish to ask themselves what they hope to achieve if armed with forum info, (particularly if lacking technical ability, access to diagnostic equipment & tools etc).
In many instances it may be more productive to cause the vehicle to be examined by an expert. Owners seeking an accurate disagnosis may wish to use their main dealer or perhaps use a recommended independent. Some may find the following garage guide useful (kind courtesey of a fellow bmw enthusiast) click to link here If you use a BMW dealer or independent please provide that site with a short review.
Despite the above it is often the case that useful info can be obtained from these forums.The above is not meant to discredit the many kind & helpful members.
When seeking help here be sure to provide adequate info re your car as problems & advice can be quiet specific depending on engine-type & build year, (for eample there were seven different engines in the E53 X5 from 2000-2007). You may find less repetition if you to add basic engine/year details to your signature.
This post is not aimed at anyone in particular or intended to discourage folk from seeking help where a useful forum assisted outcome is likely.
Good Luck in sorting any problems
