BMW and M Power Owners

Biohazard · 14 Feb 2013 at 19:28

Headlight bulbs gone? Check. Swap them about from the other headlight. I'm not sure on the angle eyes, but the pulsing looks like it is the module that runs voltage through the lighting system to check for burnt bulbs.

godinman · 14 Feb 2013 at 22:25

Went to top up the oil this evening and noticed mayonnaise on the filler cap, it's only a very small amount which could be attributed to lots of short journeys, but this coupled with slow coolant loss obviously has me worried.

I'll br taking it to the garage but does anyone have any ideas what this could be?

Biohazard · 14 Feb 2013 at 22:46

Engine?

Mayo could be the winter period, you may get a bit more condensation in the crankcase. Slow coolant loss could be the coolant system as opposed to automatically being the head gasket, the oil heat exchanger can be prone to causing contamination.

Atari · 15 Feb 2013 at 10:54

Biohazard said:
How do I re-sync a key on an E46?

Seemed to have borked my 'main' key, won't lock/unlock activate/deactivate alarm. 'Spare' key still operates fine in that regard, and 'main' key will start engine thereafter..?

Which key do you have? I believe the procedure varies depending on the type of key, but most E46's have the diamond shaped key in which case the procedure is as follows:

1. with the both keys, get in the car and close all windows and doors.
2. Put working key into the ignition and turn to position 1 (the accessories should turn on)
3. turn the key back to position 0 and take key out of the ignition.
4. hold down the unlock button, press the Roundel (lock button) 3 \ntimes, and release the unlock button. Doors should lock and unlock.

[TW]Fox · 15 Feb 2013 at 11:42

godinman said:
Went to top up the oil this evening and noticed mayonnaise on the filler cap, it's only a very small amount which could be attributed to lots of short journeys, but this coupled with slow coolant loss obviously has me worried. I'll br taking it to the garage but does anyone have any ideas what this could be?

BMW engines are notorious for this in cold weather if you only do short trips from cold. Many garages will happily diagnose head gasket failure when there is nothing wrong.

Obviously there is an outside chance of something sinister but its usually not.

godinman · 15 Feb 2013 at 13:05

Cheers guys.

I've had a look today and it's gone, oddly, the water doesn't smell or look oily either so I guess the two things are unrelated. The oil does smell of fuel and is a bit dark for 4 month old stuff, I guess that's maybe something to do with short journeys too maybe? Running rich while cold etc.

leaskovski · 15 Feb 2013 at 13:21

Are there any benefits to getting an MOT done at BMW instead of a local indy?

Myshra · 15 Feb 2013 at 13:38

Basher said:
High pressure fuel pump fault on my E89 yesterday ...

Under warranty? Really thought they had sorted these out, such a cliche failure.

mrk · 15 Feb 2013 at 13:44

leaskovski said:
Are there any benefits to getting an MOT done at BMW instead of a local indy?

Not really anything massively different. They give you a free vac and wash unless you say no beforehand and the "health check" printout does go through various aspects which is a handy overview I guess: http://robbiekhan.co.uk/root/temp/checkbmw.jpg

Oh and you get a nice comfy cafe area with hot drinks...

Ant84 · 15 Feb 2013 at 14:19

Decided to get the Vanos seals replaced on my 530i after its MOT next week. I'm nowhere near confident enough to attempt it myself, so how much should I look at paying for a labour charge given that I'll supply the parts?

Tesla · 15 Feb 2013 at 14:26

Ant84, the indicator bulb will switch on by design upon sidelight (angel eye) failure.

Do you have LED bulbs in your angel eyes?

Ant84 · 15 Feb 2013 at 14:55

Tesla said:
Ant84, the indicator bulb will switch on by design upon sidelight (angel eye) failure.

Do you have LED bulbs in your angel eyes?

I really don't know as I haven't had a proper look at it yet. The problem seems intermittent as it was working fine before that video and is again today.

Maccapacca · 15 Feb 2013 at 15:57

Obama meme, not bad

PMKeates · 15 Feb 2013 at 16:27

I feel my 27 MPG instant at 142 MPH wins

or for pure MPGz, after a long drive...

Basher · 15 Feb 2013 at 17:17

PMKeates said:
I feel my 27 MPG instant at 142 MPH wins

De-restricted, wouldn't a lot of BMW's go over the 160mph speedo limit?

Clarkey · 15 Feb 2013 at 17:24

Maybe, the M versions do have higher speeds on the dial though, M5 goes to 200.

Cosimo · 15 Feb 2013 at 17:29

Clarkey said:
Maybe, the M versions do have higher speeds on the dial though, M5 goes to 200.

Indeed it does:

Atari · 15 Feb 2013 at 17:30

Ant84 said:
Decided to get the Vanos seals replaced on my 530i after its MOT next week. I'm nowhere near confident enough to attempt it myself, so how much should I look at paying for a labour charge given that I'll supply the parts?

Certainly won't be cheap. If you've got the seal kit, it's anywhere between 4-7 hours depending on how good the mechanic is. Maybe more if it's the first time they've attempted it.

I've seen some companies on eBay who do the whole VANOS as a refurb'ed kit with the seals already fitted, garages might find it easier to swap the entire unit rather than try and sort the seals.

It doesn't look overly difficult to be honest, just a fiddly job rather than a hard one.

PMKeates · 15 Feb 2013 at 17:47

Basher said:
De-restricted, wouldn't a lot of BMW's go over the 160mph speedo limit?

Any over about 250 HP would, yes, which is more or less anything over 2.5L nowadays.

Basher · 15 Feb 2013 at 17:51

Clarkey said:
Maybe, the M versions do have higher speeds on the dial though, M5 goes to 200.

Pretty sure my Z4 would go over 160 if de-limited.

BMW and M Power Owners

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