104,500 Miles

Added 1 litre of Castrol Edge 5W30 engine oil as the getting low yellow warning light came on.

104,095 Miles

Calipers obviously sticking so bought 2x new Pagid calipers from EuroCarParts and replced them today.

Remarkably simple job. Wheel off, caliper off, undo brake line union with new caliper close to hand, quickly swap one onto the other, open bleed valve and let brake fluid bleed through and fill new caliper. I had an Easi-Bleed kit to aid with this, but gravity would also work.

104,000 Miles

Car is now doing what it did before...when going around a left hand bend (before it was right hand bend) the traction control flickers on and off, causing loss of power. Last time it was a new driveshaft/sensor. Great! Can feel it holding back all the time now. Currently I just turn TC off as soon as I start else it's undriveable. And every journey it gives up and flicks the lights on the dash. Not ideal but I can drive it like this until I get it sorted.

Having a look underneath, it does appear that the reluctor ring may be making contact with the sensor, as there is a shiny patch on it.

The official BMW solution is to replace the whole driveshaft as it comes with the reluctor ring already installed on it. They would not replace just the ring. But there is no reason to accept this solution. You can buy aftermarket rings and the job is quite straightforward. All one has to do is remove the driveshaft, remove (cut) the old ring off, heat up the new ring and drop it onto the shaft (maybe add a bit of Loctite for good measure) and refit the driveshaft. Seem SO wasteful throwing away a perfectly good driveshaft just becuase the ring as got a bit corroded or something.

So I have bought a replacement reluctor ring (from UK Parts Direct) and sensor (from GSF). Also bought new driveshaft inner bolts and outer nut. Just need to find the time to get round to doing it now.

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Also today, brakes were squealing slightly on way home. Closer inspection, front N/S very hot, caliper probably sticking. Took pins out and copper greased, but they came out easy so suspect it's the piston. More joy.

102,400 Miles

Rear window hinge snapped. The boot hinge is a 2-part item, so it hinges and supports the whole tailgate or just the rear glass. Its the bit that supports the rear glass that broke. Its been on its way out for some time, working loose and being re tightened every now and again.

I realised it was starting to fatigue so intended to replace sooner or later, but today, when closing the boot (not just the glass) the hinge finally snapped and the window popped ajar. Luckily opening and reclosing seems to be holding it on to the boot so I can drive until I fix it.

102,350 Miles

Whilst driving, without anything feeling or behaving wrong, TC, ABS and Brake light came on. Brake one was red.

After keying off and on, all 3 were still present and yellow. Called Deutsche Tech straight away and they were able to collect that same day to have a look (awesome service). When they collected, I started the engine to show the lights and also we noticed the speedometer was moving up and down (car not moving), so obviously an electrical fault.

Not much to say, lights went off on way to garage. Faults showed all 4 wheel sensors and steering wheel angle sensor as faulty which is weird. They reset steering angle sensor and have to see how it goes. Wiring to sensors checked ok. Possible suspect, ABS control module.

101,900 Miles

Added 1 litre of Castrol Edge 5W30 engine oil as the getting low yellow warning light came on.

100,250 Miles

I had to travel about 100 miles down a motorway (and back). It soon become aparent that the car didn't feel right on the new tyres. Basically an out of balance vibration feeling when getting up to motorway speeds (60-70mph). So I slowed it down and did the whole journey at 60mph (paranoid about loosing another tyre).

Also noted a pulsating sensation when going round corners rather slowly, that pulsed in time with wheel rotation.

When I got to my destination I thought I would quickly drop the car into a tyre fitter just to have the wheel balance checked. They didn't take long having a look at the car and didn't even bother taking the wheels off.

The verdict was that the buckles (especially front right) were quite defined and causing the vibration and also that pulsing sensation when turning (as it rolled over the buckle). Also the amount of corrosion (bubbling paint) would make it difficult to stick the weights to the wheel to balance them.

So I am now faced with either refurbishing my wheels or sourcing another set of better condition wheels. Joy.

And this needs to be done ASAP as all the time I am still driving around on unbalanced, potentially unsealed or iminently unseald wheels in danger or loosing more tyres.

100,200 Miles

Of all days, Boxing Day. Went out in the car to go to the shops. Tyres all fine. Been keeping an eye on them everyday to ensure they are not deflating. Then on the way home, all of sudden I get that feeling that something isn't right, like a flat tyre feeling.

I pull over as soon as I can, perhaps 30 seconds later as I was on a small lane with nowhere to stop and yes, rear left tyre was flat. The same one that had problems sealing in the garage when the tyres were first put on. It was already trashed, you can't seem to drive hardly at all on flat tyres any more without ruining them. Not happy.

So spare (skinny space saver) on and limp home.

I managed to luckily source another full set of second hand winter tyres, actually a better set, Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3Ds. Fortunately they are located somewhere near where we are due to visit the next day, so borrowing another car, I collected them.

I was then stuck for a few days as it was the period between Christmas and New Year. But I managed to get a mobile tyre fitter to come round on 29th December to swap all the tyres over.

Still not feeling secure though as the corrosion is obviously still there and could now at any point cause a tyre to deflate. So I am now paranoid about driving anywhere.

99,200 Miles - Winter Tyres

I was lucky last winter...we had no snow. I was not looking forward to driving the Bimmer in the snow, especially not after the minor disaster in the Volvo when it snowed.

So this year, I finally sourced a set of winter tyres for the car. Not brand new, but I found a set off the same car, so the right staggered sizes (8J front, 8.5J rear). They were Nankang SV-2 s. A bit of a budget tyre, but nevertheless, a winter tyre that should cope much better in the low temperatures and especially snow (if we get any) than my Dunlop SP Sport Maxx's.

Got them fitted but unfortunately, this opened a can of worms. On the day the tyres were fitted, when I returned to the garage to collect the car, the left rear tyre was flat in the car park. So the garage took the tyre back off and showed me how badly corroded the wheels are. I didn't think too much of it, thinking all wheels get corroded after a while. Just wire brush it and it'll be fine I thought. So they put plenty of goop on and the tyre sealed and held pressure.

After a couple of days I finally got on the motorway and it felt like the wheels were not balanced. So I took it back and asked them to recheck the wheel balance. When they checked the balance again, they were miles out, almost as if they had not done it at all the first time. Strange, but anyway, they got balanced and all seemed fine.

97,200 Miles - Traction Control

Traction control started activating when going round right-hand turns, especially roundabouts. Was activating more than expected for normal behaviour. I have found it quite hard to get the traction control light to flicker on and cut power to the engine in all the time I have owned it. So doing it on almost every turn meant something was wrong.

Booked it into Deutsche Tech again thinking I would only need a new wheel speed sensor or steering wheel angle sensor alignment, but turned out that the driveshaft (N/S rear) had play in it, causing it to shift when turning, meaning that the trigger wheel on it was clashing with the wheel speed sensor. So sensor needed replacing and also the driveshaft!

96,500 Miles - Oil Service, MOT and Noise!

MOT time again, this time (due to work location) at the highly recommended Deutsch Tech of Milton Keynes. MOT was fine apart from the handbrake needing adjusting, which I pointed out, as it seemed to only be biting on one side.

Oil service filled it up with Castrol Edge 5w30.

When the car went in, I also asked them to investigate a noise that had been coming from the engine bay when running for a while. Sounded like a pulley/resonating sort of noise from the front end. As a result of the investigation they decided to change the FEAD anciliary belt idler pulley.

When the car was delivered after this work was carried out, it had sprang a leak from thermostat outlet elbow (plastic). The garage admitted it was something they must have done and took the car back to fix. Also the noise was still present, so it was not the Idler pulley but now suspect the alternator.

So in the end, I ended up with a new FEAD ancillary belt, idler pulley and alternator plus a new (although it wasn't originally broken) thermostat housing/thermostat.

96,170 Miles - Tyres

Rear tyres were starting to show signs of wear, so it was time for 4 new tyres.

Went for a set of Dunlop SP Sport Maxx RT Fantastic tyres!

94,360 Miles

Added 1.5 litre of Valvoline Synpower 5W30 engine oil as the getting low yellow warning light came on.

91,765 Miles

Added 1 litre of Valvoline Synpower 5W30 engine oil as the getting low yellow warning light came on.

88,207 Miles

Added 1 litre of Synpower Valvoline 5W30 engine oil as the getting low yellow warning light came on.

82,812 Miles - Inspection I

Inspection I carried out at PJ Hodge and Sons of Northampton. Oil filled with Valvoline Synpower 5w30

Also, after a trip through a flooded section of water, the undertray had become loose, so got that reattached.

78,500 Miles

Added 1 litre of Castrol Edge 5W30 engine oil as the getting low yellow warning light came on.

76,300 Miles - Broken Fan

Whilst driving, there was a noise from the engine bay, a quick crunch, but the car continued to drive normally. Luckily I was just on my way to a petrol station. I filled up and then, luckily again, I had to just move forward to the air/water point. Looking back I saw a puddle on the ground where I had just been sat filling up. A quick sniff and it was obviously fresh coolant out of my car.

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Inspecting in the engine bay, I soon found that the mechanical radiator cooling fan (the one driven off the water pump via a viscous coupling) had lost all its blades...yes all of them!

They had all sheared off. The blades were all collecting in the bottom of the fan cowling. The fan cowling, even though made from very thick and touch plastic, was cracked. Even worse, one of the blades had punctured the radiator, hence the leak.

So nothing I could do but wait until Monday (this was Friday night of course and I was away Saturday) and get it to a garage.

I left Monday morning after topping the water up to go to Fensomes of Luton, thinking I should be alright to go the short distance, but I had only travelled about 5 minutes before the low coolant light came on, so I stopped and called the RAC. LUCKILY, I was just about to join the motorway when the light came on and the motorway was jammed, with no hard shoulder, so that would have been awful!

But to make up for it a little bit, the RAC turned up within 10 minutes and towed the car to the garage.

In the end it had a new radiator, fan cowling and fan assembly, but only the plastic fan, not the coupling, that seemed to be fine.

A blade also broke the outlet of the headlight washer pump, so the hose cannot be connected. For now, this is not a problem as I have disconnected them anyway until I can replace/fix them as they leak (the jet assembly that is).

Also, obviously, this means the coolant has been replaced.

76,000 Miles - MOT and Front Suspension

MOT was due so booked it into one of my favourite garages, PJ Hodge and Sons in Northampton. Passed with no advisories.

Whilst it was booked into the garage, I also asked them to fit new lower front suspension arms (this includes inner bushes and outer ball joints). I provided them with Lemforder parts. Whilst they were doing the work, they also recommended changing the tie rods and tie rod ends. so these were renewed also.

Once all work was complete, they also performed 4-wheel alignment to make sure everything was straight as it should be. This is imperative after any suspension work.

75,600 Miles

Had to add another litre of Castrol Edge 0W30 engine oil due to low light again. At first I found this rather worrying, thinking I got through a litre of engine oil in less than 5000 miles. But after speaking with a BMW specialist, aparently this is perfectly normal for these engines (I can only speak for the 3.0 M54B30 in mine) and official figures in the region of 1 litre every 800 miles are acceptable! Sounds crazy to me, but apparently, nothing to worry about. Just ensure to keep on top of it.

Also I have recently been noticing my washer fluid level dropping very quickly (basically emptying far quicker than I was using it). One day I noticed a patch of water under the front right corner of the car which on inspection (sniff) was obviously my washer fluid. I traced the leak back to the headlight washer units. Again, apparently, this is a common problem. I have not looked into it in much detail, but it is something to do with the spring return meachanism and o-ring seal not coming back together properly after use causing a leak.

Simple solution for now, disconnect the motor and hose that feeds the headlight washers. So I don't have headlight washers, but then nor do a lot of cars, so I can manage for a while until I get round to having a look at fixing it. I don't have Xenon headlights, so it is not a legal requirement for me to have functioning headlight washers.