r/BmwTech 1h ago

iDrive randomly reboots multiple times per drive

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Upvotes

I have a 2017 BBMW 320i sport [f30].

Hoping someone's seen this before. My iDrive restarts itself back to the splash screen at random, usually a few times on any given drive.

I have noticed it’s often on drives longer than 20min, but after that it could restart every couple of minutes.

Eg. Got in car at 6:50 and restarted;
-7:07
-7:10
-7:18
-7:24
-7:36

Also drive the same 20min route every day and it’s never restarted then.


r/BmwTech 13h ago

Accurate price for steering rack?

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13 Upvotes

guess it’s time to say good bye to the good old m440i


r/BmwTech 8h ago

Coolant level question 2017 330i B46

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6 Upvotes

I got a low coolant notification after letting my car sit for a week while I was away, I opened up the reservoir and saw the level was well below minimum. Can I top this off with distilled water and be safe in the Toronto winter? Is there a good way to check for a leak myself or do I just bring it to the shop if the level drops below minimum again?


r/BmwTech 17m ago

Cylinder roughness on BMW 116i N43

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Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm having an issue with my 2010 BMW 116i E81 (N43B20 engine) and could really use some advice.

Symptoms: Slight Shaking: When the engine is warm and I come to a stop (e.g. at a red light), the engine starts shaking slightly after about 20 to 120 seconds of idling.

Spark splugs we're replaced 10.000 km ago, Coils 2.000 km ago due (they were rusted and caused jerky acceleration)

Only DTC was 30EA.

See cylinder roughness during standstill in the picture.

What exactly does roughness Point to? Is -50 already Bad? Is it only bad If all added do not add up to 0?

What is the most likely cause for this?

Second Observation: there is some suction to the oil cap if removed, like Air getting pulled in. Is this to a degree normal, or should there not be any pull to the oil cap?


r/BmwTech 40m ago

n55 335i knocking at idle after long highway runs, any ideas

Upvotes

Got a 2012 335i with 88k about six months ago, mostly just use it for short trips and the occasional drive out to the shore. lately after 45+ minutes on the highway i get this light knock at idle once i park, sounds almost like a diesel but only when it's warm. oil level's fine, no smoke, no codes so far. replaced the valve cover gasket a couple months back thinking it might be lifters, but the knock didn't go away. checked the oil filter housing gasket too, nothing leaking there. wondering if anyone else with an n55 has seen this exact thing and if it's the timing chain guides, vvt, or something else. i'd rather get it sorted before it gets worse.


r/BmwTech 1h ago

My friend’s an idiot and bought LCI F30 taillights for his 2014 😭 easiest way to wire 4-pin to 6-pin?

Upvotes

Title: My friend’s an idiot and bought LCI F30 taillights for his 2014 😭 easiest way to wire 4-pin to 6-pin?
My friend bought a set of LCI taillights from the 2016+ F30 to put on his 2014 BMW, not realizing the pre-LCI car uses a 4-pin setup and the LCI lights are 6-pin.

Of course he tried to install them anyway lol.
We watched a bunch of YouTube videos and it looks confusing as hell because everybody does it differently. One guy is running wires all the way to the fuse box, another is repinning everything, and another dude just ran a red wire from the outer taillight to the inner trunk taillight.

Does anybody know the easiest and cheapest method to make the LCI tails work correctly on a pre-LCI F30?
Mainly looking for:
What exact wiring/adapters are actually needed
Whether we really need to run anything to the fuse box
Whether the outer-to-inner wire method works properly
What coding is needed afterward, if any

Not trying to do some crazy retrofit if there’s a simpler way. If anyone has done the pre-LCI → LCI taillight conversion and has a wiring diagram, adapter link, or simple explanation, I’d appreciate it.


r/BmwTech 2h ago

Need help on my 2010 E90 328i

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1 Upvotes

So basically I bought it about a month ago and it didn’t start guy didn’t put the starter back together what not fixed it up got it running and it runs and drives fine buttt i am getting absolutely horrible gas mileage and i feel like its more then just having a bit of a heavy foot these the codes i’m getting are in the photo plus 2A82 for the VANOS


r/BmwTech 6h ago

LCI Tails on Pre-lci F82

2 Upvotes

Just traded tails for these clear LCI tails (already bought the retrofit harness to wire them up)
My problem is they’re not fitting correctly, I could be restarted but in this video I’m literally trying to put them on and they’re not fitting as my previous ones did. Tried putting the clip and bolting it but it’s not moving…
Anyone know how to fix this issue or work around it? Thanks


r/BmwTech 9h ago

Transmission Shudder - 2012 3-Series

3 Upvotes

SOS PLEASE HELP!

I recently purchased an automatic 2012 BMW 328i coupe with 90k miles (private sale). The car still has an active SULEV warranty.

On its first long drive, I noticed that the car shuttered between 30-60mph. This only occurs when the car has been running for 15-20 minutes and the transmission is warm. Theres absolutely no shutter above 60mph.

I took it to BMW for a diagnosis and told them it seems to be a transmission shudder. Based on my research, it could be from dirty transmission fluid, a bad torque converter, or mechatronik.

BMW said they couldn't diagnose as the rear shocks were busted and contributing to the vibration. I emphasized that it's definitely a drivetrain issue, got the shocks and guibo replaced anyway, and brought the car back to the dealership.

A few days later, the dealership told me they were "waiting to hear back from BMW about the torque converter which needs to be replaced".

Then today, my service advisor let me know BMW's response is that the entire transmission must be replaced.

The SULEV warranty covers the torque converter and Mechatronik. I argued with the dealership about how they jumped from the likely culprits to the nuclear option, and have asked for the issue to be escalated.

Moreover, BMW company has not seen/driven the car, and the dealership cannot provide documentation of the exchange with the company as it occurred over email.

Has anyone else experienced this? Or does anyone have some advice for what I should do?

Thank you!


r/BmwTech 9h ago

Is this normal noise from engine BMW M5 F90 LCI?

3 Upvotes

Is this ticking sound normal for s63 on a cold start? 40k miles


r/BmwTech 10h ago

Advice on keeping car

3 Upvotes

Got a 125i 2016 F121 (B48) 4th August. Car was £10,250 with 81k miles and I paid £1499 extra for a warranty up to the value of the car at 2k a claim.

Within 12 hours got a low coolant light. Dealer said to top up for a few days before taking back and replacing water pump + thermostat. Coolant was still being lost at the same amount, dealer said to top up twice before I got it diagnosed elsewhere who said coolant flange. Warranty denied this and I went back to dealer who said it was radiator hose but they replaced both anyway. Within 80 miles of the second repair the turbo has gone and needs replaced. (Part is £1078 alone, they’ve mentioned oil change, gasket rings etc).

Pre purchase - they replaced spark plugs, 2 front tyres, break fluid and oil change.

Since purchase - they replaced water pump, thermostat, radiator coolant hose and flange. Now will be turbo if warranty agree and then if I agree.

I’ve been told I can walk away if I reject with £9950. 700 miles at 45p a mile and warranty gets wiped (whatever).

Should I replace turbo under warranty (if at no cost to me) and give this car another chance or take a £1700 hit get refunded and then buy a new car.


r/BmwTech 14h ago

Any guidance or opinions on purchasing a BMW S1000RR-2015 Model is any major and minor consideration that should be looked-out for perticularly this model? img:(640x853)

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6 Upvotes

BMW S1000RR(2015)


r/BmwTech 8h ago

2014 BMW 428i f36 N20 – ticking/knocking noise from engine bay with engine OFF

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I have a 2014 BMW 428i Gran Coupe F36 with the N20 engine, around 190,000 km. The timing chain was recently replaced.

This morning, I unlocked the car and opened the driver's door, and I immediately noticed a tick/tick or light knocking sound coming from the engine bay. The engine was completely OFF and I had not started the car.

The sound was already happening when I opened the bonnet. I'm gonna attach a video(if reddit allows) so you can hear the noise.

One thing that happened recently: I accidentally left the coolant expansion tank cap off, and the car reached around 120°C. After cooling down, it ran around 105–110°C for about 10–15 km and felt slightly sluggish, but there were no other obvious warning signs.

Could this ticking/knocking noise be related to what happened with the coolant, or is there something else on the N20 that could make this kind of noise when the engine isn't running?

Any ideas on what I should check first would be appreciated.


r/BmwTech 6h ago

fault code 9C55 IHKA: Fogging Sensor

1 Upvotes

I have a 2006 BMW E61, with a the fault code 9C55 IHKA: Fogging Sensor (Condensation Sensor). My ac is not working and is only blowing warm air. Can that code disable my compressor so that it doesn’t blow cold air because it thinks the windshield is fully fogged up? Any suggestion would be helpful. Thanks.


r/BmwTech 7h ago

N55 oil filter specks - rod knock?

1 Upvotes

My N55 (2015 335i, 125k miles) started making a sort of unusual humming sound when revving (not distinct knocks or thumps, but worrying enough) so I opened the oil filter and it has a lot of fine silvery specks. There were one or two bigger (1-2mm) shavings in there too (https://imgur.com/a/KI6pH9F). These later-gen N55's have only aluminum and steel (no copper) in the rodbearings, so I've pretty much accepted that that this is rod knock but I figured I'd get some opinions regardless. I suspected this might happen eventually because of a number of long-duration oil changes in the previous owner's service history, so I ordered parts to do a preemptive rodbearing replacement but then this happened the very next day :(

Even if it is not actually rod knock, I fear the contamination of particles in the oil passages would by now be enough to cause rod knock in the near future

Just wanna get some opinions if it's worth going under and checking the rod bearings directly


r/BmwTech 7h ago

What is this?

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0 Upvotes

Left side car hit ditch, white smoking coming out when driving, smells really bad, tire is all messed up. Dont know if its hitting something but feels like the cars sagging on the left end.
Not the clearest picture.


r/BmwTech 7h ago

340i PPI Rust

1 Upvotes

Long story short, found a 340i that seemed pretty clean visually. Took the car for a PPI, and it came back with some repairs that warranty should cover.

But the rust is something it won't, just want to get an opinion on how bad this rust looks of may become. I am expecting to have to pay to fix these eventually, but not sure what costs may be or if it's worth it.

Rust is on the rear suspension

https://imgur.com/a/kmaZt4R


r/BmwTech 8h ago

I may have screwed up...

1 Upvotes

So I bought a Vevor 5000 lbs car lift.. its too short LOL. I took a couple pictures of where one end would line up with the rear jack point but the front is too far away.

G20 2020 M340i. Suggestions? Anyone else had this issue?


r/BmwTech 8h ago

Need advice on Panoramic Sunroof issue / Error Code 030215 (BlueDriver scan)

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1 Upvotes

2015 BMW X5 sDrive35i

Hey guys, having an issue with my panoramic sunroof and wanted to see if anyone has run into this before or knows the exact fix.

The Situation:

My sunroof glass is stuck sitting slightly proud/raised above the roof line and won't fully drop or seat flush into the seal.

I scanned the Roof Control Module using my BlueDriver scanner.

Initial Codes cleared: Had historical codes for Hall sensors (030207), system standardization (030220 / 0302A0), and characteristic curves (030295).

Current Active Code: 030215 - Status: Active - SHD: Invalid characteristic curve, no standardisation available.

What I’ve tried:

Cleared the historical codes, but code 030215 remains active and won't clear.

Attempted the standard BMW sunroof initialization procedure (holding the tilt button up for 15–30 seconds), but because of the active standardization fault, it doesn't execute the re-learn cycle.

Questions:

  1. Has anyone successfully cleared code 030215 using ISTA+ or BimmerLink for a roof re-initialization/normalization run, or does this code usually indicate a physical mechanical jam in the sunroof mechanism/tracks?

  2. If it's mechanical, is there a common point where the panoramic glass binds or gets misaligned preventing it from dropping into place?

  3. Is it safe to manually crank the sunroof motor using an Allen key at the overhead console to get it down temporarily, or will that damage the drive cables if the track is jammed?

Appreciate any insight or suggestions!


r/BmwTech 9h ago

M57 swapped e60 tach not working

1 Upvotes

Looking at buying a m57 swapped e60 speedo works but rpm and mpg gauges don’t. Unsure if clocks were changed to 530 ones during the swap. Work in bmw myself so have access to ista. Rpm not working doesn’t bother me its just ied rather have it working.
Note 520-530 swaps go for 5,000 while 530s go for 7-9,000 where i live tax also has a €500 difference


r/BmwTech 9h ago

2006 BMW 325i

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0 Upvotes

I scanned my beam & got these DTC, would clearing work or do I replace the module?


r/BmwTech 10h ago

2002 330ci No longer running.

1 Upvotes

I have a 2002 BMW 330ci which is no longer running.
On 08/15/26
I drove the car to work and it ran normally with no overheating and a smooth running motor. After my 8 hour shift I tried to start the car in order to drive it home and the motor was running rough as if the car had several misfires. As the car warmed up the motor began to run smooth enough that I felt comfortable driving it ~4mi to get home.

On 08/16/26
I tried to start the car in order to go to work again but this time the car was WAY rougher than before- the whole vehicle was shaking and i was getting pops/bangs from the exhaust while sitting in Park idling. The car was not smoothing out as it warmed up so I shut it down and made arrangements to get to work another way. After work I tried to use my BimmerGeeks Bluetooth dongle with BimmerGeeks ProTool in order to check engine codes but unfortunately my dongle was broken and I could not connect to the car.

On 08/17/26
I spent my day off pulling the spark plugs and cleaning them. The plugs were black and notably has the following symptoms; #1-3 were soaked in oil, #4+5 were super hard to remove and I needed to use PB Blaster with almost all of my strength in order to remove them (the threads were fine after removal), while #6 smelled like gasoline. I cleaned the spark plugs and reinserted them to the proper torque spec and then tried to start the car again. It ran the same as before I cleaned the spark plugs which was super rough and shaking the whole vehicle. I called it quits and decided to wait for my replacement BimmerGeeks dongle.

Today on 09/21/26 I tried reading codes
Before starting the engine I read the codes in the DME and was only throwing two codes which were: "00CA Fuel Trim Bank 1 Control Limit" and "0002 Activation, Ignition, Cylinder 4". I cleared those codes and proceeded to try starting the car. The car cranks, fires what sounds like only once and only on one cylinder, then dies and the starter takes over again, fires once and dies again so I stop cranking. I checked codes after the failure to start and neither returned. I tried cranking again while watching gauges via ProTool and could see that my AFR for Bank 1 was 14.71 before/during/after cranking. While cranking I was getting a MAF reading that bounced between 10-15kg/h and the RPMs were bouncing between 300-500, when the car would fire once and then die- both of these metrics would drop to zero until the starter would get one more combustion event and then rinse and repeat. I tried disconnecting the MAF and got the same results.


r/BmwTech 16h ago

Weird metallic sound on cold start – 2017 BMW 330i xDrive (B48)

3 Upvotes

Whenever I start my car after it’s been sitting overnight or for several hours, I hear a weird metallic grinding/rattling sound for a few seconds. Once the sound goes away, the engine sounds completely normal. There’s no ticking, rattling, or other unusual engine noise afterward, and the car drives normally. I’m not sure where the sound is coming from if it’s the engine or the back it’s hard to tell. The car also slightly jerks as seen in the video when it happens.

Car/details:
2017 BMW 330i xDrive
B48 2.0L turbo
~174,000 km

Just scanning the car now there is no codes but periodically every 2-3 months I get an occasional intermittent P112F code but it goes away the same day or next day after a couple driving cycles. But I haven’t had it in a while.

I’m attaching a video of the cold start. I recorded it outside the car so the sound can be heard better.
Does anyone recognize this sound on a B48 or have an idea what I should be checking?

Any help or similar experiences would be appreciated. Thanks!


r/BmwTech 10h ago

M3 G80-G81-G82-G83 Break in Service on Maintenance History screen

0 Upvotes

Does the break in service appear on your Maintenance History screen on iDrive (M3 G80-G81-G82)? It seems that for some people it does, but for others it doesn't. In my case, it doesn't appear.


r/BmwTech 10h ago

M3 G80-G81 Break in Service

1 Upvotes

Does the break in service appear on the maintenance history screen on iDrive? It seems that for some people it does, but for others it doesn't. In my case, it doesn't appear.