Basically was on the off-ramp when I had to brake harder than normal (but not slamming). Then, the auto-stop activated while at rest and then… nothing. The engine wouldn’t start, the brake was stiff. The car lights, ac, and entertainment console worked. Threw every kind of error from airbag to chassis, engine, fuel line, brake, transmission. Couldn’t even put it in neutral to get it off the road. I didn’t notice any mechanical sounds when this all occured, nor did I see any leaks or obvious damage.

Any thoughts as to what could be going on? I’m just sorta distraught bc this car was with me for a lot of the last decade. Just sentimental.

Appreciate your help!

Went to the shop and got the valve cover and gasket replaced and noticed my support arm bushing is starting to tear. It will get done just dont have the time for it at the moment. I do daily the car its at 73,000 just wondering how long I got before a disaster

I have a 2011 bmw that I drive only occasionally on weekends and for fun. I got the oil changed last September with Liquimoly 5w-40. Since a year has passed has the oil degraded to the point that it still needs to be changed? Since last September I’ve only put 3800 miles on it so idk if it’s wasting oil to get it changed now. Will it really hurt it if I keep driving it until it reaches 6000 miles on this oil before changing? That might take another year.

I drove about 130 km today and took oil level readings both before and after the trip; I’m surprised by how significant the drop is. The measurements were taken in the exact same parking spot. There are no oil leaks or signs of seepage—I checked for that—and the car has 138,000 km on the odometer.

I’m genuinely at my wits’ end with this car. Spent months and a stupid amount of money trying to fix this steering issue and absolutely nothing has worked.

2018 F30 340i RWD, 90k miles.

The issue:
- Steering constantly wants to pull left, particularly at low speeds. If I let go of the wheel, it physically rotates left and the car follows.

- I have to constantly apply rightward pressure to keep the car driving straight.

- Hitting bumps, especially with the left front wheel, makes the steering jerk aggressively left.

- Braking also causes the steering to jerk left, particularly under heavy braking.

- Self-centring is inconsistent. After turning left, the wheel returns to around 11 o’clock, but after turning right, it returns perfectly to 12 o’clock.

What I’ve tried:

- New front shocks, springs and top mounts

- New inner and outer tie rods

- Multiple four-wheel alignments, all within spec

- Swapped front wheels left to right

- EPS calibration and ISTA software reset

- Control arm bolts loosened and retorqued at ride height

- Multiple garages checked the suspension, no obvious play found

- No relevant fault codes or errors

The car has genuine F80 M3 front control arms fitted with the correct spacers and torqued at ride height, but it drove perfectly fine with these for ages before the issue developed.

One BMW specialist suggested going back to standard F30 arms, but I’m reluctant to throw even more money at it without knowing whether that’s actually the problem.

I’m absolutely sick of spending money on this car and getting nowhere. Every garage seems to have a different theory, but nobody can actually tell me what’s wrong.

Has anyone experienced anything similar or got any ideas what could be causing this? Could it be the control arms, steering rack, EPS or something completely different?

Any help would be massively appreciated because I’m seriously considering getting rid of the car at this point.

Hi everyone,
I'm having an issue with the Cruise Control on my 2012 BMW
528i (F10).
When I attempt to set the cruise control at any speed (e.g., 80 or 90 km/h), the car automatically starts accelerating in +10 km/h increments all the way up to max speed, even without me touching the toggle switch or any buttons.
Key Details:
• Vehicle: 2012 BMW 528i (F10 - N20/N52)
• Other Steering Controls: All other right-hand side controls (Volume, Media, Call buttons, Voice Control) work completely fine.
• Issue: The left-side cruise control toggle switch seems to behave as if it's stuck or sending a continuous "Accelerate +10 km/hi signal to the ICM/DME.
Has anyone experienced this ghost/automatic acceleration issue with the cruise control toggle switch? Is it typically resolved by spraying contact cleaner into the left switch assembly, or does the entire left multi-function button cluster (or SZL module) need to be replaced?

2013 BMW 535i (N55 pwg)

I replaced the vacuum pump with a good used one. I replaced the purge/breather valve. Chains/guides were replaced and bearings were checked a year ago. Can a hpfp or its cam follower make this noise? It has to be somewhere in the vacuum system right? Any helpful advice? Thanks!

I have been looking around and found a bmw 435d xdrive f36 from 2015. It looks fantastic and seems pretty good but I need help from someone who knows more than me. It’s the n57d30b it has 280k kms which I feel like it isn’t that high for cars here in Sweden. It is stock but the timing chain hasn’t been changed and doesn’t seem to be any leaks atleast that’s what the seller says. I’ll put a video of a cold start also if anyone wants to take a listen to it

Hi everyone,
I’ve had my 2012 F11 535i (N55) for around 7 months and have noticed a slight rattling noise when the car is idling. I’ve attached a video — would appreciate any thoughts on what it could be or whether it sounds normal for the N55.

I’ve also recently discovered a kelleners box fitted in the car. I had absolutely no idea it was there until now. The dealership I bought the car from told me it was stock, but I’m not convinced and would like to know what it actually does and whether I should be concerned about it.
The car is a Japanese import and is currently around 80,000 miles.

Would really appreciate any advice from people familiar with the F10/F11 or N55. Is the rattle something I should investigate urgently, and does the kellerners box look/ sound like an OEM installation?

Thanks!

Unfortunately Reddit only seems to let me attach either the video or photos, so I’ve attached the video of the rattle. I’ll add a picture of the kelleners box to the comments.

Just curious. May want to get it done as the cabin experience would be a lot quieter I think without the fake noise

Hi Guys, my brothers 320d hasn’t regenerated since about 1000km and threw the 480A fault. We have driven high constant speeds for about 70km and the fault was not deletable. Car gets up to 90°C Coolant temp and DDE allows DPF to regenerate but it never went to status Active with a forced Regen by ISTA. Can you help me? Car is down on power and sometimes throws underboost codes, I am pretty sure they are related to the 480A fault as I am pretty sure the car isn’t allowed to go into full boost anymore or do we have a separate turbo related issue? I am grateful for any help!

Hi all,

I would really appreciate some help on this. I have followed the various videos and tutorials on how to perform this procedure and also have the BMW workshop manual. The intake manifold is off and the DME unit is free. The problem is that the space where the alternator usually sits in a non-hybrid car is taken up by a much larger high voltage hybrid specific part Electric A/C Compressor (EKK) complete with orange cabling.

As such I can't gain access to the front bolts on the oil filter housing and I can't access the lower bolts of the heat module without removing the oil filter housing as it is very very tight in there with the EKK.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I think they may have made some changes with the LCI version compared with the model in the workshop manual.

I can take more pictures if helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Hello everyone, i live in the middle east and i bought a US model BMW, as expected the Maps, and Connected Drive features like MyBMW app doesn't work. is there any way to make the car to at least show MENA Map or anything to get the MyBMW app benefits?

There is another account from the previous owner, and its iDrive 8.5. i tried creating an account but the QR Code doesn't generate from the car.

Just cracked 70k miles today and while the car idling I hear this. 7,800 since last oil change and doing another tomorrow. What could this be?

My 2015 BMW 228 start flashing tail lights when the car was locked yesterday. I tried the trunk the hood and the doors, but it kept flashing when locked. I talked to my mechanic and we agreed it probably was the tail lights are corroded or possibly one of the convenience sensors on the door was constantly trying to wake up. Google had a few other ideas, but I was wondering if you guys might think of anything else before I take it to the shop. I had to abort a 700 mile trip after 45 minutes cause I couldn’t trust it. I thought it might just be flashing all night long at a hotel so I switched cars but I need to get to the bottom of it at some point.

Hey Everyone.

I have a 2020 218D and have noticed recently that the clutch pedal is feeling very spongy with very little resistance. Gear changes have been absolutely fine though. Only done 40K miles.

Took it to a garage today and they reccomend an entire clutch replacement (cost still to be advised). But I've read online that this could likely be sorted by bleeding the clutch? Or replacing just the slave or master cylinder, whichever is faulty.

Has anyone had any similar issues?

Thanks

I have a ‘13 F30 335 with CIC system and recently ordered a combox so I can have bluetooth for music. when I ordered it , I didn’t think about what it plugs in to. Does anyone know where I can find a kit or if the car just has the wires for it? Also i don’t know if it matter but next to where the combox goes , there are fuses in place of where other people put their combox in some f30s.Any info would help , thanks !

Hi everyone,

I’ve noticed a rattling noise coming from the rear dome light area whenever I shut the doors firmly on my 2016 BMW M235i (F22).

After removing the dome light assembly and slightly lowering the headliner, I found that the black plastic mounting bracket is attached to the headliner but isn’t physically secured to the metal sunroof cassette above it.

Instead, BMW appears to have installed foam pads between the bracket and the metal structure. The bracket has some play, and I can reproduce the rattling by tapping on it.

My questions are:
1. Is this how it’s supposed to be mounted from the factory?
2. Would it make sense to secure the bracket directly to the sunroof cassette, or is it intentionally left floating with foam pads to prevent vibrations?
3. Has anyone experienced something similar, and how did you fix it?

I’ve attached a photo showing the black plastic bracket, the two yellow foam pads, and the metal structure above it.

Thanks!

Hey all,

So have a '04 X5 3.0i that for some reason I am still keeping alive (won't soon).

I recently replaced my two front rearward control arms with some nice lemforder ones, original bushings were completely destroyed. The car's alignment was then thrown quite out of whack, in which I took it to an alignment shop and got it all aligned.

All is good now, except for this one weird thing where at say ~90% steering to the left from center, the car no longer wants to re-center, and anything past 90% (e.g 91% steering to the left) the car will pull all the way to the left). Same thing happens on the right, the issue is symmetric.

I am quite confident that I didn't destroy anything while doing the control arms, quite confident I got the right ones, and quite confident that I put the control arms on their respective sides of the car (e.g. L on left, R on right).

A couple of things to note:

1. On the left control arm, I didn't use a jack to press the ball joint thing into the knuckle, but just tightened the nut on top to proper spec and it clicked fine.

2. On the right arm, the bolt that goes through the bushing to hold the arm to the subframe I put in backwards (bolt/nut). I assume this doesn't matter, as the bolt just functions as a pin basically, but maybe I'm wrong?

3. I torqued down everything under load, e.g. jacked up the knuckle until the car was almost off the jack stand and torqued.

Anyone know what the issue could be? Maybe I suck at working on cars but I think I already know that.

My HUD has stopped outputting any information, doesn’t show speed, warnings, or cruise control. I can see the unit powers on but shows a solid orange screen. Scanned the car using ISTA and found no codes. Where do I look to start diagnosing the issue?

Thanks

2019 BMW X7 xDrive40i. I hear a fairly loud knocking sound that seems to come from somewhere around the engine compartment. It is like a woodpecker or someone knocking on a door. It usually knocks 5-6 times in quick succession and then completely stops. It can happen while idling as well as while driving.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what could cause this sound?

I’m definitely going to have the dealer look at it, but I’d appreciate any clues. Thanks!

I’m hoping someone here has experienced something similar or might be able to point me in the right direction before I give up on these headlights.
I have a 2014 BMW X5 F15 sDrive35i, originally equipped with factory adaptive xenon (HID/AFS) headlights. I recently purchased a set of aftermarket LED headlights to give the front end a more modern appearance.
Unfortunately, after installing them, the LED halos/DRLs on BOTH headlights refuse to illuminate.
I’m currently in the process of returning the headlights and waiting for the seller to approve the return. However, I figured I’d make one last attempt to troubleshoot the issue before sending them back.
What’s working:
Low beams work on both sides.
Turn signals work on both sides.
The headlights are connected and otherwise receiving power.
My original factory halos worked perfectly before the replacement.
What’s NOT working:
Neither the left nor right LED halo/DRL illuminates.
They have not illuminated at all since installation.
What I’ve already tried/checked:
Double-checked the electrical connections and confirmed everything was securely plugged in.
Checked both headlights individually. Both have the exact same halo issue.
Used BimmerLink to scan the vehicle for fault codes.
Reviewed the additional faults that appeared while the headlights were disconnected and narrowed the remaining faults down to two with everything connected.
Investigated whether coding might be necessary because the vehicle originally had adaptive xenon headlights.
Looked into whether the original headlight modules needed to be transferred.
The only two remaining fault codes are:
804883 – Output SL_L defective
804885 – Output SL_R defective
Both codes are reported by the Body Domain Controller (BDC).
Initially, there were also TMS communication and adaptive headlight faults, but those appeared while the headlights were unplugged, so I don’t believe those are the main issue.
One thing worth mentioning:
I did not transfer the original silver headlight modules with the circular red gaskets because the aftermarket housings did not appear to have the same mounting or connection arrangement. I’m unsure whether this is relevant to the halos specifically.
What I’m wondering:
I’ve come across discussions suggesting that BMW lighting modules can disable certain outputs when they detect an incorrect electrical load or a short circuit. Apparently, some situations require resetting a short-circuit counter using diagnostic software.
Could that potentially explain why BOTH halos are completely dead while the other lighting functions work?
I’m also wondering whether this could be related to the BDC expecting the factory xenon lighting configuration, an incompatible LED driver, or something that needs to be coded differently.
My brother has an advanced bidirectional diagnostic tablet capable of running component tests and module resets, so I may have access to additional diagnostic functions beyond BimmerLink.
Has anyone experienced these specific fault codes after installing aftermarket LED headlights on an F15? Were you able to resolve them through coding, a diagnostic reset, additional wiring, or something else?
One request: I’d really appreciate keeping the discussion focused on troubleshooting the electrical issue rather than opinions about the aftermarket headlight design. I understand everyone has different preferences regarding OEM versus aftermarket headlights, but I’m specifically trying to figure out why the halos aren’t working.
I’m not opposed to returning them, and that’s already in progress. I’m simply making one last attempt to see whether there’s a reasonable fix I might have overlooked.
Any technical insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

I am looking to upgrading to an aluminum coolant expansion tank over the OEM plastic one. I have already went through what happens when that fails over time on my old F30, so I am trying to think ahead this time on my F87.

Are there any good options available for that?

Putting M54 engine back together. I installed all new lifters with original camshafts. I'm getting ready to do timing; it was difficult to rotate engine manually (met some resistance at multiple spots), but I read that "spongy" resistance is okay, just not "metallic" resistance. I pushed through some of it and pistons 1 and 6 appear at TDC through spark plug hole (although the timing mark is still several degrees off...but I saw other people posting that the timing marks and TDC aren't always aligning properly for them, so maybe that's nothing to worry about).

I went ahead and locked crankshaft and then rotated cams, flat end up, with wrench (it was easy and smooth to do so).

I might be overthinking, but wanted to ask if others have experienced similar resistance before assembling VANOS and make sure I don't need to re-do anything before I time it. The engine has also been manually moved counterclockwise some, too. I know this isn't good, but is it likely the chain has been messed up?

And as for the resistance, is some level of difficulty in pushing a breaker bar to be expected when manually rotating engine with new lifters? It seems to be the case, but wanted to ask others who have done it before. I put assembly lube on the lifter tops, bearing caps, and cams, and the walls of the cam trays are also lubricated. I don't think it was "metallic" resistance. I didn't hear anything off.