replaced the vicous clutch for an OEM item today... crikey that makes a difference! I instantly enjoyed driving the car again, the whole shifting and engine performance was off by the fan being engaged all the time. Cheers for the advice for going with Behr, defenitely the right choice!

while we were in there I spotted a drip... turned out the belt had chewed it's way through a lower hose (going to the oil cooler?). Weird since it's a genuine hose and the plastic clip was on it. Dit a quick fix by cutting it at the gap and putting a connecter in between, will order a new hose. hope that will be the end of the mysterious coolant smell I've been having since owning the car (I guess this is a false hope with a bmw )

New and exciting problem has arrived though!

My indicators work, but the inside arrows and the clicky sound do NOT. Anyone have an idea? Some relay not functioning? I thought it might have been the bike rack that was plugged in the hitch connector, but the problem went away once after disconnecting and restarting the car, only to return the next day (no bike rack plugged in)