Nice work! I do like the split tailgate/hatch thing we have going on, except for the piece that houses the "latch" and license plate light, and is held into place by stupid plastic expansion rivets that pull out over time. Then the water gets in.

I've read about this before but I don't really understand the actual problem. I've removed and attached that part several times and never had any problems regarding how it's screwed on the hatch.

so there's a thread here in these forums that details the explanation for that and the repair which is made in software i believe in coding the IHKA . it's really designed to be like a 1 -2- 3 position meter and i think was over-zealously programmed in the first place.

I agree, the temp gauge is a bit silly. Tough to tell what is going on in your motor just using that. I should have said that I am trying to figure out the MAP cooling logic. I get the BMW gurus trying to balance fuel economy with performance, via the MAP function, but via the foxwell on my drive would watch MAP activate on long hills at 70mph in 30 deg temps, but by the time it did, the hill was over and the need for greater performance has passed. It also hardly seemed to me the type of situation that would require MAP cooling, but who knows.

Interesting. Did you try Sport mode driving? The MAP cooling may be different. :popcorn:

Done
 

Wrapped this project up yesterday. Was a bitch getting the guibo in. The directions say to make the shaft with the new splines to be 30.25"(see you tube vids). I made it 30" even and it was still tough getting that little centering nub into the front differential bolt. Also, the online directions etc, show the new spline piece slipping into the driveshaft for easy adjustment. Mine was off by a few thousands. I took measurements and used my press to slowly insert it. Once that thing is in, it isn't coming out, so measure twice, install once. Drove it and everything was fine. On to the next project....Hope this helps someone else out in the future.

Nicely done and some peace of mind.

After getting my X towed and dropped in my driveway, I spent the morning putting in a rebuilt (Bosch) starter from Oreilly's.

With the front of the car on jackstands and the left front wheel off I was able to swap the starter out wtihout dropping the stiffener. The top torx bolt was, as always, a huge pain in the ass. I also didn't have to pull the heat shield all the way out, but rather was able to slide it forward and then rotate it downwards so it was tucked out of the way in front of the axle shaft.

I'm super happy that it was just the starter and not an EWS problem.

I was able to make quick work of replacing the pads and rotors on the front of my X. Surprisingly absolutely nothing went wrong and I got the job done early.

I also was happily surprised recently when we had some very cold weather. The X had been sitting outside for several days and the temperature was about 5F. Fortunately it started right up, though it wasn't firing on all cylinders for the first few seconds. (I later found a "misfire during warmup" code in the log.) Anyways, it gave me a good feeling that it actually had no real problems.
That cold weather also made me wonder, as I was trying to get my oil cap off (the moisture under the cap was frozen solid) -- how often should I replace my CCV system? I replaced it in 2016 when I first got the car, because it had significant sludge, along with all the hoses, and used the cold-weather versions of everything. However, that was 6 years and about 35k miles ago. I live in a dry area but it does get very cold here in the winters. Should I put it on my list of things to replace again soon?

Depends on the kind of driving you do. If you do a lot of short trips where the engine doesn't have time to get the oil up to full temp in very cold weather, then it might be a consideration. If you don't drive it much in very cold weather I wouldn't worry about it at all. Are you seeing mayo under the oil filer cap? If not, it's probably not an issue. You haven't put very much mileage on in that 6 years.

Curiously, it appears that an upgraded CCV has been designed by German Auto Solutions. I seems to have been very well conceived for m54. I have no personal experience, but was pleased with oil cap and more durable DISA valve from them when I had an m54 truck. Just thought I’d mention it with you contemplating a refresh! Good luck!