This went on for 4 hours. I removed the nest and the rat built it back.

I got this one with my .45 pistol finally at about 3 am that morning.

They ate everything under the hood of my 300zx. Its just the motor that's left under the hood.

They ate the sparkplug wires, all wiring harnesses, hood insulation and all.

From what I read its the soybean based wiring they love on Japanese cars.

:wow: Thats absolutely insane. Where do you store the car?

Don't throw a brick at a rat in Alabama because then the rat will be armed. Wow! What a story. If you know where the rats live say in a hole in the ground if you drop a few chunks of carbon dioxide dry ice in the hole, the carbon dioxide finds the lowest spots and they will die there. Chicago started using this method recently.


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Backyard. I will have a several bay drive in garage soon so that should solve a good bit of this stuff.

I started out shooting them with my ruger 10/22 but the .22 caliber bullets weren't killing them. Unless I got a few shots in them.

.45 works nicely :D

Messy but nicely...

I have no clue where they live besides under the hood of my cars and trucks...

Critters jus' tryna live! LOL I hate when people type like that.

:thumbup:
https://media.midwayusa.com/producti...538/538204.jpg

What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

That's very cool. I thought you were just an amazing shot! (Not inferring opposite). Using a pistol to shoot a varmint is bad ass even with shot.

My dad's best friend used similar and was able to shoot 23/25 clay pigeons in a round of skeet once.

I have an airsoft MAC-10. Works phenomenally well to get unwanted creatures to find a more preferred location but what to do with those rats wow.

I'm wondering if you could actually use something like a Van de Graaff generator to put the car at half a million volts potential when you aren't using it. When they climb up they will bridge the gap and a little bit of lightning will make that car their least favorite place on Earth.

If a person went to grab the door handle before draining the charge it would be a heck of a static spark but just "something to talk about" not really deadly as long as the cars capacitance wasn't too high.

Electric fence circuit would work well also if you could figure out a way to make sure they bridged the gap from ground maybe offer them an obvious easy path: build a ramp out of 1/4" mesh that leads to a favored entrance portal then make sure their first step to the car is metal. You could take the concept of bug zapper and make a rat zapper.

My first thought was to make a mesh of alternate wires like chicken fence scale that would zap if bridged but the problem is they will figure it out and hop over. If you had something they had to climb or if the circuit completion is the car itself they will learn it's the car itself to avoid.

There are high frequency generators that are supposed to work on rats. If a high frequency sound at high enough volume can be introduced into say the engine bay they could hopefully be turned away.

Stunning story I hope you can eliminate the pests before they cause too much additional damage.

Packrats got to my father's 300zx in Tucson. Messed up the headlamp and engine harness so bad you could never count on the lights opening up. It was less of a loss to sell the car than to go through all the wiring.

2002 X5 3.0 Auto 334,200 miles
2014 428i Auto 30,000 miles

2004 325i Auto sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i Auto sold at 66,000 miles

1970 Firebird Under restoration

Advanced SereneLife Ultrasonic Pest Repeller, Vehicle Rodent Repellent, Non Toxic, Pest Control for Rodents, Moles, Dogs, Cats, Up to 300 Ft. of Coverage, 12V (PSLSAR5) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JICR3QO..._B9ZeAbF7DGS23


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Have a '72 bavaria I was daily driving when I lived in Tucson. Got a new car and didn't drive the bavaria for a week - after I tried to start it again, nothing. Looked under the hood... rats had made a comfortable home of my engine bay. Big guys too, saw some teeth marks where they chewed the insulation and eventually found a dead one in the footwell...

Still not running but I have it in my backyard :rofl:

Reinstalled the dash, airbags and most of the trim. Still need to reconnect the battery to confirm blower works Ok. While the dash was out, I covered a bunch of flat areas with dynamat and wrapped anything that could possibly rattle in felt and/or fuzzy Tesa tape. Used contact cleaner and reseated all the connectors.

Just a tip for anyone replacing the blower fan. There are several good videos that describe the process to remove the dash and the old fan, including the Bentley manual. Some clarifications:

There is no need to remove the trim strips from the dash, risking breakage. There's no mounting hardware behind them; just tape/mask them up so you don't scratch them and leave in place.

Once the dash is out, there is also no need to remove the large air plenum that directs air into the dash vents. The blower cover can be unclipped and removed with this plenum in place. Good thing too, as it's not obvious how to remove it without running the risk of breaking clips and disconnecting all of the bellcranks/stepper motors.

When reinstalling the blower cover, install the bottom first, making sure it's seated under the mounting tabs (no clips on the bottom). Check and double check that the fan connector is connected. I cleaned the plug, connector, brushes and commutator with CRC 2-26, which prevents corrosion. I never want to pull this dash again.

Center console tip; no need to remove it completely, it just needs to be loose. Removing the small piece of ductwork that connects the rear blower to the rear vent makes it MUCH easier to maneuver the console to mate it to the dash. This duct is also a sloppy/loose fit; I sealed it with foil HVAC tape on reinstall. Wrapped all of the connectors in felt here too, as they rattle around in the console.

Anyway, hope some of this helps. Prob see more of these start to fail as these things age.

Oh I don't have rat shot. I use a mixture of regular hollow points and black talon rounds :)

I usually only use rat shot in revolvers. Automatics like my mega star would probably shred them feeding them.

I'm praying I never have to do that one but will refer to this if I have to do it.

Black Talon FTW! I still have a bunch for my 9mm's. :thumbup:

There is really only one defense if the vehicle is outdoors like mine are.

These aren't mine but this is what it takes.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...t-menace-2.jpg

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...t-menace-3.jpg

It's actually straightforward, I had about thirty bags of labeled hardware, lol. Just quite a bit to R+R so it takes a while. Hardest part is removing trim and components without breaking clips, mounting tabs, etc. That and manhandling the dash alone, as it is surprisingly heavy.

Oh, Bentley manual says you need to remove the center dash vent; that's not necessary either. Just unclip the cable that's connected to the temperature thumbwheel at the other end. The cable then comes out with the dash.

Leaving the store tonight facing the window front, I saw my halos flashing. You mean I never coded out the cold check when I installed the LED bulbs? WTF? How long has that been happening... :doh:

Coded out the cold check on those and my license plate lights in case those are flashing to on cold check too. :dunno:

Ouch

installed new rotors and pads.. realized front passenger side wheel hub etc was covered in oil residue, thought to myself great, CV issues.. then came to see that the BC coil is leaking pretty bad from the bottom.. so now I have to do that.. lol

oh - on my roadtrip home from the shop, i rcvd the CEL, DSC and Yellow brake light.. wouldnt shift after 3K rpms.. shut her down, rcvd the Trans fail safe.. codes that I got were Cranksenor, cam sensor and another one related to the cam sensor.. cleared it and the lights never came back..

do you guys recommend any sensors to be replaced after 100K miles as a precaution?

Both mine and wife's cam sensor died at about 125,000. Neither have had crank sensor replaced. They are scary sensitive to wear related variance of output. The engine computer is convinced a cylinder didn't fire if it detects a slight delay in the next anticipated pulse from the sensor.

I've only replaced the intake side cam sensor it appears that's typically the first to go.

I only got CEL and occasional shut down though so based on you getting failsafe I'd wait for a little more feedback maybe somebody else had similar conditions.


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Ordered up new tires as after all 20K is their life span (rears).

Installed these H11 LED bulbs in my fog light positions to match my high beam LED DRLs

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/hx0AA...9a/s-l1600.jpg

https://www.ebay.com/itm/262246241399

Excellent lumens :thumbup:

Mike

Nice !

Got my Weisslicht LED license plate lights today and put them in. A huge difference from my previous LED bulbs that fit into the existing bulb socket/holders. This is a complete lens replacement not just the bulb. Not super impressed with the connection, it makes contact with the existing bulb contacts in the handle and it was a little tricky to get them in and have a proper connection and a solid seal integrity but with a little patience they fit and look good.

*Edit* Should have washed the girl but it is supposed to snow tomorrow... :confused:

Those look good. I've used them before on E46's. They are fiddly.

We are getting snow right now here in San Antonio... LOL. Been over 10 years since last flurries landed here at my place.

Yep, I have the same brand on my E46. They were a shady connection too but been fine for years.

I love San Antonio BTW. Whenever I race COTA in Austin, I always schedule an extra day to drive down visit your town. (and hit the In-N-Out on I35 on the way :D) The Mrs. loves the River Walk and I love the Alamo. :thumbup:

Looks great. Another one I need to do.

I did manage to get my tires ordered today. They should be here Monday evening so I can get them mounted Tuesday.

Went with Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring tires.

I'll be staying at my parents time share on the riverwalk this weekend. Will be nice to take the kids to see the Christmas lights that they do. They'll love it.

I'm still rocking some normal style LED plate bulbs in mine rather than the board style. But I am very happy with these as they are (I believe) as bright as the weislicht ones. And haven't had any issues with them since I put them in back in February.

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...170545_HDR.jpg

Those do look good! What brand LED bulbs did you choose?

The wife and I missed the lights on River Walk one year by a week. They were up, just not lit. We still haven't seen the beauty of the Christmas lights there :(

They are sold by SiriusLED on Amazon. I've tried their other bulbs as well (run them in the front signals) and they seem, and feel, top notch. I will probably be buying LED's from them exclusively for all my vehicles. They are a tad more expensive than the other LED offerings on Ebay/Amazon... but they are FAR cheaper than Bimmian/Jlevi.

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...522_190634.jpg

Too bad you missed the lights. They are beautiful. I missed going to COTA for F1 this year but hope to make it there sometime in the future. I drive by it all the time on the the toll road going around Austin.

These came in today! And just as my brake light turned on, talk about great timing.

Jealous! So nice! Take some pictures of the install. Are there adapters needed for the calipers? :thumbup:

Nothing big, I changed the fuel cap, the old one didn't feel tight and more importantly, the plastic wire preventing it from beind dropped was broken (bought this way). The new one feels much tighter and the click is more "clicky".

Thank you! I'm excited myself, the factory 3.0i brakes were great, but with the big wheels I have the braking distance suffered as well as substantial heat radiating off and sometimes even smoking during the summer.

And yes they came with adapters, in retrospect the kit is no different than any other stoptech BBK, what we (customers) are paying for is the design and research of the adapters for each application.

These were half off on the Stoptech website, just under $1500 shipped. Great great deal!

My shop will be installing, I'll ask them to take some pictures

looking sweet

changed the hedgehog, what a pita that was :)

Changed the idle control valve that I have received several mechanical failure codes from. We'll see if that was it or some other gremlin as it usually appeared at the same time as a DSC warning with the codes saying no communication with the sensor. Also put new tie rods on that I didn't do when I rebuilt the front end suspension. Should have done it then. Steering is nice and tight now. Just have to get a wheel alignment now.

Really? I didn't think it was so bad, was one of the first repairs I've find on E53. It was not winter at the time so I could sit outside on the ground and lean backwards into the car to get a good view angle

Don't delay: we did and cost a pair of tires. Fortunately really crappy "came with the car" tires but still. Right though the steel belts

Absolutely. Hope to have it done in the next few days, Saturday for sure.

nice pick up and for that price, good find!

what shop do you use? I am in the market for a reputable shop that is close by, wont overcharge and treat my truck as if it was their own.. PM me the shop info if you dont mind.

well, I recently had the delight to have my truck not start during our lower temps here in the NY region.. Didnt have the tools nor the patience to tackle the job, although I was lucky enough to have a few ppl be a sound board and throw around ideas.. so I had her towed to my nearest dealer with hopes to get a "family friend" discount

All in all turned out to be a bad fuel pump, which, as you all now, will run me quite a bit of coin.. and all before the holidays.. lol

Is it that expensive at a dealer considering it takes all of 20 minutes to replace a fuel pump?

I think the stealership gets north of $400 just for the pump assembly... :yikes:

For starters they don’t just sell the pump, it’s the entire component which is the holder, sending unit/pump and leveling sensor which unfortunately comes out north of $400 and if I’m not mistaken, by law, they can charge you the book time, which seems to be 3 hrs, even though it would take only 20mins to change it out.

If it didn’t have a full tank of gas, it would be done by me however due to not having all the right variables, the dealer gets me on this one. Lol

Facto!!! Ding ding ding!

@ twin: I think there is a drain plug to empty some gas. It's a 3/10 difficulty job I did the first time in an unheated garage in winter and wasn't terrible. If you do have the dealer do it post the damages so others can weigh the pro/con


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I will be replacing the entire assembly when mine finally lets go. On the E46, it is cheap enough to simply perform as a preventative maintenance procedure. $150.

I just crossed the 150K mark in the X and I am indeed getting nervous...

@over: it's hours not miles. Figure out your average speed and divide into your miles driven.

Example if your avg speed is 43 mph, then you will have used about 3500 hours. A pi pump is good for about 5000 hours on pure gas and 6-7000 on poliuted (ethanol) gas. If you drive a lot of city miles you could be in the 6-7000 zone already. Look at your dash average mph after a full tank or two of use.


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Yep, agree 100% on hours to failure, not miles. I had over 200K on the E46 and the FP was still purring like a kitten but I replaced it all anyway along with the regulator and relay. But that car runs up and down the East coast from Homestead to Watkins Glen so almost all the miles are 70 MPH and less hours.

It is just a piece of mind thing in the end. I dread that call from the Mrs. saying something is wrong with the X5 when I'm on the road out of town and can't help her...

Do your search.. after all this, was able to find the entire assembly by piersburg for around 300... you do the install you save $$$

All in parts and labor by the dealer is close to $800. Finding a Indy close to me to help with these costs who is reputable and will treat my truck as if was there’s is what is needed and not just try to get me to do this and that..

Yeah, FCP Euro has Genuine BMW for about $350 :thumbup:

That's why I try to do everything myself. At least I know it's done right. :thumbup:

There's only 3 things I don't do myself :
- Aligment
- Tyres
- Press fit items (but I still bring the parts ready to do).

All the rest is never complicated provided you have basic tools and a bit of patience. Now you can even find every single tutorial in video on youtube (not so much when I had to work on my 73 beetle in the year 2000 (first car (still have it)))

As for the fuel pump, you need very basic tools and the quantity of fuel in the tank doesn't matter. A large flathead screwdriver, a smaller one, and a hammer. That should be all you need.

I just can't bring myself to hammering on anything... ;) Just my OCD kicking in...

$13 on fleaBay

@ over: a bent piece of steel wires l works great for free if you have it. Make a big upside down letter u and then put far between the two pieces upright hooked onto the tabs and turn


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Make an upgraded bearing press next time you need to especially front bearing: it will pay for itself the first use because you save on both the shop press and the front end alignment no longer needed.

I can measure the plates in my kit to tell you what you need you can probably build for $40. You do need some serious torque ability like 500-600 so 3/4" breaker or powerful impact. It's very satisfying to do.

I'd be interested in those measurements, if I can reproduce a correct tool, I might indeed fee myself from intermediaries on this and I do plan all four bearings for summer.

It would be interesting to make a post with all the useful sèecofoctools for regular maintenance.

Harbor freight's 25 ton shop press was my best investment. I never would of been able to the front bearings with the nightmare I went thru without it. Money well spent.

If only we had a similar chain in switzerland/france... All of the "harware shops" have given up on real tools and are fully commited to decoration and home improvement.

I plan on picking one of those up in the future after I make some room for it in the garage. Where did you pick up the discs/plates to go with it, or did it come with an assortment?

It came with two large plates which are handy but I had to start collecting things to add to it. So when I work on something I save my left over parts (brake pads, backing plates, etc) to use with the press.

I think they have a kit for it but I didn't see it when I bought the press (actually didn't even think about it till I went to use it the first time).

I plan on buying some kind of plates to add to what I have one day if I run across them.

I have the full front wheel bearing press kit from HF, the problem is the kit is woefully inadequate with the included push rod good for 23,000# but the bearing needing 35,000#. I swapped the 3/4" rod for 1"and now the tool can push 56,000# makes on Vehicle bearing swap a relative breeze.

I only use maybe 4-6 of the plates and 1-2 of the rings for both front and back bearings. I will see if I can figure out fun the wear marks which I actually use and post the result.

I will be replacing one more rear bearing on wife's x5 soon and expect to post details. I have a trick that makes it a lot easier: I cut a slot at the end of the bolts so I can turn them from sitting outside the wheel well rather than under the car.

The shop press which I've considered getting requires removing the bearing carrier from the car and follow-up m alignment vs using the push rod type bearing press does not.

I stripped 3 push rods changing two bearings before I upgraded to the 1" push rod. I've replaced two more bearings since (front and rear) and it's laughable how much different: I literally laughed when I watched the impact tool effortlessly squeeze the rear bearing into place.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6a090fdfa9.jpg
My kit with the upgraded bolt: in the pic shows the 3/4" bolt I still use for the smaller discs, I only drilled out the biggest 4-5 plates since the smaller plates never need more than half the force the 3/4" rod can provide.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...365a1d1e1d.jpg
Here is the actual setup I used to press the hub into the new rear bearing. The top plate is simply a spacer since the bolt I use is not threaded fully. It by chance has the size code so I can use as reference to figure out which plates I used.

I was wondering if those kits were strong enough... Turns out they are not but if your mod holds, it might be a nice option.

What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

After several uses the 1" bolt looks and works exactly as new. Makes sense as the 1" bolt has a torque spec of 760 ft·lb and my impact is rated at 700. (intentionally designed by me that I can not over torque the bolt). At spec a lubricated 1" bolt is rated at about 31T of force but at 700 ft·lb I can achieve about 26T. It's enough to press the front bearing out without heat. And press in the new without freezing. The 1" upgrade is a permanent fix. Also the bolts were stupid cheap! Like $6 for two. I also added an oil infused thrust bushing which helps a lot no more steel on steel grinding.

Its really nice of you to share solutions before problems happen. Now i just need to get the toolset and 2 bolts when the time comes.

I've seen people make a press from a bolt and plumbing parts like 4" pipe and flanges but ideally obtaining some actual round steel plate is a much better idea. Before I got my kit I was going to have my machinest brother cut me some blanks. I may still have him modify the one for the front hub press: the inside opening is not symertrical round so it's a bit tedious to get the plate centered when pressing in the new bearing.


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The only bearing press kit I could get locally (or shipped) isn't large enough for the front bearing but it worked great on the rear. When/if I need to replace a front, I'll have to get a local engineering firm to make me up two plates and a receiver - shouldn't be a major problem, just annoying.

https://www.topmaq.co.nz/wp-content/...-1024x1024.jpg

https://www.topmaq.co.nz/shop/automo...ng-puller-kit/

I'll measure the size of the plates.


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Got the BBK installed, swapped my tires from the 69's to 99's, but still needed a spacer to clear the calipers.

Also replaced the guibo, a cracked power steering hose, all coils, spark plugs, and all o2 sensors, also raised the car and got an alignment.

Car now stops on a dime, runs great, and steers perfectly. Considering the rear BBK to finish everything off, but that will be sometime in the Spring if this clearance sale is still going on.

Once spring rolls around, have the 4.6is f+r lips, aluminium running boards, front brush guard, and front and rear flares to put on, and she will/should be finished.

Pretty wheels. I wouldn't use because too many crevices to hold dirt but it's a nice style no doubt.


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Need three plates because you need one that fits through the carrier to pull out the bearing and one that doesn't fit to pull it back in. With the right design of the big plate you could maybe use the bigger plate outside for removal and inside for install while using the small one inside for removal and outside for install.

I think I use four different plates for install and removal but with the right profile you could flip it over: the key is you have to only push on either the inner or outer race when pushing so you don't see damage the new bearing.

I always push on the outer race when removing so I'm not pushing on the bearing race (which is curved and will push outward to tighten the fit). You wouldn't have to so could get away with fewer plates.

I actually am not a fan of these wheels, at all, I loved the style 69's. I was told they wouldn't clear my BBK and the style 99's would (found a new unused set on CL for $250). Unfortuntaely they needed spacers as well, but at least these wheels look brand new and help make the car appear younger.

Thanks andrewwynn, pretty much like i thought. The only part I'm uncertain about is the clearance from the back to "pull" the bearing out of the hub, by putting force only on the outer race. This "disk" needs to be a precise fit - resting on the outer race only but still clearing the bore that the bearing fits in. :rolleyes:

There is not a lot of difference but you can remove the bearing deductively. I prefer to use an exact fit that will pull the outer race since I have that size.


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those are the wheels I run on my 4.6is, I like them better than the originals and the tires are cheaper and you get better snow/mud tires thant on the 20"s.

I do need spacers for the rear since they are way too recessed but its low on my list of priorities.

What size disks are those? I was looking at a Stoptech kit but the rotors were smaller than stock on the 4.8is. Didn't want to downsize the rotors, for appearance reasons, the Stoptech would have stopped better.

The front BBK are 4 piston calipers with 355x35mm rotors, I believe the 4.8is has 356mm rotors with a 2 piston caliper in front.

I was upgrading my 3.0i brakes and was planning on going with the 4.8is brakes, but if buying new/used parts, the Stoptech BBK came out to less with the clearance sale.

The rear kit I am looking at has the same size rotor at 355mm, but the rear has a two piston caliper instead of the 1 piston found on all E53's.

^Yeah, was just coming back to edit the post. Saw the sale on Stoptech's site. Smoking deal. Wish I wasn't so greedy and wanted the 380mm or an X5M brake setup. LOL

I know! Get a front and Rear BBK for the price of just the front!

Jury-rigged a 16 year old E46 fuel pump into my E53 in order to make it to Christmas with the family. Oh, the noises that thing made after not being submerged in fuel for 5 years or so. :D

Good fix to get thru. Glad it worked !

Update: made it there and back on the E46 fuel pump w/o issues. New pump comes tomorrow. Wife now understands why I don't throw stuff away until I know for sure it's broken beyond repair or will never be useful. ;) I originally replaced it at 99K miles as preventative maintenance!

I go thru that with my wife.

"Why don't you throw those old parts away???", "You had to change it so throw the old one away".

Those old parts if not completely dead can save you a ton of grief for sure.

Installed my Hard Race upper control arms and transverse arms today. Took about 3 hours to install taking my time. I did make one mistake when raising the upright to ride height to preload the bushings, the jack slipped and the suspension dropped straight down and broke my rear ride height level sensor arm. :banghead:

Ordered one from my dealer and it will be here on Thursday.

One thing to mention, the plastic assembly that holds the brake line, wheel speed sensor wire and brake pad sensor wire to the factory control arm will not fit on the Hard Race control arms so I did some tie wrap separation and mounting. Solid and functional.

Couldn't wait any longer could ya ? :)

Bet you froze !

Looks awesome. I am sooooo going to do those when I get a chance.

Not bad at all today. 45F high outside and in the garage was probably 60F. I actually worked up a sweat... :thumbup:

Note to all:
Never give a computer geek tools and let him work on your car, he/I will surely break something else... ;)

Nice. I stepped outside and it was 45. I went back inside...

Replaced rear two air bag suspension (one had blown), replaced drivers door handle carrier (had broken and could not open door from outside), removed rear left taillight and rebuilt potted connection area with solder to get brake light working again.

Now it looks like the passenger actuator is playing up, and the LCD in the nav system has started to die (was only replaced ~12mths ago). Also the OEM rear camera (yes, there was one fitted OEM in Australian 06 models) is playing up and only comes on every now and then.

Replaced the tailgate switch and plate lights (the lights were rusted through the bulb holders and the switch failed when it was raining) and noticed the updated gasket is ridiculous/useless (doesn't touch the body).

I also replaced the intake boot that was cracked, there is progress, another smoke test soon.

It's so hard to get a solid grip under that smooth lower arm! Thanks for the heads up for anybody following you.

Excellent job on using the zip ties to hold and separate. That will come in handy

Finished the alignment today and good to go!
Nice to finally have the camber in spec. :thumbup:

Nice work Overboost :thumbup:

I was able to squish my plastic holder around the Hard Race arm and hold it with wire ties but yours looks very tidy.

I didn't have to use the Hard Race toe arms to get mine in spec but they sure look good as a matching pair. :thumbup:

Mike

Been doing so much lately...but today I replaced my side markers with new clear ones...Easy and quick but makes a really nice difference.

Best part is....

While replacing I realized I’m missing the 3.0i emblem on one side lol. Next mod I guess :D

I just debadged my 3.0i emblems. Looks a lot cleaner IMHO.

https://xoutpost.com/1124371-post30.html

Hmmm...I may go that route. Didn’t even think of it tbh

(Yesterday) replaced the hood badge, new buttons in center console, detailed the engine bay, and pulled the passenger seat to possibly replace the occupant sensor.
Will likely do a full coolant flush today and put the seat back having unsuccessfully diagnosed the airbag light. ��

Replaced the battery as I've been putting this off for some time now. And with these cold temperatures of -30C, it wouldn't start; so I knew it was time.
Got estimates for around $309+, decided to do it myself as I've researched, it seems to be a fairly easy job.

Took less than half an hour and saved myself more than half the cost

Finally got her to start up and took her on a short drive.
All is good again!

Replaced the rear Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 tires on the rear after the camber issues I had destroyed the old ones before the Hard Race arms upgrade. 315/35/20. I wonder how long the racing stripes are going to be on those tires. LMAO

What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

Wife's airbag light comes on any time ambient is below about -5C. I can drive 5-10 and restart the car and it will clear itself. It seems the butt sensor doesn't work when cold.

Replaced OEM grills with Aftermarket blacked out ones...

https://xoutpost.com/attachment.php?...1&d=1514836779

Looks fantastic! :thumbup:

Thanks!!

How was fitment? They look great!

Thanks!

Fitment was actually spot on. I thought they were loose at first but then they clicked in nicely. Easy to install as well.

Yes, they look great!

Where did you get them?

Link please?

Thanks,

Mike

Here you go! Shipping was crazy quick as well, and packaged well also. :thumbup:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E53-X5-...72.m2749.l2649

Thanks Eurowhip :thumbup:

Mike

I drove it today. That's a rarity since getting the wife's x35d.

Caveat to being driven... I loaded it with 5 30"x80" doors, 5 52" ceiling fans, 4 2x4x8s, 4 light kits, 4 blade kits, new miter saw, bag of sand, 4 door knob sets, and a few other odds and ends from Lowes. Wish I would have taken a picture. But she handled it just fine. The top half of the clam shell had to be tied down of course, but the doors really only stuck out about 3 or 4 inches.

Should have seen all the pickup guys walking past while I loaded "Big Red." Were probably thinking I would never get it all in... ;) My BMW's do work! No free lunches here, don't care how nice a vehicle you are. Have to earn all that high-dollar maintenance and repair you get. :)

I drove it today. That's a rarity since getting the wife's x35d.

Caveat to being driven... I loaded it with 5 30"x80" doors, 5 52" ceiling fans, 4 2x4x8s, 4 light kits, 4 blade kits, new miter saw, bag of sand, 4 door knob sets, and a few other odds and ends from Lowes. Wish I would have taken a picture. But she handled it just fine. The top half of the clam shell had to be tied down of course, but the doors really only stuck out about 3 or 4 inches.

Should have seen all the pickup guys walking past while I loaded "Big Red." Were probably thinking I would never get it all in... ;) My BMW's do work! No free lunches here, don't care how nice a vehicle you are. Have to earn all that high-dollar maintenance and repair you get. :)

I've done a similar thing buying wood for some big standalone shelving, people were note used to seing materials get into a BMW

A pic would have been awesome!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...90b9940d05.jpg

Oops I'm about 140# over the recommended max.

My maximum is a little higher after I upgraded my tires to the runonflat. They have a carrying capacity of 500# a tire more than the stock tires. Not saying i have 2000# more capacity but with the air shocks to adjust to a little extra weight, I'm sure I'm good for 500# over the stock tires. It did hit my mpg though. I dropped from 20-21 to 18-19'

Installed Clear side marker lenses with intense white LEDs

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/w1...A=w668-h890-no

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/kQoAA...4M/s-l1600.jpg

Purchased here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/301477558164


Mike

Where did you get the white LED's? The ones you liked come with amber.

The white LEDs came from here

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1bo9bN...T10-3D-LED.jpg

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pc...311.0.0.VTSD2p

They say NLA but maybe they can be sourced with the description elsewhere :dunno:

This might be the same or similar :dunno:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pc...ceBeautifyAB=0

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10X-...ceBeautifyAB=0

Mike

Thanks. Those side markers look cool.

IMHO, they give much better recognition even in daylight.

Mike

Broken axle passenger side [emoji30]🤬 and she wouldn’t d move on drive or reverse.. i hope 🤞🏽 its only the axle 🤦🏽*♂️https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0c2d184ab3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3b27eaca82.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cec77ef4a4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c0a5b739f5.jpg


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Feelin for ya mate re the axle...

I took the opportunity to do some needed maintenance. Seems like all the known faults are happening since I bought this thing....

So just replaced the water pump on my N62 (surprised old one lasted after I took it out), tracked down and eliminated an annoying ticking sound from passenger side dash (tweeter), installed radio station logos artwork for each channel in my Dynavin stereo, found and fixed a faulty stop light contact, replaced missing hood emblem, new wiper blades etc and washed, polished and detailed the thing to look all clean....

job done....

then today the rear passenger door handle carrier broke... :thud:

Cheers

And I'm feelin' for ya!

Had the rear drivers side door handle carrier break on me last night in the cold... I have a brand new front passenger handle carrier sitting in the X waiting to be installed in better weather. Guess both will get installed together now :rolleyes:

Mine does that occasionally too. Not (yet) enough to warrant tearing the door apart to sort it. ;)

A lot of work on the x this weekend.
Lowered 30mm i the front, 5mm spacers in the front, and 15mm spacers in the. While I was in there at also got a super clean up in the wheel wells. Looks good,
and drives so much better.
Dark side blinkers also put on, fits perfect.
And last but not least a coolant flush, just to be sure that it is winter ready .


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Read my posts about the handle carrier. If it has the blocking pin saw it off so the handle dry-fires and you won't break the thing when the lock gums up and stays locked due to cold weather.

I bought the Creator 310 V7.2 Scan Tool on eBay for $40 Best Offer accepted.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/192422040679

Hope to resolve my Self Level Suspension Inactive fault code.

Mike

Joined that club last night. Going to replace the driver's side regulator while the door is apart, it's been "clicking" for a few weeks.

Oh, and the front driver's side ABS sensor isn't reporting a value. Quick inspection looks like it's dead; wiring got pulled out of the insulation/jacket somehow.

changed the drivers door handle , after it broke last Monday, took me 30 mins to do :)

Finally installed a tire rack in the garage to hold the extra set of wheels and tires...this week will be a wash and finally some coding as I now have my computer setup with bmw scanner software :)

Added a dash camera, hard wired with an add-a-fuse and a 12v-USB converter in the fuse box.

Wired up the auto-unlock function of my e-light - wish they would tell you to hook the black wire up (or that it may need to be done) in the installation manual... but now my doors auto unlock when engine is turned off.

Can you elaborate on how to get the auto-unlock function to work, it drives me crazy.

Its part of the E-light ultimate product - you need to connect the black wire to pin 24 on the main computer. E-light gives you three blink indicators, auto Angel eyes, etc.

Just disable the whole auto-lock function with PASoft and save your locks...:thumbup:

Not a fan of auto lock/unlock. Wife's car is 20,000 miles behind mine and has 3 worn out door activators. Also the trunk is always locked when I need entry. In short it's 100% wrong guessing when I would like to have the doors locked and inconveniences me every time.


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I hate auto door lock too. First thing I disabled.

I love em.

Figure it will give me time to activate the riff raff repellant system (.45 pistol) in the event of some moron trying to carjack me or mine.

Little late if they can just open the door without you knowing.

I activated mine when I got the car a few months ago because GF Unit is "worried" for her handbag and was locking them anyways and saying "my mini at least locks herself when I drive".

I think i'd be ok with locking at 15mph not 2. What happens is I'm constantly locked out of getting something in or out of the car at my inconvenience. At least 5-10x a month. Once I can a) program some non-stupidity into at least my key life will be improved.


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Middle column, very bottom.

http://blog.obdexpress.co.uk/wp-cont...140-win7-1.jpg

Make sure to select the keys just above the locking condition. If you don't know what key you have, select all 4.

Also if it doesn't work when you pick a speed then go back and try other locking speeds. I know on my different bmw's some speeds work and some don't.

My wife loves auto-lock. I can't stand it. Personal preference "convenience" I suppose.

Changed out my park brake shoes this morning. Not a bad job, but I took it slow and repainted my rotor centres while I had them off the car. Cleaned up the calipers a little too.

Not very impressed with BMWs park brake shoe adjustment method. There should be a small hole in the disc backing plate (with a grommet) that allows for easier adjustment than the BMW method via a wheel bolt hole. It works but it would be so much easier via a hole in the back plate. Getting at the hand brake lever adjustments isn't easy either - you will need a good set of metric tube spanners for this part (9mm & 12mm).

Replacement shoes were Bendix BS5099.

I agree on the parking brake adjust holy crap. I changed mine and my wife's rear brakes recently and all four brake shoe had worn into the rotor on the inside of the drum actually Anakin pull the rotor off because the brake shoe was up inside. I believe I had to actually bend you the dust shield to get in there and adjust that sucker.


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Sunday I finally was able to mount my underseat emergency kit :thumbup:
Sunday I also replaced my cabin air filter. I love how it’s so easy on this truck!

And today I get to have my drivers side window regulator replaced. I’ve only had to replace two so far, passenger rear and drivers side front. :D

Rolled the window down, never came backup lol.

finally got around to upgrade 20" style 87 rims. and lowered the car with

H&R lowering springs and bilstein b6 shocks, in the process replaced shock and strut mounts and seat bearings.

Awesome look isn't it? :thumbup: Did you get the flares yet?

Lowered on BC coilovers and also did style 87 wheels...

https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram...MjU5MA%3D%3D.2

Looks like 87 wheels here are the M-Pars of the e53 world. :rofl:

Yes I truly lucked out found a guy with 4.6is parting out front (4.8 Nose) & Rear bumper along with running boards and flares. However I am waiting for him to get them off his car still.

Your car looks real nice with those wheels and lowered.

I got the rear flares and rear 4.8iS bumper with PDC to go with my style 87's. Still looking for a 4.8iS facelift front bumper with PDC, hopefully in black... Still undecided on front flares...

Ordered all new climate control buttons (my fan up and down button keeps falling off).

New hatch led light bulbs came in today but to cold and late to install tonight.

Still loving the crap out of my heated steering wheel. If you have never driven a car with one trust me GET ONE.

Mine did that too - I fixed it with some Master Black Plus Gasket silicone - as only one of the two small pivots had failed, a small dab of silicone in the correct spot creates a new "pivot".

Seems to have held up pretty well (about a year now). :thumbup:

I had planned on looking into fixing mine but for $17 I got all new buttons and the light inserts.

Couldn't resist at that price for all new stuff.

I was going to do the same but the exchange rate and postage made it more like $50-$60, so it was out with the black goo! :D

Shipping and all came out to $22.64 which isn't bad considering Im in the USA and its coming from London England.

I drive my car today to go to office and come back home. Everyday it is with me happily

That's a good deal! Actually, I'll be in the USA next week - might have to stack up a few eBay purchases and get them delivered to my hotel. I can see the folk at NZ Customs now, as I struggle though the queue with a set of Style 87s... :rofl:

I can just picture that !

:wow:

:mantis:

I got it some company
 

I love my E53 so much I gave it to my wife and bought it a companion for me. A 2008 E83 3.0si to keep her X5 company in the driveway. Got it last week, Silver with a Gray interior, 105k mi.

AceEngineer :cool:

:thumbup: Nice!

Over the last few days I have optimized the pathetic performance of my Eonon GA6166 1GB RAM operating system that I installed in my E53 in January/February 2017.

It took three full nights of researching threads in this forum

https://forum.xda-developers.com/and...re-development

But now I have a 56 second cold boot up (according to Startup Manager app) of the "modded" GA6166 and full functionality access to my apps. The bass response is enhanced so much so that I had to back off on my low frequency and sub volume settings. My rear camera stability appears to be improved as well.

Essentially, I installed a ROM from developer Hal9k_

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1S...pfLWNwUU0/view

Reloaded all my apps and then set the framework to "microG" which is a faster operating framework alternative to the Google Apps platform (apparently the Google Apps "platform" slows down the OS)

https://microg.org

The microG framework allows me to interface with the Google Play Store and apps platform for full download and update functionality of Google Play Store Apps.

It was a difficult and tedious 3-day journey but this sure salvages the pathetic performance I was getting from the 1GB RAM Eonon GA6166.

During my multi-day research I learned of a board mod for the GA6166 that will take it to a 4GB RAM and 32GB of storage available from:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/WITS...814725689.html

I contacted Eonon for help before embarking on this research and mod journey but their assistance only offered another poor performing factory ROM and they were not able to offer me an upgrade board. Of course they would like me to buy a later model unit and quite possibly have to do the excruciatingly difficult task of running the FAKRA cable to the rear of the vehicle again (NO WAY was I up for that again!).

Possibly some folks out there are aware of this modding capability for the Android head units that are popular for our E53s, but I sure wasn't. So, for those that have a 1GB RAM unit and are experiencing painful slow cold boot performance, this may help lead you in the direction of some solutions.

Good luck reading the >55 page threads on the XDA forums to get yourself up to speed on these head unit mods.

PS: I fully understand that this voids any expectation of warranty from Eonon.

Mike

Our warranty is already out for the E46, we bought the headunit over a year ago. Would like to fix the crappy radio issues where it just randomly auto searches for stations, the lagginess and long boot up times. I'll be PMing you with some questions once we get started.

Hi Itsbrokeagain,

Sure, will help you with how I went about my mod. Hopefully the steps I used will yield the same or similar results for you.

Best to start out digesting these threads to get up to speed on the hardware and software background

https://forum.xda-developers.com/and...units-t3623982

and

https://forum.xda-developers.com/and...o-px5-t3581741

Mike

Thanks Mike. Two nights ago I just started to look into flashing my GA7166. Your post is perfectly timed

You're welcome xbimma!

I was amazed that this type of head unit modding was absent from this and the E46 Fanatics forums and knew that I had to share this knowledge with our BMW communities that may be looking at these Android based systems.

Mike

I don't remember the name of the aftermarket firmware I run in my eonon that's in my e46 but it was like getting a new radio when I switched to it a few years ago.

If I have driven the car any that day boot time is zero seconds. Really zero aka instant on.

If its the first time I have driven the car that day it takes about 20 seconds to boot the sound and main part and another 30 to bring up nav if I had left it on nav.

Love that firmware. If I get around to fooling with my e46 before I forget about this post I will see what firmware I am running :)

Installed my Gloria OEM fire extinguisher. Hard to come by but with enough searching, I was able to get one from Germany.

Nice ! I want one.

Yeah that sounds about right for an improved/performance ROM/firmware that the XDA guys are running.

I have my complete shut down of my head unit selected at 2 hrs so any reentry shorter than that gives me instant boot and functionality.

Cold boot like from overnight is now down to under a minute with all functionality. With the OEM Eonon supplied ROM/firmware it was pathetic and sometimes 20 minutes before I could get Spotify or Pandora to respond :thumbdown

Mike

Also, the other day I cleared my Self Level Suspension Inactive code that had come on at the first really cold day here in Dallas and never reset itself. The code kept coming on immediately after start up.

I used a Creator C310+ scan tool and found the code (I since forgot what it was but it was something like "Accumulator Pressure"). I reset it a couple days ago and it has remained off.

:thumbup: :thumbup: While not a coding device, the Creator 310+ was/is a good solution tool for me to have on hand and was pretty reasonable $50 Buy It Now from eBay.

Mike

Ordered a brake fluid tester to help me keep an eye on moisture content in the brake fluid. Will be interesting to test all the cars. I have one that has never had its fluid changed so should be a good test for the tester.

Why not just flush it? Why even bother testing it?


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Because I own over 20 vehicles. I have better things to do than flushing brake fluid all year long :)

Also its easier to keep up with if it works vs some crazy spread sheet or something to know what has and hasn't been flushed.

Hahha. Word.
Motive bleeder makes it a pretty quick job.


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Just ordered a n510 scanner with bmw software for my x5. Figured it would come in handy to keep in the hatch area and I will be ordering the Chrysler software pack when it gets here to work on the wife's pacifica.

The bmw version was onsale for $149 and the Chrysler one was $179 so I saved $30 and it cost $70 to add a manufacturer to it so I only have to kick in $40 to have it work on her pacifica too :)

Wife's abs light came on and Chrysler was the only thing I don't have diagnostics tools for so I scored a bmw scanner and justified it while getting the method to fix her abs light.

Bought a e46 m3 steering wheel yesterday, got for about 150usd
Today i repaint the leather, and mount it tomorrow.


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Is it thinner than the x5's wheel? I ran into that when I got my heated steering wheel from an e39 for my X5. Will be buying a new heated X5 wheel eventually as I like the thicker wheel.

Nope its actually thicker, which I like a lot [emoji41]


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Changed the steering wheel today.
Looks and feels so much better.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6db804ea9f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cfe5d36a9b.jpg


BMW e53 X5 4.6is 02

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Looks a bit green on the pics, cause off the blitz .


BMW e53 X5 4.6is 02

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Looks good! There is a lot of oil in the leather from the previous owner's hands so take a magic eraser and lightly clean the leather. It will pull out all the oils and make it look new again. DO NOT scrub it, it is an abrasive pad if you force it. Just wipe it lightly over and over again and marvel at the results! :thumbup:

The shine is because of some leather care, that not is sucked in to the leather yet ., [emoji41][emoji1303]


BMW e53 X5 4.6is 02

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What leather treatment? I recommend Leatherique but you may need to import it to Denmark. You treat the leather with the first stage and they apply the cleaner to remove all the oils as the second stage. Fantastic results on my E53 and my E46.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1486949157

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1486949153

It is leatherrique.
First prestine cleaner, then the rejuvenater oil.
[emoji1303][emoji41]


BMW e53 X5 4.6is 02

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No, the other way around. First the oil, then the cleaner...

http://i63.tinypic.com/mwp9jp.jpg

Kudos to Mr. Blackknighti30 received 4.8i cluster retrofitted in my 4.4i. Had Paul also replace cluster with White LED bulbs.

What's the error in the display?

what the 42 degrees ...

also installed H&R lowering springs & replaced front shocks with Bilstein b6. Wont post pic of car yet till I get the 4.6/4.8 front and rear flares and bumper along with running boards installed. pic of b6 installed

http://i66.tinypic.com/hriqsm.jpg

No, the message between the >-------<

Installed new water pump/thermostat. While in there, I installed the Bimmerfix stint kit (I did have the dreaded leak). Also installed new hoses, idler pulleys and alternator.

Tomorrow I will be back driving my e53 and I am wondering what its going be like after driving the e70 I bought the wife for the past 3 days.....

@Crowz, you gotta love the Torque on the E70...

Well so far after driving my e53 again today I was very surprised how much peppier the E53 is over the turbo e70. No doubt in a drag race my e70 will smoke my e53. Heck from the numbers it would probably smoke everyones e53 but my e53's throttle is so much more sensitive than the e70's.

The e70 does have gobs more torque feel to it. Its very strange the way the e70 stays around 1100 rpms or so most of the time around town where the e53 stays up around 2k or better all the time.

The 8 speed automatic is much nicer shifting wise too. Still it felt like home being back in my e53 :)

Rechargeable batteries came in today for both remote key fobs. I sliced them open, replaced the batteries and glued them back up. What do you know they both work. I even heard the air compressor come to life for the first time! Is that weird or not? It has never come on using the key to unlock things. Anywhoo, one down, a few more to go. CCV is next.

Re-calibrated the EHC-II. It was out of whack after the compressor took a dump. Indy set it but to the non sport measurements. Looks so much better now. :woot:

I tested the brake fluid in my X5 with my new brake fluid tester and it came back at 3% moisture content so I will have to flush it.

Wife's pacifica came back at >4% so I will have to do that one too.

Havent tested the 2013 x5 yet.


Also I washed the e53. Looks a million times better.

Also installed amazon prime music on the stereo in the e53. Sounds great and gives me over 2 million songs to chose from for free. I went with it over spotify or the others because it allows me to download music into its player for free to listen to offline.

I'm researching replacement heads right now. This thing has got to go. Seriously the biggest weak point on my 4.4i. I can't believe how reasonably priced these android units are.