hotwire

6 hours ago, Mad_Max said:

That's pretty steep..... depending on the car, sensor might take an hour to change tops, and the rear pads I can swap on the floor of my garage within an hour. If you feel like a trip south (or get down to Invercargill often) gimme a yell.

I've got basic BMW software and a cable here, if the car is an E36 will also have occupancy sensors. 

Let us know what make, model and year your car is as problems like these can be specific to certain models.

Occupancy sensor - 1 hour... really?

Two posts & still we don't know the actual car. We are all wasting out time without that knowledge - how long is a piece of string?

No one will know anything without yo mentioning the vehicle as to battery reconfiguration.

Seems random to me. Occupancy seat sensor will have nothing to do with battery change & i am assuming you are meaning rear brake pads & if so neither will have anything to do with those lights

Talk to Kayne Barrie

Try Anything Electronic in Nelson

2 hours ago, M3AN said:

Is there a lock on the passanger side of the e39 (is for e36)?

Nup only drivers door. Both doors seemed to stop at E36.

E39 locks are a prick to pick too. I haven't even managed to on my car. Irony is though - i can pick the later car locks relatively easily too

In the case of this one - if you don't want to fix it then just swap with a non bag wheel & say nothing. There is nothing else on the car to suggest it originally had one fitted.

Yep as Andrew says - in this case removing the wheel removes the entire system. Edit: & no one will be any the wiser.

Have researched this for jobs at work. After a certain age (15 yrs comes to mind but not sure) the system can be removed but ALL related components must be removed, airbag signage removed & a sign on the dash indicating the system is no longer installed - that is the ugly part.

2 hours ago, dirtydoogle said:

It's originally non monitor 

Okay I'll buy a better unit for it once I sell off a toy or two

Are there any options that are similar to the Dynavin? Or just go get of of them 

Talk to Joe @ Euro Surgeon. When i was last talking to him, he was not overly impressed with Dynavin for reliability. Not sure what he has.

Can't help sorry but I am bemused as to why you turned it right around to Valet position again without first confirming the reason of the first failure.

Particularly after Allan's post above.

Sounds as if it was originally a non monitor vehicle - radio in the dash. These aftermarket screens are designed to plug/play into the original radio plug.

If the vehicle was fitted with a factory monitor, there would have been different plugs - the blue & white i mentioned above. In this case the radio, TV etc modules are all in the L/H rear of the vehicle so if fitting an aftermarket screen in place of the OEM, it needs an extra loom run from the dash (connected to the new monitor) back to the radio in the rear.

So, if your vehicle was originally non monitor, it is a big procedure to retrofit to OEM. Aftermarket is the easiest/ most economic option in this case, assuming you want a screen in the dash. Otherwise just revert it back to the dash radio.

As above, If going back to factory option - make sure with the seller that it IS FROM an E53. Plenty of sellers miss represent that they fit E38/39 & E53.

Also E39 units (although viewing angle is the same) don't properly fit into the early E38 aperture - a ventilation duct fouls with the unit.

First off (again as above) - remove that unit & check the wiring behind. If there are spare blue & white plugs there - it would have had a factory monitor, if factory plugs connect to that unit then it was originally a non monitor car. If the latter is the case then it is a mission to retrofit a factory monitor in place of.

8 hours ago, treone said:

What model is the Dynavin? Possibly interested in it if it is suitable and can swap into the X5. And if you have no further use for it that is

Be aware that although E39 & X5 factory monitors physically interchange, the differ in that they both have different screens to allow for the different viewing angles in each vehicle. I have seen an X5 monitor in an E39 & you need to be viewing from ceiling level to see a proper image.

E39 sits virtually vertical whereas X5 is near horizontal. Don't know how the Dynavin views though

^^^^^ All very true Andrew. Off topic to EV's but look what has happened to listening to music - done the full circle back to turntable.

Not all new tech is best... 

21 hours ago, Gabe79 said:

Not all electrics have crap range. The Leaf sure does, and we don't have a lot of options here in NZ, but there are good EVs with meaningful range in other countries, excluding Teslas. The Chevy Bolt has range that's quite alright, 370km on a charge. The Renaut Zoe can go 400km on a charge. The bottom end Tesla model S can go 330km on a charge. I think it gets pedantic to say the range isn't as good as a ICE car. Who cares at that stage? Note, even the relatively limited Leaf, in the right situation has no real range issues, it just has to suit your needs (and would never be an only car...)

Also, obviously, battery technology is improving by leaps and bounds every year. The Leaf batteries were originally projected to degrade a lot faster than they have been, and they are improving and gaining capacity every year. Current model Leaf batteries have 3 times the capacity my 2011 model has. I don't imagine that come 2020, or much less 2030, or 2040, range for EVs will be an issue at all. I do wonder what else will be available then though. Ah, the future is bright.

You are still missing my point - I am not against EV's but just the way most manufacturers are powering them.

4 hours ago, eliongater said:

Also, I'd hesitate to spray CRC into the ignition barrel, I'd try some powdered graphite first.

No problem with a minimal amount of CRC in the lock, I have fixed multiple locks with it. There is also a specific lock lubricant (like CRC) that can be had. Yes I agree with graphite as an option but most people don't have direct access to it & it can be messy.

Maybe the switch jamming against the seat shroud. Have had this on other vehicles

I am aware of the operation of electric vehicles.

I am not denying they will emit less greenhouse than a diesel

My reading of that - there is talk of the resources to produce the battery as being not so attractive. My point. Imagine the resource required if half the worlds fleet switched to battery powered electric.

It still seems somewhat backward to me (for the future) to run a petrol (assisted) electric vehicle or a fully electric (battery powered), which in context, has a very limited range.

A fuel cell powered electric makes much more sense. yes there is an infrustructure to set up but once its done its done. 

5 hours ago, Gabe79 said:

My point was not that you'd have to replace an engine over a car's lifetime. I was simply suggesting that it isn't too different in scope, with the major difference that replacing an engine doesn't really jack up the value or your car, whereas replacing an old battery with a brand new one does jack up the value of an EV. 

I think folks are really missing the economics here. Electricity is vastly cheaper than petrol, in every sense. Even dirty electricity is cleaner than petrol when it comes to EVs. It costs maybe 30% of the petrol cost. 

I can't see that a new battery will jack up the value of an "old" electric car anymore than a new engine will an "old" petrol car. Both scenarios just make the vehicle usable again. Cars (most) are simply commodities now & devalue with age.

I really can't grasp this "electric" thing yet, the Hybrid still has a petrol engine producing pollution but this concept is required if you need any form of decent range which a fully electric vehicle cannot produce.

Also with electrics, almost no one, including the greenies, think of the resources required to both produce & dispose of these batteries. Doesn't make for a very environmentally friendly option.

I do see electric vehicles as the answer BUT running on via a fuel cell & NOT by batteries.

No point in cutting a key off the original - you are simply copying a worn key.

Some specialist Auto Locksmiths can produce the key & code it, otherwise via BMW

You really ought to have a spare - it becomes a pain in the arse when the only coded key is lost. I strike this quite regularly on AA call outs.

Stunning car!! The silver Cristchurch trademe one you refer to now resides in the Waikato. Have had it in the workshop the last couple of days. It too is stunning but the difference is that it has done 260k but had a no expense spared ground up rebuild unlike this one - hardly run in. 

7 hours ago, Rob HB1 said:

could do if someone shows some interest.

Chicken / egg situation me thinks

How worn is the key? You should have a spare, if so - have you tried that?

Otherwise spray some CRC into the barrel & see if that helps. 

Failing that - get it checked by a locksmith

Have in the workshop a certain Silver E30 M325i from Christchurch that had the 37K price tag attached a few weeks back.

Have to say it is a stunning car, drives brilliantly. Is fully rebuilt but still can't come to terms with the price, although talking to the new owner it was somewhat less than the asking.

Even still, has a few things needing sorting, my mission in the next few days....

From your description it could be one of many things causing the original coolant leak. Radiators, hoses etc all fail & one of them would have been the likely culprit. Why did you original mechanic not pressure test the system to diagnose it? Did he confirm the head gasket?

Did the repairers pressure test the system? Presumably they did & confirmed the radiator at fault? A slightly leaking/seeping radiator is not going to cause the engine to overheat, nor consume large amounts of coolant. That said, any loss needs to be identified.

If the repairer did infact confirm the radiator as the fault & repaired/replaced accordingly & fixed the leak then I don;t blame them for not accepting responsibility. They fixed the problem on hand.

1900km is plenty of distance for a fault to develop. Why was the car required to be towed to recover - did it run out of coolant/ overheat? Did the car stop on you/ did you stop it, if so why? If it had overheated then - i would suspect that was when the head cracked.

Also - had it still been using coolant after the radiator repair?