HalfJobHarry

Ahhh so I'm not going totally crazy. That must be what these are. What to do..I've no idea how to refurb tips finished this way....doesn't look as if they are stainless underneath.

Thanks. Will give that a try.

I can't speak from any F direct F series experience unfortunately (only from E series and general boosted vehicle experience). However looking at the power gains promised from the stage 1 map, on 98 fuel needing step colder plugs seems unlikely. Always go with an aftermarket charge pipe when overboosting. With the numbers listed you're probably adding about 4 PSI of boost on that stage 1 map so more than enough to make the stock pipe go bang.

There is no dark magic. The DME stores two things about the battery that is called the 'coding' by the community. The chemistry of the battery (Wet cell, AGM etc) and the capacity of the battery. The DME is able to control the alternator charging of the battery when the engine is running to charge the battery in an 'intelligent'/appropriate way. The DME monitors the condition of the battery via the IBS (intelligent battery sensor). So what you have is a 'closed loop' of battery health monitoring and charging. This is a stark contrast to the way other vehicles did / do their charging, no intelligence to it at all, when the engine is running the alternator charges at a charging voltage and that's that. The issue becomes if you change the battery chemistry and/or capacity, the DME has no way of knowing and will maintain the battery in a way that could likely be detrimental. Also the DME has tables that says things like "if battery capacity 90 AH and voltage 12.3v then it's 40% full" ..."if capacity 70 AH and voltage 12.3 then it's 50% full" or whatever (These are not accurate examples). If it doesn't know the capacity of the battery actually fitted then it cannot truly know the charge state, this can lead to over or under charging of the battery. Yes. The IBS is the thingy connected to the battery in the boot. It has special data line (Bit Serial Data) to the DME Here is a good tech description of the system if you like that kind of thing (I do): https://bimmerscan.com/bmw-intelligent-battery-sensor-ibs/ Possibly tricky situation for them, as if the original issue wasn't cured by the repairs, then they may be faced with defending unnecessary repairs/charges. Much tidier for everybody (except your wallet) if you have a new claim and pay a new excess, that way the flood gates of funding open again without question. ISTA-D is what the BMW dealers use (or used) for guided diagnostics. The software isn't / wasn't supposed to be available beyond authorized dealers AFAIK, hence don't buy anything from anybody offering ISTA-D "setups". It's always beneficial to have the ability to understand what your BMWs modules are telling you or what possible faults may exist. This gives you a good base from which to start conversations and guide your next actions. I often do this before making a decision on how to proceed or what guidance to seek. That's not to say that you will always (or ever) take action yourself to rectify any issues. Getting setup to perform basic diagnostics is usually going to cost you little more than buying the appropriate cable and having access to a decent laptop.

This is why for me personally it's important to feel or be demonstrated that the 'root cause' of the issue has been located and fixed. If something almost exactly the same happens to you next week, it may well be the true root cause of the issue that was not located and you'll be on the hook for another $350 unfortunately, as it's going to be very hard to relate them together as at this point the issue is considered closed. Regarding batteries, my previous dealer replacement batteries have been Exide AGM batteries of the exact same capacity. I'd feel comfortable self replacing with Exide or Century. However as other have mentioned it is VITAL if you do change the chemistry or capacity (I really wouldn't suggest moving from AGM to a wet battery through!) that you 'recode' the DME to understand the new capacity. Battery coding is not complicated (INPA and ISTA-D cand do it), also most scan tools that the Indys have can do this easily (but it's one of those 2 minute easy jobs they like to charge about $90 for!). EDIT: I also understand that Carly can do it, perhaps if you change it yourself another member locally with Carly might oblige?

Do you recall what trim restorer you used and how the result was? Tried some Meguiars Trim Restorer and its okay on the less discolored bits but a bit iffy on the heavily discolored.

Here is a another view....and it really feels to me as if there is some treatment or glossy paint of some kind on these tips....they don't look *normal* somehow to me. They look, black or dark grey...not how dirty stainless usually looks.

How did it go?

I am tempted because it's an awesome price... EDIT: Holy C*rap ! I didn't fully realize the price and have pulled the trigger on this one....that's sale of the century!

Thing about the TPS is , it's possible to positively identify an issue by testing, including if the issue is with the TPS or the throttle. It's really interesting that at this stage the focus is on changing the plug and the loom..... I'd be having the conversation with Autosure at this point to check if it's going to be a $350 excess for every potentially speculative repair that gets done......

Looks nice! Where is the built in microphone on your model?

100% Hi temp light and 104k....you've been lucky and had 50k more than many people get out of them. There is an electric water pump test process ...check the procedure for your model but it's roughly like this. This would be conclusive I'd think.

Interesting...what of the DSC fault code? The throttle pot positions can be easily seen with a scan tool, presumably they confirmed the failure rather than just going with the logged fault code? I'd imagine/hope this to be the case if they are recommending a replacement TPS + loom. I don't know the ins and outs of the 5 series but the TPS wiring is typically on one of the DME looms, so quite a few places to run that back to and things to plug into. It's interesting to me that you could have a DSC fault and have to pull over in limp mode and only have a TPS code logged in the DME. These kinds of events usually come with a truck load of logged faults... (Autosure question..... is that excess per 'breakdown' or if you need additional things fixing as the problem is not cured will you need to pay additional excess?)

Also lockdown driving patterns are quite battery intensive too..lots of starts and short journeys, not much distance driving. It's tough on batteries and if the alternator is past it's best/failing it could all add up. My alternator didn't just die suddenly one day either...it gradually got worse over a few months (presumably as the brushes finally wore out)...I just didn't see the signs looking back as all of these 'random' module failures came up as I was driving.

Hence my confusion...it does in parts look like it's been coated with something... I'll get the wire wool on it and see how they come up after a polish. Mistreated tips make me sad.

Never good! Did the limp mode clear when you turned it off and on? Typically a wheel speed sensor failure will cause a DSC code....but I'm not aware of it putting a vehicle into limp mode. This kind of reminds me of when I had an alternator failure while driving. In a 'basic vehicle' you'd get a battery light and it's fairly obvious. In my E46 modules started to throw error codes one after another and exactly like you, when I pressed the breaks the DSC fault came up. Do let us know how you get on!

Yeah no dispute from me there, but works well enough for me to top up batteries every now and then on the car(s) don't drive for 3 weeks or so. Speed is not a huge concern for me there You've linked to a great charger for a really good price for a CTEK at that ampage for sure. I'm merely sharing my experience with a cheap charger that hasn't blown anything up as a bottom dollar alternative.

I regularly use a CTEK clone I got from Jaycar about a year ago. It has trickle charging modes for wet cell and AGM (which many/all? newer BMWs are fitted with). https://www.jaycar.co.nz/6-12vdc-1-5a-8-step-intelligent-lead-acid-and-lithium-battery-charger/p/MB3900 EDIT: Takes a 70AH AGM from below <25% to 100% in about 12 hours or so... Can vouch for it's goodness and auto charging and cutoff capabilities. The IMPORTANT thing with these cars is to connect to the jump/charging point under the bonnet, NOT directly to the battery in the boot (ever). BMWs branded charger is a CTEK charger...highly recommended too but a lot more $$.

So my exhaust tips don't look great. I set out to clean and polish them today but it appears they may not have intended to have been stainless finish...there seems to be some kind of black/glossy finish similar to the plastic look on the shadowline trim... Is that even a thing? If so what to do? Presumably I could polish off whatever paint is on there assuming the tips themselves are stainless? Polish them up silver? Or am I seeing something that doesn't exist and they are just filthy

Glad it's sorted! Sounds like you had a bit of luck with the access there. They have always been total nightmares for me (at least the pre cat ones. The post cat ones...not so bad.

I have one that fits the sensor size on N54 pre cat sensors....I can check the size tomorrow...I'm pretty sure it's about as 'standard' as they come?

I'd lean to importing. My biggest regret in hindsight moving here was NOT importing my UK BMWs. Had so many other things to think about during the move that shipping cars was bottom of the list so just flogged them. Prices for the collectibles are similar here but for me there is huge value in knowing the history and work done on your own cars. Something which I still kick myself in hindsight for...but now I've learned my lesson. And wow at the V8 M1 ....spine tingling.

Finally done. The front right speaker issue was actually one I'm glad I found. The locking connector the harness plug into the back of the CCC was not fully seated. It's possible to lock the connector without it seating fully. This resulted in poor connections. A very hard press in of the connector before closing the locking bar solved things.

I'm pretty pleased with the clarity of the display so far. Yes you are spot on with the vents. It's almost like a mold or mildew. Quite foul. On my hitlist. Will try the trim restorer. BMW using an unsuitable material?? Never!

Finally finished up with this install (or so I though, my front right door speakers are not working / very quiet now....oh the fun!).... This is one of those installs that the first time you do it it's going to be a bit of a pain...but looking back having learned the issues and how to resolve them would probably allow me to repeat the job in half the time. Total fitting time including a little bit of dash cutting was about 6 hours.