nzpanda92

2 minutes ago, Spinner99 said:

Is it showing "D" on the selector but the transmission is not going into gear?  Or is it refusing to move the selector out of park?

Sorry I know this comment isn't helpful, I'm just kinda surprised they didn't do all the solenoids at the same time.  There's a massive assumption on my part but I'm assuming you have one of the e-shift transmissions and were talking about the solenoids attached to the mechatronic?  e.g. not the one on the shift selector.

My $0.05 is I'd be wanting to plug in the computer and watch the live data to see if what the transmission thinks is happening is what's happening.  e.g. brake pedal is pressed, vehicle speed is <5 km/h (off the top of my head I think that's the limit on shift selection changes but might be wrong, sorry if I am) , shift release button is selected, door open/closed that kind of thing.

A crazy out there suggestion also is to check the battery is fully charged and good.  I had my E61 kick into Neutral once while driving (and only once thankfully) when the battery was low.  Full panic stations at the time it was quite violent and I thought the sky was falling down.  I had a few other low voltage related fault codes so I charged the battery and it's been fine since.  

 

 

It is refusing to move out of park! Selector light stays in P.  

Yeah - I too am surprised they didn't change out all solenoids too. Yes it is an e-shift transmission and is the solenoids on the mechatronic unit. I am hoping the mechatronic unit is fine cause the devil be walking on earth if its stuffed.

I was suggesting to the mechanic that I bring in my INPA/ISTA system to have a look but they have not said anything, and are relying on an aftermarket scanning tool. I did witness when I was there to collect it the first time, it wouldn't go into gear. The mechanic got in and was trying all sorts of things. As I got went to book an uber, miraculously the damn thing shifted into gear - which was what happened to me the first time i noticed it go bung.

I'm pretty sure the battery is all good - i changed it last year from a standard battery to an AGM one, and updated it in INPA to reflect the change in battery and battery type.

4 minutes ago, KwS said:

Dumb question, but is the trans fluid level correct? Checked at the correct temp with the engine running. Id expect the trans specialist knows this, but it pays to ask the obvious some times.

Yeah transmission fluid is correct. They also did a transmission fluid change as well when they did the first solenoid. 
 

it’s so bizarre what’s going on with it. 

Hi Team,

Got a random one here for you. So few months ago I jumped in my e61 to drive off and the damn thing wouldn't go into Drive. I sat for a while and tried to put the car to sleep and wake up again and had the same issue. Eventually it got into gear so I took it to the workshop to have it scanned. Turned out one of the solenoids was gone in the tranny. All good, sent it to the auto transmission chaps to sort it out and replace. They did the job while I was overseas. I came back to pick it up, paid for it and was ready to drive off and the issue was still there. The mechanics said they fixed everything and it was all good the day before. They ran a diagnostic tool and it wasn't showing any errors that would cause that issue.

Couple weeks later they called me to say that the 2nd solenoid had gone and that they are replacing it.

I checked up today and the mechanic mentioned to me that it was very strange - when he got into the car to change the gear, it wouldn't go into gear, however when one of the other mechanics bounced on the back bumper, it then was able to change into gear.

Has anyone seen this before or know what it could be? I know that the car doesn't go into gear if there isn't anyone in the drivers seat or if the door is open - could it mean an occupancy sensor is stuffed? If it is stuffed, would we see it on a diagnostic scan?
 

Appreciate any advice.

Cheers,

Jimmy

So got the report back today, including images of the things that need attention - keen for peoples thoughts on the suspension.

Alternator Drive Belt

AC Drive

Rear Brake Hoses

Rear Brake Hoses

Rear Right Suspension (weeping)

1 hour ago, Eagle said:

https://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/66868-where-does-everybody-buy-parts-from/

I tend to use FCPeuro but lots of other good ones to compare prices with

http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/ - If you put your vin into that site it will give you all the correct part numbers. 

https://www.mdecoder.com/ - Will tell you the car options. What suspension your car is optioned with in this case.  

Parts depends on the workshop but a lot of the reason they aren't keen is people tend to supply to wrong parts\cheap crap. If you are supplying all the correct OE quality parts then its less likely to be an issue. Maybe a Auckland member can help you install the parts for a small fee given its an easy job?   

You maybe able to have to look yourself in regarding the shocks - https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.nz/virms/in-service-wof-and-cof/tb-general/shock-absorbers

Sounds good - was just having a browse on FCPeuro - are those prices in NZD or USD?
Looks like my car has the S704 M Sport Suspension.

I'll wait to see the quote from the dealer which I'm sure will have what parts they are likely to be changing and see if I can buy those online and find someone to carry out the work.

I've already fixed one of the problems (fender indicator) myself.

1 minute ago, Eagle said:

Probably best to order parts the parts your yourself the are required from overseas. You can get the same parts as the dealer would use at much cheaper prices. Any reputable workshop would do the job easy. Interior trim on sides of the boot needs to be removed the access the rear shock mounts. No idea how long that takes on E61 but it should be straight forward job. Brake hose replacement is simple.  

Replacing just rear shock tends to show up the likely worn front struts resulting in sub optimal handling. 

Sounds good - do you have a recommendation of where to purchase the parts from overseas? Also, are workshops happy to install parts that I’ve supplied? I’ve had dealings in the past where they aren’t keen, and only want to install parts that they have supplied. 

I did see the trim needed to be removed in the e61 - I might do that myself to save them a bit of time. 
 

Re: shocks, I’m wondering if it was the shocks misting, or if they really are leaking. 

6 hours ago, aja540i said:

How much did the dealer quote to do the work?

Nothing yet - they’re gonna give me a quote on Monday. 

So I just took my 550i in to have its service today at the dealer, and a few things came up that needed attention.

My rear shock is leaking, and the brake hoses have surface cracks. I would think both need to be repaired as soon as possible. Does anyone have any recommendations on where would be a good place to get this work done? How complex is the repair job? 

There are some other bits that need attention ie: alternator/AC belt replacement due which I could look at a little later.

51 minutes ago, HalfJobHarry said:

I used to use INPA to do this but it became a chore. I have ProTool and a cable that works on my 07 E87 and 08 E82...which I believe should work on your E61. It's a 2 minute process if you want to swing by East Auckland sometime  

Thanks man! I actually managed to get it sorted. Found a cable online that worked, and I used ISTA to do the registration then used NCSExpert & NCSDummy to do the coding - it seemed that my CAS was coded for a 90AH Standard battery even though there was a factory AGM installed. Updated it and all is good now.

So just wondering if anyone has any leads or ideas where to get an IBS sensor for an e61? I suspect mine is faulty. 

thanks in advance

Just popping in to say I managed to get a Century DIN88LAGM battery from Supercheap just before Christmas for $420 which was a bargain!

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has had any luck with registering a battery with an K+DCAN cable?  Or any of those OBD scanners?

I bought a while ago off TradeMe one of those cables and it worked with ISTA/INPA on my mates ‘06 E90 but not on my ‘09 E61.

I did see Bimmergeeks selling those cables and considered buying one but shipping is probably gonna take a while. 

Or, if anyone has one they would like to part with?

Happy holidays!

On 12/11/2020 at 8:17 AM, qube said:

Painted wheels gloss black

What sorta paint did you use to paint these? I have blacks on my E61, but just wanted to touch up some stone chips which has peeled a bit of paint off. Nothing major, but if you look closely enough, youll notice it.

Another update in the coolant level low saga. 

The wonderful guys at BM Workshop replaced the expansion tank on the 550i without too many issues. Autosure did ask for proof for service history to make sure I was sticking to my service requirements.

Anyway, Sunday morning I went to hop in my car and go for a drive. After parking up at the supermarket for about a half hour, I got back in and the ol' iDrive came up with a low coolant message again. Luckily I lived a 5min drive away so quickly shot home and let it cool down. After an hour or so I opened the expansion tank to find it really low - almost empty (noting that it was filled up when I had the tank replaced). I didn't have any coolant on me, so just topped it up with a bit of demineralized water and left it overnight. 

This morning when i went down to the garage I found that the car had leaked coolant all over the floor (hadn't done that in the last few days). Threw a bit more demineralized water into it and drove to BM Workshop (another 5 min drive from me). They checked it out today and informed me that it had a leaking heater tap assembly and is covered under Autosure as well.

Forgive me for not knowing as I have bugger all knowledge of cars/engines etc, but what is the function of a heater tap? How do they work?

howd you get on with this? 

So just updating this - took it into BM Workshop this morning (read about them on the forums). Found the expansion tank was leaking. Booked in for next week to get sorted, and is hopefully covered under Autosure's MBI (apparently they need to send an inspector out to have a look and judge whether its covered or not).

I do have to say - the people at BM Workshop have been really helpful and pleasant to deal with. Will definitely be going back there to carry out any other work on the car.

9 hours ago, Olaf said:

PS:  

 

aw man definitely sounds like a big job for the dealer! BMW dealers would never use this right? Their mandate is to fix it with OEM parts?

9 hours ago, Olaf said:

@NZPanda the way your MBI works is you put it into the workshop, they do diagnosis and liaise with your MBI provider on your behalf.  If the claim is approved, you pay your excess.

Managed to speak to my service dealer and they reckon it would be covered but just want to verify that's the problem. Hopefully it's all good.

9 hours ago, Olaf said:

Oh - and Jom's suggestion of suspecting the sensor is also a very good one.  They're cheap and they do fail, incl the seal.

I was thinking about that, but did notice that my coolant tank was rather low when the message did show up.

47 minutes ago, KwS said:

These engines are known for a lot of different coolant loss situations, none of them is generally a headgasket or "crack between a valve". Stop trying to over complicate things.

As @promo said (and he knows his stuff) a coolant pressure test can show where the coolant is going, but the N62 is very well known for its valley pipe leaks (and its hard to see until its at a point of literally pouring down the front).  Just like the inevitable valve stem seal failure, almost all N62s will eventually suffer the coolant pipe failure too.

Expansion tanks are known to split and leak under heat/pressure too.

Great engines, but built to a price point, making them a POS time bomb.

Ah yes the old valve stem seals. Was in the shop for about two weeks getting those sorted. 
 

I’m nowhere near qualified to even attempt to see what’s wrong with it. But it’s good to know what to look for. 
 

Are there any mechanics or anyone here that would know if this kinda work can be claimed under my Autosure MBI? 

I did it to mine the other month. Got a limcet box with CarPlay and works a treat. I paid around $650 for the box here in Auckland. I know you can order them cheaper online/overseas but figured I'd get it here from a shop so i've got the warranty etc. You can still access the CCC without any issues too which is great!

Check out "Auto Retrofit NZ"

So something I've noticed is that my 550i seems to be drinking coolant somewhere? I get the coolant level low warning come on. When I took it in to the dealer to get it serviced, they said just to monitor it - and using distilled water to "top it up" was okay. I went on to purchase some of the BMW coolant and mixed it accordingly, and topped it up.

Generally I can go say 4-6 weeks without seeing the coolant level low message. Today I got the message again (3rd time) which makes me think perhaps there could be a leak somewhere? I'm not sure. I've had a look under the car and there hasn't been any visible leaks.

Any thoughts? Would this be something I could call my mechanical insurance guys about if its serious? Seems like even diagnosing the problem may be time consuming?

Thanks in advance - and happy driving

1 hour ago, LemonHunter said:

I missed myself getting tagged, yes, I can help with AGM, @nzpanda92 what part of the country are you based?

Based in Auckland CBD @LemonHunter

7 minutes ago, Olaf said:

yeah it's a recall item in USA but not in NZ.

 

Was there a bulletin I can read about with this issue? 

I saw a chap on trade me selling new Century DIN88LAGM’s for about $500 which isn’t too bad. 

Thanks all! Will check out all the options. On a side note - how often should the batteries be changed?

Hi All,

Looking to replace my battery in the 550i and was wondering where the best place to purchase them from, and what "brand" is the current flavour of the month. Are there any pros to buying a Varta as opposed to a Century or Bosch? Looking like needing a DIN88LAGM. I am aware of the process of registering the battery as I have an IBS on it.

Any info would be much appreciated!

Happy driving!