Bit late to this, but I was puzzled by the part in the image too. The outer handle is screwed in place via an access hole in the door edge. and it appears that this casting prevents the same hole from being used somehow to manipulate the mechanism when the door is closed. I haven't tried to break in...

[quote="exbonneville"] The Caravan Talk forum is awash with threads concerning BMW X5 additional cooling Q and A as well as the rights and wrongs of breakaway cable attachments. [/quote] Really? I visit CT most days and I can't remember the last time there was a thread about the  E53 X5 - ...

My car is the E53 3.0d , fitted with a Witter aftermarket towbar and detachable hitch. The caravan is a twin axle 1900Kg. The car tows fine with no cooling or other problems. I highly recommend the BMW mirrors as they are a doddle to fit, give good visibility and don't vibrate or wobble - expensive,...

When you say silicone lubricant, what exactly is the product please?

Thank you for responding. I noticed the issue when the climate panel was set to MAX which auto sets the required temp to 16. I guess it is possible that the drivers heater valve is stuck, though my impression was of warm ambient rather than heated air being delivered. Still, that's a good check as i...

I thought my X5 needed a re - gas, until SWBO mentioned that the extreme left dash outlet was delivering well chilled air. The left centre vent is slightly cooler than its neighbour on the right, which has the same unchilled temp as the extreme right outlet. The car is not throwing any codes, and al...

Are you sure you tightened up the exhaust manifold correctly? Its quite possible to get a tick from a slight leak

[quote="marinaman"] Oh dear,  think i muddled up the wires on the heater,  i was tryng to get it going, i thought the 12v signal for the heater went to the centre block with the thick brown wire and red/yellow. i tried 12v on there but nothing. now i found its the much thinner white green ...

I have a Webasto factory fitted in my 2006 X5. I also fitted a petrol version in my '99 750, which is an even earlier Thermotop 'S' model, and required a huge amount of research, not mention the rebuild and installation From the many images I have seen, the C and Z versions appear to be the same, an...

Do you also have an Intravee unit tucked away nearby? If an Intravee is fitted, and DSP is present, then a DICE unit is required as well. One connector from the CD changer goes to the DICE, but the second one goes to the Intravee.

You can get by just moving the airbag if you don't plan extensive work, but to answer your question, disconnect the battery and leave for 2 minutes before unplugging any seat or door plugs or any component of the safety system

It is easy. On later facelift cars, the very last fuse in the boot was not occupied by the self levelling electrics, so is an ideal point to provide a supply to a split relay. You should have 3 earths: pin 3 for all the road lights; pin 11 for the fridge; pin 13 for the live on pin 9. None of these ...

You will finish up transferring your replacement seat covers onto the original divers seat frame. This because of the seat belt anchorage point, which makes the seat frames handed. Doing this will also avoid having to re-route the seat harness. Remember to disconnect the battery, as the seat belt mo...

[quote="themoog"] It's in the boot on the right hand side looking from rear. The fuse is the end green 30A. [/quote] It depends on the age of the car. On mine, the rear fusebox lists this fuse in this position, and I found a fuse there - except that only the live side connector was present...

The detachable tow ball usually has a key hole to lock it in place. so you normally have to unlock it before the push and twist release. If you have a genuine BMW unit, it will fit in the dedicated recess in the L/H boot floor under the carpeted lid. However, the key is not especially sophisticated,...