Codes:
1C0102 – static oil pressure too low
1C2002 – oil pump pressure too low
1C0301 – oil pressure control valve sticking
1FB801 – check control: stop cautiously
130F11 – exhaust cam sensor plausibility
120408 – boost pressure control switch-off

Blackstone (~744 mi on the oil against 6k-mile averages)
Fe 55 (avg 23), Cu 6 (3), Si 14 (7), Na 20 (7), K 8 (2)
Al 9, Cr 1, Pb 0, Sn 0, Mo 227
Viscosity 8.03 cSt @ 100°C (below 30-weight range); fuel <0.5%, coolant 0%, insolubles 0.3%

Any advice and/or emotional support would be great.
Curse you, N20. Curse youuuuuu!

Hey everyone,

I have a 2016 BMW F31 330i xDrive (B48 engine) that I bought used, so unfortunately I have no idea what type of coolant the previous owners used.

I recently checked my coolant expansion tank and noticed that the level is slightly below MIN. I haven't received any low coolant warnings, but I'd like to top it up before winter.

When I opened the reservoir and shined a flashlight inside, the coolant appeared yellowish or brownish, as you can see in the attached photo.

However, I'm wondering if the coolant might actually be yellow, and the brownish appearance is simply caused by the combination of the yellow coolant and the black plastic interior of the BMW expansion tank. Maybe the lighting and reflections are making it look darker or more brown than it actually is.

From what I've read, my BMW originally uses G48 (blue coolant), and I was thinking about buying Liqui Moly KFS 11, which is blue and meets the older BMW coolant specification.

My questions are:

1. Based on the photo, does the coolant actually look yellow/brown to you, or could it just be the lighting and the black expansion tank?
2. Could the brownish appearance simply be caused by yellow coolant being viewed against the black plastic reservoir?
3. Does anyone know what type of coolant might currently be in the car?
4. Would it be safe to top it up with blue Liqui Moly KFS 11, even if the existing coolant is yellowish or brownish?
5. Is mixing different coolant colors actually an issue, or does it only depend on the specifications?
6. Since I don't know what the previous owners used, would you recommend a complete coolant flush instead?

The coolant level is only slightly below MIN, so I'm not in a rush. I just want to make sure I don't damage anything by mixing incompatible coolants.

I'd appreciate any advice, especially from people familiar with the B48 engine.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

Not entirely sure if this is the correct place to ask so mods feel free to delete.

But I’m a guy in my early 30s with a chemistry background. Our first family car was this 1997(?) E39 that he got dirt cheap from a family member, but it was no issue for dad because he was a mechanical engineer who worked as a car mechanic before college.

Long story short, dad is now retired and doesn’t have the energy to work on cars anymore. I also want this to be a nice surprise for him so he can enjoy retirement.

So the question is, how does a complete newb start to learn about the proper way to work on and maintain an E39, so the car my dad gets is a well kept and safe vehicle instead of a literal rust bucket that really shouldn’t be touched. And that dad will be touched by the gesture instead of trying to run me over with a car for wasting money.

Appreciate the help everyone!!

My car currently has pre-LCI tail lights, and I’m looking to buy LCI ones. The seller sent me this video.

Do original BMW E60 LCI tail lights always have the HELLA logo on the housing, or can genuine ones come without it?

I want to make sure they’re original before buying.

Afternoon all,
VANOS exhaust sprocket replacement
Wondering why my chain guide has side to side movement and also
Why will the tensioner not go into the cylinder head?

And another one to add: the torque spec for my VANOS central actuator is 140nm. I got it to 50 then tried to get it to 140 but it would not budge past 80, feels like it will break it.

And for once please someone answer. The last post i made had no comments but a few views.
I need this car desperately sorted so my mum can have it back so i can have my car back for my driving test, so i’m begging you all.

TIA.

Bonjour ,

ma BMW X1 de 2021 fait ce bruit au démarrage à froid puis un certain moment le bruit disparaît est ce normal ou est ce grave seriez vous me dire d’où vient le problème ? Si la réparation coûte t’elle cher ou rien de très grave je ne sait pas si le bruit vient de cette endroit précisément c’est ce que j’en déduis

merci pour votre retour

Hi guys, i have been looking to swap M57 in f32 xdrive. Idea is to use M57 naked engine and put everything what is possible from N57 to it. Did anybody made that yet? Any suggestions are welcome.

My wife is getting an X5 with 5x120 wheels and found a set of 5x112 wheels. I found wheel adapter kits online, but want to be sure using them won't cause issues in the future with wear, alignment or whatever else.

I have a Bmw F33 with a NBT-Hu system, i bought another used headunit and swapped it in but i dont have it coded in so i cannot use navigation or other stuff. How Can i code it in?

So my 2016 320i is leaking coolant (ofc) and I think it’s coming from this metal bracket thing at the top of the engine. I can see coolant there and there’s some more below it presumably from it dripping. Please tell me what this is called that would be awesome. 🙏🙏

Hello ,i put a new rotors on the front on my bmw x6 f96
I drove 100km and its look like that on the top of the rotor is normal?

Hey all

As the title says I replaced my valve cover in my 2010 335i and got DME codes 2A9E (cam shaft sensor inlet synchronization) and 3100 (boost pressure control deactivation).

Replaced some bad hoses and checked all the electrical connections and can’t figure out for the life of me what it is. Engine runs fine except obviously for the limp mode so idk.

Any help would be appreciated thank you

When I start the car, usually i get this error, followed by other 6 errors when I drive

Just got a low coolant warning on my bmw f30 b48, my mechanic isn't open until Monday, and I'm just wondering if I can drive the 15-20 minutes with low coolant? Obviously I'd take it slow, maybe even pull over and turn the engine off every few minutes?

Also, I can't see any coolant leaks anywhere, what could this mean?

I have a 2011 BMW 335i xDrive with the N55 engine and I’m trying to diagnose a new cold-start issue now since its been literally a year after i replaced my valve cover. I swear it wasn’t having any problems after that replaced.
After sitting for 2–3 hours or longer in approximately 40°F weather, the engine started at around 1,300 RPM, dropped toward 600 RPM, and made an uneven “burburburbur” sound for about 2–3 seconds to get up to 1000 to slowly get back to normal op, ocasionally during colder starts the rpm bounces between 700-900 when cold start before running smoothly to 600.
I also noticed grayish vapor from both exhaust tips that disappeared within approximately 20 seconds, along with a mild gasoline-like smell from the exhaust. My orange check-engine light is illuminated. And honestly its been driving pretty normal this past year.

Fault codes from my scan:
28A0 — previously present
2DBC — Valvetronic eccentric-shaft adaptation: bottom stop reached
3224 — DMTL heating control: line interruption
321A — DMTL solenoid valve: short circuit to ground
321B — DMTL solenoid valve: line interruption
3226 — DMTL leak-diagnosis pump: short circuit to ground
3227 — DMTL leak-diagnosis pump: line interruption
2E4C — Exhaust flap activation: line interruption
The 28A0 and 2DBC faults have been present for a long time, including when the car ran normally. The rough startup and exhaust symptoms are newer.

After filling the tank to approximately 85%, I drove around 45 miles and the gauge showed approximately 75%. I’m not sure whether that’s normal consumption.

Has anyone with an N55 experienced this combination of symptoms?
I’m particularly interested in cases where the cause was confirmed through diagnosis rather than guesses. Could this involve Valvetronic adaptation, a cold-start misfire, an injector, an intake/PCV leak, or a separate electrical issue with the DMTL system? Did anyone resolve similar symptoms with a software update?
I’d appreciate specific diagnostic steps and firsthand experiences before replacing parts.

motor has 140k on it, do you think it sounds like it’ll blow up? I believe all i hear is injectors but want to be sure.

Not seen in the video but it’s leaking onto the belt that’s in the video. Is this the water pump? It’s leaking from the bottom of the flange shown with 2 screws. 58k mile f83 M4

Video taken so you all can hear car first at idle then under acceleration.

2007 with the n52. Just had OFHG done, car was fully inspected by Indy German mechanic, no issues including the belts. Car got a clean bill of health except for we need to do engine mounts at some point. We Change oil every 3k. Just noticed this sound today under acceleration when I happened to put my windows down. Can’t hear it otherwise so I’m a little horrified this sound may have been going on for a while (it’s been hot so I always have windows up with AC and music on).

There’s also this slight whine I notice when the fan turns on, likely unrelated? You can hear it very briefly when I’m recording the engine bay at idle.

As you can see, no lights on the dash or errors, except for my faulty FRM module that occasionally tells me my headlights and blinkers are out (they aren’t).

Edit: also forgot to mention that the sound stops the moment I let off the gas.

I have a 2021 BMW 330i that keeps experiencing a drivetrain malfunction and misfiring, with a P0301 code indicating a misfire in cylinder 1.
The first time this happened, I replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils, and the car drove perfectly fine for about a week. Then, the same issue returned. We replaced the parts again, but this time the car only ran normally for two days before the problem came back.
We also noticed that the spark plugs appeared burned and had oil around the top. I took the car to a repair shop, where they replaced the spark plugs, ignition coils, fuel injectors, and a PCV hose. After the repairs, the car drove fine for another two days, but today the problem started happening again.
I noticed that when I turn on the air conditioning, the car begins to shake and feels like it is about to go into drivetrain malfunction mode again. However, when I turn the AC off, the car seems to run and drive normally. The check engine light wasn't on initially, but it came on a few minutes ago.
I'm trying to figure out what could be causing this recurring issue, especially since so many parts have already been replaced. Why does the problem seem to get worse when the AC is running?

Just thought I’d post this in case it helps someone else.

My 2007 E91 335i initially developed an intermittent 9CBE fault (right SMC), which eventually became permanent, followed by 9CBD (left SMC). The adaptive headlights eventually stopped swivelling altogether.

After removing both SMC modules, I found the left one had major corrosion across the PCB and connector pins, to the point where white powder was literally flaking off it. The right one, on the other hand, had very minor corrosion just at the bottom of the top two pins.

Replaced both with cheap Chinese aftermarket SMCs. This cleared the fault codes, but the adaptive headlights still weren’t working properly.

Although the aftermarket modules had matching BMW part numbers (7189312), they were missing the BMW and LEAR markings, and the PCBs were visibly different from the originals, even just looking through the casing. I only noticed this later. If you’re buying aftermarket SMCs, compare the PCB with your original. If it’s visibly different, I’d honestly save yourself the hassle and get a genuine BMW/Lear unit instead.

Moving on, I tried reading the modules (CODIERDATEN_LESEN) using NCS Expert and kept getting COAPI-2020 / IFH-0009 communication errors on both SMCs. INPA couldn’t access the AHL functions either. Same communication error.

Interestingly, swapping the original genuine right SMC back in made no difference. This makes me think the left SMC is some sort of master, because it didn't let me read RSMC even though it was still functional. Just an observation though, don't quote me on that.

Eventually bought a genuine BMW/Lear SMC for the left side, and immediately NCS Expert could read both modules without errors. Coded the replacement left SMC using SG_CODIEREN, and the adaptive headlights started working again.

INPA can now access all the AHL functions, and both headlights respond to actuator tests.

TL;DR: A faulty/cheap aftermarket left SMC appeared to interfere with communication to BOTH SMCs. If you’re getting 9CBD/9CBE or NCS Expert communication errors, don’t automatically assume both modules are faulty, and replace only with genuine new or used.

Hello. It is time to replace my 12v battery in my 2019 g30 518d.

I am wondering if I could use a 95ah agm battery despite registration on bimmerlink only giving 90ah and 105ah as options.

Can I safely register it as a 90ah battery, if no, can it be coded by ista or esys to have correct ah?

Engine warmed up. Does it sound normal? And if does, what is making that ticking sound? Thanks for heads up

Hello, I’m considering buying a 2019 BMW G30 530i with a B46 engine and 99,000 km. During the inspection, I was told that the injectors, along with the entire fuel system, need to be cleaned. I wouldn’t have expected issues like this at this mileage. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this problem, and what could be causing it?

Hi all,

I drive a 2015 BMW 320i with an N20. It's got around ~175K miles on it (dire, I know). Recently, I got a notification on my dashboard while driving on the freeway saying that the engine oil pressure is low, but there were no symptoms of it failing (no noises, no engine overheating). I end up towing it to my mechanic who comes back a few days later saying that the oil pump has failed (which I know is common in these cars) and that the engine is toast because they found metal shavings in the oil. They never showed me the metal shavings or anything, but essentially said I need a new engine.

Since I can't afford that, I declined and they told me to drive until it dies and sell it for scrap. I have had to drive it twice since then and I haven't noticed any symptoms or lights pop up. I've driven the car for 15-20 minutes each time.

Does that mean the oil pump might not have failed entirely and the engine is salvageable? Or does it mean I could potentially replace the pump and drive this car a little longer? My impression was that my engine would lock up if I even tried to drive with an oil pump failure. Also, does it matter that my mechanic does not habitually work on European cars? I moved to a place where mechanics who specialize in European cars are few and far between.

Appreciate any input! Just trying to make sure I can't save this car before having to find a new one.

I'm seeing what are claimed to be OEM Lemforder lower front thrust arms for my 2021 X5 on eBay for around $300/pair instead of $400 each.

Am I deluding myself thinking they are actually OEM? Is it worth the risk and big savings?