BMW 5 Series E60 and E61 (2003–2010) — common faults, maintenance guides and repair tips.
When the thermostats are working, the temperature while driving is around 85–90 °C, briefly a little over 90. At idle and in hard frost the temperatur...
The most common cause is an antenna amplifier that has got moisture in it. The circuit board and connectors oxidise, and reception weakens for both th...
The gearbox torque converter lock-up only engages once the gearbox oil has warmed up to about +35 degrees. Until then the gearbox may jerk or judder. ...
The car should fall asleep about 30 minutes after being switched off. If some device keeps it awake, the battery drains. Typical causes are the tailga...
When the code comes from all the glow plugs at once, the fault is usually in the glow plug relay or its power cable, not the glow plugs. Check the pow...
The most common sources of clunking are the anti-roll bar links and bushings, the control arm bushings, the strut top bearings and the track rod ends....
Yes. BMW's service bulletin requires registering a new battery. Registration resets the battery history stored by the car, so that charging is sized f...
According to the service data, the 530d gearbox (GA6HP26Z) takes Shell M-1375.4 oil, part number 88220142516. According to the instructions the gearbo...
Common symptoms are the high-mounted brake light going out, the rear window not opening, the rear window heater not working, radio crackle and failure...
Usually the fault is in the rear window microswitch, which is a known typical fault. Moisture breaks the switch, so the window can open while driving....
Usually the torque converter lock-up is cutting in and out at a certain speed and rev range (e.g. 70-90 km/h at a steady throttle). The cause is usual...
The aluminium power cable runs through the feed-through to the underside of the car. Oxidation forms between the aluminium conductor and the connectin...
Code 4B10 indicates that the correction value of one of the injectors is too large. Symptoms are a rough idle and loud running when cold. The glow plu...
The most common cause is rusted guide surfaces on the brake caliper and sticking pads. Other causes are a warped or glazed brake disc, worn control ar...
Vibration that occurs when braking points to the brake discs or the track rod ends. Vibration that changes with speed points to the propshaft, wheels ...
The IBS is a sensor on the battery negative terminal. It measures current and voltage across a small series resistor. A fault can show as IBS warnings...
The heat exchanger is connected to both the coolant circuit and the gearbox oil circuit. It has two identical thermostat elements, which open when the...
The handbrake has its own drum at the rear. The adjuster wheel is inside the drum at the bottom and is reached through the hole in the disc, i.e. the ...
The Webasto locks itself out when starting fails in a fault state three times. The most common cause is a faulty auxiliary water pump (circulation pum...
Replacing them at the same time is worthwhile, because the extra work is small. The solenoids also control the torque converter. Repairing only the me...
Regeneration requires, among other things, that the coolant is above about 75 degrees, the exhaust gas is hot enough and the tank has more than 10 lit...
Yes. The N47 chain can wear out, jump or break. Failures have occurred both in taxi use, which involves a lot of idling, and in private cars. The prob...
The engine covers and the intake manifold are removed, which gives access to the glow plugs. Since the intake manifold is off anyway, it is worth repl...
Most commonly the glow plugs or the glow plug control unit, the unit that controls the glow plugs. The glow plugs can be dead even though the glow lig...
A common cause is the Webasto's own circulation pump, which is broken and cannot get the coolant circulating. The coolant then overheats and the Webas...
The sensor does not monitor the oil level continuously, so compare the dipstick and sensor readings over a longer period. Only a clear and repeated di...
Leaking injectors make the car jerk and run roughly at idle, especially when cold and after standing for a long time. Replacing the injectors, coils a...
With the ignition on, hold the trip button down until menu 01 appears. Press the button again within a second and move to menu 19. Enter in the lock f...
The most common causes are a broken air spring, a worn intake hose on the compressor, a small hole in a hose on the pressure side or a faulty solenoid...
The cause is found by reading the fault code with a diagnostic tool. The most common cause is poor contact or a loose connector under the seat or in t...
A chain breaking is rare. The most typical cause is the rocker arm bearing disintegrating: a loose roller or needle gets caught between the chain and ...
The cause can be a leaking gasket in the flange between the turbo and the exhaust manifold, in which case the noise stops after replacing the gasket. ...
There is no dipstick, so the level cannot be checked with one. The level is monitored from the bars in the instrument cluster and the on-board compute...
It is not mandatory. The car learns the new sensor by itself while driving. If you wish, you can reset the learned values with a diagnostic program, i...
The brushes typically last about 250,000 km, and the reported replacement intervals are about 200,000-270,000 km. The slip ring grooves wear at the sa...
The expansion tank's water hose rubs against the aluminium charge pipe and wears a hole in it. The wear is often at the hose, and oil mist can leak fr...
Often the cause is a broken wiring harness. At the rear the harness can get pinched between the frame beam and the body, and at the front the wiring b...
The fabric hose usually breaks right at the compressor's nipple. The hose runs from above the right rear wheel to behind the inner wing. The inner dia...