Some time ago my W211 started to complain about disabled comfort functions after a few days of not being driven. This is a precautionary measure to reduce drain on a battery that has a low voltage, and includes disabling things like heated seats and rear window until the voltage has […]
There’s a downside to driving older cars as daily driver: Some things we are used to, such as Bluetooth audio streaming and hands-free calling, are not always available – even in an upmarket cars like the E-class. Here are some options for the W211. Bluetooth cradles Hands-free calling is relatively […]
My W211 recently developed a rough idle at certain times, and on two occasions a check engine light came on. Reading the fault codes with my iCarsoft CR Pro+ pointed to a faulty ignition coil, specifically the one of cylinder 5. Luckily replacements aren’t that expensive. I went for Delphi […]
I’ve recently leafed through Setting up a home car workshop again, and while I still think that it’s a good book, I once again noticed the bias towards fabricating things. This made me think about which tools are actually required for doing regular maintenance and the sort of repairs that […]
I’ve got an USB-OBD2 adapter and BMW’s INPA software, but when I got my W211, I needed something else to be able to diagnose the car. It became obvious pretty quickly that a system from iCarsoft would probably be the most cost-effective solution. They offer several consumer-oriented devices. The cheaper […]
Why? I’m a pretty devoted BMW driver and I love the E39 530i that I’ve driven for almost four years. But at 21 years old and 340,000km on the odometer, it was developing some minor if annoying issues like doors and windows not opening and closing properly. Given that I […]
Some time ago, my BMW 530i (E39) dashboard suddenly showed a check engine light. It disappeared and re-appeared several times and eventually stayed on, but without a loss of power (unlike with the faulty crankshaft sensor). INPA reported a tank ventilation error, and a quick search on Google revealed a […]
Recently my BMW’s engine stalled while stopping at an intersection. It started again without issues, but I then had a traction control light and not the usual amount of power. A day later, no issues were present, but I nevertheless decided to check the error log. Luckily I have access […]
It’s a year since we have received the key to our new house and hence the garage. This is what it looked like back then. For several months during the renovation of the house, the garage served as storage. Then after we moved it, I could start clearing it out […]
As my workshop is also a garage, I need to be able to easily move stuff around to make room for a car. Hence I wanted to put my Makpaks/Systainers on a cart/trolley. I stumbled upon this article, which provided the motivation to build my own – with the difference […]