BMW 5 Series Maintenance Guides - Common BMW 5 Series Repair Questions Answered
The BMW 5 Series is an executive winner, notably being named one of the best luxury cars out there.
If you have any unanswered questions regarding your vehicle, fear not as we have compiled all the most frequently asked BMW 5 series questions in this guide.
BMW 5 Series Tyre Pressure
What is the recommended tyre pressure of a BMW 5 Series?
The recommended tyre pressure is dependent upon your car’s manufacture year and country among other factors, however it generally sits between 30 and 35 PSI.
The accurate required values for your tyre pressures can be found on the tyre placard stuck on the inside of your driver’s door as well as in your owner’s manual.
How to check BMW 5 Series tyre pressure?
Check a BMW series’ tyre pressure using a handheld pressure gauge which can be purchased for around £10.
You can also check tyre pressure at a petrol station, where there are also the facilities to top up your tyres.
What should I do once I see a tyre pressure warning?
An illumination of the tyre pressure warning light on your dash should lead you to promptly check your tyre pressure levels.
You can do this with one of the aforementioned methods either at home or at a petrol station.
Once all tyre pressure levels are amended, drive away and your warning light should go off.
If it does not, check your wheels for puncture which if spotted will require specialist puncture repair or you have a faulty warning light which needs to be reset.
How do I reset a BMW 5 Series tyre pressure light?
Vehicles with iDrive:
Adjust ignition to ON position, but leave your engine off
push down on the iDrive controller to use “i” menu.
Choose ‘SETTINGS’, press iDrive controller.
next, go to ’CAR/TIRES’, press iDrive controller.
Select TIRES:RDC, and press iDrive controller.
Now you must start the engine, then select ‘CONFIRM TIRE PRESSURE’, press iDrive controller.
If you have an older vehicle that is not equipped with iDrive your TPMS reset process will be recorded in your owner’s manual.
BMW 5 Series Warning Lights
What do the warning lights mean on a BMW 5 Series?
Refer to your BMW 5 series owner’s manual for a comprehensive guide to your car’s dashboard warning light.
All of the BMW warning lights like much other vehicles follow a colour coding system which informs drivers of their severity.
Red indicates a severe issue which needs to be checked immediately, yellow alerts you to proceed with caution and check out the component promptly.
Other lights that are blue or green act more as indicators than warnings, for example telling you your high beam or cruise control is on.
What does a BMW 5 Series check engine warning light mean?
This light will flash when there is an issue to alert you. It could be an indication of random misfiring in the engine amongst a host of other issues ranging from relatively minor to severe.
If this light flashes, have the system checked immediately, pulling over as soon as is safe.
How does the anti-lock brake system warning light mean in the BMW 5 Series?
If this light illuminates, your stability controls systems are damaged; whether that be the ABS or/and Tyre Pressure Monitor.
You do not have to pull over immediately in this instance but drive carefully. Avoid heavy braking in the meantime and get the system checked out as soon as possible.
BMW 5 Series Service Intervals
When are BMW 5 Series service intervals?
Regardless of how many miles you undertake, BMW recommend an annual full service as well as an oil change.
If you undertake a very high mileage, BMW then recommend an oil change at regular 10,000 mile intervals.
BMW 5 Series Oil
What the best oil to use for a BMW 5 Series?
The best oil for the BMW 5 Series is fully synthetic oil of the grade 5W-30.
What is the oil capacity for a BMW 5 Series?
The engine oil capacity of your BMW 5 series may vary to other owners due to a number of factors from country and year of manufacture to engine size.
For the exact oil capacity of your car, consult your car owner’s manual. However, remember that oil changes are recommended for all 5 series’ each year.
BMW 5 Series Common Problems
Are water leaks a common BMW 5 Series problem?
If you have spotted some water leaking into your boot, deal with it effectively as it can be a very expensive repair to make and has been a relatively well-reported issue with older models of the BMW 5 Series.
The leak itself is likely caused by the boot seals or indeed blocked sunroof drains, we recommend a BMW leak specialist to eradicate the issue.
Is engine overheating common with the BMW 5 Series?
The thermostat of the BMW 5 Series can fail which will result in the engine overheating.
If this issue is not dealt with efficiently the damage can become more extensive and in turn a lot more costly. the thermostat will likely need replacing to completely eradicate this issue.
The steering wheel on my BMW 5 Series squeaks, what does this mean?
If your wheel squeaks especially when travelling at lower speeds, or a knock when moving from full lock to the other direction, then there may be a absence of lubrication on the steering rack.
The solution is thus to lubricate the steering rack and failing this to contact a mechanic.