Matthew Ashton

I assume this was you:

They can be reused. Make sure you lubricate the area the pad comes into contact with the caliper but only in those small areas where the pad tab and caliper meet. Also, don't clean the caliper mechanically i.e. with a wire brush in those same areas as the caliper is coated/machined and you don't want to damage it. Use brake cleaner spray and a good rub with a cloth. ATE Plastilube is what I use and is the same stuff used by BMW workshops.

Circa £80 each and with some force the old can be removed and the new pressed on. Part number: 18308511729

You’ll buy a replacement key from BMW which will be security programmed to your car. You may need to do as you see in the video as the final step in the activation.

The satin finish is around £70 each but get a price from Cotswolds BMW through this forum

You don't say whether the car has High Gloss Shadowline trim or not but assuming it does and as an example: Left Side Front Door - 51337209723 - RRP around £102 Rear Door - 51357209715 - RRP around £103

So I rest my case about the original fitter and the garage he or she works for. Comparing new parts against those removed from the car to ensure likeness is a fundamental practice that should be adhered to. Did you order these parts from ECP online? ECP doesn't have access to your car's specific fitment as BMW would have so it is up to you to check that the "fitment" is correct for your car (fitment in quotes as there is a tab on the ecp parts catalogue giving the specifics of the part you're buying)

No, BMW will not update the software unless there is an underlying issue needing resolution and they are prompted to do so. You can tell the iStep level (Software Integration Level) by extracting your driver profile to a USB stick and opening the resulting file on a PC and reading off the iStep number. Post the iStep number here if you want any detail on the age of the Integration level.

Andrew, I think there is no harm naming the garage in this instance irrelevant of whether they have had the opportunity to fix it yet, and I don't think it has any bearing on the good standing of this forum. They obviously have low standards allowing shoddy safety work to leave the garage and, if my car happened to be booked in with them, I'd like to know about this terrible service beforehand so I could cancel and rebook elsewhere.

Quite the round trip for you - I'll look out for an E26 in white, very rare.

A sludge on the filters that I've assumed to be some form of organic substance (mould maybe) mixed with whatever remnants of screen wash was there. BMW screen wash (I've not looked at the ingredients in others, has a % of ethanol that I assume prevents this growth.

Not sure why you’re apologising? This is is my experience and has worked perfectly for me. If others are having a good experience with other brands, fantastic, I’ll stick with BMW fluid though.

However, there has also been a lot of debate about using BMW windscreen fluid - I am one of those converts after having to remove the reservoir on my F11 for exactly this reason. Switched to BMW fluid and have never had a recurrence over the past few years.

You need to remove the trim panels under the bonnet that cover the washer fluid filler neck and then remove the neck first. Then at the reservoir there is one screw/bolt about a 3rd way down that needs to be removed, disconnect the pipes and feed the reservoir out towards the front of the car. The filters that the pumps plug into will be gunked up.

You are wasting your time finding a replacement locking wheel bolt socket to fit. The new one will just shear off as well as that bolt has been over tightened. Bashing a socket over the top won’t help as there is a slip ring as part of the bolt as further theft protection that just spins. This type of locking bolt is perfectly fine, IF, an impact wrench is NOT used to remove nor tighten it and it is only tightened to 140Nm. This is my story including details of who I used to remove it with NO damage to the wheel at all after the tyre shop that overtightened it tried to remove it using all the standard tools they use… Note that the tyre shop paid for the removal plus new wheel bolts all round plus new McGard/BMW locking bolts. McGard also sent me a new set for free after I sent them the damaged removed bolt.