2004 BMW X5 and the sat nav is showing an error

Question:

I have a 2004 BMW X5 and the sat nav is showing an error. Have cleaned the laser, cleaned the disc, tried the DVD unit in another BMW and it works fine! But I still have an error message pop up when I try and access the sat nav.

Answer:

Try performing a battery disconnect. You have to remove the spare tire and the cover over the battery. Wait at least 5 minutes after the key is shut off before disconnecting battery negative. Once you have disconnected the battery leave it disconnected for about ten minutes. This will re-set all of the modules. Once you have re-connected and started the vehicle turn the steering wheel lock to lock and the abs lights will go out. Now check the function of your Nav system.

ENGINE WILL NOT TURN OVER

Question:
I have a 2006 Mini Cooper and my engine will not turn over. I go to start my car and it just makes a clicking sound. Whats wrong?

Answer:
The battery has gone dead and does not have enough power to engage the starter and crank the engine or the lights were left on and drained the battery. Have the battery checked for voltage, should be a little more than 12 volts, and have a load test done to the battery. Quick checks you can make are, check the battery terminals for extreme corrosion and check that they are tight. Since this is fairly new, not so likely.

BMW to make their smaller cars FWD, CEO says

BMW AG is working on a new front-wheel- and four-wheel-drive vehicle architecture that will underpin a new range of entry-level BMW cars as well as next-generation Mini models.



“There will be front-wheel-drive BMWs in the smaller vehicle classes in the future,” BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer (pictured) said at the company's annual financial results press conference here today.



Currently, all BMW models are rear-wheel drive and all Mini variants are front-wheel drive.



BMW development boss Klaus Draeger said the new vehicle architecture will debut in 2014 with the arrival of the third-generation Mini hatchback.



He said the new architecture will enable BMW to produce a range of vehicles that are between 3800mm and 4300mm long. By comparison, Volkswagen's Fox, Polo, Golf, Beetle and Scirocco model lines fit within the same size range, which covers everything from minicars to subcompacts to compacts.



Sources said that at its peak the new architecture will underpin up to 20 different BMW and Mini model variants.



For BMW, the new front-wheel-drive models will fit below its entry-premium 1-series models, which Draeger said would keep their rear-drive architecture.



BMW needs to meet a growing demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. The company also will have to cope with tougher European CO2 emission rules that start to take effect in 2012.



Reithofer said: "We expect the premium small car segment to grow by 4-6 percent annually until 2020," adding that the group would cut its CO2 fleet emissions by at least 25 percent by 2020 versus 2008 levels, when they were 156 grams per km.



The decision to create a new joint architecture is also a sign of the times. Automakers are under increasing pressure to share investments between brands or with partners to save money.