I have had them on 18s for my winter tyres for the last 3 winters and think that they are fantastic. I drive from London to the Alps twice every winter in Obergurgl at over 2000m. The grip is great on all surfaces and particularly impressive on fresh snow falling on packed ice. They were so good, I ...

I had a 2004 3.0d from new. Drove it to work in the City for a couple of years - 25 mpg tops! Then got a 4.8iS which would do 20 mpg on the same route (on cheaper fuel!) Bear in mind that like-for-like diesels are more expensive and , in my view, less suited to a short commutes so worth doing your s...

Your logic is spot on. I'd say that is at least £5k too high. Warranty is worth a little over £1k. As others have pointed out, age is as much a factor as mileage - rubber does start to perish. Mine had a sticker price of £19k four years ago with 28k! On every measure this price is wrong. I would sim...

Michelin Diamaris were the OEM fit for most cars with, I think, Bridgestone appearing towards the end of the model life in 2006. I had Diamaris on my 4.8iS and didn't particularly like them - they are hard wearing but also give a firm ride and tramline. They are expensive. I went for Vredestein Sess...

The key issue for me would be safety. The chances of hitting another car, human or animal is significantly higher than the UK. You want something as big, solid and heavy as possible.

Another vote for the Land Cruiser. I've used both it and a military defender in Kenya and would vote for the Land Cruiser. The LR is certainly better in the odd specialist situation off-road (which it is designed for)but 95% of the time the Land Cruiser wins. And it has A/C which is a joy at times p...

It's a very interesting comparison with 40D. I decided to keep my 4.8iS three years ago until a diesel SUV of similar size came out that could match it for performance ( so in effect at least 300 bhp), was under 225g CO2 (for tax) and (this is the tricky bit) I could get at least 50% better on the M...

I've owned both. 3.0d was the better all-rounder but I love the 4.8iS. It is all down to numbers. The miles per gallon figures are closer in practice than you might think - in my case 21-22 vs 28. Boils down to your mileage vs purchase cost. When I bought mine, diesels were £4-5k more like-for-like....

Just back from holiday and had the new quote from Admiral for my 3 cars (4.8is, Merc CLK500 and Kia Picanto). It had gone up from £1600 to over £2200!! I had meant to shop around last year but didn't get round to it. However this year the 37% rise (with no change in cars or circumstances + cars less...

+1 for ebay under a tenner - I get a set every year from an outfit called Ace Parts - used to be Channel Islands but now onshore. One set didn't arrive. I queried it then they sent another. Both arrived at same time and they refused payment for the second set. Consequently I have a soft spot for the...

Just to close this off, I've just bought one off ebay.de for just over Euro 300. The seller's English wasn't great (although much better than my German!). A few tips for anyone in a similar position looking for a rare piece of BMW kit - 1. Look up the German translation via Google Translate (in this...

Thanks again. Really helpful.
I've found the BMW one  (same as yours) in Germany for around Euro 300 (new) which I will try to get.
I think it is worth the extra over the cheap generic one.
Still much cheaper than towbar + rack solution.
I'll report how I get on.

LincsX5, Thanks for that. Do you have any part numbers/description or pictures? I spent an hour or so looking online last night with no luck. The E70 has one that mounts on the dual towing eyes but couldn't see anything for E53. I don't need to use the tailgate at all when mounted - it would simply ...

I want to get a rear-mounted bike carrier for a couple of child bikes and am struggling to find one for an X5. I am fully aware that they are rare + difficulties with split tailgate etc. I have a roof box + bikes on top already and don't particularly want to invest in a tow hitch or put them inside....

Sorry no. All flogged on ebay.