As I pulled up outside my house this afternoon returning from my third trip I noticed smoke coming from the engine. Yes you're all aready ahead of me - AUX FAN SMOKING BIG TIME!!!! Then it started to spark and briefly I saw a small flame even though the engine was turned off!! Quickly disconnected about three cables to the fan and it immediately stopped glowing!!

Now I want to thank everyone on this Board because if you guys hadn't made me aware of the potential aux fan fires I seriously believe my Silver X5 would now be more of a Charcoal!

Called out BMW Emergency Service and when he arrived I new more about the aux fan problems than he did. He works for BMW GB and they have only been informing the Emergency Service team about the potential problem for the last TWO WEEKS! I'll know in the moring if they have advised the UK dealer network. My car was built in the middle of August and I thought this problem would have been resolved by now so a word of warning to any other UK X5 owner - GET YOUR FAN CHECKED - NOW!!!!! - Even if the dealer knows nothing about it the problem is obviously still real!

So I'll ring my dealer in the morning and probably have to wait days for a new fan. But I still love the car and wouldn't change it for the world - I just hope someone from BMW GB has the balls to order a recall before one goes up in flames, especially as I'm sure that I'm not the only owner who garages their car every night. (Which reminds me - my six year old daughter sleeps in the room above the garage!) Pause for thought!!

Andy.