At the crossroad with the X plus no start issue

[timmyc]

It just started!

[Squiggy]

imo a 20 year old X5 like mine would only make a good daily driver for a gearhead, but not for my family. My 'truck' is not great on gas, so I can't justify using it to commute. I don't want to put any more unnecessary wear miles on it either. The ride is a little rough (debatable) and the wiring, plastics, electronics, etc are getting old. I cherish my X5 to a degree and really only like to take it out on weekend or late night drives through the twisties. I loath taking it on boring long drives in a straight line or driving it in traffic. I remember seeing an episode of Scotty Kilmer where I think he said he would never buy an older Dodge Viper because the 'wiring is old'. Maybe he said 'old electronics' but I'm almost sure I remember him saying 'old wiring'. Not sure which of his videos it was. Sometimes he makes compilation videos where he talks about a variety of cars. Old wiring never occurred to me. I was an electrician's apprentice for a couple of years and have seen what older wiring looks like in homes and businesses, but never thought much about how wiring in cars might age. When I think of 'old car wiring' I tend to imagine a 1970's British roadster or something.

I too have experienced some 'no start' scenarios. In my case it was always the alternator (needed to replace it twice in my 10 years of ownership) or the battery. A no start happened about 10 months after installing a new alternator and battery. Turns out the battery was too small/weak. Threw the old battery back in and the problem went away. No more problems in the 2 years since. Hope things work out for you.

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by Squiggy

I too have experienced some 'no start' scenarios. In my case it was always the alternator (needed to replace it twice in my 10 years of ownership) or the battery. A no start happened about 10 months after installing a new alternator and battery. Turns out the battery was too small/weak. Threw the old battery back in and the problem went away. No more problems in the 2 years since. Hope things work out for you.

Thanks for the reply, Squiggy.

Not sure if you read the whole thread, but do you happen to remember if you had any of the same issues? I'll be driving the X this weekend, so I will see if the no start is still popping up. And honestly, that has been the most frustrating thing about it. It is SO random. It can go for weeks and then, boom, nothing.

I'll keep the thread alive until I get it figured out.

[timmyc]

Quick update here. Went out to start the X and it started then died right away. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and still no start. Started reading some threads here on Xoutpost and decided to try my spare key. Bingo! Okay. Was it a fluke?I'm going to start using this key for a while and see if I have issues.

I'll report back!

[Salty B.]

Re "today's new cars suck", I picked up a 2021 X1 rental at Toronto Pearson a few weeks ago with 88,000km on it, a bad tire that went "WOBWOBWOBWOBWOBWOB" and it pulled to to the left. Also the Carplay refused to stay connected. Aside from that, it just felt cheap and tinny. I know, it's not a "real BMW" being FWD-biased, but I have had these before and they just don't feel right.

Exchanged it for a new Chrysler 300.

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by Salty B.

Re "today's new cars suck", I picked up a 2021 X1 rental at Toronto Pearson a few weeks ago with 88,000km on it, a bad tire that went "WOBWOBWOBWOBWOBWOB" and it pulled to to the left. Also the Carplay refused to stay connected. Aside from that, it just felt cheap and tinny. I know, it's not a "real BMW" being FWD-biased, but I have had these before and they just don't feel right.

Exchanged it for a new Chrysler 300.

I hear ya! I feel like the trade off for tech versus a solid build and quality interior finishes in todays cars is a bad deal for the consumer.

I had a friend shut the door of our X5 the other day and he commented on how solid the car was. Then he text me later and asked me to keep an eye out for an e53 for himself!

Nice choice on the 300. I really like the look and muscle of many of the Mopar lineup!

[Squiggy]

Originally Posted by timmyc

Thanks for the reply, Squiggy.

Not sure if you read the whole thread, but do you happen to remember if you had any of the same issues? I'll be driving the X this weekend, so I will see if the no start is still popping up. And honestly, that has been the most frustrating thing about it. It is SO random. It can go for weeks and then, boom, nothing.

I'll keep the thread alive until I get it figured out.

Glad to see your key might have been the issue. Sorry for the later reply. I keep notes about any issues I have with my X5 and my notes say every time I have had a no start problem it has been the alternator or the battery. Sometimes the red battery light on the dash will warn me in advance. It will start blinking then eventually stay on, solid red. But there have been no-start instances when that idiot light did not warn me in advance. One time my battery was fully charged but did not have enough cold cranking amps, so I replaced it.