Ok, weird problem regarding Heater/temp/cold

[BluesClues]

I knew you were going to say that!!!!!!!!! Im afraid that when I take it to the dealer they are going to say, "Umm sorry we couldnt dupicate the problem" but I guess that way I can have noted in the system that i complained about it in case the engine goes.. wow engine only has 34k miles..

[Lotus Man]

Right there with you, buddy. Read my #9 problem:

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...-footwell.html

Apparently, it's a sensor glitch. Given the ambient temperature, and the brevity of the vehicle warm-up period, it is physically impossible to be up in over-heating temperature level. For crying out loud, some stock car racers board up their radiator air ducts and circle the lap a few times before the engine is up to "optimum" operating temperature! And they do this in the ambient Daytona/FL heat!

IMHO - Not worth scratching up your interior and contributing to more rattle noises by taking apart and reassembling your dash to correct this problem (if that even corrects it). Just turn your ignition off and back on every time this happens...what, 2 or 3 times in a calendar year? Peanuts. 'Sides, it's not repeatable in normal cold weather or other warm temperatures -- only in the EXTREME cold, thus difficult to duplicate at a shop unless you're able to pick that perfect ultra cold day, which happens to be after the vehicle has been parked overnight outside of the service shop, and for the technician responsible to witness the phenomenon upon start up. Because if the porter or service advisor even moves the car, turns the ignition on and off, the phenomenon is gone. In summary -- not really worth the hassle...and maybe even cause more damage along the way during diagnosing and fixing than just leaving it alone. Either way, it's your money.

[rjs1222]

This is from page 63 of my owners manual.


"Do not allow the engine to warm up by leaving it running while the vehicle remains stationary. Instead, begin to drive immediately at a moderate engine speed."

Don't know if this has anything to do with your problem or not.

[Lotus Man]

I believe German law (someone from Europe correct me if I'm mistaken) forbid stationary warm-ups, so I can see why they add that statement.

Yes, it's true that to reduce wear and tear, you should have the vehicle up to operating temperature as soon as you can. And it just so happens that the way the thermostat/coolant flow is setup, the vehicle warms up much quicker while in motion. I believe the quote was 10 secs of stationary warm up for manual transmission BMWs before moving it, and 30 secs for automatics. But I've never taken that to heart (especially keeping in mind the notion behind the German law -- most likely geared at reducing pollution, since the 1st 20 minutes of vehicle operation, before full operating temperature is achieved, yields the highest level of CO -- as with the way catalytic converters behave here in the US). I believe you should still give your car some time for all the oil to circulate to all moving parts of the engine before even shifting to "drive." Thus I usually wait for about 1 minute or so.

Either way, I believe the core problem here is that the gauge jumps to the "red zone" immediately after startup...or in my experience, usually within about 10 secs or so. Despite moving the vehicle immediately afterwards, the problem does not go away. The only "cure" is to turn the vehicle off and back on. I believe this is purely a low-temperature-attributed sensor/electronic glitch (unfortunately, the same sensors that tie to cabin climate control operations), and nothing physical in terms of thermostat or coolant flow operations.

[BluesClues]

Ok, I guess I will make an appt at the dealer and see what they say...I would love to hear what they are going to say..

[stas]

don't worry about that, had the same problem 2 days ago, temp needle was at red zone after 5 min running on driveway..... RESTART BMW, EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE......

[rosco007]

Had the same problem. I had a slow heat up, start the X5 and run for less than 5 minutes driving, the needle would peg hot. Not a chance the car had overheated. 4 degrees in CT the last week. Problem has been going on for a few weeks. Went to BMW replaced the thermostat that was stuck open so there was no chance the heat would come for a while. (Closed gets you heat and will have you overheat as well). Replaced the final stage resistor as well. Total cost ~ $480. Warm but poor. The thermostat is electronic not like the old simple mechanical type, and what is up with the final stage resistor. The service manager told me bot these problems are very common in X5's, 2 other X5's in today at BMW same problems.

[grey]

Originally Posted by Lotus Man

Right there with you, buddy. Read my #9 problem:

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum...-footwell.html

Apparently, it's a sensor glitch. Given the ambient temperature, and the brevity of the vehicle warm-up period, it is physically impossible to be up in over-heating temperature level. For crying out loud, some stock car racers board up their radiator air ducts and circle the lap a few times before the engine is up to "optimum" operating temperature! And they do this in the ambient Daytona/FL heat!

IMHO - Not worth scratching up your interior and contributing to more rattle noises by taking apart and reassembling your dash to correct this problem (if that even corrects it). Just turn your ignition off and back on every time this happens...what, 2 or 3 times in a calendar year? Peanuts. 'Sides, it's not repeatable in normal cold weather or other warm temperatures -- only in the EXTREME cold, thus difficult to duplicate at a shop unless you're able to pick that perfect ultra cold day, which happens to be after the vehicle has been parked overnight outside of the service shop, and for the technician responsible to witness the phenomenon upon start up. Because if the porter or service advisor even moves the car, turns the ignition on and off, the phenomenon is gone. In summary -- not really worth the hassle...and maybe even cause more damage along the way during diagnosing and fixing than just leaving it alone. Either way, it's your money.

i strongly agree. even though mine is still under warranty i would not want them to remove a dash of an X5.
i got sooooooooo annoyed the other day i ended up spraying slicon between the windshield and dash.