Ipod/icelink for European X5.3.0?

[CBlack1105]

I will be taking delivery of an X5 3.0 in the next few weeks (i.e. a new car, 2005 model). Of course it is built in the US, but will be a car for the European market. My dealer says that if I fit an Icelink it will invalidate the warranty (at least for the affected electrical systems). He says that the situation is different for BMWUSA. Maybe I can't argue with the warranty issue, but my general feeling is that there must be plenty of people who fit third party CD changers and an Ipod/icelink is electronically little different from a CD changer, so is there really a risk here?

[X5 Sport]

Well you can fit yourself and if anything goes wrong take it out before it goes back to the dealer

[UCrewX5]

Originally Posted by X5 Sport

Well you can fit yourself and if anything goes wrong take it out before it goes back to the dealer

Actually, given the dealer's attitude I think I would take it out prior to any dealer visit.

[CBlack1105]

Thanks guys. Probably a good idea to take it out - but does that mean I would also have to take out the cable from the trunk to the armrest (or wherever)?

[adrian.b]

Regarding warranties, i`m in the UK, just bought an X5 2003 (1 year left on warranty).

I fitted DVD`s in the headrests and had to connect three wires to the rear fuse box, +12v, +12v accessorie and -0v..

This wouldn`t invalidate the warranty would it?

[JCL]

Invalidating warranty is not really a black and white issue.

In the US, under the terms of the Magnusson-Moss warranty act, the answer is a qualified no, modifications won't invalidate a warranty. That act is US law, so YMMV. US posters will refer to this act, but it doesn't help the rest of us international citizens. Other countries may have similar (not identical) types of laws on the books, but I don't know what the UK has.

Next, warranty is a guarantee that covers defects. It doesn't guarantee that something is fit for use. It isn't there to fix things that break from wear and tear (that is what the various maintenance plans are for). It also isn't there to fix things that you did. So, if the electrical connection you made at the fuse panel starts a small fire, that would be your issue, not a warranty issue relating to the fuse panel. Same with most mods, you have a BMW warranty on the parts that came with the car, not the aftermarket ones you put on it.

Now the grey zone. Is a potential failure caused or promoted by the modification? After a failure, you may have a very different opinion than your dealer. It depends a lot on the attitude of your dealer. Say your battery starts to go flat on a regular basis. Dealer asks when you put those monitors in. If the dealer believes that the monitors (or an Icelink) is causing the battery to run down, he may decline to pursue the problem on BMW's dime, even though you don't think that is the problem. Removing the offending item (even if it isn't the problem) is one way of avoiding the entire discussion.

Now, if you make a mod that a reasonable person couldn't connect to a failure point (you put in monitors, and the engine failed or a tire separated some time later) then if your dealer is difficult you probably need a new dealer.

Hope that helps.