does anyone know what these are

[cuban_bmwx5]

hey everyone i just wanted to know what that last plug is for snice nothing is pluged into it and for the other picture what is that little light bulb taped around my speaker plug?

[Doru]

Not sure about the first pic. The 2nd pic - the light bulb looks like it's the one from the interior door handle

[cuban_bmwx5]

interior door handle has a light bulb :S

[Doru]

Originally Posted by cuban_bmwx5

interior door handle has a light bulb :S

Then maybe from the rearview mirror?

[cuban_bmwx5]

lol i have no idea i know my mirror now does not have a light nor does my door handle lol

[RFaber]

The second pic is the door handle light, there should be a clear "snake" running along the door handle, (with a 1/2" radius 180 degree turn) ending up in the inner door handle little hole towards the back. I have seen the little clear snakes bent and broken out (don't ask me how I know! lol) the first pic may be some option that was not included in your X5. BMW is very good about putting in wiring harnesses in case you want to add options later.

[romeokc10]

Originally Posted by RFaber

BMW is very good about putting in wiring harnesses in case you want to add options later.

Oh really, then why didn't they wire all the cars for navigation so you wouldn't have to tear the freaking interior out of the car to add navigation...lol! IMHO they're terrible when it comes to pre-wiring.

[PropellerHead]

Originally Posted by romeokc10

Oh really, then why didn't they wire all the cars for navigation so you wouldn't have to tear the freaking interior out of the car to add navigation...lol! IMHO they're terrible when it comes to pre-wiring.

+1

Wiring or other items that are not used in a model has nothing to do with BMW thinking about the market for add-ons after the sale. It has *everything* to do with the higher costs associated with the manufacture of a zillion different pieces and parts. It's often called 'lean manufacturing.'

For instance, BMW can make a harness with an $.11 LED or a $.08 plastic connection in a loom whether it's plugged in or not. It costs more in the process to use different parts than it does to make only one with all the connections included. The difference comes in when major changes like navigation- that the original owner pays dearly to cover the added costs- require radically different connections or additional physical wires to work.

You see the same kind of thing at a grander scale across many models with the same (or similar) motors, exhaust manifolds, transmissions, and even some suspension parts. I bet you'd find that the navigation harness for an E53 and an E39 is the same.

[PsYcHe]

Audi did the same thing, typically you find the full harness in an early version of the car, and as production progresses and they work out which options are being installed, they'll trim back the default loom if it makes sense to drop options that aren't being ordered too often.

[tmv]

Yes the interior door handle has a light, not on earlier model (01 or earlier). However, there are some report that the bulbs hide behind the panel.