New to the X5: A couple questions please!

[raindance74]

Hi, just bought my first X5, and older 2001 3.0i.
I needed to know where the rear washer fluid goes in, is it the same tank as the front? Nothing comes out when I activate it.
Also, where is the radio antenna? I cant seem to pull in any AM stations with the factory CD player radio.
Lastly, is there any way to lock the car without activating the alarm? (I have the factory keyless entry/alarm on the car)

Thanks

[JCL]

One washer fluid reservoir. Two pumps (one front one rear) mounted on the bottom of it. Possibly another pump for headlight washing.

You can swap over the plugs for the two pumps, and see if that helps diagnose where the problem is. Pumps are a common failure point, and are easily replaceable.

The factory AM radio reception is notoriously bad. Here is one post on the subject, from the DIY section:

http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/...radio-tsb.html

The antenna is a piece of wire laying inside the spoiler. Some have lengthened the wire with significant benefits to reception. Not sure if that is what the TSB did or not. Many of us never listen to AM, so don't notice this problem.

When you lock the car, the alarm is set. Now push the remote lock fob button again. That disables the motion sensor for the alarm, which is the usual problem for false alarms.

Welcome to the board. You should spend some time reviewing the owner's manual, there are a lot of features to learn about. If you don't have the original manual, it is posted here:

http://www.bmwmotorsports.org/pdf/e5...20-%202001.pdf

Jeff

[motordavid]

All fluid goes into that big plastic jug on pass side firewall, labeled '7.8 liter'...
Before you crank on that rear mini van wiper, I rec'd a new blade or, at least cleaning the current blade; a lot of grit collects on rear blade and you will have the instant soccer mom rear window look.

As JCL noted, give the manual a peruse: the index in it is very detailed and handy, and give this Board's info links some reading, and learn to use the Search Tab.
Welcome to the best X board on the planet...
GL, mD

[raindance74]

Thanks for the information guys, the manual really helped as it wasn't included with my car. One last question, all the X5's I see around town have the door handles painted the same color as the car, and mine are just black. Was that an option? Is there a difference between the Sport and the Premium package?

[Naz24]

Originally Posted by raindance74

Thanks for the information guys, the manual really helped as it wasn't included with my car. One last question, all the X5's I see around town have the door handles painted the same color as the car, and mine are just black. Was that an option? Is there a difference between the Sport and the Premium package?

i think it became standard in 2002, but was an option in 2001. I'm not 100% sure about that...

you can change it if you'd like

[joeboch348]

My favorite option is when u unlock the car holding the unlock button in rolls down all the windows. Nice for summer

[motordavid]

Our '01 came with body color matched door handles...maybe it was part of the sport opt then. I will check out the orig sticker later, and see if that gives a clue...but, easy to have painted or changed, as Naz said.
GL, mD