Can 27 degree weather do this to an X?

[X5_Rob]

I can't believe some cold weather would have such an adverse affect on my 2005 X 4.4 (89k mi) but on my first night visiting family for Thanksgiving (I drove up from Tampa to Charlotte) the temp was in the 20's... In the morning there was a healthy puddle of both engine oil AND coolant under the car... from the puddle on the ground I estimate around 1oz of engine oil and at least a cup to cup and half of coolant...

The oil level still checked full but the coolant lever stick was all the way down and did not pop up at all when opened.

To add misery and mystery to the situation when I started it up the red SRS Airbag warning light is now on on the dash panel. I also noticed a cluster of pixels are now out on my NAV screen. My NAV screen was perfect when I left and was used on the way up so would have certainly noticed...

I've owned the car for 5 plus years now... car was perfect on Tuesday morning parked in my garage in 70 degree Tampa. All of the above occured Tuesday night while parked in 25-30 degree weather overnight... WTF?? How could all of the above occur at the same time? I took it to the BMW dealer in Charlotte (I didn't have time to really look at it nor did I want to take time away from my visit with family so bit the bullet and let the dealer check it out to make sure no major issues so I could drive it back to Tampa worry free). They replaced a coolant sensor (13-62-1-433-077) stating they pressure tested and found a small leak.... drove home back to Tampa Sunday no issues.

I suspect I have a failing oil seal that did not like the cold.. but still holds its seal in warmer Florida weather... The car was parked overnight here in Tampa and this morning not a drop of oil on the ground. I've never had a drip of engine oil come out in 5 years either... But the combination of all of the above at once really has me bummed and stumped??? Are these X5's such cold weather wimps?

[Skyline]

Cold weather did not cause your problems, they just caused them to show up. The NAV screen may just be a coincidence, but these certainly DO work in cold climates. And can fail in warm climates.

I would pressure test the cooling system for starters. These cars are known for coolant and oil leaks, so it's not unusual at all; but you need to track them down, and either do the repairs yourself, or pay for some expensive repairs.

For oil, start by checking all around the valve covers. Also check the gasket on the oil filter.

For the coolant, I'd take a close look at the expansion tank first, but there are a lot of potentially leaky components in this system, (I just needed to replace the transmission thermostat on mine). There are a LOT of plastic bits that can get brittle and break, causing leaks. Not using BMW coolant with distilled water only can also lead to problems.

As far as the dead pixels, if those stay dead now that you're back in the warmth, you need to replace the screen. It's not that hard a job for a DIYer, and I just did this myself with help from a DIY thread posted here. Got the screen on eBay for $168. (eBay seller eurotech.lcd out of China) If they don't have the correct screen listed right now, just contact them directly, and they can definately supply it. They are just getting started with eBay, so they are limited in terms of how much they can list. But others here have bought from them directly. 100% plug and play.

[ake53]

its not the weather. i live in massachusetts and its always 27-30 degree weather in october/novemmber in the mornings. frost all over the car. and never had that problem. ofcourse you should warm up the car. otherwise it beeps and displays the cold temp outside on dash.

[JCL]

It is more the change in weather, than the weather itself. The same things can happen to a vehicle in the north, where we often cold weather, that gets driven down south. Different things fail in that case (not the pixels, for example) but the failures typically seen relate to things that were not in great shape, but where the higher temperatures pushed it over the edge.