Is there any sign of a SIB for Excessive Battery Discharge?

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by emcman

....
As any of you who have had one die it is a pain. Everything is electronic, transmission, emergency brake, rear hatch. Just push you BMW assist button? Well that is dead too. Like I said before I would never drive out of cell coverage.

FWIW the voice communications part of BMW Assist is cellular -- GSM in the most recent models. AFAIK if we want to talk to someone at BMW Assist via the SOS button, we are really talking about staying within AT&T (and possibly T-Mobile) cell coverage

So keep that red T-Handle tool and your jumper cables handy.

Funf Dreisig

[Craig]

Originally Posted by emcman

Just for information my X5 is a gas 4.8 liter with comfort access, cold package, premium, and premium stereo. I wondered about the comfort access being an issue but now think it is a bad design or construction. I would not trust any car built in SC but have had loaners for weeks on end and have no issue with 1 series, 3 series and 5 series. More than one of each too. Been in two different 5 series since Feb 8th. No reply from BMW NA so now will write to corporate.

Yes I should get an emergency battery and already have a trickle charger but after paying $66,000 for a SUV we should not be having these discussions and the company should be more responsive. Being in service a lot I do notice more X5, X3 and Z4 than anything and all are made in SC. Sometimes I get control message but other times just a dead car that worked fine and had no messages the day before.
How could anyone own one off warranty?

As any of you who have had one die it is a pain. Everything is electronic, transmission, emergency brake, rear hatch. Just push you BMW assist button? Well that is dead too. Like I said before I would never drive out of cell coverage.

I agree with you 100%. I got tired of plugging mine in every night and waiting on parts for months. I traded mine last week for a Lexus GX 460 premium.

Good luck,

Craig

[RedRockin]

Originally Posted by FunfDreisig

FWIW the voice communications part of BMW Assist is cellular -- GSM in the most recent models. AFAIK if we want to talk to someone at BMW Assist via the SOS button, we are really talking about staying within AT&T (and possibly T-Mobile) cell coverage

So keep that red T-Handle tool and your jumper cables handy.

Funf Dreisig

Not to go OT (but I will), but this is another one of the many little issues I don't understand as I become familiar with my X5. The nav units (maps) were recently changed from a USA based company to a European based company for USA maps and USA vehicles. While GSM phone tech certainly makes sense for European vehicles, the X5, X3 and Z4 (others?) are all made in USA and one has not far to look to see CDMA tech has way more cell and 3G coverage in the USA than GSM - "There's a map for that". So, having an "SOS" button that has very limited coverage and a data system that is even more limited just both seem way below what one would hope for a top of the line car maker with "sophisticated engineering". I know this sounds like sniveling but battery tenders, $1900 nav units that do not work as well as $200 over the counter models, oil separators, laggy initial throttle response, not telling customers about included features so they buy redundant ones, peeling interior knobs and other surfaces they don't want to warranty, finicky alignments, service excessively blaming "driver error" to escape covering issues on a vehicle that supposedly has full maintenance within warranty periods, etc., etc.,...

Don't get me wrong, I really like the X5 but I just don't see these adding up to the engineering reputation of BMW. The car is most certainly well engineered in other aspects and when it works (as I certainly hope mine continues to do) it an absolute pleasure to drive. But, with issues lists like these, it is no wonder that reliability ratings are falling and it seems that decisions are going in the exact opposite direction of any effort to correct the reliability ratings.. It seems that decisions are being made to reduce costs even at the expense of worsening reliability, quality, customer loyalty, repeat business, etc. It is a great drive but I would hope for more from a vehicle ranging between $50k-$70k+. Having had over 20 vehicles, and none with a list of issues requiring monitoring like this, it just becomes "one of those things that makes you go Hmmmmmmm?!" http://207.218.242.35/default/images...s/thinking.gif (Arsenio Hall)

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by RedRockin

The nav units (maps) were recently changed from a USA based company to a European based company for USA maps and USA vehicles. While GSM phone tech certainly makes sense for European vehicles, the X5, X3 and Z4 (others?) are all made in USA and one has not far to look to see CDMA tech has way more cell and 3G coverage in the USA than GSM - "There's a map for that".

I was aware that BMW changed the source of their software to TeleAtlas (Europe) from Navteq (USA), but I wasn't aware that they had switched the hardware from CDMA to GSM. I'm curious as to the source of your information. I would be interested in more details.

Oh, and while I am not certain, I believe those maps are for 3G coverage, not voice. Does BMWAssist require 3G coverage, or just voice coverage to work?

[Craig]

The BMW assist uses the GSM network of AT&T... I would think just the voice coverage to work.

Craig

[RedRockin]

Originally Posted by Penguin

I was aware that BMW changed the source of their software to TeleAtlas (Europe) from Navteq (USA), but I wasn't aware that they had switched the hardware from CDMA to GSM. I'm curious as to the source of your information. I would be interested in more details.

Oh, and while I am not certain, I believe those maps are for 3G coverage, not voice. Does BMWAssist require 3G coverage, or just voice coverage to work?

I did not state that BMW switched from CDMA to GSM. I only declared the obvious that CDMA has much greater coverage coast to coast and would be a far superior alternative here in the USA (similar to Navteq being far superior - for USA maps - than European TeleAtlas - for USA maps). While obvious the maps ARE for 3G, and GSM does have wider ranging EDGE coverage - so all is not as dim as the Verizon advertisements might indicate, GSM uses roaming partners with HUGE gaps in coverage and EDGE is like the difference between dial-up vs broadband. So, my statement remains, these are low-end decisions in a high-end vehicle. The cost difference has to be sooooo minimal as to really not justify the savings vs customer satisfaction. As my post indicates, I just do not understand the apparent pattern of managerial decisions for a top of the line car manufacturer wrestling with reliability issues in an economy in which companies just cannot afford to lose market share. It seems, and I am not a car manufacturer, that the pattern of decisions points in the direction of "penny wise and dollar foolish".

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by Penguin

I was aware that BMW changed the source of their software to TeleAtlas (Europe) from Navteq (USA), but I wasn't aware that they had switched the hardware from CDMA to GSM. I'm curious as to the source of your information. I would be interested in more details.

Oh, and while I am not certain, I believe those maps are for 3G coverage, not voice. Does BMWAssist require 3G coverage, or just voice coverage to work?

Our call to initialize BMW assist was made from our cabin. The connection was quite good. We get full bars of GSM (AT&T) coverage and we get ZERO bars of CDMA coverage at our cabin. There's a map for that and it is on the Verizon and Sprint web sites which confirm what I already knew

Subsequent to this test I checked and discovered that BMW has transitioned it's full product line (except the X3) to the world wide GSM standard. IIRC you can tell which models use GSM by whether you can send MyInfo from Google maps.

Funf Dreisig

Edit: Here is the thread I started on this subject last year.

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by RedRockin

..... I only declared the obvious that CDMA has much greater coverage coast to coast and would be a far superior alternative here in the USA ....

Of course there are always exceptions

Although our cabin is only a few miles from a honkin' tall Verizon/Sprint tower, it is behind a 250' high hill and we get ZERO coverage from that or any other CDMA tower. I have a Sprint laptop card and router that is even less useful than a door stop (it's too light)

OTOH we get fabulous voice GSM coverage, yes even 3G data. An AT&T Lightning USB connection provides our ONLY internet coverage.

Funf Dreisig

[X5 Meister]

Wow did this get off topic. So what the heck let me chime in...

1. BMW Assist uses Verizon, not At&T or T-Mobile according to all the information I've read from BMW. Maybe that has changed with new models, etc? I'm not sure.

2. The Tele Atlas Nav issue (see my thread in the Nav forum: http://www.xoutpost.com/navigation-s...n-goodbye.html ) is a ridiculous one and to me just shows that BMW is no longer going to be improving an old model (like Microsoft ending support for older Windows versions). I don't like it, but I can understand why they are doing it.

3. Speaking of BMW Assist, here's a good one for you. In the E53 X5 the emergency button on the headliner is actually 2 buttons (unlike in the E70 or other newer BMW's that just have one button) arranged in a rocker-type of switch. One button (the SOS) was for calling BMW Assist. The other button (picture of a wrench) was for calling BMW Roadside Assistance. They are two separate entities. Now in case you didn't know, BMW Roadside Assistance was included with the E53 X5 for 4 years and if it was a CPO then 6 years. BMW Assist however was only included for the 1st year of ownership and thereafter it costs a whopping $199 per year! Well when BMW introduced new models with just one emergency button (the SOS button) which will only call BMW Assist, they also dropped support of the older BMW's Roadside Assistance button! So in an E53 X5, both buttons now ONLY call BMW Assist! Why is that a problem? Well, if your car is still less than 6 years old (and so still has BMW Roadside Assistance) and you don't pay $199 per year for BMW Assist then the emergency buttons on the headliner are worthless to you. If you need access to BMW Roadside Assistance then you better have your cell phone handy with the number programmed into it. Nice job BMW

First attachment is from a 2006 E53 X5. Second attachment is from a 2010 E70 X5.

Originally Posted by Craig

The BMW assist uses the GSM network of AT&T... I would think just the voice coverage to work.

Craig

[Denalio]

With all the battery problems I now know why BMW omitted the voltage gauge off the instrument cluster!