Emergency Roadside question for Winter

stockguru · #1 12-26-2008, 12:00 PM

So after hearing about a long wait for BMW service this holiday in the northeast, I decided to make sure I help myself out as much as possible by being prepared. Questions for help if anyone knows

1) What amp certified jumper cables do we need for an '08 X5?
2) Is there a way to open the trunk if the battery is dead (would need to get the jumper cables in the storage area) - I have automatic liftgate which won't be working.

Thanks

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motordavid · #2 12-26-2008, 12:27 PM

1-Dunno the amp certified part, but any decent set of jumper cables
should do fine...the longer length sets tend to go up in gauge/down
in number, eg 10/2, 8/2, 6/2, 4/2....any good auto joint will have a
decent set. Be aware of the under hood connection points...

2-Page 33 of your handy dandy Manual, (buried in your glove box), and
also easily found on the Front Page of this amazing site. Have a screw
driver handy and be ready to climb over back seat into wayback area.
It is not a difficult "do".
GL, mD

Edit: "stockguru", huh? Research pays off, stock-wise and car-wise...

rh71 · #3 12-26-2008, 12:30 PM

2)

stockguru · #4 12-26-2008, 12:52 PM

Thanks for the quick responses. I had seen this before but have a couple of problems. 1) if you normally keep the cargo bay cover closed, it's very difficult to open without the trunk door being open. 2) if the screwdriver is in the toolkit which is in the trunk, how do you get to it in the first place? I think the glovebox is also locked with a dead battery

motordavid · #5 12-26-2008, 01:08 PM

Keep a small screwdriver handy, somewhere in the cabin and,
don't keep the cover pulled tight; maybe tie a line to the pull
edge. It's Figure-out-able, imo...

rh71 · #6 12-26-2008, 01:40 PM

You do bring up a good point about the pull-up flooring. It is rather large and even if you pull it up and toward you, it would still be near impossible to get to it while you're inside. Add to this I have a trunk mat and a double snap & go on top of it all. Time to place the tool elsewhere.

EDIT>> I just took a look and that little plastic piece they're asking you to pull out doesn't even require a screwdriver. Just pull on it with your finger - it's a rather loose design. But it is probably still a good idea to keep all the tools including the parking brake release somewhere else.

motordavid · #7 12-26-2008, 02:42 PM

Thinking about your orig question:
If you keep a set of jumpers handy in the back deck area,
the battery connection points are under the hood.
So, I'm not sure why you need to access the back liftgate.

stockguru · #8 12-26-2008, 05:34 PM

I was planning to keep the jumper cable where the spare tire storage is. This keeps it out of sight since I don't plan on using it and just want it for emergencies.

Does anyone know if it is possible to have a lock installed? the same one we have on the driver side door perhaps so that it would use the same key