Home Forums Articles How To's FAQ Register
Go Back   Xoutpost.com > BMW SAV Forums > X5 (E70) Forum
Arnott
User Name
Password
Member List Premier Membership Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Xoutpost server transfer and maintenance is occurring....
Xoutpost is currently undergoing a planned server migration.... stay tuned for new developments.... sincerely, the management


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old 06-20-2009, 02:38 PM
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 822
FunfDreisig is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by wdc330i View Post
Why not consider a lightly used 2006 model? Huge savings there.
1- 90+% of our driving is 55mph or better so I really want a clean diesel for the highway mileage. On a typical 40+ mile run into town our old 4.4i got about 18-20mpg. The 35d got 27mpg on the same run.

2- We keep our vehicles 10-20 years (barring an accident) so we order them custom built to our non-standard specs. For example, we will not get the "Technology package" because in 10-20 yrs the NAV etc. will look antique. Besides we're old fashioned and use paper maps that we can read while not in the car (and write on).

Funf Dreisig
Reply With Quote

Sponsored Links

  #12  
Old 06-20-2009, 02:58 PM
Juanted's Avatar
Moderator/Admin/Premier Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 5,686
Juanted is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by FunfDreisig View Post
1 Is there an easy way to make either the passenger or cargo 12V outlet always hot?

2 Is there an easy way to adjust the seat belt warning chime volume or simply get it to turn off after a short while?
1. No. Has been asked about/discussed here before. Don't recall of anyone finding a solution for it yet.

2. No. Many, many complaints about this issue on the board. And dealers in US will not disable the chime.
__________________
Whenever I text "Barack," my phone suggests the word "Capable." I guess my my phone IS pretty smart.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 06-20-2009, 04:07 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: East Cost/USA
Posts: 45
wdc330i is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by FunfDreisig View Post
1- 90+% of our driving is 55mph or better so I really want a clean diesel for the highway mileage. On a typical 40+ mile run into town our old 4.4i got about 18-20mpg. The 35d got 27mpg on the same run.

2- We keep our vehicles 10-20 years (barring an accident) so we order them custom built to our non-standard specs. For example, we will not get the "Technology package" because in 10-20 yrs the NAV etc. will look antique. Besides we're old fashioned and use paper maps that we can read while not in the car (and write on).

Funf Dreisig
Makes sense. But I highly recommend at least PDC (do you have to have Tech for that?) for parking it tight places.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 06-20-2009, 11:28 PM
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 822
FunfDreisig is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by wdc330i View Post
Makes sense. But I highly recommend at least PDC (do you have to have Tech for that?) for parking it tight places.
Funny you should ask. The only part of the Technology Package I'd like to get is the rear view camera (for hooking up the trailer, etc.). And of course this is the only part of the Tech Package I can't get seperately

FWIW During the test drive we were continually annoyed by the PDC's false alarms. We kept turning it off just to get it to shut up. Pulling out of the garage, as soon as I put the X5 in reverse, the PDC starts warning that it is close to the front wall - DUH I already knew that besides, I'm already headed the other way. Get out of the X5 to quickly get something out of the back (while in park but with the engine running) and wham the PDC starts complaining that something is close the rear - DUH that's me. I'm sure PDC is useful for many folks but during our 24hr test drive in both rural and urban settings we didn't find a SINGLE time where it was truely helpful and a whole lot where it was very annoying

Funf Dreisig

[Note to BMW: Everybody doesn't live/drive in a very noisy environment; audible warnings like PDC, Seat Belt, etc. need a volume control, including MUTE, that does not kill the visual display.]
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 06-21-2009, 01:09 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: East Cost/USA
Posts: 45
wdc330i is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by FunfDreisig View Post
Funny you should ask. The only part of the Technology Package I'd like to get is the rear view camera (for hooking up the trailer, etc.). And of course this is the only part of the Tech Package I can't get seperately

FWIW During the test drive we were continually annoyed by the PDC's false alarms. We kept turning it off just to get it to shut up. Pulling out of the garage, as soon as I put the X5 in reverse, the PDC starts warning that it is close to the front wall - DUH I already knew that besides, I'm already headed the other way. Get out of the X5 to quickly get something out of the back (while in park but with the engine running) and wham the PDC starts complaining that something is close the rear - DUH that's me. I'm sure PDC is useful for many folks but during our 24hr test drive in both rural and urban settings we didn't find a SINGLE time where it was truely helpful and a whole lot where it was very annoying

Funf Dreisig

[Note to BMW: Everybody doesn't live/drive in a very noisy environment; audible warnings like PDC, Seat Belt, etc. need a volume control, including MUTE, that does not kill the visual display.]
True. Ones does start to tune it out like the boy who cried wolf. But you can also turn it off...
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 06-21-2009, 09:16 PM
asawadude's Avatar
Premier Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: The other side of town
Posts: 3,792
asawadude is on a distinguished road
It's simple to rewire the plug outlets to remain hot, but if you're going to tap your fuse box, just be aware that you could void the warranty coverage should you encounter any electrical malfunctions or if you shorten the car battery life. Checking the fuse boxes is part of the battery inspection check. BMW turned off a lot of the devices that used to stay hot (cigarette lighter, radio, 12V outlets) because there is alot of electrical draw on the system on their newer models, especially when the vehicles are shut down. It takes very little draw on the system to discharge a battery to the point where a newer model BMW won't start.

BTW, I don't know of too many people who have a 12V cooler permanently installed in their vehicle, unless it's a recreational vehicle which typically has an auxiliary battery. If I need to keep something cold, my igloo filled with ice seems to work just fine.

The seat belt chime can be silenced through programming, but as mentioned by many, no U.S. BMW dealer will circumvent programming of safety devices. The solution would be to find an independent BMW mechanic with a GT-1 diagnostic system and pay for an hour or two of labor for reprogramming. I'd much rather have the chime turned on so I don't have to police the occupants in my car for seat belt compliance.

The rear headrests ARE removeable. There's a spring loaded tab in the sleeve through which the headrest post slides. Press the tab and the headrest is unlocked for removal.

Understanding how the PDC system works is required in order to maximize its benefits. It is a very effective and a very accurate system. Yes, PDC begins to beep when objects enter the green zone which is approximately 5 to 7 feet away from the vehicle. Perhaps you're thinking these are false alarms, but it's simply a warning that there is an object entering the sensor zone. The beeps grow in frequency as objects grow closer until it turns into a continuous tone when the object is approximately 1 ft. away. Perhaps its a pain in the butt to you, but if it alerts someone to the fact that their small child or family pet has wandered behind the car with reverse gear engaged, then PDC has done its job.

It would be wonderful if BMW and other car makers could customize all of its features to fit the requirements of each and every individual owner, but unfortunately, that won't happen.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 06-22-2009, 12:17 AM
rh71's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: LI | NY
Posts: 3,924
rh71 is on a distinguished road
The around-view monitor that Infiniti has is reportedly in the X5/X6 M. So I'm thinking it will make its way into the regular E70 soon.
__________________
'08 X5 3.0si - Alpine White / Saddle Brown interior
Specs: Sport Pkg, Premium Pkg, Tech Pkg, Comfort Access, Aero Kit, Style 433 staggered 20s on Conti DWS
Mods: Carbon 35 tint, LED angel eyes, GP Thunder 7500k fogs, H&R 20mm/25mm spacers, clear reflectors, gunsmoke-tinted taillights
Coded: Digital speedo, windows/sunroof/tailgate close via keyfob

X5 pics at Flickr
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 06-22-2009, 08:03 AM
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 822
FunfDreisig is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by asawadude View Post
It's simple to rewire the plug outlets to remain hot...no U.S. BMW dealer will circumvent programming of safety devices. The solution would be to find an independent BMW mechanic with a GT-1 diagnostic system...

The rear headrests ARE removeable. There's a spring loaded tab in the sleeve through which the headrest post slides. Press the tab and the headrest is unlocked for removal.....
Well that was what I assumed, since that is how the E53 worked. But even after pressing the little spring loaded tab until my finger hurt (on 6 different rear seats) I couldn't get any of rear head rests to come out of the seat back. Maybe I just didn't have the touch.

FWIW my issue with PDC is VOLUME not function. Where we live you can easily hear the wing beats of song birds at a distanccee, We rarely use a radio/CD/MP3 etc/ except on long trips; so the default (and AFAIK the only) volume for the PDC is BLARINGLY loud.

Thanks for the tips on work arounds for the 12V supply and seat belt chimes.

Funf Dreisig
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 06-22-2009, 01:19 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Posts: 831
apw2607 is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by FunfDreisig View Post
Well that was what I assumed, since that is how the E53 worked. But even after pressing the little spring loaded tab until my finger hurt (on 6 different rear seats) I couldn't get any of rear head rests to come out of the seat back. Maybe I just didn't have the touch.

FWIW my issue with PDC is VOLUME not function. Where we live you can easily hear the wing beats of song birds at a distanccee, We rarely use a radio/CD/MP3 etc/ except on long trips; so the default (and AFAIK the only) volume for the PDC is BLARINGLY loud.

Thanks for the tips on work arounds for the 12V supply and seat belt chimes.

Funf Dreisig
If you dont order the navigation, as odd as this sounds, you can adjust the PDC warning chime (as well as warning gongs) This is adjusted through i-drive under the audio settings, warning tones sub-menu.

For cars with navigation, this is not possible.
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 06-23-2009, 08:32 AM
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 822
FunfDreisig is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by apw2607 View Post
If you dont order the navigation, as odd as this sounds, you can adjust the PDC warning chime (as well as warning gongs) This is adjusted through i-drive under the audio settings, warning tones sub-menu.

For cars with navigation, this is not possible.
That's interesting!

In vehicles without NAV is one of the "audio settings, warning tones" you can adjust the volume of the seat belt chime?

This is the adjustment we really want. Not to completely disable the warning tones, just to reduce their volume so that they still warn us without making us angry. I'll be at the dealer tomorrow and try to find an X5 without NAV to check it out

Thanks - Funf Dreisig
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:55 PM.
vBulletin, Copyright 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. SEO by vBSEO 3.6.0
© 2017 Xoutpost.com. All rights reserved. Xoutpost.com is a private enthusiast site not associated with BMW AG.
The BMW name, marks, M stripe logo, and Roundel logo as well as X3, X5 and X6 designations used in the pages of this Web Site are the property of BMW AG.
This web site is not sponsored or affiliated in any way with BMW AG or any of its subsidiaries.