Tire pressure monitor

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by motordavid

I thought the new/newer MYs used the Direct TPMS readout method?

I based my reply on the "Owner's manual video" about X5 TPM on the BMW USA site. You know the one that I downloaded and viewed while I was astonishingly bored waiting for our 2009 X5 35d to be built. Maybe it changed for 2010. I'm downloading the 2010 version now.

Funf Dreisig

Edit: The 2010 version of the X5 Tire Pressure Monitoring system still says the system measures the relative speed of the wheels and makes no mention of any direct pressure measuring. Of course, we know that BMW USA's site is not always up to date. So this video may be wrong.

FWIW the 2009 Owner's manual says that you should "always use wheels with TPM electronics".

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by FunfDreisig

I based my reply on the "Owner's manual video" about X5 TPM on the BMW USA site. You know the one that I downloaded and viewed while I was astonishingly bored waiting for our 2009 X5 35d to be built. Maybe it changed for 2010. I'm downloading the 2010 version now.

Funf Dreisig

I noticed while I was waiting and did the same thing that the idrive video they had for the 2010 Diesel was still showing the old idrive. They don't do a very good job of updating those videos.

P.S. In looking at the Owner's Manual, I noticed the the i-drive screen they show actually differentiates between the two systems, e.g., the FTM reads "Flat Tir Monitor," while the TPM reads "Tire PRessure Monitor" on the i-drive screen.

[FunfDreisig]

My Bad

I didn't realize that the X5 has TWO systems that monitors for low/flat tires. The Flat Tire Monitor system uses the wheel rotational speed difference method I described in my first post. But there is another more sophisticated Tire Pressure Monitoring system.

Thanks to Penguin and others for pointing out that both systems are shown in the 2009 and 2010 Owner's manuals.

Funf Dreisig