X5 35 Arrived

[London Lad]

I suspect you are correct. Thinking back, although he was very accurate and detailed on most features, the few mistakes he did make were 'adding' features from cars higher up the range.

[London Lad]

OK an update!

Dealers hand over guy was confused. There is no settings back up facility via the USB port in the glove box.

Snap in cradle for the iPhone has been exchanged and is better but I'm still not impressed. Signal strength does not go 'no service' now but is only as strong as it is out of the cradle, no better.

I have an Audi with the same inductively coupled GSM antenna system and it seems works much better.

Any one use an iPhone in a snap in adaptor in their E70 X5 can tell me how it effects the signal strength ?

[ABMW]

No, but I can tell you that it wouldn't surprise me if the iPhone's antenna was boosted to a degree. There's no claim as to how much of a degree, in BMW literature, on that it is connected to the external antenna.

My wife and I have both had iPhones for about 18-months now. Here in the U.S., at least, the service is beyond atrocious. Maybe in the UK it's better?

I've contemplated canceling my service numerous times, and switching to other brands, but nothing comes close for general business in my opinion.

Anyway, I don't think it's a factor of the BMW, so much as a design compromise made with the iPhone: battery vs. signal strength.

[London Lad]

Well the iPhone isn't the best at grabbing a poor signal (any phone with it's antenna hidden inside it is going to be a compromise) but coverage is generally good in the UK now except in very rural areas.

The BMW connection to the iPhone (for the antenna) is only inductive, i.e. there is a flat printed coil in the snap in adaptor that lays against the antenna in the back case of the iPhone. There is a amplifier (BMW call it a compensator) in the lead between the snap in and the external antenna. I suspect the gain from the amp and the outside antenna just about adds back what is lost by the inefficient inductive coupler and the antenna cable length.

What I was a bit surprised at was the fact that my Audi with the same system design seems to provide more signal.