1,000k '11 X5 Diesel Owner Impression Update

[SJCFlyer]

As a newbie on this board, I thought I’d continue to “Pay it Forward” with driving/ownership experiences of our new ’11 X5 Diesel. (Pardon the long post!)

See my original post here: (sorry, don't know how to attach thread -- See "Inital Owner's Impressions '11 X5 Diesel)

Well, we hit 1,000 miles on 12/3 – 9 days after picking it up new! Back to back trips to the Desert will do that!

Modifications Since Last Report – Swap Run Flat Tires
As noted in my original post, the run flat tires were providing all the ride comfort of being a passenger in a little kid’s “Radio Flyer” …while going 75 mph. During a couple places on Interstate 10 where there’s some extensive patching, you could actually feel the tires lift off the pavement as the suspension couldn’t keep up with the un-sprung weight and the amount of movement it was going through.

Getting a very large bolt (complete with a washer around it) through the center of the tread at 211 miles put me in a quandary. The salesperson said they couldn’t be repaired (untrue!), and that the tire pressure sensors “wouldn’t accept a non-run flat” (also, untrue!). Even though it was holding air just fine, I had it patched (dismounted/repaired from the inside and remounted) - kudo’s to Discount Tires for doing it all for free!

At that point, I got back into town and spoke with a very knowledgeable contact at The Tire Rack who recommended Michelin Latitude Touring HP’s (non-runflat). I spoke with my local guy at Tucker Tire, who wasn’t sure I’d see much difference. In the end he exchanged my Dunlop SportMaxx 2000 RFT with the Michelins and it only cost me $200 (yes the Dunlops were more expensive, but with the 20” wheels and staggered tires, that isn’t a popular size, and most would only give a $100 credit per tire – even though these were new, so I was very happy). While they were mounting & dismounting I picked up the RFT with one hand and the traditional in the other – It may say there’s only a 11 lb difference, but they must be really heavy pounds as the difference was really amazing!

Fired it up (no sensor issue at all) and drove right back to the desert for another meeting going the exact same way. Major improvement to me in the ride…bumps that were previously transmitted full force to the vehicles were now completely absorbed, or heavily blunted. That being said, this vehicle doesn’t ride like our MB wagons – there will be no circumcisions performed in the back seat! (parody of an old Ford or Lincoln-Mercury ad denoting “smooth ride”).

So what about the spare tire? First, RFT’s aren’t a “cure all.” While at the dealership (more on that later), two BMW’s arrived on flat beds – the run flat on each was shredded, stranding each of them anyway. Our X5 doesn’t have 3rd row seats…but wifey already liking the cavernous cargo space under the deck. So initially I’ve purchased a can of “inflate a flat” as well as purchasing a fast, compact air compressor that runs off the power outlets – both fit nicely in the driver’s side rear compartment. I’ll be sourcing a spare tire/wheel (I didn’t realize that $150 “spare tire option” was a mini – not full sized tire) for longer trips…probably design a case and strap it to my roof rack. My AAA has a 250 mile single tow allowance, so I’m not going to worry about a jack or tire iron. I’ve had 3 punctures in driving a zillion miles, and two of those never lost air until I attended to them so I’ve decided to risk it.


Driving Observations

• While the cabin was quiet before, it’s a tomb now with the new tires (even with the panorama shade open, glass closed).
• Just started 2nd tank of gas – indicated 24.3 mpg, but my calculations put it at 22.6
• Cell phone integration is excellent with my iPhone 3gs – The party I’m talking to didn’t even know I was using hands free. Note that instructions for pairing a phone aren’t as exact as I think they should be. Finding out the hard way…1) You can’t have the phone also plugged into the USB outlet when pairing (it confuses it), and 2) If , after putting in your pairing code into iDrive you don’t hit “OK” – it will never pair! (yes, that was embarrassing when the service agent did it in about 1 minute after I’d screwed around with it for…well, longer than I’m ready to admit!)
• “All Around View” is a wheel saver! You can actually see (even in the dark) exactly what is immediately next to you – no more guessing, “Am I going to scrape that curb…or am I a ridiculous distance from it?” You can see the parking lines and put your vehicle exactly where you want it! Note that using the rear view camera gives you more rear visual distance…but for those last 24” (along with parktronic, which is also really excellent) it’s a life saver! I have very high hopes for my rims!
• Sound System is still awesome (didn’t get premium sound). Just added satellite radio through dealer and it’s even better sounding than our old MDX (or my home unit, to be trueful!). Love the iPhone/iPod integration but was frustrated in not being able to “shuffle” - but on another thread was told it was under “options” which I’ll check out (fingers, crossed!)
• While the dealer installed Sirius – they didn’t provide a lick of instructions on next steps, but the display said “call Sirius” and provided a number. The big question was, what was my 12 digit ESN number? Calling back the dealership, the SA said push “Radio” then choose “Satellite” and it will be right there. But I couldn’t find it…nor, after 40 minutes of consulting, could Sirius find it. On this long drive to the desert I wanted to set up my BMW assist, so I hit the “SOS” (which was unnerving as I felt like I was dialing “911” – especially when the screen was tracking exactly where I was” Set up my account (though the audio was HORRIBLE), and he said call BMW Customer Car. You guessed it…they didn’t know either (though very nice). Finally found it on my own under “unsubscribed stations” – yeah, that makes logical sense, right?
• Finding Diesel is really easy ~ finding cheap diesel, not so much. Stumbled onto an iPhone application “Gas Buddy” that works spectacularly! Steered me from $3.67/gal to 2 blocks away for $3.27 – more than paid the $2.99 cost and then some! Lots of nice features, including “on fumes,” listing by proximity or by cheapest price (and notes in hours how recently the pricing was reported) Big thumbs up ~ especially when your not in your home turf!
• Multi-Contour Seats continue to surprise and delight. Discovered the inflatable, adjustable inner bladders…ahhh! Like the best fitted sport seats ever. Drove for 6 hours and felt perfectly comfortable. Biggest challenge: Deciding exactly which configuration to save into memory…maybe I’ll take over wife’s memory button too?!?!
• “De-Particulation” – With over 1,000 miles, it must have occurred at least once if not multiple times…but I have yet to notice the “burning cardboard” smell when parked or lack of power while driving. But surprised the dealer never mentioned it after reading the concern it causes if you don’t expect it. My tailpipe is clean enough to eat off of (inside an out)…just amazing in a Diesel powered car.

Cleaning/Detailing - The Nitty Gritty

Having detailed cars all through high school, college and beyond (as a high end amateur at best), I learn a lot about any vehicle when washing it, and even more when detailing it. Not only do you get insight into the designer’s mindset, but you also see production issues. Observations:

• Paint Quality was surprisingly poor. Allow me to qualify this – it was well applied and seemed evenly spread, but I was shocked at the amount of orange peel over the entire surface of the car. All reflections took on a “pebbled” look that’s much worse than either of my Mercedes and frankly horrid when compared to my Mini. Is this really common? (Space Grey Metallic here). My other cars look like “glass” when reflecting an overhead light – now where close on this one! Looks like it all needs a good wet sanding – I’m going to see what other BMW’s on the dealer lot look like before bringing this up with the dealer.
• Brake Dust is almost as bad as the original pads on the ’87 300TD – one stop and they were dirty…this one you get 5 or 6! Stopping power is very strong (especially at 6,000+ lbs!)
• 20” staggered wheels – While I love the looks, after cleaning them I love them even more. Unlike the old MB with 32 little finger destroying holes to get clean, these clean quickly and easily. Plus, the wheels are so big relative to the disks that I can easily clean the entire inside of each wheel (the fronts are just a hair tight for my hands, but the sponge fits through easily). <Yes, I’m that demented – but I no longer require everyone to remove shoes when getting in – the first child cured me of that, the second stamped it out forever> So it was a great chance to apply Rim Wax to make future cleaning a breeze, as nothing sticks to that stuff and a hose down removes everything. With that in mind, I may end up getting everything polished (inside and out) when/if I chrome the wheels (hmmm…black chrome could be stunning). <Waiting for printing press in basement I don’t have to finish printing another wad of $100 bills!>
• The lines are beautiful – very highly sculpted, hardly a flat surface anywhere. I’m a little concerned on how good the paint will look on those knife edge creases in a decade, but overall a great job. While those running boards are useless for entry/exit, they do act as one giant “mud guard” to keep water, rocks & mud away from side of vehicle!
• Fit on the seams is great, with one weird exception – the hood. It’s really strange how the seam starts out really tight at the nose…then gets wider and wider near the wheel arch…and then goes back to being tight as it finishes near the windshield. Very strange indeed.
• None the less...sure looks "purdy"

Again, there is no such thing as perfect ~ but it is something to strive for! Here are some new issues observed that I found questionable.

• Diesel filler neck – no containment or drain. It’s inevitable (and using Diesel, something you really want to avoid) that a tank gets overfilled…and every single other vehicle I one allows overflow to puddle just outside the filler neck and then be directed by drain to behind the wheel. With the heavy smell and stickiness of Diesel, I was surprised not to see any sort of drain – it looks like it’s just going to spill over the lip down the painted surface and onto the black plastic wheel arch – won’t that be fun to undo!
• Trip Computer – Loved them since first experienced it in a first generation Jetta…but this one seems to underperform. It’s further off mathematically than any other I’ve used. On our MBs, we can get information from two levels – since start up and since reset. The MDX showed history (first models would show up to 6 fill ups, those last one only the previous fill up). This one seems much less informational (though I need to go back and re-read the section – maybe I’m missing something).
• Instruments – Needs LARGER digital speed read-out option in center orange square! This speedo is even smaller than the MINI’s (Okay, that wasn’t fair – as the MINI’s is the size of a dinner plate), but without a Head’s Up display the speedo markings are surprisingly small. I thought I had it when I briefly saw the speed set of the cruise control…but that was just the set speed – bummer! Also, needs engine temp read out – take half the space away from the H U G E amount of space devoted to the ever-floating “miles per gallon” gauge and build one in, please!
• Close the “Grand Canyons” that live between the front seats and the consul! Things that have been lost down there to date: keys to car (3x), iPhone (swallowed it whole in the dark – had to call it to figure out where it had gone!), Pens & Pencils (2). Just wait until my wife starts driving it regularly… between coupons, slips of papers, I don’t want to even think about what else, the seat will probably stop moving back and forth! Our MBs both had a simple “shelf” just below the seat height that keeps all this stuff from falling down – perfect for tucking certain things just out of site but still very accessible (i.e.garage door opener fob)
• Glove Box & Opener – Want to amuse yourself with a new passenger? Ask them to get something out of your glove box. If you want to add to the hilarity, try it at night! “What are you doing? Are you fondling my car or what? Just open the glove box, please!” I makes me think of of the adult version of "pin the tail on the donkey." With all the additional lighting all over the vehicle, would it really be asking a lot to illuminate that tiny black tab that’s not in any logical location to the box??? And then the box itself….weird shape. Kudo’s for being able to fit the owner’s manual into it (but only if it’s positioned “just so”) – but where is my wife going to put; 2 hard sunglass cases, a fist full of paper towels, two soft packets of Kleenex and more?!?!

That’s all for now – I’ll post more after additional miles & experiences are under our belt!