X5 35d: Fixed wind noise and camera malfunction

[WWONG]

I had an '11 LCI X5 xDrive35d (which I bought new) with this terrible wind noise coming from the passenger side when going >50 mph. It was the most annoying thing ever and after an array of problems (mostly mechanical), I traded it in for a '12 X5 xDrive35d. This one has less problems but the wind noise remained. I custom ordered it and knew right away from the drive home from the dealership that this was a factory problem.

Over the course of the year, I've gotten with the dealer to try to resolve the problem and they just simply can't find it, but the techs and SAs all confirm they hear the wind noise. If you put the front passenger window down, you can hear the noise getting immediately louder, so it confirms it's from the exterior. At first, I thought it was the wing mirror.... but after having covered that with a trash bag and driving on the highway, I figured that wasn't the source.

I test drove 3 new different X5 diesels and they all had the same problem. I test drove the 50i and it did NOT have the wind noise.

One other problem I'm having is a Camera Malfunction error when driving in heavy rain. It never fails to happen. My vehicle is equipped with the rear view, top view, and side view cameras... and they work even with the error. There was a thread somewhere about water getting into the Front Electronics Module (FEM) causing the camera errors... and I think that may be the case here due to it only happening when it's raining.









About a month ago, I decided to replace my fog lights with brighter Philips H11 bulbs. After installing them, I realized there was a hole on the passenger-side bumper vent. The hole was left by the factory and is for an easy way to pull off the trim piece to change the fog bulb. Right behind it sits the DEF tank. Working on a hunch, I decided to patch the hole up and see if it would change the wind noise.



Yes, it looks ghetto. I used what I had to see if it was the problem. It's a mixture of electrical tape and carbon fiber vinyl.

Let's just say this. THIS FIXES THE WIND NOISE AND THE CAMERA PROBLEM. I've tested this for 3 weeks now and no wind noise and it was raining pretty hard today... no camera errors.

I'm not sure about the camera but as for the wind noise, EVERY SINGLE XDRIVE35D HAS THIS PROBLEM, I guarantee it. The X5 50i does not have this problem since it looks like both vents are actually real. I'm not very good with taking apart the car so I'm not sure where water would flow if it went in behind the bumper cover.

What should we do to demand BMW make a recall for this half-assed lazy part?




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[ard]

"recall"?

Look, I commend you on your obsession with chasing down a wind noise and figuring it out... but have you read posts here of people complaining about this?????? It isnt a 'problem' when (1) all cars do it; (2) virtually nobody complains about it, and (3) has no impact on the safety, operation or enjoyment of the car...


Great that you fixed something that annoys you, and maybe others will now notice this...

But to think/demand that BMW needs to 'recall' a minor issue that has NO SAFETY IMPACT, and really has no support in terms of broad customer impact, seems a bit misplaced.