X5 to the arctic circle
 

Hi to all,

I'm looking for input from people that drive or have driven around the arctic circle in the winter as my family is planning a roadtrip from geneva, switzerland to finland, sweden, norway (the route is not completely defined) but the goal is the arctic circle.

As of now we're going with 2 classic range rovers LWB, maybe a 322 Range rover and my x5 4.6is. (no diesels, all V8s)

What should I add to the car (beyond supplies)? I have the OEM webasto heater fitted (nice surprise when I bought it) but I'm wondering about a second battery (optima maybe), oil heater pads, ...

What would you recommend?

Thanks for the help

Most importantly: proper cold weather survival kit: food water blankets, heat source, ideally Emergency beacon. I go nowhere without my battery powered impact wrench for tire changes.

For the car, if I would be driving in temps below about -15° C I would add a proper block heater so the oil doesn't have to start at -15° each day.

When temps get to -30 in Wisconsin, I will go out and run my car a couple times a day to keep the parts working.

Make sure your mirror heaters are working your wipers are all in great shape and get your window spray up to snuff. I use -35 spray.

For overnight parking outside I use a window tarp and some ice melt spray: one spray over the window before installing the tarp and window is Frost free in the am. Brass window scraper is a must for frost.


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Thanks for the reply, tools and survival kit will of course be taken care of but my main worry was the car ad its less easy to find practical information.

I looked into the block heater which seems like a nice addition even though there seems to be no internal spot for it on the v8 so it'd be a pas stuck on the oil pan. They also all seem to be made for plugging into a wall outlet and I'm not sure we'll find them in hotels.

I would have loved to have a programmable remote start to run the car at set intervalls during the night but that seems to be a nightmare on BMWs so probably not happening.

I don't know if my webasto has the remote module so I'll have to check and maybe add it so I can start it early and give it time to heat the engine coolant and see if I can get it to also turn on ventilation so it slightly defrosts the car.

What do you mean by window tarp? juste a tarp put on the window? how do you hold it?

Looking and yearly weather in the region we're planning on visiting, the lowest temps seem to be around -24°C (don't know if it includes wind chill) so maybe not as bad a I thought.

Normally oil pan heater is not very effective but the x5 has the entire bottom of the engine covered it would keep it much warmer. You could use one of the battery based 120v inverter to apply power to a heater with no mains power. I wonder if there is a DC oil pan heater.

The tarp is meant to keep the snow off. It uses magnets to keep in position and flaps go inside the door seal when shut to keep wind from blowing it away. Works great to keep frost off with just a little anti frost spray.

Remote start is difficult when you have an immobilizing circuit. They have to take apart a working key to integrate into the starter. (which could be taken advantage of by a thief).

-24 is plenty cold to piss off a car. My wife's car does not like that temp much.

You should have the likes of a power boost start battery. Mine can supply 900A. And was $90 the 500A model is $60.


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Electric heaters and dc are not a good combo. With an alternator charging they work ok but off a battery it wont run long before killing the battery.

I don't think the pads would be worth it on a battery.

I'll look into the tarp, it seems like a great idea.

We'll be taking a battery booster and sleeping with it in the hotels so it can be charged and warm in the morning if needed.

I'm thinking I need a second battery and remote start the webasto so it gets time to heat the bloc via the coolant and help with the oil. There must be some sort of load balancer to insure the battery power stays sufficient to start the car. I haven't been able to find the fuel consumption of the petrol webasto or its power needs but the diesel one seems to be 100ml per hour average which is quite ridiculous and require between 35 and 50W. A good optima battery or similar should be able to let it run an hour or two without hurting normal starting power on the main battery.

The diesel Webasto will only run 30 minutes - programmed that way - and won't run again until the engine has been started at least once.... Not sure about the petrol version but it's likely to be the same.

There is the same limitation on the timer Vent function - it is to limit the drain on the battery to allow the car to still start.

I have fitted a remote to my Webasto - a $10 eBay remote tx and rx with a built-in timer is all you need. I did a writeup about it here somewhere - useless since Photobucket went mad...

thanks for this info, 30 minutes might be enough if it works like the eberspaecher in my 73 beetle...

Are you takling about a bmw remote or generic remote? is there any incentive to using a generic remote if I find out I have the remote reciever next to the battery? (haven't checked yet)

The OEM kit, called a Telestart T91, consists of the receiver module that is fitted in the trunk and a remote fob. Unless you car has had the option fitted and a PO has lost the remote fob, you are going to need both parts.

I went with a generic remote set and wired it up myself. Very easy to do - only three wires needed, all off one connector. Works very well.

If you do in fact already have the OEM receiver fitted, you'll need to track down the Webasto T91 remote fob (tramsmitter).

With always on power outlets in back can you add a parallel battery by simply plugging in so it charges when car is on and supplies current to the system when car is off. They make them with current limiting cords so won't blow the fuse when you start the car.


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Buy and carry an extra door handle carrier. Those temps will almost guarantee a failure. Oh, I need to bump that posting again as it is getting to winter in the US.

Just be careful with the door handle and you won't break it. It's a design defect that causes the operator to inadvertently self destruct the carrier. If you learn not to yank on the handle when it doesn't properly unlock you'll never break it again.

Lock the door and lightly tug to attempt to open, notice it binds and you can feel things bending and stretching, because the lock is stupidly designed. The lock mechanism rather than disengage the handle that even the new x5s do, instead blocks the handle from lifting.

What happens is the lock lever gets stuck in gummy lubricant when cold and the door handle doesn't actually unlock even when the door lock button is clearly up.

Pay close attention of the handle doesn't move freely! If it doesn't lift it means the carrier is still locked and a strong pull will self destruct. If the handle doesn't lift, open the back door and reach in (or have passenger get in and pull the inside door handle).

If you do break the carrier it can be repaired fairly easy. A couple wraps of 16ga steel wire is all it takes to repair for free if the hinge snapped due to operator error. Very good to bring up this point though as most x5 E63 will have a broken carrier if operated at below freezing temps after a rain where the operator assumes the water froze the door seal.


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Good point on the door carrier. I will be doing a makover of my driver door mechanisme as there is a delay between this one and the others when I lock or unlock. It works fine but slower by a second or two.

Second battery seems to be the way to go to limit risks and run the webasto without worrying. This and the battery booster we'll be carrying and the fact we have multiple cars and battery cable should allow us to not get stranded by electricity.

Go to Syberia...where is -50c' even -70'c and you can not turn off the engine...where closest town is 1000km far away :D if something would happen you would have to start burn tyres....then seats from your car....and then....nothing left...
For syberia in Russia they have made special cars with winter package in doors double windows! Fueltank packed and so on...

you have chosen comfortable trip :D get chains or some special kits for tyres from China if you are going far away to North! Very very warm clothes... get satsleeve for your phone with prepaid card from Thuraya in case you will lost or there will be snow storms and mobile phone coverage will not be working! Take portable car jump startet which is for phone charging as well cigarette lightning...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...52917cfad9.jpg

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If I were going to siberia, I would not plan on going with the X5, the relative easiness of this version of the trip allows us to do it as family.

Good idea with the satsleeve, I'll look into this.

We are going with snow tires on all cars and chains in case it gets bad. Studded tires are a pain and would require that we each take 2 sets of wheels.

This is good advice, unfortunately when you have a friend or family getting in the car it's not uncommon to see them heave their body weight out and up on the passenger door handles lol. My wife's 3.0i passenger side handle just failed last week because of it. I replaced the driver side two years ago, still holding up strong thankfully.

OP can review my door handle DIY, definitely possible failure point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge7-HJ0DUz0

I'd also suggest having a spare battery if possible with those temps.

Thank for your input and thanks for your video, I had already watched it when I first wanted to look into my slow driver side door lock. Very well made.

I'm thinking to be safe I might buy a pair of door carriers and take them with me and have a stern talk with passengers.

I'll be adding a backup battery and some kind of load balancer.

X5 to the arctic circle
 

You can repair a broken carrier with a wrap of steel wire. Literally better than new since it's no longer brittle.

You could premeptive strike and reinforce before it breaks. I'm going to be replacing one in a day or two I will show how to fix but also I'm hoping to determine a clean and lube method that can be done without opening the door.


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I am (as you might have guessed), very very interested in this reinforcement as well as the clean and lube. If I can reinforce them before leaving (and possibly ASAP so I avoid any issue ever), it would be a great progress compared to wondering when it will happen.


On a side note, I've been looking at the weather daily in various cities we may go to or pass and some of them got to -20 last night but temps seem to be around -7 a night for most of the time and I'll get this here in geneva so not as cold as I thought

X5 to the arctic circle
 

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Winding some 16ga wire around the broken hinge.

Blue arrow: broken hinge
Red arrow: the cause of the grief. I'm planning on swapping a handle carrier soon and develop an in-place clean and lube fix to avoid the problem.




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After repair: it's probably 10-20x as strong as factory, something else will break before this repair will break.

I'm curious: is the lock bar even needed? If the door is double locked even the inside door handle does nothing. If the same defeat is used on the outside handle then you can remove that stupid lock bar and the handle will simply "dry fire" as it should.

When my carrier was broken I accidentally locked my key in the car. Driver door was unlocked but that didn't help much.

I happened to have the replacement carrier so I inspected it and determined where I could use a screw driver to push on the cable inside to open the door.


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Nice tip, Thanks for the advice and the pictures. I'll get the wire and do that soon so I never have this issue that seems quite common.

I don't quite get why the red arrow piece is the cause of the grief (but I've never seen one live).

I'm not quite sure about your question. Sorry

X5 to the arctic circle
 

The piece marked by the red arrow is the item that is the cause of the part failing.

It moves into a position to block the handle from lifting when the door is locked.

The lubricant gets gummy when cold and the lever stays in the locked position when the door is unlocked.

The door is unlocked but the door HANDLE is locked. The user tugs on the handle and with the leverage in the handle carrier they will snap the weak link in the hinge.

I have some stainless steel "cable ties" that would probably work perfectly for reenforcing the part before it breaks.

(Because they are very thin and will fit through the gap). I'll try to test the theory out on the new one I'm planning to install. It will be a moot point if we can simply remove the part causing the problem

If I get a chance I will test my theory of removing the blocking mechanism and making it behave how it should have in the first place (dry fire disconnect).

That would be the greatest discovery for e53 door handles ever.

This would be very interesting if it could be disabled but I'm wondering if the locking block is the only thing preventing the handle from dry firing or if the locking block is simply there so you don't pull on the link with the latch

Again I'm just thinking, I haven't looked into the system. I will look into what I can find as cable ties to replace the 16ga wire

Shovel
Tow rope
Battery starter
LOTS of washer fluid.

The roads are salted in Skandinavia and that creates a nasty, sticky gunk on the windshield that needs constant washing. I have finished a washer tank in 1 hours driving (cars constantly in front on me).

Other than that, just make sure your tires are good and all fluids are able to handle freezing conditions. I wouldn't worry too much about webasto heating, oil pan heat etc...unless you're leaving the cars parked for more than 48 hours. My 4.8is handled -30 for 4 days (parked outdoor) without issues.

The people up north are very helpful also should you need assistance.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

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I should know the answer within a couple days. I'm betting that the internals disconnect just like the inside door handle and the outer handle lock was just meant to be a "reminder" that the door is locked.

It will be a grand slam fix if I'm correct.

SODIAL(R) 10 pcs 0.39" x 15.75" Stainless Steel Metal Cable Zip Tie Wrap Exhaust Straps https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZHD5CQ..._gAalAb53X2Z4N

Example of the stainless zip tie. The advantage is it will fit through without any modifications to the carrier. I may have had to make a small groove with a file or drill bit for the 16ga wire. The disadvantage of the zip tie is I'm not sure you can get two wraps through so the full force isn't on the retaining clip. If I can locate my stainless straps I can maybe also test this as I will be removing a broken carrier to experiment on.

It's interesting that the spring looks like coincidentally 16ga wire. My repair looks just like the spring.

Oh: the wire I used was from one of those tiny little marking flags like would be used to show where gas or electric comes to a house underground.

:iagree: BMW does cold weather testing so there is at least some consideration in the design. I would want my battery to be fairly new and at least have the ratings of the BMW specs. I would make sure the CCV system is in good working order. I would have a great set of jumper cables. I would carry two tow straps. I would have warning lights to put out to move over traffic if there is a problem on the road. I would be sure ABS and traction control is working. My primary focus would on proper tires and options to further improve traction, especially with the 4.6, you have that covered.

Thanks to all for this amazing information, I feel much more relaxed about the car part of the trip.

As for the door carrier, looking at the way the wire seats, I'm thinking the stainless straps might not be seated flat and might not be as effective. I'm going to play chicken since I've got time and wait for you to have finished your testing so I can only take them out once and do all that is needed. Thanks for your efforts trying to understand and solve issues with these car.

As for my 4.6is, its already running snow tires on 18s (the original 20s (or 21, I'm not even sure) were not with the car and don't fit my needs (comfort and ability to go off road). I will change the tires at some point before leaving, probably for nokians, I've ran them on every car from a smart ForTow to a Range Rover and they've always been great.

As for equipment, I'll be adding spotlights to the front and back of the X5, I'm looking into how to mount them without making definitive holes in the bumper. This will be my spring project with my welder to build the mounts.

Standard equipment for the cars as of today :
- Washer fluid
- Jericans of fuel
- Tow rope (elastic)
- Extra lights front and/or Back
- Safety/survival kit
- Extra batteries
- Snow chains
- shovel
- Hand warmers
- Radiator tarp
- Ice scrapers (x2 (shit happens))

Shared equipment :
- battery booster
- battery cables
- land anchor (you never know)
- Non Elastic strap

The list is not final but as worried midland europeans, we're going to go as prepared as possible even though some locals might be happy with a miata all year.

I was wondering, what oil would be recommended in the engine (currently running 5W40)?
I'm guessing gearbox and diff won't allow for lighter oil.

there is no substitute for good planning, if you are driving in the north (on any continent!) make sure you have supplies to either walk comfortably for a few hours (warm boots /socks / jackets etc) or enough supplies to camp out in your truck for a couple days. food/water etc. Have twice the supplies you think you might need.!! a small lithium battery booster pack is very useful to have as well. as for oil, 5W040 is sufficient, if you really are concerned about viscosity, you can go to 0W-40 but its not that critical, your engine warms up fairly quickly. when you get underway first thing in the morning, start off slowly, the tires may be frozen square! and the rest of the bushings and suspension will be cold and hard. if you have the air levelling suspension, be cautious in using it, as the rubber in the bags is prone to blow out in the cold! use your parking brake cautiously too, as it is prone to freezing up and staying locked on! (don't ask how I know!) If its at all possible, park in an underground parking lot or covered stall!
make certain that the CCV system is in good repair (as stated earlier) it tends to fail catastrophically in winter!! (the mayo freezes solid) other than that take time to enjoy the northern lights they can be spectacular !!!
best of luck with your trek!

there is no substitute for good planning, if you are driving in the north (on any continent!) make sure you have supplies to either walk comfortably for a few hours (warm boots /socks / jackets etc) or enough supplies to camp out in your truck for a couple days. food/water etc. Have twice the supplies you think you might need.!! a small lithium battery booster pack is very useful to have as well. as for oil, 5W040 is sufficient, if you really are concerned about viscosity, you can go to 0W-40 but its not that critical, your engine warms up fairly quickly. when you get underway first thing in the morning, start off slowly, the tires may be frozen square! and the rest of the bushings and suspension will be cold and hard. if you have the air levelling suspension, be cautious in using it, as the rubber in the bags is prone to blow out in the cold! use your parking brake cautiously too, as it is prone to freezing up and staying locked on! (don't ask how I know!) If its at all possible, park in an underground parking lot or covered stall!
make certain that the CCV system is in good repair (as stated earlier) it tends to fail catastrophically in winter!! (the mayo freezes solid) other than that take time to enjoy the northern lights they can be spectacular !!!
best of luck with your trek!

X5 to the arctic circle
 

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Here is the weakest link on the door handle carrier. Most will break right here


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So here is the carrier I'm about to install. I've reenforced the weakest link with a nylon zip tie (don't have my stainless ones with me).

By placing the lock where I did it multiplies the strength it should hold if the pot metal breaks. I will try to do a test with the one I'm about to remove.

X5 to the arctic circle
 

"I haz success"!

I was able to confirm that the double lock disconnects the lock mechanism so there is no need for the blocking bar that prevents lifting the handle when the door is locked.

I cut the little tab off that has been causing so much grief.

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Red is the lock bar, blue is the tiny tab that actually blocks the handle when locked.

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Blue is the tab and yellow is the part of the handle that is blocked

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Blue arrow pointing to the empty space where the tab used to be.

So now it's as it should have been from the beginning and how BMW decided to change them to on the current cars.

The handle pulls up but the cable pulls on a deactivated lock. It "dry fires" and does nothing.

I'm sure you could still break something but the odds of breaking a handle carrier with my modifications will be reduced 90-95%.

I left the zip tie on figuring no reason to remove.

I was going to just remove the entire lock bar but I'm not sure if it has other functions (lock the key cylinder in) so I just cut off the offending part.

As for the CCV/PCV, As I don't know if and when it was replaced, I've got an OEM one to fit, It'll be less than a year old.

I do have the rear self leveling suspension but it doesn't leak and the bags seem in good condition.

Ideally I'd love to park in underground garages or something covered but I'm not sure its an option when runing around the country and sleeping in hotels. We'll have to see what we find.

You do bring up a good point, engine warm up time. My car as of today wil take about 10 minutes to get the water to the middle mark and the oil will usually take over 20 minutes from startup to get at its running temp (a bit below the middle mark 100°C). Is that normal or do I have an unknown issue?

I've tested the webasto heater with the timer. It ran for 30 minutes then stopped, when I got in the car as soon as it stopped, the coolant showed at about 1/3 of the temp gauge and got down to a quarter as soon as I turned the engine on. The outside temp was about 2°C+wind. So it works and will be quite nice during the trip. I just need to check on the remote module and either get a complete kit or just the remote.

This is great news for the door carriers, you've probably just created the greatest mod of all for X5s. I will be following in your footsteps shortly, I like the idea of not having to change the door carriers regularly. Thank you soo much for your efforts.

You should probably create a topic just for this mod as I'm sure other will enjoy it and maybe even erect a few statues in your name.

I plan on making a thread just for the carrier fix. I will be doing the retrofit on any door I need to open up


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I am from Scotland. Mum always said when "Southerners" start to grit the roads and buy up all the bread in Supermarkets, before fitting Snow Chains. "Put a bigger coat on Son"

Sound advice that has served me well over many winters. I can add no further practical help - sorry, other than to wish you and your family a great road trip and request that you maybe put up a blog with some pics somewhere that we can view and follow your antics.

Good luck.

I like your saying. We're not overly panicked but since we're taking a 12 year old and a 68 year old, my brother and I would rather be prepared.

Thanks for the wished, I will post the pictures someway but since its only a 10 day trip, I'm not sure I'll bother with "realtime" or simply post them all once I'm back in a gallery.

X5 to the arctic circle
 

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-8 today dropping to maybe -12 C add and inch or two total snowfall, I put the tarp on with a spray of ice melt under. In the morning I'll start the car. If the window has frost I'll leave the tarp on while I preheat then peel off the tarp and a spray or two with the wiper spray should take care of it.

The close up shows the magnet in the corner

Oh: one other nice thing for the trip I always have my trailer hitch rack for carrying inside unfriendly items (sloppy wet flat tire after a change). Awesome for overflow.

I use this, without spraying any window wash and it works great. So far it's prevented frosty windshield in -20°C. Costs about $5 in Norway which means it will cost max $2.5 anywhere else in the world :)

(Pic for illustration)

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The spray is for when the window is wet from driving in snow web I put it on.


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I'm completely going to buy this, it makes sense.

I was hoping to find out how the car started by -10°C this winter but right now its closer to +10°C so it'll have to wait for a ski trip (if it snows some more). Our winters suck these past few years.