Heater Problem???HELP
 

Hi guys, I just got my 2002 X5 about 3 weeks ago and i noticed my heater takes forever to warm up in the cold. on hot days its quick, but on cold days it takes maybe a hour. I also noticed the engine temp is right above the blue during colder days. please help am moving to alaska soon and i need to get this fixed. Thanks

mine is messed up too.

No idea how to fix it but a temporary fix is to just put the heat full blast for the lower (foot) section. It heats up in about 3mins and eventually warms up the entire car

Obviously you have the center vent temp controls in the red dots, right?
No sign of coolant leak anywhere? Can consider stuck thermostat also.

Check the thermostat. Sometimes it might not be working properly, which can prevent the engine from warming up quickly enough on cold days.

While you are at the t'stat change the water pump if it is original and the hoses. They are all prone to sudden failure. My pump needed replacement at 37K along with t'stat and cover.

Hopefully you've already done this, but the first thing to check when it's taking a long time for heat to come out of the cabin environmental control systems is the coolant level. If it's low then it will have a big impact on how long it takes to send heat to the interior.

yes its on the red dots.

Ok how can i tell if the coolant is low? and can I just put in any kind of coolant?

The coolant can be checked by removing the cap to the reservoir housing and checking the float level.

Have you been getting your X5 serviced at a BMW dealer? If so, they are most likely using BMW coolant which is blue in color and you can safely top it off with BMW brand coolant.

If it's a different color, then it would be a good idea to find out from your mechanic what specific brand and product name of the coolant so you can top it off with the right product. Mixing coolant is not a good idea - mixing different types of coolants can create an emulsified solution which will have a reduced cooling capability. If your coolant is brown, you'll need a flush.

Using BMW coolant is always the safe bet and make sure you're mixing it 50/50 with distilled water.