e70 heated steering wheel not very hot
 

iv,e just had a x6 genuine heated steering wheel fitted to my x5 35d 2009 and it dosent heat up very well only gets warm is this normal? im wondering if the guy that fitted it maybe connected it to the wrong wires in the car and the voltage is not high enough can this be possible??
please help because if its a voltage thing i will get him to re-check it and re=wire it.(p.s i used to have the heated steering wheel in my e53 exclusive model 2006 and that used to get hot)

I've driven several X5's through the years. In my previous LCI and current Pre-LCI, I noticed that the E70 Steering wheel gets WARM at best in the E70's. I have no complaints but it just gets warm and not piping hot.

heated steering wheel
 

thanks for the reply,so ive just spent £500 to have warm hands ai could have
bought a pair of gloves if i knew

Do you have any idea what he did to 'wire' it? Hack wires and find voltages until it worked? Or use the BMW wires and harnesses, and do a OE retrofit?

i think he just taped into some wires because sometimes when i return to my car after it being parked for an hour and locked i noticed the heating never turned off and is very very warm (nearly hot)just how id like it but when i start the car and drive it barely gets warm?

Sad.

We cant help you. And it sounds like you know so little about it that you cannot even determine if the shop is qualified to work on it.

Very very few 'auto electric' or 'car repair shops' will have the skill to re-configure a BMW to activate a feature that was available as a facotry option. You need to determine if the base wiring harness is there; add what is missing; then code the electronics to activate the feature. 500GBP is reasonable for that effort. (on top of the wheel cost)

i bought the steering wheel and clockspring myself and fitted them,he only did the wiring for the heated side of it!:confused:
does anyone know where i could go to have this checked?
also i have paddleshifts on the steering which i would like connected if anyone knows where i could get these done please send details,anywhere in or around london would be fine.

the steering wheel generally doesn't get *very* hot, it wouldn't be much use if it becomes uncomfortably warm, seeing how you're meant to keep your hands at the wheel ideally at all times. mine is factory fitted and it gets up to about body temperature. i always have cold hands and the function serves me very well as it is.

any bmw dealership or places like the german car centre. personally i can recommend bmw auto services in camley street, near kings x.

using the correct wiring harness there shouldn't be any slicing and splicing involved. any car with wholly computer controlled electrics/electronics (as opposed to good old fashioned relays and switches) is a can of worms waiting to be opened as soon as you cut around on the wires.

there is also a fairly helpful DIY here
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...rofit-diy.html
bit late for you now, i guess. but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

thanks thats not too far from me im going to call them tomorow and hopefully they can wire the paddles for me.:thumbup: