On the UK Bmw Car Configurator, this option is called "Car parked Heating System 536".

Thsi heating system is availble on BMW 's and Audi's . I don't understand why you don't have it in the US.

www.bmw.co.uk

PS : I live in France

On the UK Bmw Car Configurator, this option is called "Car parked Heating System 536".

This heating system is availble on BMW 's and Audi's . I don't understand why you don't have it in the US.

www.bmw.co.uk

PS : I live in France

You must have gone to school with my father - he had the exact same "commute"! :rofl: :thumbup:

Unfortunately it's not available here, dealer didn't know anything about it.

This is the heater that I referenced in post 7.

BMW NA won't sell the product. It may have something to do with their perception of the consumer risk. Having said that, the original manufacturer of the system that BMW sells in Europe is Webasto, and they make some good products. I have used them on commerical heavy duty engines, and seen them on Class 8 highway trucks, but have never installed one on a car.

Webasto has a US subsidiary, and a US dealer network. The heater is available in diesel or gasoline versions. They call it BlueHeat. You can retro fit it, although I haven't checked whether they have a kit for your specific model. It may also be tough to find the gasoline model, as the diesel model is most popular. You can also get the timer and the remote control that BMW supplies with it in Europe, directly from Webasto. Have a look at it here.

http://www.webasto.us/am/en/am_auto_heaters.html

Good luck.

Thanks, I'll check it out but I would guess it would void the warranty.

It can't void your warranty. What won't be warranted by BMW are any consequential damages as a result of malfunction of the heater, or problems caused by the installation, but it doesn't affect the warranty on the vehicle parts that came from BMW. If you use a reputable shop to have it installed, and go with a quality product like the Webasto, you are fine. Given that BMW use it themselves, you shouldn't worry about the design and build quality of the heater itself (just the price) ;)

We can now do remote start in the E70's as well as new 3's and 5's
It is going to cost about 700.00-750.00 and you will need to give up your valet key. It will also work in the push to start vehicles as well.

BG624,
I live in Minnesota, its December and Zero degrees is pretty common. Also, I'm told that "this is just the beginning" and that it "only going to get colder." So, I too am looking at a remote start option for my 2001 X5 4.4. In the morning, its not such a big deal because it's in the garage, but after work, I'd like to get it warmed up.

Anyway, I'd also like to know if anyone has successfully put a remote start on the car. I saw one at Target yesterday for $60 bucks and I'm very tempted to give it a try. Let me know if you find anything and I'll do the same.

BTW, I also looked into the system that heats up the car without turning on the car and it was going to $1500 installed. It's called Blue Ice or Blue Rhino or something like that. I can waste a lot of gas before I hit the $1500.

Scot

Looked into the Webasto awhile back. After looking over price + mod factor, fuel pump, etc ---- decided against it.

For you Diesel owners, do you guys have a second battery or what is your battery size ?

I suppose the juice needed to use the aux heat function , seemingly popular out there in the East - I wonder how it affects batteries and cold starts.

If I recall, VW owners in the states have the pump built on their car already. They just ended up buying the *European* part for the remote and control panel and they were good to go !