Dead Battery + Other Fun Annoyances
 

Yippie! There's nothing like coming out to your 3-week old 2007 X5 after a long day's work to find it's battery is dead! When I exited the vehicle today for work, I pushed the annoying start/stop button for a minute to stop the car, then pushed it again to really "turn it off". Yes, I know you can push and hold the button and the car will turn OFF, but I forgot this time. Anyhoo, I exit the vehicle and use the key remote to lock it, I don't hear the satisfying "click!" so I push it again. Nothing. I open the car, the radio is still ON, I push the start/stop button AGAIN, it turns OFF. Close the door, click to lock the door...nothing. The door won't lock. After a few minutes of this, I get tired of it, the car appears to be OFF...I walk away, car unlocked. Fast-forward 6 hours, work is over and I walk out to the car. Doors are locked. What? OK....use actual physical key to open door, as there is no power to the vehicle. The car is dead. Super. Oh, hey...no problem, I'll just push the SOS button and get some help. Nope. SOS is dead...oh, yeah - that's right...no power in the battery...well, isn't that super duper! Call the dealer, get # for BMW NA Emergency Roadside Assistance. Cheerful operator assists in getting Mr. Tow Man out to my location. I suggest a jump first, car starts up and physically resets itself...it's malfunction city on the iDrive/Steering Console. Engine Malfunction! Limited Power! TCS Malfunction! 4x4 Disabled! Bite me! I limp the car to the dealer. They act like it's no big deal...see it before, etc etc... This is not good. I was planning on going on a long roadtrip this weekend, should I? Would you? Hrm. My faith in the reliability of the vehicle just went down the tubes. Stuck in the middle of the desert with something like this happening? No thanks. Let's recap:

Stupid.
* The car died due to the improper shutdown from earlier on in the day. Even though it appeared to be off, I had a bad feeling about it. In additionl, when the physical key was separated from the car, it should have turned itself off in X number of minutes. It did not. Yes folks, I killed my car even though it appeared off.

* Upon reset, the "malfunctions" are just sensors checking itself out, but they stayed on for several minutes. Does that scare me? Yes. Is their a malfunction or not? Make up your mind.

Aside from this issue and the fact that my dealer rented my a Ford EDGE to drive while they fixed it, here are the other issues I have had with my brand new wonderfuly reliable rock solid $73,000 car.

* Seat,mirrors and steering wheel memory does not work. They keep reverting back to different settings each time I start the car. Repeat: each time I start the car.
* iDrive is slow. It also sucks. Please, let me keep my opinion on it, no flames required. If you like it, great. I think it sucks.
* Navigation has made several mistakes in guidance that aren't just "map errors". I barely trust it. NAV is also really slow in calculating a route. Must be the fact that it has real-time traffic to content with... My 2004 NAV was instant.
* My seats were not finished from the dealer. The underbelly of the comfort access seats was not finished @ the factory, yet somehow passed inspection. If you saw them in person, you'd be appauled.
* When I start the car, the audio input changes to something else. Example: Playing a CD, stop car, get out, lock door, get back in, start car...FM Radio is now playing. Repeat sequence, then AM Radio.
* Option 6FL (iPod/USB kit) dealer claimed to be to be available even though I specified it while ordering. It was not put onto the vehicle, dealer says "no problem". Nope, you can't get it. After-market, here I come (again, reluctantly). BMW NA says "Sorry". I call BS.
* No tow hitch? Oh, right - this car is for GROCERIES, not BIKES or other stuff that might need towing. Right. OK. After-market, here we come... I'm pissed at myself for not better researching this.
* (Again) SOS button does not work if your car is dead. I just figured out what SOS stands for in all BMW's, SHIT OUT of luck SUCKER.
* The new key system sucks. Yes, I have comfort access...yes, it's sorta nice from time to time. But (again) ...door locks don't work right, passenger-side door locks to not always unlock (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't). My 2004 330 did this with the older key system, when will they get this right?
* My convenience buttons on the steering wheel keep resetting themselves to "nothing".
* The CD seek is slow (OK, this is just a bitch - it's not broken).


Dear lord, I could go on and on...but I think I'll stop. I expect to hear some comments back about how I am wrong about a few things, no worries...drive over to my house and I'll show you myself! You'll be amazed!

Frustrated X5 Owner,

Scott
Living the "OC" dream. Driving a rented Ford EDGE while my X5 gets fixed.

....oookay then.

:xoutpost: Nice to have you here.

When you get the car back let us know if things have improved.

hi sorry to hear that, but i have to say you posted the funniest rant i have heard in a long while.

btw is the Edge really faster than the X? well really doesnt matter because i think it sucks anyway, your dealer should have given you a bimmer loaner.

A rant? Maybe...but it's all true..
 

I suppose it could be viewed as a rant, but the sad fact is that it's all true! If they squeezed the 6FL USB/iPOD "Factory Only" option into the car, I would be willing to forgive them for all of this - even live with it. That's the one that really gets me... I ordered that option and they forgot it! I'm an idiot for taking delivery on it, but they assurred me it would be available as a dealer install. Those asshats.

btw what is the production date of your e70? hopefully your stealer will redeem itself by fixing all the issue promptly and properly.

Good Post Rant, KC...

Nothing that a few more trips to the stlr won't fix, sorta.
Many of those niggling nits have come up here on the Juke Box,
with the E70. Some are living with it, some have been luckier,
some are pizzed, like you. (As well you should be...)

Even many of us early MY E53 gang have had our share of
glitches. BMW may have been targeting the WalMartNation/
sSoccerMom gang with this model, and the driving enthusiasts
got lost in the mkting bs and gizmo race. Hope you get it all fixed.
GL,mD

Thanks...
 

Oh, it's at the dealer @ the moment....they will fix what they can, what else can I do? I can complain - and I sorta did, but I have learned if you bitch too much, sometimes people spit in your food.

First model year runs......

I agree on the spitting; I tried love and tenderness, then firmness, then
beefing, then carefully directed anger: all to little avail. I have simply had
very few "good" experiences at the 3 stlrs I've had to encounter...
you may be more fortunate.

On a poz note, some of the year to year snags tend to get sorted out in the longer run, if one is patient and persistent.

I would rec'd making lists and starting the documentation process. My guess is some of those glitches are not going to
"go away" or get fixed permanently, any time soon.
GL,mD

guys, this isnt first year bugs...this is a f*cked up car. I have to ask, did you try the car out before handing over a check?

...at least they put you in a faster car.

I don't see how trying out the car would have resolved the issues, as I indicated - they are things that only one would learn after having the vehicle for several weeks. No dealer is going to let a consumer who doesn't own the car to drive for more than 10 miles, let alone - play with the thing for more than an hour or two. The door locks work. Sometimes. The seat memory works. Sometimes. iDrive works. Somet...well, you get the idea. Again, it's at the dealer. It will get fixed, or not. We'll see.

sorry to hear about your issues. It seems hit or miss with the new X5s, but I can assure you that not all new X5s are like this, mine is virtually problem free.
Good luck, hope it gets fixed.
Ironic that you are now in a Ford Edge.

by the way kirk, what is your production date? just wish to verify because i read that earlier models have more problems. thanks.

You said in your first post"
"My seats were not finished from the dealer. The underbelly of the comfort access seats was not finished @ the factory, yet somehow passed inspection. If you saw them in person, you'd be appauled."

You didnt see this when you first took delivery?

* When I start the car, the audio input changes to something else. Example: Playing a CD, stop car, get out, lock door, get back in, start car...FM Radio is now playing. Repeat sequence, then AM Radio.

seems like you would notice this right away.


* Option 6FL (iPod/USB kit) dealer claimed to be to be available even though I specified it while ordering. It was not put onto the vehicle, dealer says "no problem". Nope, you can't get it. After-market, here I come (again, reluctantly). BMW NA says "Sorry". I call BS.

You obviously new this wasnt installed when you took delivery.


* No tow hitch? Oh, right - this car is for GROCERIES, not BIKES or other stuff that might need towing. Right. OK. After-market, here we come... I'm pissed at myself for not better researching this.

Again, you didnt know this wasnt included??

Seems like with a list this long of defects, you should be able to reason with your dealer and come to a resolution. What a bummer!

this is exactly why im waiting for 08 x5 or 535xi
 

im sorry to hear all your problems

Let us know if you have any problems with the Edge.

Why is it that a lot of the guys on here are happy to except problems saying '1st year bugs'? You are paying a premium car manufacture top $ for what should be a top car. The E70 was in pre production testing for how long? 18 months-2 years maybe.

I watched a program on the birth of the 6 series and one of the things that the program showed was a test bed designed to test all the electrical systems under the harshest environments and abuse expected by the public. Did they forget to do one for the E70?

You may or may not be aware but the last year production of the E53 also saw a large rise in reliability problems. Would you also excuse this as BMW was concentrating on the E70?

Don't get me wrong, I know that BMW make great drivers cars but it shouldn't be a lottery as to whether or not you get a decent car.

Don

I guess a little humor here won't hurt the forum!!!!!

On a serious note, I have an early production of E70 3.0 (Dec 1) and so far the only issue I noticed is the backup camera that works intermittently. I guess, I consider this more of an annoyance that a real problem because I can still use the camera most of the time.

I think we all agree on that. Build quality of BMW is not top notch, especially for the high costs for the vehicles. In everything there are pros/cons, it is simply a personal matter of whether the cons are out weighed by the pros.

Watch, that Edge isn't going to have a single issue.

I agree it's not first year issues it's bad car issues.
Fortunately I've had no problems with mine.
People are posting that they have to push the start/stop button twice to turn everything (radio etc.) off. On my April build X5 when I remove the key everything goes off, there is no need for me to push it twice.

Is that with comfort access (remove the key as in walking away from the car, or physically taking a regular key out of the ignition...)?

Physically removing the key from the ignition.

Too many problems with a brand new car.BMW should seriously take under consideration these problems and do something promptly since her fame is at stake.

I'd imagine the setup might be different with vs. w/out comfort access. As far as hitting the button twice, my salesman said something about there being a difference if the door is open or not, but I think he was just tripped up because he wasn't expecting the second time to be necessary. So, maybe it's only necessary with the comfort access.

I'll play with it later and see if there's ever a time where I don't need to hit it twice.

I agree. I pray I never have any of these issues. Never had a problem with the 3 series I had, but that was a while ago.

I didn't think about comfort access which I don't have so maybe thats it.
It doesn't make a difference if the door is open or not, one push of the button and everythings off either way.

just hold the stop button in a bit longer, I never have to push twice.

If you push quickly, it it a two push process...read the manual (its a feature).

IMO- several of the "defects"being reported are simply operator error...if everyone would read the manual and spend an afternoon getting familiar w/ the correct operations these "defects" would become features.

Good point, this is a complicated vehicle.

sometimes too complicated...I still havent mastered the A/C. At times the air flow is so low you cant feel it despite what I think are the correct settings. Does anyone understand the operation completly?

dont you just hit the "bigger" fan button to increase airflow plus the dial with the red and blue dots?

Not to nit pick, but a push to start, push to stop "ignition"
button, is the answer to a question that hasn't been asked
since the mid 1950s.

Monkey see, monkey do on this current crop of car gizmos, with
brand to brand competition pouring on the "stuff", imo.

"Comfort access"?! Rotflmao...what a chunk of marketing crap.

Hope ya'll get the glitches worked, however...
GL,mD

obviously that is a personal preference....I wouldnt do w/o Comfort Access, it is not a marketing gimmick, but a very useful feature. I put my key in my pocket in the morning and never touch it again until I go to bed. So nice not having to fumble for keys, simply walk up to the car and open the door.
Rotflmao...how is this a marketing gimmick??

Not to arm wrestle, or read like some dimwitted Geezer, but having
the "fob" in one's pocket for the low impact ease of opening the car
door, then pushing the "start button", etc., seems to me like a gizmo
that we didn't really need. I admit I haven't owned a car with this
"feature"; it may be great/ok. It may also glitch, esp. with BMW's high
strung and historically touchy software/electronics.

I wasn't beating on that "feature" per se...it was tossed in with my
comment on the "let's get in line for the push button starter" remark.

I can hardly wait for the lane violation beepers...
BR,mD

I understand where youre coming from David, but until you try it out you will never appreciate how nice it is to lose the key...its far more than a little impact...as I said I will not go back. As far as the failure rate of this tech goes...this forum seems to blow that way out of proportion. Mine works perfectly as well as everyone I know that owns an E70.

Not to sound like a broken record, but first year models suck. My new thing is to wait, two to three years. When i got my 330i, i waited until 2002. The car now has 70K miles on it, and zero problems. Again, I got my X5 in 2005 and to date, not one single problem. I have 40K miles on it. I would love to get a first year model, but its way to risky

I also plan on getting the new M3. I will have to wait at least three years for BMW to fix all the bugs. :thumbdown

:iagree: 100%. Everybody says they are going to wait a year or two "so the bugs get sorted out". This isn't the '02 7 Series, a lot of this tech is not brand new. People come to this forum because they are having problems....but there are thousands that aren't experiencing issues...

:rofl::rofl: lifes too short

i had a battery problem today too. when i started the car a warning light came on and a message came on saying" high battery drain". im not too sure what that meant but apparrently my car is draining more battery then it should or something??? but after restart it went away. i can only hope this isnt the beginning of something major

:iagree: I hate having anything in my pockets to start with. But I think you and I may be in the minority. I don't get the whole "push to start" deal. Not sure what was so complex about a key, seems just more electronics for BMW to break.