Water between door seals
 

Here are photos of one of the problems with my X5 that the dealer says "it the nature of the beast" and it not getting in to the cabin so it is really not a problem. See my previous posting (Numerous problems, no fixes) for more photos of the water problem.

design flaw... dealers can't do anything about this, of course.

It happens to me too, only after a heavy rain and only the rear doors.

Is water getting inside the car? If not, why is this an issue?

No. Interior is dry. I thought it odd but never even mentioned it to the dealer. When I open a rear door after a hard rain some water runs off the sill and onto the pavement but that's it.

OP said his cabin is dry also.

Not an issue, or a design flaw IMO.

This happens to mine too. It isnt a problem until the water freezes in the winter and you cant get the doors open!! Dealer told me the drains were operating "fine" and "could not reproduce the problem".

yup, it does that on mine as well, My headlights fog up (or has condensation build up) on the inside as well sometimes. I just ignore it though..

Doors that hold water.
 

Doors that hold water should not be a design feature of a $56,000 vehicle. BMW has to develop a fix for this problem. Why do some vehicles has the problem with both doors and some with only one of the doors? Sounds like a build problem.

Maybe it's tied to the fact that you (maybe just me) have to give the rear doors a real slam to get them to close. If I try and close them with a 'normal' push like I do on the fronts they never seam to 'catch' and I have to try again with more effort.

Maybe I just need to work out more.... :dunno:

This is on a March 08 build E70.

It's normal. This happens on a lot of cars I've been in. No interior leaks, just some water vapor trapped in between.

Problem?
 

The cabin is dry, but water in the door jam is an issue?? :wow:

That would not even register as a blip on my radar screen of "issues"

KEF

:rofl:

You would think with the window regulator failure, transmission issues and battery draw..there would be other things to complain about :)

I think your being a bit precious
Water will make its way into most places and the seals are to stop it getting into the cabin - which it has
This has happened to my last 3 X5's - not an issue IMO

huh?

It's sort of a credit to the vehicle when small problems like this register as issues. Picture yourself, happy with the X... and after some torrential rain, you walk up to it, open the rear doors, and water splashes down in a thud. I'm sorry, but that's just not normal for even a $10k car.

Not an issue
 

Since it is the rear doors that hold the water is usually a friend, relative, or business associate or client who winds up with the wet shoes. Really impresses them.

one word: Chevrolet Suburban FTW!

perhaps not precious, then, pedantic?
a little water isnt anything to be worried about
unless the issue is greater than has been explained?

"multi-syllabic words hurt my brain." Ralphie Wiggum circa 1998.

I had this repaired under warranty. :thumbup:

OK then, both of those made zero sense in context :thumbup:

Just saw this thread. From the photo, it doesn't look like it's a problem. It's not actually getting into the cabin. I've always seen this when washing a car (Mercedes, Volvo, BMW).

Any makes out there that provides a complete seal?

Any make that ?
 

I have never had this problem in any of the cars i have owned, and that is a lot of cars in 67 years. my last x5 didn't leak and my 1998 E430 with 85,000 miles doesn't leak. Some times i have 2 or 3 cups of water.

That is sweet! did you just drive in and tell em about it or did you have to wait till it happened and bring the car in while you had the condensation?

I have rock guard film thing installed on my lights so i wonder if they had to replace the whole light assembly.

I just got back from the dealer and they did a water test and proved that this is a problem in the design. I have a child seat in the back and every time I open the door after heavy rain some of the water drips to the car seat. It's frustrating as I have to put a baby in a wet carseat...

The dealer mentioned that even a replacement of the door rubber trim wouldnt fix the issue as they have tried this with another x5 owner. As per my dealer, they can't do anything about it.

BMW should come up with a fix. At this point, I am open for suggestions...

M

No fix for the water, but the car seat should be in the MIDDLE seat for the safest location! No question about it.

A

Maybe it's another design flaw, but BMW didn't make LATCH for the middle the seat. you can install a car seat there but you would be "borrowing" the LATCH from the other 2 seats. Also, for those that live in north, this is a problem when it freezes and I have ice pieces between the doors.