Anyone else having these problems?
 

I have a MY08 3.0 and have been having these persistent problems that the dealer "cannot reproduce" or fix, the vehicle has only 8k miles on it. I was wondering if anyone else has had these problems and if so, what was done to fix it. Is it just me? Did I get a lemon?

1. A ticking noise from the passenger side of the engine. It has been to the dealer at least 5 times for this, and its going back today to have the cylinder head replaced which they assure me will fix the problem.
2. Car starts up very rough and in the AM cranks for several seconds before it starts. The dealer told me it was the gas I use and to change stations. I did and the problem still persists. I use only the 93 octane. The 3 different 2008 x5 3.0's that were given to me as loaners all started up very smoothly and very quickly. And I used gas form the same stations in the loaner.
3. Water builds up in the passenger side rear door jamb, and when I open it water pours out all over my feet. In the winter the door freezes shut. Dealer said it was "a clogged drain hole" and they blew it out. Still happens.
4. Driver seat (power) makes an awful grinding or vibration noise when the seat goes from preset to preset. Just started 2 weeks ago.
5. I-Drive has frozen up at least 4 times in the 10 months I have been using the vehicle. Last PM it just froze at the "accept" screen and would not do anything else. Shutting off the car and restarting does not work. Letting it sit for 30 mins does not work. But after sitting all night, the next AM it is back to normal. The last time it happened was about 4 months ago and the dealer "could not reproduce the problem" The only difference that time was the screen was completely black and this time it was the accept screen.
6. The glovebox would not work all the time. It would take about 10-15 presses of the button to get it to open, then it would work normal for a while. The dealer could not duplicate the problem the like first 4 times it went in for this, but finally they replaced some electronic components in the mechanism and it works just fine now.
7. There was a large distortion in the rear view camera picture. Only there with the rear view. They did replace the camera and it went away, but the loaner they gave me had the same exact issue. Cheap cameras I guess.

:( Sorry! While there are many, happy E70 owners on our board with little or no problems, there are quite a few that have had/or are still having consistent problems. The E70 (for a lot of owners worldwide) is plagued with numerous electrical problems, and in regards to the water in the rear door jamb, design faults. I had a 2007 3.0si (worst car of my life besides my Range Rover) and the 2008 4.8i isn't much better. Sadly, it seems that a lot of these problems will never go away, and as the car (and computer systems) age, you can only expect them to worsen, and new ones to arise. You have 2 choices with the E70...learn to just live with all the problems and develop a great relationship with the Service Dept., or cut your losses and get another vehicle. The MBZ ML, Audi Q7 and Lexus RX are all great alternatives, which have proven to be more reliable than the X5. They might not look as "hot" as the X5, but reliability and peace of mind are much, much more imporant IMO! Good Luck!

5) idrive freezes has happened to me but not as extensively your description. Do you know if you have the latest firmware?

6) glovebox has stuck for me on a few occasions but the 2nd or 3rd press it is ok. I will mention this if I ever bring it in for a bigger issue.

7) camera issue exists for everyone... I got to experience it again the other night (I don't go out much anymore with 2 infants) and the picture is completely unusable. I'm not even exaggerating. All I see are blobs.

The rear camera is terrible and I have also experienced the water on the rear door. Sorry you have so many issues.

wow man, you got a lemon

I have the glovebox issue myself. I took it in once but the dealer could not replicate. For now I'm living with it.

My 08 4.8 has both 4 and 7... but none of the other ones.. I plan to bring it to the dealer hopefully this week, to get these little demons taken care of.

I had a new one today. Parked in the garage, turned the engine off, headlights stayed on (headlights on auto, always turned off before). Restarted the car, lights went off.

Keep track of how long it's spending at the dealer, and how many times they're taking to fix problems. Sounds very much like you've got a lemon.

I’m with BMW of North America, LLC. Check your inbox for our offer of assistance.

UPDATE
 

OK, so the dealer had the truck for 2 and a half weeks and they replace the cylinder head and fixed a multitude of other problems. I drove it of the lot and 5 minutes later the I-Drive froze again this time locking the Sat radio and I was unable to do anything with it except let it sit overnight. The ticking noise seems to be gone and the engine runs and starts much better, in fact its quieter then it was before. But now its back at the dealer because there is exhaust leaking into the cabin! Whats next? And only 1 day after picking it up! While its there they are going to look at the I-drive problem for like the 3rd time now. At this point it is such a hastle bring the truck in to get it serviced that the dealer is now dropping off a loaner at my job and picking up the truck to bring it in. They just called me while I was typing this and they said the smell is "oil spilled on the exhaust manifold" and they are cleaning the engine bay then they want to drive it tonight and tomorrow to ensure the smell is gone. Shouldn't they have done this before giving it back to me after such a large repair?!? I just took delivery of my 5th Audi A4 and I have NEVER had so many problems with a new vehicle as I have with the X5. Not to mention the Audi dealer bends over backwards for me and has NEVER made me pay for gas in the loaner while mine was in for warrenty repairs. I didn't ask for it to be in the shop!

What happened with the offer from BMWNA? They should get you a new 09 in my opinion...

Craig