Weathertech vs. BMW OEM Floorliners
 

Anyone have any experience with the Weathertech vs. BMW OEM floorliners?

The Weathertech ones look like they cover more, with the rear being a once piece that covers the small center hump, and the fronts looking as if they go higher onto the center hump, but I suspect the BMW OEM ones might fit better. They look like they both might be sourced from Weathertech, or BMW has copied the rib style, etc.

Winter is coming and with a new X5 that is Sand Beige, I think I need more than floor mats.

Go with Weathertech. They're a great product and proudly made in the USA, not in some Chinese sweatshop. They have a philosophy I can get behind....

A Message from David MacNeil

Are you talking about floorliners or floormats?

I have, and would highly recommend, the BMW floorliners.

I agree with Jaax.

DO NOT GET THE WEATHERTECH MATS OR CARGO LINER FOR THE X5!


I like weathertech and have purchased sets for many other vehicles including a 2010 Lexus. These mats and cargo liner for the X5 do not fit well and in fact fit terribly. Weathertech told me to send them back, too bad for me. Don't make the same mistake.

Are you talking of the Weathertech floor MATS, or the FLOORLINERS?

The mats are not custom fit; however, the liners are suppose to be custom fit.

Mats. Not floorliners. I had floorliners in an H2 long ago and they fit well but not the nice rubber material I liked about the mats. The floorliners were a hard nonpliable plastic, cheap.

I had the same dilemma. I went with the BMW OEM rubber mats after talking to a dealer who sold both. He told me the weathertech floorliners have a lip that sits on part of the door jam (for water removal). He said they were easy to hit with your feet and for that reason alot of people did not like them. I have never tried the weathertechs, but i am very happy with the fit and looks of the BMW oem rubber mats. I went with black and I have the sand beige interior. VERY GLAD i did NOT go beige.

Funny that ppl are saying that the Weathertech's are "cheap" plaster but believe the BMW rubber floor mats are nicer. Plastic or rubber....both are relatively cheap materials. I've used both in my previous cars. I think the Weathertechs are definitely nicer, more "high-end", and just work better in protecting the interior of your car.

But, to each their own.

I believe you have misunderstood. The weather tech mats are HQ but fit like shite in the X5. Fit is much worse than other weather tech mats in other vehicles. Weathertech floor liners are/were a cheaper plastic compared to the better rubber weather tech mats. Others have stated they liked the BMW mats.

No, I think I got what you guys are saying. I have the Weathertech digital fit liners in my current SUV. I don't find that they are "cheap". They are just more hardcore and heavy duty compared to the typical rubber weather floormats. I also have the rubber floor mats for my other cars too.

I don't think it's a matter of cheap or not cheap looking. The digital fit liners are for serious weather and dirt containment. No water, snow, dirt, and debris is going to get into the floor carpeting with those liners. With the rubber mats, they only protect your floor carpeting minimally....protects from light amount of water and debris. But, a lot of it can get over the rim of the mats and get onto your carpet.

When I clean my car and remove the Weathertech floorliner to clean it, the bottom floor carpeting is prestine. Not a single stray piece of rock or debris. When I remove the rubber all-weather mats in my other car, I have to vacuum up the rocks and debris that got onto the carpet.

That's my take on this......it's like wearing rubber boots versus a rubberized bib/overalls outfit when you're shoveling snow. One is going to give you super protection and the other will give you some protection. Is one more "high class" than the other? No, because it's comparing apples and oranges.

Having had both the Weather Tech Mats and the Weather Tech Floor Liner, the Mats are unequivocally higher quality materal ( thick rubber) compared to the floorliners (thin plastic). Night and Day or Apples and Oranges in material quality. I'd concede that the fit and protection associated with same is similarly night and day toward the liners.

My personal entire point of posting here though is that the Weather Tech MAT FIT FOR THE X5 SUCK DONKEY you know whats.... While the mats are not "digital" fit like the liners, they are usually pretty good in Other vehicles. This is NOT THE CASE for the X5. :stickpoke

I can't speak to the rubber floor mats, but the OEM cargo mat is actually made by MacNeil. Last time I took it out of the back I noticed the label underneath. Some useless trivia, but for those looking for a cargo mat, you may get a better deal (and maybe a better mat) going with Weathertech.

Let's try this again.

I'm not interest in mats, be they BMW or Weathertech,

I am only interested in the BMW Floorliners vs. the Wethertech Floorliners, as I have decided I do not want rubber mats..

If anyone can provide some information or opinion of the BMW Floorliners vs. the Wethertech Floorliners, I would be most appreciative.

Penguin, while I don't have WT liners, and I never have, I do have the BMW liners and I think they are great. Read a couple of posts up by z2g for a review on his WT liners. I can say the same exact thing about my BMW liners. I don't think you can go wrong with either. Let us know what you go with and how you end up liking them.

I am glad it works for you; however, over the years I have found that mats inevitably result in salty snow melt getting over the edge and staining carpets. As a result I have gone to liners which work well for me.

Thanks for the advice, but I prefer liners.

<sigh>

That is exactly why I love the WT digital fit liners. No mud, snow, water, dirt, debris, etc. is getting on your carpet unless it's on your shoes and you brush your shoes against the side carpeting. As far as fitment problems, I've had the WT liners for over 3 yrs now. It hasn't warped or become deformed from use.

As far as the liners being "cheap" because it's just "thin plastic", it's actually heavy duty plastic. It's thinner than the rubber mats because it's more durable. Rubber all-weather mats must be thicker because it'll rip if it were any thinner.

I have the BMW ones and I like them, they offer really good protection and do not interfere at all. The only thing is the morons in the detail department Armor All'd them and now they are very slippery.

I can't imagine the Weathertech ones being different, I always thought they were the same thing with just a different logo stuck on them. :dunno:

I went with the BMW Floorliners. You can see pictures on their website:
BMW Accessories - 2010 X5 xDrive 30i SAV:All Weather Floor Liners

Here are my thoughts:

1) The 2nd row passenger is perfect, covers the whole area, no complaints.
2) The driver side is terrible. It is constantly moving and gets in the way of the gas pedal, not allowing me to punch the gas the way I want.
3) The liners hold up really well to water, but if you get it really dirty, it is hard to completely wash clean. I bought grey ones and they show a little dirt even when fully washed/detailed. I would recommend getting black.
4) Not sure about the weathertech, but the BMW one has a nice BMW logo on the driver and passenger side for a nice touch.;)

That looks very similar to WT liners. However, the WT liners have sides that go up much higher...roughly 4-5 inches. From that picture of the BMW liners, the medial wall/side only goes up as high as regular all-weather mats. I wonder if the WT liners for the X5 are similar.

The picture on the Weathertech website shows higher sidewalls to the liners than the BMW OEM ones:

WeatherTech Automotive Accessories - FloorLiner? DigitalFit ® - 2010 BMW X5 - WeatherTech FloorLiner - car floor mats liner, floor tray protects and lines the floor of truck and SUV carpeting from mud, snow, water and dirt

(To get the pictures #1 and #2 I am referring to, you need to select "1st Row" under the "select an item" pull-down menu)

Note that picture #2 with the higher sidewalls is labeled "BMW X5," while picture #1 with the lower sidewalls is labeled "Representative Fit." From the pictures I have seen, it seems like Weathertech went for more protection, but perhaps poorer appearance, while BMW went for the appearance by having the sidewalls lower. It certainly looks like BMW is sourcing their OEM liners from Weathertech (they have in the past); however, they probably insist as part of the contract that the ones Weathertech sells under their own name be somewhat different.

I agree, it looks like these are the same liners (BMW & WT). The logos are in the same spot, and the lines in the mat are the same, the shape is pretty similar, too. The WT pictures look just like my BMW mats. I'll take some pics.

I'd be very surprised if they do not come from the same source. They look identical except for the stick/glue on logo. Here is a pic of the E53 version and the side does come up relatively high. I think on the other pics it may appear lower due to the angle.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3659/...62585792_b.jpg

The only difference I can see is the WT logo is longer, and the eyelets are in a slightly difference place.

Some pictures would be great! I'm particularly interested in the difference in the height of the sidewall of the transmission hump on the driver's side -- it appears that is the major difference between the Weathertech and the BMW OEM. Well, that and the fact that the Weathertech 2nd row mat is a single piece that covers the center hump area, while the BMW OEM is two individual mats.

I'm leaning towards the Weathertech if it really does have higher sidewalls, but I am a bit reluctant to order from them. The owner does write a really good letter about buying American products and other "Down Home" things, but if you read their website they are rather vague about their return policy. And for good reason it seems. According to another poster, if Weathertech sends you a product that doesn't fit well due to their design, the return policy is that you pay postage to return it, you pay the postage that it took to send it to you, and then you also pay a 20% re-stocking fee. So if I bought a liner set and a cargo liner for roughly $300 and wanted to return it, I'd be out about $100 net if they didn't fit well.

I'm going to order the WT digital fit liners in the next few weeks for my X5. If you can wait, I'll let you know when I get them.

i got the weathertech Floorliner DigitalFit, they look and fit great in my '08 X5. got the front and the rear, haven't gotten the truck liner yet. Maybe soon.

I just compared the pictures from the BMW site linked on this post, to a picture of the WT liners included in the Bavarian Autosport holiday special flyer I just received. The grooves, lines, and logo placement look to be indentical to me, so I would bet a dollar that they are made by the same manufacturer.

I received my Weathertech Floor Liners yesterday and installed them last night. I am not in a position to yank them out and take a picture, but they are identical to the picture of the BMW liners above except for the BMW logo (has the WT logo). They are undoubtedly made by WT. I have the two front liners and the 2nd row liners and I also have the cargo area liner. All fit very well. I have the tan color. For the record, I have a 2010 X5d that is ten days old.

I have all three rows of Weathertech Floor Liners for my '09 35d and after six months of using them, I don't regret the purchase. The fit well; they hold up well; they clean up well; and they protect the carpet underneath! I'd buy them again.

I also purchased and like the WT Digital Fit liners. Very nice and more protection than the rubber BMW mats. I may get the cargo cover, as I rarely use the tie-downs.

Is there a stick on clear plastic that can be used for areas of the carpet that are exposed? Just to the right of the accelerator gets very dirty, and just in front of the left corner (when stepping into the car).

I like the WT digital fit liners
 

I purchased black WT digital fit liners for my 2009 X5. I live in New England and drive around to customer sites all day. After a few days there is a nice collection of dirt, sand, rocks, leaves, etc. . . that would otherwise be ground into the carpet. It is easy to lift the liners out and dump them.

Once you remove the liner you find some stuff falls around and behind the gas pedal. I just use a brush to collect up all the little bits of stuff and swish it out the door.

I occasionally wipe them out with a damp rag and spritz some 303 Aerospace Protectant, they look new again.

The rear seat set fits well under the seats and covers the hump too.

I bought the WT version at stratsautoextras.com before I knew about the BMW logos are available at bmw.dealerfit.com

Which are better for snow use. The bmw waffle pattern floor mats or weathertech style floor mats?

Does anyone else have the problem with the driver side mat getting stuck under the gas pedal and not allowing you to punch the gas all the way?

I love this product with that one annoyance which I get around by constantly tugging the floor mat away from the pedal with my other foot as I drive.

Which mats do you have? Carpet, all-weather, or liners? I have liners and there are no issues at all.

I have the liners but maybe the issue is that I put it on top of the carpeted mats that come with the car?:dunno:

Yeah, get those mats out from under. That's not a good thing.

I just put the OEM all weather floor liner in my 2010 X5 35d (with comfort seat and 3rd row options) this morning and here is my observation:

3rd row set: 85% satisfaction
Rear set: comes in one peice. covers and fits perfectly.
Front set:
passenger side: 90% satisfaction
driver side: fits terrible. the hole on the liner is not match the hook on the carpet.

Could any one who has the OEM liner give some advice? Should I go get the weathertech digital fit for my front set? However, the OEM liner was made by Weathertech as shown on its back.

You can move the hook. It just screws into the carpet. I have the regular floor mats and rubber ones. You change the "hook" as the carpet hooks are velcro and the rubber ones are hooks. You can just reposition that left hook in your picture to line it up.

Let me know if this helps with the fit as I am thinking of ordering the liners. I have a beige interior and am thinking about black liners

I had the OEM winter (rubber) floor mats in my just retired '07 4.8. They were OK but lots of sand/dirt got around them and the small carpet portion looked terrible after 2 years of use.

For the new 35d I decided to get the Weathertech floor liners. They cover more ground and don't have the carpet piece. Together with the black floor (Saddle interior) I think this is going to work better. I also like that the 2nd row covers the middle - I had some water spill once in the old X and it soaked the middle between the rubber mats.

Just be prepared since the WT mats take a couple of weeks to get to you.

Realistically, with the stiff WT liners, you really don't need to use the floor hooks if you don't want. For my current SUV, I don't even bother hooking the liners to the floor hook anymore. And, it doesn't shift or move at all since the liners are hard and form-fitting.