A Suggestion
 

While we all hope our X5's are perfect, it's clear that not all of them are, e.g., a fair number have had parking brake problems, etc. in the past.

When you have a problem on the road, or at least when I have a problem on the road, you tend to be frustrated and in a hurry.

I suggest that you consider copying a few key pages of the Owner's Manual, stuff them in an envelope, and put the envelope in the glove box for when you need a quick reference.

Particularly:

Pages 262-264 Jump starting and towing
Pages 66-67 Manually locking transmission into Neutral
Pages 63-64 Manually releasing the Parking Brake
Page 42 Manually closing the Sunroof

These page numbers are from the 2010 35D model manual, but I believe all the 2010 X5's use the same manual. And if you have to downloaded PDF of the manual, you can print the pages 8 1/2 by 11, making them easier and quicker to read when you need them, vs. paging through a 300 page manual.

Also, BMW no longer provides the Allen crank required to manually close the sunroof, so if you want that capability you need to buy one for about $8-10. I believe it is part number 54137199324, but I haven't ordered one yet. I would hate to have the sunroof quit working while it was open and a rain storm starting, and find I do not have anyway to manually close it.

Any way, just a suggestion.

Great suggestion!

To which I might add...
manually releasing the parking brake and/or putting the X5 in neutral, require the red T-Handle tool stored under the cargo bay floor board. So if that area is full of stuff (e.g. on a trip), you will need to empty ALL of the stuff to get to this tool. So I'd put that Red T-Handle tool somewhere you can quickly access in a pouring rain -- like the driver's seat back pocket.

Funf Dreisig

Edit: Quoted from one of my previous posts...
"The tool that manually releases the parking brake and unlocks the transmission is the same tool -- it is the big red T handle tool under the cargo bay floorboard.

The drawing in the manual is somewhat misleading. To release the parking brake you use the T shaped cut out in one end of the handle to pull up on the chrome end of a cable. It is pretty small and very close to the outside fender. There is however and small white sticker just behind it.

To unlock the tranny you use the same tool but the long end. You pull up JUST the rubber mat in the cup holder area. Pinch the center and pull up. The drivers cup holder area has a round cover that can be unscrewed with the square end of the red tool. Once open, you will see a fitting on the tranny that fits the round section of the red tool a little further up the shaft."
Using this tool is far from intuitive. So it might be a good idea to try it out once when you are not stranded on the side of a dark road during a hail storm :wow:

Got a pic of this tool?

Thanks for the great suggestions

Here's a pic with where to find it :) And why you don't want to need it when the cargo bay area is full :(

Funf Dreisig

It's number 1 in this diagram:

RealOEM.com BMW E70 X5 3.5d Emergency release

You'll see it if you lift-up the rear floor to access the storage compartment. It's plastic and, I believe, red.

...and when the battery is dead and you can't open the tailgate to get the tool (or glovebox to get the manual)...both of these reside in my drivers door pocket so that the wonderful flatbed driver does not have to drag my truck onto the flatbed....

Hmmm. Don't remember seeing one of those. I will have to look again.