Question about peeling trim
 

A couple days ago, I picked up a loaded 2008 X5. First BMW and I can say that this thing is an absolutely great vehicle.

The X5 is CPO, and I have one question. Right where the leather of the steering wheel meets the body of the T, the thin black rubber piece is peeling. I happen to drive with my left hand there, and have noticed in a couple days that just driving has removed some more of the rubber. This is exposing the black plastic underneath. I'm just wondering, is it safe to just remove this rubber covering from the whole wheel? I would doubt that this is covered under warranty since it's trim.

I had that same trim piece repaced under warranty.

some dealers will be nice enough to replace trim wear & tear items under warranty, but some have been declined... it can't hurt to argue about it being CPO too. I've had the steering wheel button area trim start to peel, and the light switch also. Both replaced. My left rear door wood trim had a crack for some unknown reason - also replaced.

If you don't mind my asking, since you're in Long Island, which dealer did it for you under warranty? Would be nice to have a backup in case the Westchester ones say no.

Yes it happened to mines too. It is covered. It was peeling on the steering wheel too.

This SHOULD have been replaced as part of the CPO inspection-

HOWEVER, the DEALER would be 'on the hook' for the cost of this, and this is why the CPO inspection is pretty much BS. Dealers just gussy the car up and foist it on a buyer who thinks it was some kind of refurbishing to exacting factory standards.

I'd have a discussion with your CA (salesman) and explain that this must have been missed, could he talk with the service folks- you'd like to get it fixed.

If you just go to service they usually deny warranty for trim/wear and tear- but if the CA puts a word in, especially if it was a fresh CPO and this oversight could turn ugly, they might decide to slip it by BMWNA...

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My 2007 had peeling trim on the steering wheel accent (alloy) and steering wheel (buttons) and I had both replaced under warranty but be prepared as others have said for some push back. As a side note. This is NOT covered under your CPO warranty

Sounds like a pretty common problem. I will take it to my service center this week and see what they say.

I also noticed that I have a gap between my rear bumper and my body, which again sounds like a pretty common problem with the X5. Have a funny feeling I may be driving a loaner for a day or two :)

Hassel BMW in Freeport. Rated among top 50 (or was it 25) in the country a couple years back and no other dealer around here can say that. BUT I'd think that you'd have the best chances with the people you bought it from. Good luck.

Let me know how this turns out...as I have a smidgen of a gap myself. As for the trim, I took my 08' in for routine maintenance and my service tech told me they were replacing it without me even asking. So, I'm pretty sure that your CPO'll get the same treatment.

Yeah, I have heard great things about Hassel. I plan on going to the dealership I bought it from first, but they're pretty small (Pace). It's just good to know that some are performing this trim fix without question.

As for the bumper, that's definitely going to Pace. If they even dare say "You must have hit something", I'll hit them. I'll remind them that the car is 5 days old.

Scheduled for an appointment on the 15th. Earliest that they had a loaner available. I will let you folks know what they say.

So far, so semi-good.

They're replacing the trim on the steering wheel, no questions asked. As to the bumper, the guy started telling me that it's not warranty because of taking a hit blah blah blah. I then told him I got the car 2 weeks ago and he said he'd call the sales guy and work it out. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

yup, i got mine replaced under warranty

Just got the car back. Looks like they replaced the whole assembly on the front of the steering wheel. Buttons and trim are all new.

They fixed the latch and couldn't find anything wrong with the PDC sensor. They said if it happens again, they will just replace that sensor.

Now to the fun part. They said that they couldn't fix the bumper under warranty. They said it should have been fixed as part of the CPO process, but they put a call in to the sales guy and he hadn't returned their call about the bumper. The tech that checked it out put notes that the bumper is not clipped in correctly since the mounting hardware is damaged. Notes say that they may have to replace the bumper.

So here goes the fun with trying to chase down the sales guy and/or manager when I get back from a business trip on Friday.

Good luck! you didn't see it when you picked up the car?

The rear bumper gap is something that is noticeable by a walk-around, but easy enough to miss. Probably like a 1/4 inch gap or so. When you really notice it is when you're like 10 feet or so behind the bumper when you notice a ripple or two in the plastic. So, no, didn't notice it before driving off the lot. Overall though, seems like a very common problem with X5s. Like 30 or so owners have chimed in on bimmerfest.

Any pics? Hope they going to do the right thing and fix it for you. They want you to be a returning customer and give them a good rating.

was this at Hassel or Pace? If at Hassel, who was your SA?

I bought it at Pace. Since I've read that dealers aren't fixing this under warranty, I took it to Port Chester (Service center for pace and greenwich) hoping that the SA would put in a word. I heard back from him yesterday that he's getting approval to get it repaired. Doesn't help that the service center said that it will most likely need a new bumper. If you have a great relationship at Hassel with someone, I'd appreciate it if you could PM me his/her info. If they could help with this if Pace doesn't help, I'd promise them future purchases.

Well, success. I stopped by the dealership today and got the manager to approve the repair. Taking it in on Wednesday to get the bumper repaired.

my 2007 X5 had this problem. My new 2011 Has a different piece that is just a nice matte plastic with no rubber coating to peel off.
They replaced trim on 2007 under warranty.

i had the steering wheel thing replaced but then later i noticed the window switches have a similar problem. has anyone got them replaced under warantee as well?

had mine replaced this week under warranty, no questions asked.

the steering wheel or the light switch?