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BMW X5 Cold Temp Problems

78 messages,  Last post on Feb 24, 2011 at 7:52 PM

You are in the BMW X3 & X5 Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW X5, Auto Repair, Engine, Oil, Transmission, SUV

Messages Page 5 of 8

#39 of 78 Re: Recent cold temps problems [dhr48864] by dhr48864

Jun 14, 2007 (6:11 am)

Replying to: dhr48864 (Feb 06, 2007 3:42 pm)
RESOLUTION! I finally was able to resolve the out of pocket expenses with the dealership. I want to thank all of you for your input because without other recorded cases, I don't think the dealership would have budged.
 
As you may recall, I went to the dealership and there were other vehicles that were going to be serviced for the same problem. I called BMWNA as suggested, got no help from them because they referred me back to the dealer. My attorney who also USED to go to this dealership directed me to ask for the BMW field rep. to step in and look at the situation. He did and the dealership offered to pay $500.00 in services or "trinkets" but would not go beyond that. I presented the dealership owner with instances of other BMW users with the same problem nationwide (at least the northern part of the nation ) and told him that BMW corporate may be able to take care of themselves, but this reflected badly on all dealerships who could not stand behind the name of their product or their local reputation. They came back with a check for full reimbursement and a boilerplate legal document stating that upon being reimbursed, I waived ALL AND ANY future claims to service (such as recalls, future discovered manufacturer defects, etc.) for this vehicle. I told them it was unacceptable and re-wrote the document to waive future claims to only the oil separator parts and labor.
 
They agreed, I signed, I got my reimbursement and I now have an appointment with my local Toyota and Honda dealerships. Not the outcome I expected, but I don't care to re-live this experience a second time. Best of luck to all. I will remain online, but please think kindly of any little old lady you see driving her Honda down the road...

#40 of 78 X5 2007 Transmssion? Problems by nycx5er

Jan 18, 2008 (3:57 pm)

I am new to this forum, so please excuse me if my issue has already been discussed. Leased '07 X5 3.0 in August. No performance issues for the first 3 months. Since November experience the following symptom. Start her up "cold" (whether outside in 30 degree or inside 70 degree garage). 2-5 minutes warm up. For the first 3 minutes or so of drive, after stopping & release of brake pedal, the CAR LURCHES FORWARD. After 3 minutes, the symptom is gone. In December dealer "checked" for 2 days & told me that they were not able to duplicate the problem. They did, however, "reprogram DME and complete vehicle with latest software". The symptoms were corrected for 5 days and the X5 seemed like a vehicle with a miraculously different personality! However on Day 6 through today the lurch condition has returned. Now, 3 days at the dealer and I'm again told that they cannot duplicate the complaint. To add insult to injury (God forbid) I was told by their service manager today that the "condition" that I am experiencing is "NORMAL". In fact, he said, his 530 does exactly the same thing. He explains that until the transission fluid is allowed to warm up this lurch is normal. ARE THEY FOR REAL? I would appreciate knowing if anyone out there has experienced this condition. All suggestions on how I should proceed will be most gratefully appreciated.

#41 of 78 Re: cold temp problem [bmwnightmare] by strider13

Mar 10, 2008 (10:11 am)

Replying to: bmwnightmare (Mar 13, 2007 8:30 am)
I just want to start out that I am SO relieved to find others who feel my pain. I have a 2002 330xi with the same oil separator problem. I live in Minot, ND where we are below freezing almost half of the year and very often get -10F or lower temps in the winter. My car began leaking oil from the top valve cover. BMW told me over the phone that it was most likely a siezed engine oil separator which was not properly exhausting and so was causing overpressure in the engine and thus effectin the leak. The rep started to tell me how much it would cost when I mentioned that my boss had a problem with the same part. Only then did he mentioned that BMWNA knows about the problem and covers people on a case by case basis based on ownership history and maintenance records. I have the car used and some of the inspections/oil changes were done by the owner. So with my limited documentation BMW agreed to charge warranty rates for parts/labor and split the cost after that. So I ended up paying $500 for the upgraded parts which include more insulation and wider orifices so that water does not pool and freeze there. I was NOT happy considering BMW has known about the problem for at least 7 years and should have issued a recall long ago. They tell you the car is off warranty but that doesn't sit well with me considering they knew about the issue while it was on warranty and did nothing.
 
I can also offer some more background on the problem. My boss actually has the same car as me but he has a 2003. The dealership told me that there are actually 2 different ways the oil separator can fail. If it siezes in closed position you get overpressure and valve cover leakage. If it siezes the other way you get catastrophic failure which includes all of your engine oil shooting out the back tailpipe. This actually happened to my boss and stranded his wife on the interstate. He had good documentation and he was fully covered. The funny thing that really deflates BMW's "good maintenance claim" is that he had a newer car with all maintenance records from certified dealerships and his car failed worse than mine which had DIY work done on it. Furthermore his car is garage kept and mine isn't. Even after all this his car just recently suffered the same fate again! BMW just came out with another fix to the problem, now they include a temperature sensor and a heated manifold. I guess only time will tell if this is effective. I don't think they had this fix 5 months ago when I got mine fixed. Anyway he called dealership and TOLD them they were going to ship car to Minneapolis (the closest dealership), pay for his rental, fix car and ship it back.....and they did.
 
Now my car is once again leaking (it seems to be fine until temps go below approx -10) and when I explained it to a service guy at a dealership he immediately diagnosed it as a failed separator. When I called to have it replaced with the newly designed manifold I was told that they would have to have the car there first to diagnose. Additionally I was told they didn't even have time to deal with my car at the moment because they had so many other people dealing with the same issue. The service guy told me literally they had had 35 dead cars brought in that week alone due to the cold weather separator failure.
 
This is a huge problem that BMW is well aware of. The sad thing is they don't put the word out unless you know about the issue beforehand. I called some import repair places in the Minneapolis area and they all told me that they replace dozens of separator parts each winter from people with the same problem. So all these people are unknowingly paying out of pocket for something that BMW should be alerting them to and paying for.
 
I am so pissed at BMW right now, if they don't fix my car and cover all associated expenses [to include rentals] I will put this issue on every forum I can find, report it to the Better Bussiness Bureau, the local news. Anything I can do to return the ass pain BMW has sent in my direction. They can say the car is off warranty and i'm not lawyer but something has to be said for selling and MARKETING a car with all-wheel drive towards people in the snow belt and with a "cold weather package" and knowing at the same time that the the car in fact is no good in extreme cold weather. If you know anything else about this issue that can help to further this cause please let me know.

#42 of 78 Wow! by sky23213

Mar 11, 2008 (2:33 am)

Let me start with my thanks to the posters who shared their experience with the cold weather issues the X5/X3s have had.
WOW! I guess it's good to do a little research in advance. We are planning to replace one of our cars this summer, and I started my research early. One of the vehicles considered is the X3, probably CPO 2005-2007. What really concerned me was not only the fact that I live where cold means COLD, but the way BMW NA treated people. This is BMW after all, not Kia.
As a comparison, one of our cars is a '05 CRV, so I follow closely the forums for the vehicle. Older CRVs had an issue with the A/C, but Honda treated people quite differently than the way described here regarding the Oil Separator issue. Many posters were covered 75-100% for vehicles way out of warranty, even though with Honda's A/Cs it was more of a matter of inferior quality part, rather that inferior design which appears to be the case here.
Maybe someone will say that a few people are overblowing rare problem here, but I'll have to disagree - as the previous poster mentioned "The service guy told me literally they had had 35 dead cars brought in that week alone due to the cold weather separator failure.. That seems a lot. And here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area there are only two dealers, so not much of a choice.
 
I guess I'll have to do some more thinking. We were ready to make a step up, actually waited until we were comfortable not only with the higher price of BMW, but the price tag of its maintenance. I fear $100+ oil changes and $500-700 maintenance no more... but a blown engine on a BMW really brings fear to a man's heart.

#43 of 78 Re: Wow! [sky23213] by psm18

Apr 18, 2008 (8:23 pm)

Replying to: sky23213 (Mar 11, 2008 2:33 am)
Hello,
I have the same problem on my 2002 X5...who do you call at BMW to ask for money?

#45 of 78 Re: cold temp problem [bmwnomore] by stephenabelson

Dec 17, 2008 (5:21 pm)

Replying to: bmwnomore (Mar 14, 2007 1:51 pm)
So I live in New York now, but my hometown is Minneapolis, and eventually will move back there. Right now I have a 5 series, but I really like the X5 a lot. Many people in Minnesota have it and say it's great in the snow and on the dry pavement too. I have heard things that it's not a "cold weather" type SUV or car. People who I have spoken with in Minnesota say that occassionally the doors freeze, or locks freeze up, sometimes there is trouble with starting, the navigation doesn't work always, sometimes the heat isn't great, gas mileage can go way down. So besides looking a heck of a lot better than that of it's competitors, why don't I spend the same or less money on the Lexus RX or LX? I understand it won't be as fun to drive but you never hear about any issues with the Lexus like you do with the X5.
 
Any advice?

#46 of 78 Same problem happened to me yesterday! by meimei0508

Jan 16, 2009 (3:38 pm)

I have a 2003 X5, same thing happed to me yesterday and it was 7F.
The dealer is asking for 3K to fix the oil seperator and gasket...
It is really painful. Should the dealer take some responsibility since it is known problem? Can someone advise?
 
Thanks

#47 of 78 BMW X5 65 to nothing in middle of winter! by jkparker7

Jan 16, 2009 (10:10 pm)

Replying to: meimei0508 (Jan 16, 2009 3:38 pm)
Ultimate driving machine my ass! I am beyond Mad! This is just damn dangerous. You expect more from BMW. My BMW X5 stopped cold in the middle of the highway on January 8th. There I was, wondering what the heck happened! Thank God I made it over to the side of the road without being smashed by a big truck or something! 2 cars pulled in behind me and said that they thought my car was on fire!!! My heart rate went up another 500 points! Pissed... just a little! It was thought initially that my engine locked up, and then it was discovered that the oil separator thingy was the problem because apparently even though they sold a family that lives in the middle of northern Minnesota this vehicle, I guess I was supposed to understand that it was not suited for cold weather and it could be deadly. I would not have purchased this car without a doubt again! I call the after manufacturer warranty company and say... "Was I supposed to move to Florida to not have a dangerous car for my family???" They tell me, I am sorry mam, I can't help you because this part that is the issue is not part of the 'engine'... OH... REALLY????? But, the dang engine won't work if this insufficient dangerous part is not repaired!!! Evidently it is not insulated well enough??? But they sell it to people in frigid corners of the earth and tell them it is great on snow! Yeah! Until your butt is stuck in the middle of nowhere, or hit by a fast moving vehicle behind you, or starts on fire! I bought the car because I thought it was the SAFEST car on the market! I am LIVID! Thank God above that my children weren't in the car and that noone got hurt. Not by any thanks to BMW, but to GOD ABOVE ONLY! Apparently there is a technical service bulletin out about this, and BMW knows this, but still sells me a car after knowing this fact for quite some time! Sounds like negligence to me! BMW better take care of this the RIGHT way! They will pay for the towing and all repairs! This should be an official RECALL, not a Technical Service Bulletin that thankfully was shared with me by a mechanic that knows BMW's (but does not work for BMW) URGHHH!

#48 of 78 Re: Same problem happened to me yesterday! [meimei0508] by dhr48864

Jan 17, 2009 (11:07 am)

Replying to: meimei0508 (Jan 16, 2009 3:38 pm)
I'm familiar with the sick feeling of getting slapped with the bill. I'm glad that is so over! Re-reading posts 20-39 might lead to some resolution. Good luck

Messages Page 5 of 8

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