Several faults - advice req.

[Barney]

Having owned the 40d for months I've only just got around to selling my old vehicle and using the X5 daily, as a result I've noticed several problems and would appreciate advice. It's still under the AUC warranty until April, so what are the chances of claiming for the following?

1) Orange 'Low Battery' light appears occasionally without engine on but in radio mode, does this indicate the battery is on it's way out (Oct 2010 model). I understand the battery is under warranty for the 1st year of the AUC, is this right and if so do they cover the whole cost ?

2) Rear tailgate lights, moisture and water in them, looked it up and this seems common and to do with the seal. I would assume the warranty wil cover this as it's a manufacturing fault ? What's the score, will they replace the whole of the lights plus new seal or will they just do the seal ? My argument is the lights will have got dirty/corroded inside due to the moisture/water so should be replaced.

3) Seat bolster, I posted the other day on this and it seems the fixing hook on the leather has detached/broken, the side leather on the bolster rises out of the plastic seat base and shows the seat foam at times. Now from what I've read upholstery isn't covered under the AUC warranty although the car is only a few months (October) out of the original 3yr warranty. What are the odds of getting this sorted ?

4) Finally, the 'X-drive' badges on the front doors are corroded and a bit tatty, again i've read that the warranty doesn't cover corrosion.
Not too bothered as I might de-badge anyway but any experince or comments on this or any of the above would be appreciated 

[X5Sport]

Hi,

1.  These cars use up to 60A in 'radio ready' mode which kills the battery pretty quickly.  Nothing wrong, it's just the car draws a lot of electrical power without the engine running.  I have a CTEK charger to keep the battery topped up if I'm not using it on journeys of at least 20 miles regularly.

2.  It's a known problem and when I queried my headlights with the same issue I was told that it was normal to a point.  Rear ones you may get a new seal or new light unit depending upon whether or not there is corrosion.  Worth trying for under the warranty.

3.  All you can do is try for goodwill with BMW.  Sometimes they'll play.  It depends how well the rest of the interior has been looked after.

4.  I would expect the badges to be covered by the original warranty but probably not under the AUC.  Again, it's worth a try.

Richard

[Barney]

Thanks Richard,

1) So the best to avoid 'radio ready' for too long then ? I've got an Optimate charger for my weekend toy, been using it for years so I'll maybe consider that or a CTEK for the X5. Didn't realise the amp pull just on radio ready !!

2) The warranty says it doesn't cover seals, I'll argue that the mastic type material is actually a bond more than a seal. Condensation in plastic lights is common, I could live with that if it dried out, 15mm of water sloshing around in the bottom of them I don't accept.

3) The seats are mint, the car has only done 12,000 miles. Add to that several examples of this on the net and the position/type of fault I would hope they will do something.

4) Gutted I didn't do something about it earlier, had I taken it in before October then all would or should have been covered.

Now just got to find a good main dealer in Hertfordshire, I purchased the car from Wakefield so no chance of taking it back to them for service or warranty work 

[Caesium]

You could always have the secondary battery fitted, I know they're standard in some climates.

Might help.

I am thinking about a CTEK also, but at the moment I'm not having any issues.

[AW8]

Most makes/models of cars will sulk if left sat around & unused & especially in winter.

No idea if it has been left outside but issues such as low battery, condensation and tired looking decals can be linked to a cars that are left sat up in winter.

Feel free to ignore the above if battery has been appropriately kept charged, its been started regularly & kept in a warm garage until ready to be used properly.

Best folk to tell you if you can claim are the dealership unless someone on here knows the relevant T&C's of the warranty. Dealer may if the car has been used since you sourced by you &/or look at the mileage.

With such low mileage I wonder if the badge issue may be resolved by suitable cleaning

[Gclarkie]

Hi There,
Reading this thread with interest.
Will regular charging prolong the life of the battery?
Which is the best type of ctek to go for?
Cheers

[X5Sport]

Welcome. 

Modern car batteries use a glass mat and gel electrolyte and are far less tolerant of being 'deep discharged' than the old style 'wet' batteries.

Keeping a battery well charged prevents sulphation and should preserve the battery life for longer - especially on low use vehicles.

As to the CTEK charger (also badged as BMW) you should look at an 8-stage (ideally) version in their range.  The 8-stage models have more capable charging functions and include de-sulphation/recondition modes.  They can also be left permanently attached if you go on holiday etc.

Richard

[touring]

I also have a 40d (Nov 2010) it has completed just 13,000m, although I use it everyday but it is just short runs.
I am afraid the increased battery discharge warning comes up on a regular basis and I have to give it an run to stop this.
DO NOT have the radio on for any length of time without the engine running.

Both my side 40d badges corroded and these were replaced under warranty, I have seen this problem on other 2010 X5's

I had a E53 with AUC, I have to say it was useless, I drove 21miles home from the dealer, stopped the car, turned the key to start again within 2 mins and nothing, flat battery to the point that the central locking would not work, I had to call breakdown and they jump started it. I took it back to the dealer, they tested the battery and said it was fine! Over the following months it failed 40 plus times so I had to carry a set of leads and a spare battery, in the end I sold it, I vowed to never buy an AUC car again.

[Barney]

[quote="touring"]
I also have a 40d (Nov 2010) it has completed just 13,000m, although I use it everyday but it is just short runs.
I am afraid the increased battery discharge warning comes up on a regular basis and I have to give it an run to stop this.
DO NOT have the radio on for any length of time without the engine running.

Both my side 40d badges corroded and these were replaced under warranty, I have seen this problem on other 2010 X5's

I had a E53 with AUC, I have to say it was useless, I drove 21miles home from the dealer, stopped the car, turned the key to start again within 2 mins and nothing, flat battery to the point that the central locking would not work, I had to call breakdown and they jump started it. I took it back to the dealer, they tested the battery and said it was fine! Over the following months it failed 40 plus times so I had to carry a set of leads and a spare battery, in the end I sold it, I vowed to never buy an AUC car again.
[/quote]

Interesting, thanks for the input. The badges, they were replaced under the AUC warranty?

I'm still in two minds as to carrying on with the AUC warranty, hate it when they argue the toss over every little thing and maybe it would be better banking the cash for a rainy day. 

[Barney]

Hmmmm, took the X5 in last week to the local BMW dealer, had a bloke list my claims and he was going to put it through and see what happens.
That was a week ago, are dealers/BMW really this slow when it comes to warranty approval, not heard a thing.

[Barney]

Today I phone my local BMW dealer to see how my warranty claims are going, no record of my visit two weeks ago yet they have all my details !!  :blink: Muppets, what a joke, I'm sitting here waiting 2 plus weeks and they ain't doing a thing.

Anyway, I get some guy phone me back and start the process again, no apology, nothing. He then gets back to me to tell me no corrosion to badges is covered, the dodgy seat bolster is questionable as is the 10mm of water in the rear lights...wtf !!
I'm slowly losing faith in my first BMW, they have piss poor after sales service and shit warranties, he is calling me again in the morning as he 'thinks' BMW my contribute to the leaking rear lights and dodgy seat bolster....wow, thanks  :'(
I'll wait and see what they consider a 'good will gesture', if it costs me more than £100 for the lot then they can sod off and I'll take legal action. So bloody fed up with the way they try and get out of it when they are clearly manufacturing faults.

They quoted £35 plus vat EACH for some crappy plastic XDrive badges     

[X5Sport]

£35++ for an effing badge!  Glad I had mine debadged in that case.. >:(

I had my own experience of BMWs 'get out if things' approach a few years back.  Unfortunately my experience with WD was poor too.  I've kept my BMW warranty going.

There is no way 10mm of water in a light unit is anything other than a fault......and one they know about!  I'm sure there have been dozens of owners complaining about water in lights since the E53 came out.

Richard

[Barney]

My thoughts too, they can shove £35 + for a poxy plastic badge, they look shite on the doors anyway and I'd have to wrap them in cling film because they will corrode again 

The light issue, the US seemed to do a recall, there is a BMW notice about it and BMW have designed a modified foam type gasket. There are loads of reports and a Youtube video on it yet the dealer bloke says you shouldn't believe all you read on the net  ) What a knobber  :blink:

I'll wait to hear what, if anything, BMW offer towards it and the seat bolster issue, if it's crap and involves me parting with loads of cash then I'll contact them myself and go the legal route if need be.
Anyone know how to contact the AUC warranty lot direct or how to appeal a decision ?

[hertfordshire1]

I also have an Oct 2010 X5 4.0d.

Had one of my rear tailgate lights replaced under AUC warranty as the seal had failed and was letting in water.  Wasn't that bad, only really occurred after being at the car wash and the jet washers had been used. I also have the same corrosion on the badges, but will probably replace them rather than de-badge.

My car has 38k miles now.

Its a shame that such trivial parts + poor dealer support = being totally put off a brand.

I had the same issues with Audi, Mercedes and Land Rover and vowed never to spend my money on those marques again (although the new range rover will make that a hard decision going forward).

Hope you get it sorted,

Steve

[Barney]

Yeah, fairly minor faults.

The local dealer has been in contact today and wants £150 to 'inspect' the claim, non-refundable even if manufacturing faults are to blame !!!
Well, they can f*ck right off 

Also only the possibility of a partial contribution on repairs because my leaking lights and leather seat falling apart are considered to be not covered by the AUC warranty, so it ain't worth a toss.
I've NEVER had the misfortune to deal with such a bunch of con artists than BMW and their dealers, and now a recall for a crappy driveshaft, I thought I paid for quality but it seems I just purchased a 'badge'.

Not a happy bunny to say the least  >:(