Annoying little issues. Advice needed please as 2 of them are driving me mad.

[X5_twin]

Recently we have been having a few little issues with the X5. Its a 2008 e70 3.0sd MSport. Any advice much appreciated for any of the problems below:

1 - Sat Nav - crashes all the time. No particular reason. Could be inputting a route, or mid journey. It just freezes and says "please insert DVD". I eject the DVD and it restarts ok sometimes, but quite often just says the same insert DVD message. The next day it tends to work fine for a bit then goes wrong again. I've tried cleaning the DVD laser with a CD cleaner kit. Any other ideas? Can the iDrive system be rebooted or updated given its a 2008. Perhaps a software update? Also sometimes it just crashes and I get the BMW logo appear and the system restarts.  I've done some research and this can be due to a weak battery. Any suggestions much appreciated. It always seems to go wrong just when you need it !!

2 - Drivers door lock - this doesn't open using the fob anymore. I now use the key from inside the fob to open the door using the lock which works fine. However, it doesn't remember the seat position anymore when the door opens. I assume this is a sensor in the drivers door lock or the actuator that locks the door?

3 - Passenger footwell damp - The other day my wife used the car and noticed the carpet in the passenger footwell was wet, and when she opened the rear door on the passenger side the door cill was very wet too. Could this be a blockage somewhere and water is building up?

I'd like to get some ideas of possible solutions before I take the car in to get it looked at.

If anybody can help with 1, 2 or 3 above that would be great. Thanks in advance. 

[X5Sport]

Q1:  if a non genuine OEM nav disk then that could be the issue.  'Burned' discs rather than OEM 'Stamped' discs often fail as they get older.  If it is a genuine one then it could the laser is dirty or failing.

Q3:  could be blocked roof drain vents or a failed liner on the door meaning water is getting past the plastic damp barrier.  Could also be a problem with the washer supply to the rear door.

Richard

[99ron]

Q1 - I had this on my 535d E60. Common issues on the 5 series are that the laser fails and also the fan on the rear of the unit fails causing it to overheat, so it would work from cold but then fail as it heats up. This got worse to the point where it became useless and I was running the OEM disc at the time. I initially found someone online who would replace the DVD for about £200 if you sent them the whole idrive. Then a bit more googling found a cheaper solution. On the 5 series I took the whole unit out of the dash and  bought a replacement DVD unit from BMW. Also replaced the fan whilst there. I found something on youtube showing how all this can be done. A bit fiddley but doable. Parts were reasonable - about £30-40 ish from memory. BMW did an exchange for the DVD drive so you get money back when you give them the old one back. The early E70 idrive looks similar technology to the 535d unit but you may have to dig a bit further to see if the same can be done with the E70. PS. Since fixing the DVD drive about 4 years ago I have been using non-OEM disc updates with no issues.

[535dboy]

Petrol and match??

Not in the damp part though obviously.

[X5_twin]

Thanks Richard and 99ron. All very useful info.

535dboy .......... not so much !! 

Richard I have tried both original and non OEM discs but both do the same. That now makes me think a possible problem with the laser, or the unit is failing. It certainly seems to work better when cold. Thanks for the pointers re Q3, I'll mention all those possibilities to them when i take it in, and have a look myself tonight.

99ron I might PM you if thats ok depending on what they say when I take it in. I plan on holding on to the car for a while as a family wagon so would be keen to get it up an running again like you did.

Thanks for all the info. Very much appreciated gents.

[Sanj]

Unplug the unit for starters and then clean/blow the connectors of any dirt and retry.

Lining on the door probably, get that door card off.

When you get used to getting that door card off, see if you can do the same n the drivers one and see any obvious lock issues (sticking pin, or dead unit).

[99ron]

Checked the DVD on realoem - the 3.0SD E70 and 535d E60 seem to use the same parts:-
Part 65839273195 (Exchange DVD drive).
Part 65836933200 (Electric fan).
Not saying that's your problem but it seems to be a common issue on the 5 series.
Also found the receipt. It was a bit more than I remembered - about £130 for the pair. DVD was £70 + VAT but looks just it should be about £15.

[Darmitst]

Q1: I had the same problem on an loan 07  E70 where the same message appreared. The DVD took a while to read when selecting say a post code. If I tried to rush it, it would crash saying re-insert the DVD. By waiting a few seconds longer after each post code letter displayed aftr selecting, it would work OK.

Not a solution but a short term fix (if it works for you) until you get it fixed.