XSeries-forum

Hi .
happy new year to all.
I am a first time BMW owner and I have got a x5 on a 52 plate, yes she is old but Its going to be great for me on long distance driving.
as always when buying a 2nd hand car, there is always problems that you were not told when you handed over the cash.
yes I have lots of them, and I am in need of some help.
the main problem is that I can not unlock the x5 with the fob.
it unlocks fine with the key. but the alarm keeps going off.
among other faults,
I have a power drain,
after charging the battery as soon as I connect it up without the key in the compressor starts running, Is this normal...
waiting in hope that you can help me,
many thanks,
andy

First - which version E53 have you got? Year/engine?

Second, have a search on here for the key pairing procedure. I assume you have two keys because you need a good one to start with? The process isn’t hard to do and is done from the drivers seat.

Any fault warnings showing up connected with the air compressor/suspension? Is the ride height OK? Does the compressor start up and stop again, or just keep running? If the latter then you may have a leak in the system. Use soapy water and look for bubbles. The compressor is under the black dome under the spare wheel. A soapy spray around it, the hose connections, and the airbags will narrow down where you need to look.

If the height changes without power then you have a leak. Bags or hoses or just possibly the valve block or compressor seals. Ride height sensors on the suspension are also known to fail with age.

Another thing to look at (assuming it’s an auto) is whether the orange ‘tell-tale’ LED P-symbol on the gear shift goes out after 15 mins? It should and that puts the car in sleep mode. If it doesn’t then something is keeping it awake. Diagnostics will hopefully help identify the source. Chasing parasitic draws is a pig of a job and takes hours whilst pulling fuses to see what drops the draw. You’ll need either a current clamp or high power rated ammeter (>50A) to monitor the battery current flow. It should be less than 80mA when asleep, often less than ~30mA.

Key pairing ....

Try this ..... thanks to Sanj who found it on Xoutpost years ago ...

Try this - lifted from xoutpost so all credit to them...

Reprogramming Key Fob

To do this procedure you need to have one working key and one key that needs to be programmed.

1. with the both keys, get in the car and close all windows and doors.
2. Put working key into the ignition and turn to position 1 (the accessories should turn on)
3. turn the key back to position 0 and take key out of the ignition.
4. Using the working key, hold down the unlock button, press the Roundel (lock button) 3 times, and release the unlock button. Doors should lock and unlock.
5. With the new key, hold down the unlock button and press the Roundel (lock button) 3 times and let go of the unlock button. Doors should lock and unlock and you're done!!

Alternate procedure if above doesn't work or if you do not have a working remote:

1. Place key in the ignition and cycle back and forth between position 0 and position 1 five times very quickly
2. Remove the key from the ignition
3. While holding down the unlock button, press the lock button 3 times and then release the unlock button. The doors should lock and unlock to confirm the programming.
4. If you have another key to program then repeat step 3 for the additional remote(s). The doors should lock and unlock to confirm the programming.
5. Turn on ignition to finalize

Key fob.
The alternative method above will work if you only have one key.
All the rest +1 for the above.