Issues after rain in the interior.

[jhb]

I picked up my X5 35d 2 weeks ago and it has 600 miles on it. My wife went outside earlier this week and told me I left my windows open overnight. Well, it's the middle of winter so I also wondered why my windows were open! It's freezing here in Boston!

I went out and sure enough, all 4 windows AND the sunroof were open, and, of course, it had rained the night before, just a little.

I know I did not leave the windows down, and I have as of yet to touch the sunroof, so either the windows spontaneously opened or I somehow held the unlock button down long enough to open all windows and sunroof completely, without knowing it.

In any event, the leather on the front seats and armrest on both doors appears to have swollen some and the texture/wrinkles of the leather is gone. The leather is sort of wavy where it appears to have expanded/swollen and not tight and smooth like it was before it got wet.

In addition, the passenger restraint system is now throwing an error. I think the heated seats also were impacted as they were not heating evenly, but that seems to be resolving on its own. It looks like water soaked into the seat interior as well as the leather?

On my old cars over the years, all BMWs, I have left the sunroof and windows open overnight by accident a few times and had rain soak the interior. However, the cars were never impacted like this!

Now granted, leaving the sunroof and windows open in the rain is not a smart move for any car, and I certainly don't make a habit out of it, but I would expect some more tolerance to getting the interior "washed", it is a car after all and "stuff" does happen!

I'll give the car a few more days to dry out, and then see if the leather "shrinks" again and if the passenger light goes out. If not, off to the dealer to get it sorted out.

[rmastale]

If you were sitting around the house with the key in your pocket; my guess is that the unlock button was depressed for about 15 seconds which then opens the windows and sunroof automatically.

I've done this exact thing. I now never keep the key in my pocket at home...

Sorry about the leather and other stuff; sucks all around. Hope it does rebound after being wet like that.

[F15GorDe]

The key cover from BMW eliminates these inadvertent key presses.
82292344033 sale price of $27.95 from getbmwparts.com right now.
Well worth the modest cost.
With comfort access I haven't pulled the fob out of my pocket to use a button more than two times in 10k miles.
I'll be using the app for venting once the summer heat is here.

[barcelona]

A little rain should be ok. I would leave it naturally dry, no hair dryer on leather. Maybe even put a dehumidifier in the cargo area. Hope it gets back to brand new soon.

Generally the fob covers work 99%. Weeks ago the cargo lid did open with the covers. So now, I only carry one ( not two) fob in my front pants. When I bought the fob's at the dealer, another customer at the counter told me a story that he had heard from his friend. His friend said that his colleague had parked his car near his office ( I assume industrial complex building). End of day he learned that his car was full of snow as all windows/sunroof was inadvertently opened, assumed fob was the culprit.

Maybe this fob/cover thread can address the accidental button pressed:
http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...hlight=key+fob

[quattrospeed]

I would DEFINITELY put a dehumidifier in there... That will be the answer to most if not all of the issues you're having.

[jhb]

After a few days the Passenger airbag light has gone away and the leather appears to have regained most (but not all) of its form. The heated seats also appear to be working completely again.

I did learn that the heated seats are impacted when switching to eco pro mode, which I was not aware of. I read about it in the manual, and confirmed on my way skiing. The seats get MUCH hotter when in comfort or sport mode over eco mode!

[Kzang]

I'm not an expert on electronics, but I do know when exposed wires or circuits touch water corrosion sets in and eventually fails. I would definitely take the car in to service and have it inspected to make sure everything is in working order.

[Ajax915]

Originally Posted by jhb

I picked up my X5 35d 2 weeks ago and it has 600 miles on it. My wife went outside earlier this week and told me I left my windows open overnight. Well, it's the middle of winter so I also wondered why my windows were open! It's freezing here in Boston!

I went out and sure enough, all 4 windows AND the sunroof were open, and, of course, it had rained the night before, just a little.

I know I did not leave the windows down, and I have as of yet to touch the sunroof, so either the windows spontaneously opened or I somehow held the unlock button down long enough to open all windows and sunroof completely, without knowing it.

In any event, the leather on the front seats and armrest on both doors appears to have swollen some and the texture/wrinkles of the leather is gone. The leather is sort of wavy where it appears to have expanded/swollen and not tight and smooth like it was before it got wet.

In addition, the passenger restraint system is now throwing an error. I think the heated seats also were impacted as they were not heating evenly, but that seems to be resolving on its own. It looks like water soaked into the seat interior as well as the leather?

On my old cars over the years, all BMWs, I have left the sunroof and windows open overnight by accident a few times and had rain soak the interior. However, the cars were never impacted like this!

Now granted, leaving the sunroof and windows open in the rain is not a smart move for any car, and I certainly don't make a habit out of it, but I would expect some more tolerance to getting the interior [...]

How did car hold up after incident ?